Ktenia
Open-knowledge reference entry
Ktenia (Bulgarian: Ктения, Greek: Κτένια) is a ruined Roman and medieval fortress, 2.1 kilometres (1.3 mi) north of the village of Lozarevo in Sungurlare Municipality, Burgas Province, south-eastern Bulgaria. In the Middle Ages, Ktenia often changed hands between Bulgaria and Byzantium.
The ruins of the fortress lie northeast of the town of Sungurlare, in the Grebenets section of the Eastern Balkan Mountains. In ancient and medieval times, it served as an important defensive position guarding the Karnobat Pass through the mountains. Neighbouring castles included Rusokastro to the southeast and Aytos to the east. It is uncertain whether Ktenia is identical with the castle named Goloe, which lay in the same region, or whether these were separate fortifications.
In 705, Ktenia became part of the First Bulgarian Empire when the Zagore area was ceded to Tervel by the Byzantine Empire. When the Bulgarian Empire was reestablished at the end of the 12th century, Ktenia was once again under Bulgarian control until it was conquered by the Byzantines during the Uprising of Ivaylo (1277–1280). The fortress was recovered by Bulgaria after a successful war by emperor Theodore Svetoslav (r. 1300–1321) in 1304.
“Ktenia” enters the record as open-knowledge reference entry. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Ktenia, Open-knowledge and entry can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Ktenia” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Ktenia, Open-knowledge and entry provides the most credible route into that argument.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5494421. Authority coordinates are 42.790, 26.875. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1277, 1280, 1300 and 1321.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ktenia”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ktenia primary sources, Ktenia archive and Ktenia research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ktenia”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ktenia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.