page_title: Nicopolis ad Istrum
section_title: Archaeology
hierarchical_section_title: Nicopolis ad Istrum / Archaeology
caption_attribution_description: English: Aqueduct source of Nicopolis, remains of octagonal collection basin at Musina, Bulgaria
context_page_description: Nicopolis ad Istrum or Nicopolis ad Iatrum was a Roman and Early Byzantine town.
  Its ruins are located at the village of Nikyup, 20 km north of Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria. The town reached its zenith during the reigns of Hadrian, the Antonines and the Severan dynasty.
  Archaeological excavations are continuing to reveal more of the city.
  The site was placed on the Tentative List for consideration as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.
context_section_description: The classical town was planned according to the orthogonal system. The network of streets, the forum surrounded by an Ionic colonnade and many buildings, a two-nave room later turned into a basilica and other public buildings have been uncovered. The rich architectures and sculptures show a similarity with those of the ancient towns in Asia Minor. 
  The agora contained a statue of Trajan on horseback as well as other marble statues and an Ionic colonnade. 
  The city also had a three-nave basilica, a bouleuterion, a temple of Cybele, a small odeon, thermae (public baths) as well as a unique Roman building inscribed with termoperiatos, a heated building with shops and enclosed space for walks and business meetings. Some town houses and buildings have also been excavated.
  A unique public building, a thermoperipatos, has been identified only in Nicopolis ad Istrum so far, out of all cities in Roman Empire. It occupied a whole insula and was built under Commodus in 184-5 on the ruins of an earlier building. It was probably used for tradng and included shops. It was ruined in the 4th c. and another building later built over it.
  The city was supplied by three aqueducts and had several water wells, many of which have been unearthed in archaeological excavations. The western aqueduct of 25km length had a bridge of almost 3km long and almost 20m tall carrying water over the entire valley of the Rositsa River. Its 2nd century water catchment reservoir is located near the town of Musina in Pavlikeni municipality, to the west of the Roman city, where it still collects water from the karst springs inside the Musina Cave. A large castellum aquae of this aqueduct stands to the west of the city.
  In 2015 remains of a huge building were revealed which was probably the residence of the agoranomus or curule aedile, a public officer in charge of trade and market operations in Ancient Greek and Roman cities.
  The obelisk of Quintus Julius, an aristocrat from Nicopolis, still stands to a height of 14m in the countryside near Lesicheri, about 12km west of the city.
  Many finds are on display in the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Museum of History.
  In 2018, archaeologists found an altar dedicated to the goddess Tyche at a small square in the southwestern corner of the Forum complex, with an inscription in Ancient Greek which is a modified epigram by Demosthenes.
caption: Aqueduct source octagonal collection basin
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