page_title: Philippopolis (Thrace)
section_title: Roman period
hierarchical_section_title: Philippopolis (Thrace) / Urban Development / Roman period
caption_attribution_description: English: The Antiquie Theater of Plovdiv, Булгариа Български: Античният театър, Пловдив
context_page_description: Philippopolis is one of the ancient names of the city of Plovdiv and is the one by which it was known for the most of its recorded history. The city became one of the largest and most important in region, as shown by its still impressive ancient remains, and was called "the largest and most beautiful of all cities" by Lucian.
  The city was originally a Thracian settlement, later being invaded by Persians, Greeks, Celts, Romans, Goths, Huns, Bulgarians, Slav-Vikings, Crusaders and Turks.
  In 342 BC, Philip II of Macedon conquered the Thracian town and gave it his name. Later, Philippopolis became part of the Roman empire and capital of the Roman province Thracia. According to Ammianus Marcellinus, Philippopolis had a population of 100,000 in the Roman period.
context_section_description: Extensive renovation and large-scale construction took place after 46 AD in order to meet the growing needs of the population. A characteristic of the buildings in Roman Philippopolis was their large scale and lavish decoration which expressed the greatness and influence of the Roman Empire.
  The Romans continued the legacy left by the Greek architects of Philippopolis; the unit of measure used by the Romans (the Roman foot - 296 mm) coincided almost entirely with the Attica step used in the Hellenistic period thus allowing them to easily follow the initial urban planning model of the town without making significant alterations.
  In the Roman era the built-up area of Philippopolis in the plain totalled 50 ha (120 acres). It included around 150 insulae each with a width of 1 actus (35.5 m) and length of 2 actus (71 m). The existing street network was renovated and expanded with water supply and sewer system beneath it. The area of the road network amounted to 100,000 sq.m. The streets were paved with large granite slabs. The width of the streets was 15 Roman feet (4.4 m) while the width of the main streets reached 30 Roman feet (8.9 m).
  In the 2nd c. AD, the area north of the forum was enhanced and important public buildings from the Hellenistic period like the theatre, the stadium, the agora, treasury and odeon were rebuilt and expanded.
  In 172, according to an inscription found in the East Gate area from the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the city walls were strengthened and extended around the city in the plain in the areas to the east and west of the three hills, including, unusually, the stadium. Part of this wall can be seen today under Djumaya Square, next to the Stadium. However the wall was also built across part of the city lying to the south of the forum leaving many buildings outside the protection of the walls. Eventually this area became derelict and was used as a cemetery where early Christian tombs have been discovered.
  The odeon was built as a Hellenistic bouleterion, or council chamber, and underwent four reconstructions between the 1st and 4th centuries for use as a small theatre.
  Evidence of the 250/1 destruction by the Goths has been discovered around the Odeon. After the Gothic invasions changes were made particularly noticeable in the East Gate complex, which had a triumphal arch in honour of Hadrian. The gate of the previous period was abandoned and a new route was added to the wall and the archway from the 2nd century was included.
  Recent excavations have revealed a 1st c. triumphal arch, only the 2nd in Bulgaria.
caption: Theatre
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