And the story of our lands is ancient, interesting, even mysterious. If we dig a little deeper into the distant past, we will find various ancient cities, fortresses, artifacts and other similar places and objects that are part of our history and culture.
Kabile is a similar ancient town, located near the village of the same name in the district of Yambol. The city of Kabile was a very important center in antiquity, as it had a very strategic location. The fortress is also one of the 100 national sites of Bulgaria.
The name of the ancient city probably comes from the goddess Cybele. An image of her is carved on one of the rocks. She was the Great Mother of the Gods.
–
–
Kabile is an archeological reserve of national importance and a huge area, which makes it one of the largest ancient cities discovered in Bulgaria.
History and architecture
It is believed that the fortress of Kabile dates back to around 2000 BC. as an important Thracian cult complex on the hill Zaychi Vrah. It is mentioned by many ancient authors, one of the earliest describing how it was conquered by Philip II of Macedon in 341 BC.
Some historical data show that in the first half of the third century BC. the fortress was the residence of the Thracian dynasties Spartok and Skostock. There is evidence that in 72 BC. the Romans settled permanently in these lands. During the reign of Emperor Diocletian, Kabyle was one of the main cities in the ruler’s province.
The fortress was built in the typical Hellenic style, and in the middle of it there was an agora, which is the town square, where locals gather and a busy social life. In the center of this Agora there was a temple of the Greek god Apollo.
In the fortress there was a very intensive coinage of different coins in different eras.
Archaeological excavations and the inscription “Seuthopolis”
The first research in this area was carried out by Bogdan Filov in 1912. Then in 1927 the territory on which the Kabile complex was located was declared a national antiquity. In 1969, Kabile was declared a cultural monument of national importance and a National Archaeological Reserve, and in 1979 it was declared a protected area.
Excavations in the area of the ancient city of Kabile continue to this day, with various artifacts constantly emerging, most of which can be seen in the museum of the complex, which houses the famous inscription from Seuthopolis.
One of the most important archeological excavations connected with Seuthopolis – the city of the Thracian king Seuthes III and the capital of the Odrysian kingdom was found here, in the ancient city of Kabile. This is the so-called A “large inscription”, which was discovered in 1953 in the citadel palace and gives very precise guidelines on how the ancient city of Kabile was built. The inscription is carved on a marble slab with a pediment, in ancient Greek in 37 lines.
The read inscriptions on the plaque reveal valuable information about Seuthopolis – its architecture and ancient history. The inscription is considered to be the earliest epigraphic monument from the interior of Thrace, which mentions the worship of the god Dionysus and the Great Samothrace gods.
The rock sanctuary of Zaychi Vrah
In the eastern part of Zaychi Vrah there is a small rock sanctuary, which is not yet well studied, but arouses great interest among its visitors.
In the highest part of the top you can see cut two trenches, which intersect and form a cross. The shoulders of this cross are oriented in the four directions of the world. The eastern trench, also called the entrance, which is reached by steep terrain, is actually a trench through which the sun is observed on the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes.
The sanctuary is very interesting and even a little mysterious, like many other similar places that have been discovered in our lands.
The ancient city of Kabile is a cultural and historical treasure that gives us a lot of information about the region during different eras. This is a place you must visit if you are interested in ancient history and archeology, or if you just want to get to know Bulgaria.
More from the author:
Where Kaloyan defeated Baldwin IX: Bukelon Fortress near Matochina
Three fabulous places in Rila that everyone should visit
“Christ in a space rocket”: The mysterious church in the village of Dobarsko
Amazing creations of nature: Knights, Stone Wedding and Stone Mushrooms
The secrets of the Belogradchik rocks
The Mysteries of Strandzha Mountain – the tomb of the Egyptian goddess Bastet
The Wonders of Bulgaria: Ivanovo Rock Churches
Glorious history and greatness: What we do not know about the first Bulgarian capital – Pliska
Firefighting in our lands – an ancient custom or magic?
Like a medieval castle, proudly perched on a rock: Glozhene Monastery “St. George”
The Mysteries of the Thracians: The Kazanlak Tomb
Ruler or god – who is the Madara horseman?
The Mysteries of the Thracians: The Tomb near the Village of Sveshtari
The quiet nest of a queen in Bulgaria
Villa Armira – a mystery and elegance from Roman times
Titanosaurus, deinoterium … The most interesting finds in our lands
Elena Basilica – remnants of former greatness
Assen’s fortress – the lone guard of the Rhodopes
