Archaeological museum, Plovdiv

Welcome to the Regional Archaeological Museum in Plovdiv. As you stand in the foyer of this distinguished institution, located on Saedinenie Square, you are about to embark on a chronological journey through one of the oldest…

We begin our journey in the Prehistoric halls. The artifacts surrounding you in these glass cases date back to the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Bronze Ages. …

Step into the most dazzling section of the museum. The lighting here is intentionally subdued to amplify the brilliant glow of the Thracian gold. …

As we move into the next gallery, the aesthetic shifts dramatically from organic, mythological gold to the rigid, pragmatic marble of the Roman Empire. In the 1st century AD, the Romans annexed Thrace, and the city—now known as…

Prepare to examine some of the most extraordinary artifacts in the museum's collection: the Roman floor mosaics. These massive, intricate artworks were painstakingly extracted from the ruins of wealthy Roman villas and civic…

Move to the heavier, monumental artifacts lining the perimeter of this hall. Here we find the Roman sarcophagi, massive stone coffins that provide critical insights into how the ancient residents of Philippopolis confronted death. …

Our final gallery explores the transition from the classical Roman world into the Byzantine and medieval Bulgarian eras. As the western Roman Empire collapsed, Plovdiv remained a vital stronghold of the eastern Byzantine Empire,…

As our tour of the Archaeological Museum of Plovdiv concludes, take a moment to absorb the staggering chronological distance you have just traveled. From the rough-hewn stone axes of the earliest farmers to the blinding…