Welcome to Plovdiv! A city of many names — the Greeks called it Philippopolis; the Romans — Trimontium, the City of the Three Hills. But there were people here before these civilizations and people after, all of whom called it by their own names.In fact, Plovdiv is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe and the sixth oldest in the world. People have lived here since the 6th millennium BCE. It’s older than Rome, Athens, and Constantinople. Originally settled by Thracian tribes, then conquered by Philip II of Macedon (who renamed the city after himself), it landed in Roman hands in 46 CE and stayed there for another six hundred years. This Roman time period will be the focus of our tour.Unlike many ancient archeological sites that were abandoned and forgotten about for centuries, the ruins of ancient Philippopolis are right here in the middle of a modern city. You don’t need to drive or make special plans to see them. In fact, you’ll see that the people who live here today regard the ancient ruins as just another facet of city life. You’ll see kids climbing all over the ancient walls; commuters walking the Roman roads; people eating lunch in the seats at the ancient stadium — seats an Emperor himself may have lounged on! During the Roman era, the population of Philipoppolis numbered about 100,000, making it one of the 10 largest cities of its time. It was strategically located between central Europe and Asia Minor, and the most important military road in the Balkans — the Via Militaris — abutted the city at its eastern gate. As a hub for bustling trade between East and West, Philippopolis was an important and wealthy town. Much of the world’s wealth — silver and gold, fine ceramics, perfumes, spices, and more — was available here.  That wealth and importance led to the development of an ancient city with a strong economic center and well-built and lavishly decorated administrative, cultural, religious, and residential buildings — many of which survived the centuries and can be visited today. We’re so glad to have you with us on our journey to discover this ancient Roman settlement. We’ll take a walk through time to see all of Philippopolis’s best-preserved ruins — a few of which include:* The Forum, which was the ancient city center* The Bishop’s Basilica, with its early Christian mosaics and an awesome augmented reality display* The 30,000-seat Stadium, a place for games, poetry contests, and chariot racing * The 5,000-seat Theatre, which hosted plays and gladiator fights And as a bonus, if you have time to walk 30 minutes outside of town, you can find the remains of the Roman Aqueduct which brought water from the distant Rhodope mountains to public baths and fountains, and even to the houses of the wealthiest citizens of Philippopolis.Even with all this, the city’s archaeological treasures are still actively being unearthed, so what you are seeing is a many-layered history unfolding right before your eyes. Let’s get started! Sources: Plovdivbg.info / plovdivmosaics.org / enjoy-plovdiv.com / plovdiv.bg / visitplovdiv.com / ancienttheaterplovdiv.eu / ancient-stadium-plovdiv.eu / wikipedia / city historical markers