Nicopolis ad Istrum, the Roman City Trajan Founded in Northern Bulgaria
Nicopolis ad Istrum is a Roman and early Byzantine city on the Rositsa river, near the village of Nikyup, roughly 20 km north of Veliko Tarnovo. Emperor Trajan founded it to celebrate his victories over the Dacians, and its streets, agora, odeon and aqueduct remains still show how a provincial city lived. It is one of the best hidden gems of northern Bulgaria.
This Roman town gave the Goths their alphabet: in the 4th century the bishop Ulfilas settled nearby and devised the Gothic script here. Its public building called a thermoperipatos is known nowhere else.
The history of Nicopolis ad Istrum
The site lies where the Yantra and Rositsa rivers meet. In the winter of 101–102 the Roman army under Emperor Trajan gathered here before attacking the Roxolani, a tribe north of the Danube allied with the Dacians. Around 102–106 Trajan founded a city on the spot in memory of his victories in the Dacian Wars, and named it Ulpia Nicopolis after his own family name. Ptolemy’s Geography, from before 130, still calls it Nicopolis ad Haemum, while inscriptions from 136 onwards use the name Ulpia Nicopolis ad Istrum.
Trajan clearly meant it to be a magnificent city, but most of its monumental character dates from the reigns of Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. The new agora had a grand Ionic stoa and a sumptuous hall whose purpose is unknown. In 170–171 the Costoboci, a tribe from today’s western Ukraine, ransacked the city, and walls were built soon afterwards. Under the Severan dynasty it prospered again: in 198 the emperors Septimius Severus and Caracalla wrote to thank its people for a festival and a generous gift. Caracalla’s visit in 211–212 seems to have gone badly, since the honorary title Ulpia disappears from inscriptions and the mint was closed, but it reopened after his death.
Around 250 the emperor Decius defeated the Goths of Cniva in a battle near the city. Nicopolis grew further under Diocletian’s reforms, and under Constantine two new buildings with pillared aisles, probably warehouses for the Danube army, replaced damaged structures on the north side of the agora. In 447 Attila’s Huns destroyed the town. In the middle of the fifth century a much smaller fortified town, about a quarter of the original area, was built against the old southern wall, enclosing mostly military buildings and churches. It became a bishop’s seat, and the names of two early bishops are known: Marcellus in 451 and Amantius in 518.
One of the most remarkable chapters is linguistic. In 347–348 the Gothic bishop, missionary and translator Ulfilas, called Wulfila, received permission from Emperor Constantius II to settle near the city with his flock of converts. There he devised the Gothic alphabet and oversaw the translation of the Bible from Greek into Gothic, which is why the city is sometimes called the birthplace of the Germanic literary tradition.
The city was destroyed by Avars and Slavs in the late seventh century. A small Bulgarian settlement later rose over the ruins and lasted from the ninth to the fourteenth century. Archaeologists have studied the site since 1900, and excavations still bring new discoveries: in 2015 the remains of a large building, probably the home of a market official, and in 2018 an altar to the goddess Tyche with a Greek inscription adapted from an epigram attributed to Demosthenes.
Curious facts about Nicopolis ad Istrum
- The thermoperipatos, a heated building with shops and covered walkways built in 184–185 under Commodus, has been identified only here among all the cities of the Roman Empire.
- The western aqueduct was 25 km long and crossed the Rositsa valley on a bridge of almost 3 km, about 18 to 20 metres tall; its water came from the area of the Musina cave.
- The excavators found the only columns with a heart-shaped cross-section known in Bulgaria, as well as fine Ionic friezes on the agora.
- The town had a hypocaust heating system, and even an open walkway that was warmed in winter.
- The obelisk of Quintus Julius, an aristocrat of the city, still stands 14 metres tall in the countryside near Lesicheri, about 12 km west of the ruins.
- The site was put on UNESCO’s Tentative List in 1984, and its name should not be confused with the Danube town of Nikopol, which lies much farther west.
Tours near Nicopolis ad Istrum
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Nicopolis ad Istrum: what to see
- The reserve covers about 21.5 hectares. Look for the paved Roman streets with their drains, the agora with its colonnade, the odeon, the baths and the gates of the walls.
- A big water reservoir, the castellum aquae, stands to the west of the city and belongs to the aqueduct system.
- The ruins are reported to be open to visitors from early spring to late autumn; check the current opening hours before you go.
- Many finds are displayed in the Regional Museum of History in Veliko Tarnovo.
- Veliko Tarnovo, with its medieval hills and churches, is the natural base for the trip.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Nicopolis ad Istrum is
Photos of Nicopolis ad Istrum
Questions
What is Nicopolis ad Istrum?
Nicopolis ad Istrum is a Roman and early Byzantine city founded by Emperor Trajan around 102–106 in northern Bulgaria. Its ruins are an archaeological reserve.
Where is Nicopolis ad Istrum and how far is it from Veliko Tarnovo?
The ruins lie by the village of Nikyup, roughly 20 km north of Veliko Tarnovo, beside the road towards Ruse and the Rositsa river.
Why was Nicopolis ad Istrum founded?
Trajan founded it in memory of his victory over the Dacians and their allies, and gave it his family name Ulpia.
What makes Nicopolis ad Istrum special?
It has a unique public building known as a thermoperipatos, a long aqueduct with a high bridge, and a link to Ulfilas, who created the Gothic alphabet nearby.
What can I see at Nicopolis ad Istrum today?
Visitors can see paved streets, the agora with its colonnade, the odeon, baths, parts of the walls and gates, and wells.
Is it worth visiting from Veliko Tarnovo?
Yes, for anyone interested in Roman history it is an easy detour. Many finds from the city are shown in the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Museum of History.
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