Late-antique polychrome mosaic discovered at Pelenica near Dračevo

The Archaeological Museum of Macedonia announced the discovery of a late-antique polychrome mosaic at the Pelenica site near Dračevo in Skopje.

Find confirms long-standing reports

Excavations at Pelenica began on 28 October with the specific aim of checking reports from about 90 years ago that indicated the existence of a mosaic floor within a circular room. The field work is financed by the Municipality of Kisela Voda and carried out with the support of the Church of "Sveti Spas" in Dračevo, in cooperation with the Conservation Centre in Skopje.

So far the excavations have corroborated those near-century-old reports and brought to light a polychrome mosaic executed in the opus tessellatum technique, as well as ceramic finds and a coin dating to the late-antique period.

At this stage the mosaic has been exposed only along the peripheral portion of the surveyed area. Curators say that further work and the final results will provide more precise information about the mosaic’s full extent, state of preservation and its architectural context.

Archaeologists will continue the field campaign in the coming weeks to map the uncovered surfaces and document associated finds, with the aim of integrating the new data into the broader picture of late-antique settlement in the Skopje region.

Photo: Arheoloshki muzej)