Stara Zagora (, ) is a city in Bulgaria, and the administrative capital of Stara Zagora Province. It is located in the Upper Thracian Plain, near the cities of Kazanlak, Plovdiv, and Sliven. Its population is 121,582 making it the fifth largest city of Bulgaria.
The city has had different names previously, including Beroe, Borui, Irenepolis, Eski Zagra, Augusta Traiana, etc. The earliest traces of civilisation date back to the 7th millennium BC. Some scholars believe that the ancient Thracian city of Beroe was located on the present site of Stara Zagora. In 1968, Neolithic dwellings from the mid-6th millennium BC were discovered in the town, which are the best preserved and richest collection in Europe of its kind and have been turned into a museum.
A high density of Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlements has been identified by researchers and a ritual structure nearly 8,000 years old has also been discovered. The first copper factory in Europe and a large ore mining centre were discovered, both over 7,000 years old. The original settlement dates from the 5th-4th century B.C under the name Beroe or Beroia, founded by Philip II of Macedon. It was renamed to Ulpia Augusta Traiana during Roman rule and became the most important city, above Philippopolis. During Marcus Aurelius' rule, many buildings have been built, art and music developed and there were statues and inscriptions of Orpheus.
The Goths defeated the Romans in the Battle of Beroe in 250 AD. During the Gothic War between 376 and 382, the Roman general Frigeridus promptly withdrew from Beroe to Illyria. At the end of the 6th century, Beroe was destroyed, but rebuilt under the name Veroia.
During the Middle Ages, Zagore is mentioned for the first time by Byzantine historians. Irene of Athens visited the town, rebuilding it and renaming it to Irenepolis, in honour of her. By the end of the 10th century, the city was in Bulgarian hands and acquired a fully Bulgarian character. Bulgarians called the town Borui (a modified form of the Thracian Beroe).
In 1371, the city passed to Ottoman Empire, but its earliest mention was in an Ottoman document from 1430. Plagues rampaged in the 18th-19th century, as well as famine and drought, livestock pestilence, and hailstorms destroyed all crops. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, the town had devastating moments, which included a massacre of the local Bulgarians, in which thousands of people lost their lives, young women and girls being sold in the slave market of the Ottoman Empire.
In modern times, the city is relieved, as a growing city. The economy is developing like major cities in Bulgaria, with one of the highest wages in the country, high GDP in comparison with many Bulgarian cities, low unemployment of about 4%. The city is also located near the largest energy industrial complex, Maritsa Iztok Complex, where many of the people from Stara Zagora are employed.
Name The name comes from the Slavic root star ("old") and the name of the medieval region of Zagore ("beyond the Balkan mountains" in Slavic)
The original name was Beroe, which was changed to Ulpia Augusta Traiana by the Romans. From the 6th century the city was called Vereja and, from 784, Irenopolis (Greek: Ειρηνούπολις) in honour of the Byzantine empress Irene of Athens. In the Middle Ages it was called Boruj by the Bulgarians and later, Železnik. The Turks called it Eski Hisar (old fort) and Eski Zagra, from which its current name derives, assigned in 1871.
Beroe Hill on Livingston Island, West Antarctica, is named after this city, in its previous incarnation as Beroe.
History
Neolithic Age
The earliest traces of civilisation in the region of Stara Zagora date back to the end of the 7th millennium B.C.„Виж Стара Загора преди 8000 години“ Then, almost simultaneously, four prehistoric settlements emerged on the present territory of Stara Zagora and its surroundings, one of which was the largest in the Bulgarian lands for 6 thousand years. Some scholars believe that the ancient Thracian Beroe was located there.
In 1968, Neolithic dwellings from the mid-6th millennium BC were discovered in the town, which are the best preserved and richest collection in Europe and have been turned into a museum.
A high density of Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlements has been identified, with over 120 prehistoric settlements and 5 prehistoric settlement mounds, with numerous finds, one of them being the largest in Europe."Праисторикът Петър Калчев: „Неолитните жилища“ – в списъка на ЮНЕСКО", NPB.bg, посетен на 23 януари 2016 г. Life here began in the late 7th millennium BC and continued until the 12th century AD.
Near Stara Zagora, a ritual structure nearly 8,000 years old has also been discovered."Нова сензация с кота 8000: Колко стар е старозагорският неолит?“
During extensive excavations in the 1970s near Stara Zagora, the world's largest ore mining centre was also discovered in the 5th millennium BC.„Халколитни медни рудници“, Регионален исторически музей – Стара Загора These metal mines, the oldest in Europe, are nearly 7,600 years old. In 2014, archaeologists from the Regional History Museum (Stara Zagora) discovered the first copper factory in Europe, over 7,000 years old.„Откриха фабрика за мед на траките“
The original Thracian settlement dates from the 5-4th century BC when it was called Beroe or Beroia.
