Plovdiv is the modern site of the ancient city of Philipopolis. It is charming from the get go and given the range of things to see here, it is no wonder it was named Europe’s Capital of Culture in 2019. On our list of ‘must see’ items are 5 things that no trip to Plovdiv is complete without.
Arriving late on a Sunday afternoon the locals are dancing traditional Bulgarian style in Dzhumaya Square. Music sweeps both dancers and spectators up in its rhythm. I glance over my shoulder and Roman ruins greet me, lying in wait to be noticed. This ancient city has layers of history to explore from Emperor Hadrian’s time and the Ottoman occupation right through to the present. Right now the Stadium of Philipopolis waits to be explored.
Stadium of Philipopolis
Although parts of the stadium now sit open to the elements, most of the site remained buried beneath Plovdiv’s Main Street until as recently as 2010. Archaeologists first discovered the stadium in 1923, and today, much of the ancient structure still lies hidden just beneath our feet.
We stand in Dzhumaya Square and gaze down at the excavated part of the track and a semi circular section of seating. However, if you descend the stairs and enter through the original portico, you get a sense of the scale and grandeur of this ancient stadium.
As we enter the stadium proper, the seating behind us, a panorama of the scene that would have greeted us millennia ago unfolds. The area appears huge, stretching out in front of us whereby full, the crowds and noise would have been immense.
History
The Stadium of Philipopolis was built in the early 2nd century AD during Emperor Hadrian’s reign. Stretching 240 m long and 50 m wide, it could hold up to 30,000 spectators and lies beneath Plovdiv’s present-day Main Street. Archaeologists have uncovered small portions of the ancient stadium, while most of it remains unexcavated. The revealed sections offer a captivating glimpse into the city’s rich Roman past, tucked beneath the bustle of modern Plovdiv.
The stadium truly came alive in the early 3rd century, when the General Assembly of the Thracian Province organized grand Games that drew crowds from across the region. During its most celebrated years, the arena honored Roman Emperors Caracalla in 214 AD and his successor Elagabalus in 218 AD.
Tiered in 14 rows I can almost hear a bustling Thracian crowd cheering, pushing and shoving to find a seat, vying for a position to see the games and the visiting Emperor. The best seats were marked with inscriptions reserving them for high ranking public officials and important families with social standing.
The steps are well worn. The seating is alternately smooth from the bottoms of many crowds or cracked and broken from time and weather. Walking among the ancient stone terraces today, it’s easy to imagine the roar of spectators, the thrill of the competitions, and the pageantry of honoring emperors – history echoing through the ruins of this remarkable venue.
Exiting the site, there are fragments of ruins in the tunnel under the main portico. Parts of an aqua duct that still remain. It’s hard to imagine the rest as it would have been. Harder still to fathom that we have only discovered this very small section of the past.
Good To Know
The main site can be viewed from the vantage points in the Main Street and in Dzhumaya Square. However, it is well worth taking the time to go into the site proper. The sense of scale and grandeur is completely different when sitting in one of the ancient tiers of the stadium.
We toured Bulgaria with Adriana from Private Guide Bulgaria. See also:
Would I Return?
No. While interesting, the Ancient Stadium of Philipopolis itself is too small to warrant returning to.
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