In 2009 archaeologists continued studying the remains of ancient city of Tira and medieval city of Bilhorod. Excavations were conducted near the fortress and on the lower terrace eastward of it. Also, previously discovered building remains dated to the Ottoman period were investigated on the territory of the Akkerman fortress.
In the northwestern part of the central excavation site the remains of ancient building sites of Late Antiquity and the Hellenistic periods were investigated. The building remains of Late Antiquity were represented by fragments of houses and a separate stone course. This was an above-ground house, heavily destroyed as a result of construction activities in the Golden Horde period.
Two houses dated to the Hellenistic period, separated from the water drain by a lane, were excavated. Although it has not yet beendefined what the building plans were like and where the boundaries were, it is clear that they were multi-chambered and built in various historic periods. The exposed part of the building XI is rectangular. There are eight rooms; the courtyard is situated in the western part of the house and is adjacent to the lane with the water drain. Two causeways were also found here, as well as two water reservoirs in the central and western parts of the house. We can assume that all this was built during two periods of construction. The earlier was dated IVth cent. BC, the later – III-IInd cent. BC.
Initially some rooms of the building (namely, five basements) were built simultaneously with the northern front of the defensive wall. They were part of the defense complex. Later on, after some period of this wall disuse, the rooms were integrated into the building system. Over the fill of the two basements, two above-ground premises dated to the Late Hellenistic period were built. To the north of the basements, there are two courtyards surrounded by ground premises and basements. Northward of these excavationrevealed the remains of the lane with a drain, which stretched towards one of the streets and let the water flow into an estuary.
The house XIII is attributed to several construction periods. It consisted of seven rooms, including closed courtyards and a pavement adjacent to the wall that separates the house from the lane, ground facilities and water reservoirs. The basements in the northern part of the building were constructed over the surface of a partially-disassembled defensive wall dated to the early period. This wall ceased functioning in the first half of the IVth century BC.
Both houses are built with numerous defects, with recycled building materials of earlier periods used in construction. Within the fill of the roomssome material dated to the Late Hellinistic period was found. Here and there archaeologists found ceramics attributed to the V-IVth century BC. A large number of fragments of amphorae from Heraclea Pontica, Sinop, Thassos, Acantha, Rhodes, Chios, Chersonesus and others are found. Among other pieces of pottery which dominate are: black- and brown-glazed wares (bowls, cups, plates, dishes for fish, ‘Megarian’ bowls, amphorae-pelikes, kylixes, kantharos etc.), and numerous fragments of molded pottery related to the Geta-Dacian tradition. Among other finds are: bronze coins, wares made of metal, glass, bones, fragments of terracotta.
During this season of excavations archaeologists also investigated the lower terrace near the estuary, which is east of the central excavation site. Here they concluded that the rock, which can be traced along the western coast of the Dniester Estuary, was leveled in the ancient times. Here were also three large rectangular slabs, which had been probably prepared for the construction of defensive structures. A similar rock, which had been leveled, was found next to bore pits southeast of the central excavation site, where a modern plant is located at present.
In 2009 excavations continued in the northeast corner of the Civil Yard of the fortress along its northern wall between the openings of the gate connecting the Civil Yard with Garrison and Quarantine ones. The objects which had been discovered at the site, were conserved afterwards. Of greatest interest among all finds at the Akkerman fortress is an octagonal building. It is of considerable height and seems to have been above-ground non-domestic facility used for purposes which are hard to identify. Northwest of the building are the remains of stone pavement. The walls of the octagonal building were erected on the bedrock, but its level descended sharply within the space of the building in the direction from southeast to northwest. Inside the building was filled with construction debris, where a number of architectural elements were revealed (for example, profiled cornices of white stone that were delivered from other localities). The construction of this building dates to the latest phase of the Ottoman period in Belhorod.