Ancient Forum, Odeon and Ancient Library of Philippopolis – impressive archaeological complexes – cultural monuments in Plovdiv
- Stefan Ivanov
- Jul 3
- 10 min read
Updated: Jul 23
Dear discoverers, connoisseurs of curiosity, seekers of beauty, lovers of the history of Bulgaria, we continue our journey through the millennia with another publication from the (probably endless and never-ending) series dedicated to one of the most ancient cities in Europe – Plovdiv, forever marked by the colors of different eras and civilizations – Thracians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans and Bulgarians, who left a mark on this place and their own charm!
It is time for me to tell you and show you the Ancient Forum, Odeon and Ancient Library of Philippopolis – some of the most significant and impressive archaeological complexes – monuments of culture in the city of Plovdiv.
They represent the heart of the social, commercial, administrative, cultural and religious life of the ancient Roman city.
Ancient Forum (Agora, Roman Agora) of Philippopolis
The forum complex of Philippopolis is the largest and most significant architectural complex in the ancient city, covering an area of about 20 acres in total, of which 11 acres are uncovered. It has four proven construction periods.
It is located in the very center of modern Plovdiv, near the Central Post Office and the main pedestrian street.
This location emphasizes the continuity of the city center over the millennia.
The forum complex has been declared an archaeological monument of culture with a category of national importance.
It was created at the end of the 1st century AD during the reign of Emperor Augustus and the Thracian ruler Remetalcus as part of a new urban plan of Philippopolis based on the Roman model. Later, under Emperor Domitian (81 AD - 96 AD), a reconstruction was carried out in the Roman-Doric style of sandstone (tuff) with Propylaea - monumental porticoes from the east, south and west. In the 2nd century, under Emperor Trajan-Hadrian, a new elevation of the level in the Roman-Corinthian style of marble followed. The last reconstruction after the Gothic invasions from the middle of the 3rd century again raised the level and preserved the marble colonnade - arcade.
It functioned actively until the middle of the 5th century, when barbarian invasions forced the inhabitants to abandon the neighborhoods in the plain and move to the acropolis – to the fortress of Nebet Tepe.
The Forum (Agora) was a square (area) with a rectangular shape, close to a square, measuring approximately 113.60 x 99.40 meters under the open sky, covered with a pedestrian portico (ambulation) on all sides with a width of 10.50 - 11.30 meters, a massive stylobate carrying the colonnade (arcade) and a chain of antique shops from the east, south and west measuring 5.56 - 5.99 meters, and from the north - significant public buildings, as well as other buildings with a still unclear purpose.
Meetings, discussions, assemblies, celebrations, state events, commercial transactions and religious ceremonies were held here.
Shops of equal size were located on three sides of the forum. The entire area was surrounded by majestic marble colonnades (porticoes).
In the northern part of the forum complex, there were numerous public buildings related to the city government:
Odeon
Boulevterion – a building for meetings of the city council (later the Odeon took over this function or was expanded for it)
Treasury (Aedes Thesaurorum) – the first city treasury of the provinces of Thrace and Moesia
City Library – Philippopolis was one of the few ancient cities that had its own library, which is evidence of the high level of culture and education
Orator's rostrum (exedra) – a platform for speeches and addresses
Statue pedestals – numerous pedestals for statues of emperors, ancient Roman mythical deities and prominent citizens have been discovered.
The forum was opened in 1971 during the construction of the Central Post Office.
Excavations and conservation continue to this day, constantly revealing new parts. Unfortunately, the construction of Maria Luisa Blvd. in the 1980s cut the forum into two parts and irretrievably destroyed part of it.
Legend:
Early stylobate (the massive wall supporting the colonnade) with a stone foundation on wooden piles and a superstructure of brick and wood, early 1st century. There is no information about the facade design. The ancient square (Area) is 120 x 106.6 meters in size. The route of the stylobate was abandoned at the end of the 1st century.
Stylobate with a new route - from the end of the 1st century to the end of the existence of the Forum. The area of the Area narrowed at the expense of the ambulatory. The stylobate is founded on wooden piles and has a massive order in the Roman-Doric style of sandstone (II period). At the end of the 2nd century, the architectural order was changed to the Roman-Corinthian style of marble (III period). The last IV period is after the middle of the 3rd century with a new elevation of the new one and an architectural order of marble.
