Nicopolis ad Nestum

Nicopolis ad Nestum or Nicopolis ad Mestum, is a ruined Roman town in the province of Thracia (Thrace) near to the modern village of Garmen on the left bank of the Mesta river, in Garmen Municipality, Bulgaria [1]. The town was one of two fortified towns founded to mark Emperor Trajan’s victory in 105-106 AD over the Dacians [1]. The area had been inhabited for about 14 centuries and attained its peak in late antiquity (4th-6th centuries AD) [1]. The original town occupied about 25-30 decаres [1]. The Slavs destroyed Nicopolis in the 6th-7th centuries but it re-emerged as a medieval settlement in the late 10th century [1]. Excavations have cleared 280 metres of fortress walls, administrative and religious buildings and tumuli [1]. Several archaeological finds have been made, including a votive relief of the Thracian horseman, a statuette of Hermes, an old Christian tumulus, over 95 gold and 22 other coins, glass, bronze and ceramic vessels and a ritual table [1].