Prosek (

Macedonian alphabet The orthography of the Macedonian language includes an alphabet consisting of 31 letters ( mk, Македонска азбука, Makedonska azbuka), which is an adaptation of the Cyrillic script, as well as language-specific conventions of spelli ...

: Просек), also known as Stenae (in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: Στεναί ''narrow''), is an archaeological site of a former city in

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...

. It was capital city of the independent rulers

Dobromir Chrysos Dobromir, known to the Byzantines as Chrysos ( mk, Добромир Хрс, bg, Добромир Хриз, el, Δοβρομηρός Χρύσος), was a leader of the Vlachs and Bulgarian Slavs in eastern Macedonia during the reign of the Byzan ...

(from the 1190s to 1202) and Strez (from 1208 to 1214). Its ruins were discovered in 1948, about 1 km south of the town of

Demir Kapija Demir Kapija ( mk, Демир Капија ) is a small town in North Macedonia, located near the ominous limestone gates of the same name. It has 3,725 inhabitants. The town is the seat of Demir Kapija Municipality. Etymology The name of the tow ...

. There were found 4 towers, many ceramic objects, jewellery, coins, acropolis and necropolis. This settlement had an excellent strategical war position. The site is located on a limestone plateau surrounded by a curve of

Vardar The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest river in Greece, in which it reaches the Aegean Sea at Thessaloniki. It is long, out of which are in Greece, and drains an area of around . Th ...

river. The sheer cliffs and the river make the area suitable for defense. A narrow gap between the rocks leads to the only entrance to the fortress. During last years of the 12th century and the first years of the 13th century, Prosek was the center of a rebel Byzantine province and later independent domain led by the nobleman (according to Niketas Choniates) Dobromir Chrysos. In 1202 the lands of Dobromir Chrysos were conquered by the Second Bulgarian Empire under tsar

Kaloyan Kaloyan or Kalojan, also known as Ioannitsa or Johannitsa ( bg, Калоян, Йоаница; 1170 – October 1207), was emperor or tsar of Bulgaria from 1196 to 1207. He was the younger brother of Theodor and Asen, who led the anti-Byzant ...

. Later in 1208,

sebastokrator ''Sebastokrator'' ( grc-byz, Σεβαστοκράτωρ, Sevastokrátor, August Ruler, ; bg, севастократор, sevastokrator; sh, sebastokrator), was a senior court title in the late Byzantine Empire. It was also used by other rulers wh ...

Strez,Florin Curta, Southeastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500–1250 (Cambridge University Press, 2006), 688. claimed Chrysos' lands and was ruler until 1214 when he died, killed by a conspiracy inspired by Sava (later canonized as St. Sava).

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PROSEK (STENAE)
*

* ttp://www.promacedonia.org/im3/im_negotino.htm Микулчич, Ив. "Средновековни градови и тврдини во Македонија". Скопије, 1996 1948 archaeological discoveries Archaeological sites in North Macedonia Former populated places in the Balkans Demir Kapija Municipality {{DemirKapija-geo-stub

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