Archaeological Excavations Start at Roman and Early Byzantine Site in Central Bulgaria
The excavations of the Roman and early Byzantine town are a joint initiative of the Veliko Tarnovo University and the town’s Regional History Museum.
The project, aimed at providing students with practical experience, is financed by the EU Social Fund through the Ministry of Education. Together with their professors, 20 archaeology students will participate in the Nicopolis ad Istrum excavations over a month.
The archeologists plan to unearth the oldest architectural remains of the town, including public buildings located at its forum, which date to the time of its founding – the beginning of the second century AD.
Nicopolis ad Istrum was founded by Emperor Trajan around 101–106 AD, at the junction of the Yantra River with the Danube, in memory of his victory over the Dacians. The town reached its apogee during the reigns of Trajan, Hadrian (117 - 138 AD), the Antonines (138 - 180 AD) and the Severan dynasty (193 – 235 AD).
The ancient settlement is one of the fourteenth sites on the Tentative List submitted by Bulgaria to UNESCO, which contains sites – seen as cultural or natural heritage of outstanding universal value, that the country intends to consider for nomination to be inscribed on the organization’s World Heritage List.
Read more about Bulgaria on BalkanTravellers.com
Use BalkanTravellers.com's tips to organize your trip to Bulgaria
Epicure
Bulgaria
Shopska Salad: Three common mistakes
To Bulgarians, Shopska salad is a bit like the scrambled eggs case – while it looks as if there is no way to screw the dish, in fact its proper preparation requires nothing less then utter care and devotion. In this case – in selecting the right products and adjusting the proportions. Full Story
Curiosity Chest
Balkans
The Red and White Strings that Welcome Spring in Bulgaria and Romania
I remember walking along Canal Street in New York’s Chinatown on March 2 a few years ago, when I saw a man sporting a small ornament made of red and white thread pinned to his coat lapel. He must be Bulgarian, I thought to myself with a sudden rush of homesickness, but now realize that he may have been Romanian as well.
Full Story
Useful Reads
Bulgaria
Street without a Name: Childhood and Other Misadventures in Bulgaria (2008) | By Kapka Kassabova
Danube blues
Text by Nicholas Lezard for The Guardian*
Full Story
Music
Bulgaria
The Choir that Turned England a Bit Bulgarian
One of the few constant sources of pride for Bulgarians is traditional folk music, and especially singing. But not the Oriental-beats-modified kind that often booms in nightclubs, giving their clientele the urge to jump atop tables and chairs and sway their hips around; rather the kind that, when heard, mesmerises you and gives you goose bumps, the kind that is haunting with its out-of-this universe quality, mostly figuratively but sometimes literally as well.
Full Story
-
Photogalleries
-
A Perfect Shot