THE BLACK ROCK AND THE ROCK-CUT TOMB

The Black Rock is a long, rocky plateau, overhanging the village with its vertical high rocks. Many artifacts from the different cultures inhabiting this area were sealed here on the rock formations.

The uniqueness of the place is well known by name. The black rock is a symbol of the great goddess – the mother of the Thracians, known in this region as Cybele. The numerous open terracotta statuettes of Cybele in the archaeological excavations of the ancient Greek city-colony of Amphipolis, located at the mouth of the Struma River, bear witness to the worship of the goddess, especially along the Struma River. In this most southern area, above a rock site, a rock sanctuary is formed. Rocky altars are cut in the highest part. At the northern foot of the megalith sanctuary described is a fairly well-formed rock site or altar, or it can also be interpreted as a monumental throne heading northwest, possibly to the sunset on the day of the summer solstice. In late antiquity, a small fortress was built in the area of ​​Black Rock, whose remains can be seen today in the northern part of the rock plateau. The ceramic material in it originates from III-IV century AD.

On the eastern foothills of the Black Rock, just below the fortress, there is a rock-cut tomb. Its opening is round, facing south. It has a short dromos and an ellipsoid chamber orientated east-west. This monument is a remarkable interest in science, as it is the first to date rock-cut tomb along the Struma river on Bulgarian territory.