Colonnade - arcade on the stylobate. In the II period, the colonnade is in the Roman-Doric style of sandstone. In the III and IV periods, the marble arcade is in the Roman-Corinthian style with an order with an entablature - architrave, frieze and cornice. The column with base and capital has a total height of 7.20 meters.
Ambulazio - a covered pedestrian portico between the colonnade and the inner wall of the antique shops. In the earliest period, it is 6.20 meters wide, and after the expansion in the II period - 10.50 - 11 meters.
Antique shops - their walls are founded on wooden piles due to the high groundwater and probably for this reason the Forum underwent reconstructions with successive raising of the floor levels. The antique shops are wide open with shop windows only towards the ambulatory, which is visible from the size of the threshold blocks - 3 and 4 meters. Towards the antique streets, the shops have a closed facade. They are two-story with brick vaults and coverings.
Entrance vestibule – located in the axis of the propylaea with monumental treatment of the entrance portals.
Propylaea – a monumental portico in the axis of the Forum with a platform with four columns in the Ionic style and staircases on three sides. In the last period, the propylaea were abandoned and only entrances were formed.
Cardo – an ancient north-south street, tangential to the western propylaea.
Decumanus (decumanus maximus) – an ancient east-west street in the axis of the western propylaea. Four construction periods can be read in the levels of the ancient streets.
Area (square).
Odeon
It is located in the northeast corner of the forum, on General Gurko Street, opposite the Central Post Office.
It was built in the 2nd century AD, probably during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. It originally served as the bouleuterion – the seat of the city council (Buleto) of Philippopolis. This was the place where city policy was discussed and governed.
The building was later converted into a small city theater – the Odeon. The Odeon was a covered theater used for chamber music, theater, and literary events.
The odeon was rectangular in plan and contained all the elements characteristic of covered theaters:
Skene (stage) – relatively narrow, but with a length along the entire width of the cavea
Orchestra – the space in front of the stage. Initially horseshoe-shaped, but later transformed into a semicircular one and paved with large marble slabs
Cavea (spectator area) – rows of seating arranged in a stepped pattern, with a capacity of between 300 and 350 seats. The construction of the cavea was typical of Roman construction, similar to the Colosseum in Rome.
To the Emperor Caesar Marcus Aurelius Commodus Antoninus,
Pious and Happy Augustus,
victor in Sarmatia,
victor in Germany,
great victor in Britain –
The General Assembly of the Province of Thrace (erected this statue),
when Caecilius Maternus was the provincial governor,
imperial legate propraetor,
and (the statue was erected) by the Thracarch Lucius Fulvius Asticus.
Date: 187 AD
Four main construction periods of the building have been identified – from the 2nd century to the 4th century AD, indicating its continuous use and reconstructions.
The Odeon was opened in 1988 and was declared a cultural monument of national importance in 1995. Large-scale conservation and restoration work has been carried out, making it accessible today.
The Odeon of Philippopolis, like the Ancient Theater, is still used today for chamber theater performances, music concerts, literary readings, and other cultural events. This gives it a uniquely vibrant character.
The Ancient Forum and the Odeon are an integral part of Plovdiv's archaeological wealth and a must-see for any visitor who wants to immerse themselves in the city's glorious history as an important Roman center.
...praetors and tribunes...
before the military leaders.
As you wish, let the fine be paid by the one who has previously paid the expenses and has generously agreed to bear the expenses once again...,
so that he may strengthen his good name and receive the glory due to his office.
As envoys to me came ––– Philip and Caecilius Cerealius, whose travel expenses should be reimbursed, unless they had previously promised (to carry out the mission) free of charge. Be happy!
Date: second half of the 2nd or beginning of the 3rd century AD
Ancient Library of Philippopolis (Forum North)
The library was located in the northern part of the Forum complex, near other important public buildings such as the Odeon (Boulevterion) and the Treasury. This location is logical, since the Forum was the cultural and administrative center of the city.
The main phase of the library's construction dates back to the 2nd century AD - a period of prosperity for the Roman Empire and Philippopolis.
