Ratiaria

Ratiaria was a major Roman city occupying approximately 60 hectares on a high terrace above the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. Originally a Thracian settlement, it became a military camp under Emperor Vespasian and was elevated to colony status by Trajan around 107 AD as Colonia Ulpia Traiana Ratiaria. It served as an imperial arsenal, headquarters for the Roman Danube fleet (Classis Moesica), and the most important Roman urban center in the northern Balkans. Destroyed by the Avars around 586 AD, the site has suffered severe damage from treasure hunters since 1991.