Still, a lot of Bulgaria's Roman past has survived and is now ready for exploration: theatres and public baths, stadiums and mansions, statues and fine mosaics, basilicas and painted tombs, modern museums and overgrown ruins. Some were overbuilt with newer buildings, some were carried off by treasure hunters. Roads and cities, statues and temples were lost forever – destroyed in wars or by people who used them for cheap construction material. The centuries which passed since the fall of the empire have obliterated most of the Ro- man heritage in Bulgaria. In times of war when the Barbarians at- tacked, cities were sacked, and emperors were killed in battle. In times of peace, soldiers guarded the long Danube border merchants did business with all corners of the empire and gladiators fought in arenas, entertaining both aristocrats and commoners. Temples were erected in veneration of gods old and new, and streets buzzed with people from the Middle East, Central Europe and the Apennine Peninsula. Roads were built and new cities were founded. It was a change which reshaped the Balkan landscapes, peoples and cultures. About 2,000 years ago the lands of today's Bulgaria became a chunk of one of the mightiest states in history: the Roman Empire.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |