New Archaeological Site in Sofia Reveals the History of Ancient Serdica

Initiated at the end of 2017, the studies of archaeologists from Sofia History Museum in the central part of the Bulgarian capital have led to interesting findings this summer. A section of the northern fortress wall of Serdica was discovered as well as a part of the outer wall, and between them - an ancient canal, which probably had a drainage function. The revealed section of the fortification system of the ancient city is about 30 meters long, it is extremely well preserved, and in some places the height reaches 2.5 m. The outer wall is a rare find because it was usually destroyed first during invasions. Serdica was strongly fortified - anyone can see this today if they visit some of the attractions in the historical centre of Sofia - the West Gate of Serdica, the Triangular Tower of Serdica and the East Gate of the ancient city. The newly discovered Roman remains complement the story of the former Roman residence. They are located on a private property in 35 Ekzarh Yosif Street, where a hotel is to be built. It is a prerequisite that the archaeological discoveries be fully preserved and incorporated in the new building. Thus, Sofia will have a second hotel sheltering part of the history of the ancient city - along with Arena di Serdica Boutique Hotel (with preserved parts of the remains of the Roman amphitheatre of ancient Serdica dating from III-IV century). The other findings from the studies - the figurine of the god of love Eros with a torch, a coin matrix from the time of Emperor Septimius Severus (193 - 211) and a patera for religious ceremonies, decorated with a pig's head, can be seen in Sofia History Museum. The Bulgarian capital continues to add more temptations to its tourist attractions - do not hesitate and choose Sofia, you will be pleasantly surprised!