Latest archaeological works have revealed that in the 4th century BC and in early Hellenistic times, Philippopolis was much larger than assumed initially.
The oldest hills are Nebet Tepe, Dzhambaz Tepe, and Taksim Tepe, where traces of prehistoric times have been found. As the settlement grew, it spread out over the seven hills we know today, called “tepeta” – from “tepe”, the Turkish word for hill that was used by the Ottomans.
Philip’s Philippopolis occupied those initial three hills and until the 1st century AD, the Romans also used the appropriate name of Trimontium. After this date, the city expanded into the surrounding plains where six luxury residential quarters were uncovered. During ongoing excavations, numerous public buildings like a temple were unearthed, as well as an inn with a tavern, and a brothel.
Entering Philippopolis through this Gate, one would walk through one of the town’s most beautiful streets which were13 meters wide, and still carry the deep ruts left by the heavy traffic of carts moving goods in and out of the city. As usual, the street is lined with a colonnade running along the edge of the sidewalks on either side.
At Nebet Tepe, the remains of Hellenistic and Roman fortresses have been found. The entrance gate known as Hisar Kapiya built under Trajan and Marcus Aurelius is the best preserved.
Philip’s Philippopolis occupied those initial three hills and until the 1st century AD, the Romans also used the appropriate name of Trimontium. After this date, the city expanded into the surrounding plains where six luxury residential quarters were uncovered. During ongoing excavations, numerous public buildings like a temple were unearthed, as well as an inn with a tavern, and a brothel.
The Roman Eastern Gate from the 2nd century AD has also been exposed. It was, in fact, a marble triumphal arch meant to honor Emperor Hadrian, who – as so often - visited the city.
Photo: TV grabs from the Bulgarian National Television
Entering Philippopolis through this Gate, one would walk through one of the town’s most beautiful streets which were
At Nebet Tepe, the remains of Hellenistic and Roman fortresses have been found. The entrance gate known as Hisar Kapiya built under Trajan and Marcus Aurelius is the best preserved.
As mentioned in earlier blogs (see: Philip’s Macedonia included also today’s Bulgaria and Plans enough to dig out Philippopolis) most of Philip’s proud city is still hidden underneath modern Plovdiv 180 meters long and could seat as many as 30,000 spectators. It appears that Septimius Severus organized contests at Philippopolis that were not unlike those held by the Greeks in their Olympic Games.
No comments:
Post a Comment