Kaleto Fortress

The oldest archaeological finds in the vicinity of the fortress, including pottery and tools, date back to the 5th to 6th millennium BC. A fortified settlement of the Copper Age already existed here in the 6th millennium BC. Various peoples such as the Triballi, Bastarnae, and Scordisci alternately settled the area. In the 1st century AD, the region became part of the Roman Empire. The original Roman fortress from the 2nd century did not serve military purposes but as a police station at a traffic hub. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, a settlement with a Roman sanctuary developed next to the fortress. Archaeological discoveries, such as a medallion of Emperor Severus Alexander and a rare gold coin of the same emperor, indicate the importance of this site. The fortress was also located at the linguistic border between Latin and Greek in the Roman provinces. After the Constantinian Shift, a large episcopal basilica was built nearby, whose murals illustrate the transition to the typical iconographic representation of the Eastern Church.

Kaleto Fortress is located in Mezdra, in the Vratsa district, Bulgaria, at an altitude of approximately 212 m above sea level.