The city was founded by Philip II of Macedon in 342 BC.Women and slaves in Greco-Roman culture: differential equations by Sandra Rae Joshel, Sheila Murnaghan, 1998, page 214, "Philip II founded cities at Beroe, Kabyle, and Philippopolis in 342/1, and Aegean-style urban life began to penetrate Thrace".Late Roman villas in the Danube-Balkan region by Lynda Mulvin, 2002, page 19, "Other roads went through Beroe (founded by Philip II of Macedon) "Philip of Macedon by Louïza D. Loukopoulou, 1980, page 98,"Upriver in the valley between the Rhodope and Haimos Philip founded Beroe (Stara Zagora) and Philippolis (Plovdiv)".The cities in Thrace and Dacia in late antiquity: (studies and materials) by Velizar Iv Velkov, 1977, page 128,"Founded by Philipp 11 on the site of an old Thracian settlement, it has existed without interruption from that time".
Antiquity
Under the Roman Empire, the city was renamed Ulpia Augusta Traiana in honour of emperor Trajan. The city grew to its largest extent under Marcus Aurelius (161-180) and became the most important city in the Roman province of Thrace. Its status and importance is evidenced by the visits of several emperors including Septimius Severus (193-211), Caracalla (211-217), and Diocletian (294-305). The city became the largest economic, administrative and cultural centre in the province. The famous Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus wrote: "The great cities of Philippopolis and Augusta Traiana, which in antiquity were called Eumolpiada and Beroea, adorn the province of Thrace". The city has an independent municipal government, a city council and a people's assembly and enjoys a special status.Известия на Историческото Дружество въ София, книга XI-XII, Към Историята на Августа Траяна, Д.П.Димитров, Придворна Печатница-София, 1932 By special order, it was in this city that the veterans of the wars fought by the Roman Empire settled. During the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180), straight streets, dozens of residential and public buildings, city walls enclosing an area of about 50 hectares and reinforced with about 40 towers, of which 11 have been excavated, water supply, sewerage, theatre building, temples, markets, odeon, thermae, forum were built in the city. A theatron with marble seats was also built, from which the spectacular gladiatorial battles, processions, celebrations, or assemblies where the important affairs of the city were decided, were observed. A gymnasium existed in the city, and sporting events were held in the stadium. The arts and musics developed in the city, as evidenced by the examples of bronze and stone sculpture, jewellery, pottery, glass objects, statues and inscriptions for Orpheus that have been found.
The Battle of Beroe was fought near the city in 250 resulting in a Gothic Victory.The History of Zonaras: From Alexander Severus to the Death of Theodosius, Thomas Banchich, Eugene Lane, , 9781134424733 p 94 It was probably after this event that the city walls were doubled like other cities in the region (e.g. Diocletianopolis, Serdica).
In the 2nd-3rd century the city had its own coin mint showing its importance.
In 377, in the Gothic War (376-382), the Goths marched on Beroe to attack the Roman general Frigiderus but his scouts detected the invaders and he promptly withdrew to Illyria.Coombs-Hoar, Adrian (2015). Eagles in the Dust: The Roman Defeat at Adrianopolis AD 378. Pen and Sword. p 62-3 The city was destroyed but rebuilt by Justinian. During the period of Late Antiquity (4th-6th centuries) the town was again named Beroe. The times are connected with the relocation of the capital of the empire from Rome to Constantinople, the accelerated Christianization of the local population, the Gothic invasions at the end of the 4th century and the devastating raids of the Huns in the middle of the 5th century.
In late antiquity, a mass Christianization of the local population began in Beroe, especially after the Medo-Latin Edict. The town was one of the most active centres of early Christianity. The first to introduce Christianity here was the apostle Carpus, one of the 70 apostles of Jesus Christ and a disciple of the apostle Paul. Beroe became the seat of a bishopric, which grew into an archbishopric. Bishop Demophilus of Beroe takes part in the Serdika Church Council. In 355, the Roman Pope Liberius was exiled to Beroe, and Demophilus went to Constantinople, where he reached the highest rank - Patriarch of the Byzantine Empire."Prison, Punishment and Penance in Late Antiquity, 2013, Julia Hillner„Беройски епископ става патриарх на Източната империя“
In the 6th century, the city is mentioned as Beroe in the Gothic calendar under the date 19 November, associated with the famous 40 female martyrs. At the end of the century, the town was again destroyed, but then rebuilt and took the name Vereia.
Middle Ages For the first time the Zagore area is mentioned in the accounts of George Amartole, repeated by Symeon Logothete, George Kedrenos and Symeon the Metaphrast, where the help that Tervel's Bulgarian army gave to Emperor Justinian II in his restoration to the Constantinople throne is described. On this occasion, in 705, a peace treaty was signed between the Byzantine Empire and Bulgaria, according to which the Zagore region was ceded to Bulgaria. Three years later, according to other sources, Justinian II tried to regain the area, but was defeated near Anchialos. According to the later accounts of Theophanes the Confessor, in 716 a new treaty was concluded between the new emperor Theodosius III and Tervel, according to which, in addition to the area of Zagore finally ceded to the Bulgarians, another part of Thrace was ceded to the west of Zagore, as far as the "Mileon in Thrace". In 717. In 717 Tervel gave new aid to the empire with a large army and defeated the Umayyad Caliphate that had besieged Constantinople. After that, Beroe repeatedly passed now to Byzantium, now to Bulgaria.