The Roman Theater of Plovdiv, Bulgaria

At one point in history, the Romans controlled much of the Western world.  One region that saw their influence is what is now known as the country of Bulgaria.  There lies many remnants of its former Roman occupiers, one of these an ancient theater that is considered one of the best and most well-preserved examples of this type of architecture in the world.  Named the PlovdivRomanTheater (or the Ancient Theater of Philippopolis), this artifact is just one among many in a city that has a recording dating back as far as 4000 BCE.

Plovdiv has existed as a town or city in one form or another for thousands of years.  Once the capital of the legendary Thracian Empire, it has over time been conquered and held by many different peoples.  When the Romans were there, they did what they usually did in new regions under their control - they built.  The theater was put together by the Roman Emperor Trajan in the early 2^nd century and, until 1972, was not known by modern man to even exist.  A random landslide revealed the structure and it was subsequently uncovered over the next decade-and-a-half.

So much time unexposed to the elements has left the theater in a remarkable state.  It was, naturally, constructed in the usual Roman style with a three-tiered skene and various underground passages, and its rows of semi-circular stone benches had a capacity to hold some 6000-7000 people.  They even carved the names of the city’s various quarters into the benches so that people would know where they were supposed to sit.

What’s more interesting about the Roman Theater of Plovdiv is that even though it’s centuries old, the people of the city still use it for its original purpose.  After being unearthed, some refurbishing was done (not, unfortunately, in an historically accurate way).  Mostly the theater hosts concerts and theatrical performances, though these only take place during the summer months.  If you happen to be visiting during this time, it’s an amazing opportunity to see a performance while sitting on stone benches crafted more than a thousand years ago.

As said before, this theater isn't the only thing to see in Plovdiv, not by a long-shot.  There are plenty of other sites, coming from many different time periods and being the result of many different peoples.  Check out this Plovdiv website for a more thorough breakdown of everything they have to offer.

Plovdiv Theater photo courtesy of Apoltix via Wikicommons