The ancient Roman Empire spread not just throughout much of what is today western Europe, but east, as well, including present day Romania and the Balkans (including Bulgaria). In 188 BCE the Romans invaded the region of Thrace (covering southeastern Bulgaria, northeastern Greece, and the European part of Turkey), finally conquered it in 46 CE and ruling until the empire began falling apart in the mid 5th century and Germanic tribes took over. Its capital was the city of Philippolis, in 342 BCE founded by and named after Phillip the Great, ruler of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (and father of Alexander the Great), making Bulgaria´s second largest city Plovdiv (pop. 372,000) one of Europe´s oldest continuouslay inhabited cities. And the legacy left by the Romans can still be seen today, are easily explorable on foot. And to help you understand what you´re seeing, you can opt for human guides or audio guides which provide expertly crafted, detailed explanations of history interspersed with interesting anecdotes and enriching lesser known facts. The advantage of human guides includes being able to ask specific questions, while the audio option allows you to move at your own pace. The main sites include:
Roman Forum
A rectangle covering some 20 hectares (39 acres), of which 11ha (27 acres) has been excavated, the forum was the center of administrative, commercial, religious, and generally public life of Philippolis. Prominent features includes a library and an odeon, similar to but smaller than a theater (below) and devoted to music and poetry.
Roman Theater
One of the best preserved of its kind in the world (above), it was constructed during the 1st-century rule of the Emperor Domitian and can hold up to 7,000. It´s still used today for concerts and other cultural events.
Roman Stadium
Built at the beginning of the 2nd century under Emperor Hadrian, this oblong structure is roughly 250 meters (820 feet) long and 50m (160 ft.) wide and could seat up to 30,000 spectators in 14 rows.
Roman Aqueduct
Away from the center of town you´ll find the restored remains of a pair of aqueducts which brought in water from the mountain springs at the foot of the surrounding Rhodopes Mountains. The western one is the more impressive of the two.
Plovdiv´s Other Allures
There are of course also plenty of other reasons to visit, including a charming. historic old town (above) dating back to the Middle Ages, tasty local cuisine, captivating music and art scenes.
More info: VisitPlovdiv.bg.
Comments
I´m a huge fan of archaeological sites, and I´m not done Romeing yet, so Plovdiv is definitely on my bucket list!