Heraclea Sintica

An ancient Macedonian city near modern Petrich in southwestern Bulgaria, founded around 300 BC by King Cassander -- the same ruler who established Thessaloniki. The city served as the center of the Sintica region along the Struma River, inhabited by the Thracian Sintians mentioned by Homer and Herodotus. Its location was disputed for over a century until a Latin inscription from 308 AD was discovered in 2002, in which Emperor Galerius addressed the citizens of Heraclea Sintica. Excavations since 2007 have revealed a sophisticated Hippodamian grid-plan layout. The city declined in Late Antiquity, superseded by nearby Sandanski.