Nicopolis ad Nestum

Nicopolis ad Nestum is a Roman town in southwestern Bulgaria with a rich history and architectural significance. It was founded in AD 106 by the Roman emperor Trajan, who named it the "City of Victory by the Nestos", the Mesta River. Its foundation is associated with Trajan's victory over the Dacians. The town developed into a centre of economic, political and cultural importance between the second and sixth centuries. Situated on the road between the Aegean coast and the Via Egnatia, Nicopolis ad Nestum enjoyed a favourable location and occupied approximately thirteen hectares. It had defensive walls, public and religious buildings, burial mounds and other structures reflecting the architectural diversity of different stages of its development. Numerous artefacts have been found, including carved reliefs, statuettes and coins, attesting to the town's cultural and religious ideas. Deities worshipped here included Zeus, Pluto, Hermes, the Thracian Horseman, Asclepius, Hygieia and the god of the Nestos River.: The town was destroyed by Slavs and Avars in the sixth century but rebuilt under Emperor Justinian I. Nicopolis ad Nestum revived again in the ninth–tenth century, but by the thirteenth century it was destroyed during the Crusades. It has been declared an archaeological and architectural monument of antiquity and the Middle Ages, highlighting its importance to Bulgarian history and culture.