The library was public, which means that it was accessible to educated citizens, students, orators and all those interested in knowledge. It stored scrolls (volumes), which represented the books of that time. They were the repository of literature, philosophy, history, science, law and other knowledge.
Libraries also served as places for training, discussions and lectures, becoming intellectual centers of the city.
Excavations have revealed the foundations of the building, which allows us to reconstruct its plan. It is assumed that it had a rectangular shape with a marble floor, surrounded by a podium. The interior walls above the podium are divided into niches for placing wooden cabinets (armaria) in which the scrolls were stored. Often such niches were arranged in several levels. The entrance to the Library is from the northern portico of the Agora.
There may have been a central courtyard or atrium to provide light and ventilation.
Good luck!
The Metropolis (erected a statue of) Titus Flavius Priscianus,
hereditary Thracarch (president of the general assembly of Thrace),
chief priest of the imperial cult and first archon (of the city).
May it be a happy one!
Date: 222 – 235 AD
Fragments of marble decoration have been found, which suggests the elegance and representativeness of the building.
The presence of a public library was a huge prestige for every Roman city. It shows that Philippopolis was not only an important administrative and commercial center, but also a center of education and culture in the province of Thrace of the Roman Empire. It is evidence of the high level of literacy and interest in knowledge among the population of Philippopolis. The library is another proof of the full Roman way of life, transferred and developed on the territory of present-day Bulgaria.
The remains of the Ancient Library were discovered during the archaeological excavations of the Forum complex.
They are preserved and exhibited as part of the Archaeological Underpass of Philippopolis, which connects the Central Post Office with the Odeon and the other parts of the Forum.
Although it has not been preserved as a complete building, the foundations and architectural fragments provide a clear idea of its existence and significance.
The ancient library of Philippopolis is one of those hidden gems of Plovdiv that tell the story of the greatness and cultural development of the city during the Roman era. It is proof that Philippopolis was not only a trading crossroads, but also a place where spirit and knowledge were highly valued.
How to get to the city of Plovdiv?
Imagine a city that has seen thousands of sunrises and sunsets, that has witnessed the rise and fall of empires, and that today proudly stands, telling its thousand-year history!
Welcome to Plovdiv – one of the most ancient cities in Europe!
Plovdiv is one of the best European tourist destinations!
Plovdiv is one of the best destinations for cultural tourism in Europe!
Dear travelers, get ready!
We will head to an extraordinary place where history is not just a series of dates, but if you reach out, you will touch it!
A place so old that it was born before legends, and so beautiful that it will steal your sleep.
When you step onto the smooth cobblestones of the narrow streets of the Old Town, you can't help but feel the breath of the past.
Every stone here, every house with carved facades, every hidden alley bears the imprint of Thracians, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans.
Plovdiv is not just another tourist destination, it is an experience!
It is a place where you can drink your morning coffee in a square where Roman legions once marched!
It is a place where you can get lost among the Ancient Theater, which was a stage for gladiatorial fights and dramatic plays!
It is a place where you can admire the sunset from Nebet Tepe – the hill where it all began millennia ago!
Prepare your senses for a celebration – for the aroma of figs and old wood, for the whisper of centuries-old stones, for the bright colors of the Revival houses, and for the pulse of a city that lives in harmony between antiquity and modernity!
Plovdiv will enchant you, excite you, inspire you and make you fall in love.
Are you ready to immerse yourself in this fabulous reality?
Plovdiv stands on:
161 kilometers (about 2 hours and 6 minutes by car) from the capital
376 kilometers (about 4 hours and 14 minutes by car) from the city of Varna
254 kilometers (about 2 hours and 24 minutes by car) from the city of Burgas
How to get to the Ancient Forum, Odeon and Ancient Library of Philippopolis?
Forum West is located in the middle of Central Square in the city of Plovdiv, between the Central Post Office and Tsar Simeon's Garden.
Forum North is located in the middle of Central Square in the city of Plovdiv, between the Central Post Office and Tsar Simeon's Garden.
The Odeon of Philippopolis is located north of the Central Post Office next to General Gurko Street.
The ancient library of Philippopolis is located between the Odeon and the Forum North.
And finally, my dear friends,
you shouldn't miss checking out
the special photo album with moments –
discovered, experienced, filmed and shared with you!
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