The ancient Thracian city of Perperikon is located in the Eastern Rhodopes, 15 km northeast of the present-day town of Kardzhali, Bulgaria, on a 470 m high rocky hill, which is thought to have been a sacred place. Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe The Rhodopes (Родопи Rodopi, usually used with a definite article Родопите Rodopite, sometimes also called Родопа Rodopa or Родопа The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand Kardzhali or Kurdzhali (Кърджали Kırcaali is a town in Bulgaria, capital of Kardzhali Province in the Eastern Rhodopes. The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The village of Gorna Krepost ("Upper Castle") is located at the foot of the hill and the gold-bearing Perpereshka River flows near it. Perperikon is the largest megalith ensemble in the Balkans.
It is thought that the famous sanctuary and oracular shrine dedicated to Dionysus of the Bessi was situated there. Sanctuary has multiple meanings A sanctuary is the consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar An oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion an Infallible authority usually spiritual in nature In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman The Bessi ( Vesi) were an independent Thracian tribe who lived in a territory ranging from Moesia to Mount Rhodope in southern Thrace
History
Human activity in the area dates back to 5000 B. C. The first traces of civilization on the hill date from the Bronze Age, while the ceramics found on the place date from the Early Iron Age, as well as the impressive round altar, almost 2 m in diameter, hewn out of the rocks. A Civilization is a society in which large numbers of people share a variety of common elements The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for Pottery is the Ceramic ware made by potters It also refers to a group of materials that includes Earthenware, Stoneware This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man. An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place
At the time of the Roman Empire, a giant multi-story palace was erected according to archeological evidence, and an imposing with its size fortress was built around the hill, with walls as thick as 2. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial A palace is a grand residence especially the home of a Head of state or some other high-ranking Public figure. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for 8 m. Temples and quarters of residential buildings were also constructed in the fortress. A temple (from the Latin word Templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities such as prayer and sacrifice or analogous rites
The megalith complex had been laid in ruins and reerected many times in history.
Church
A church pulpit was found by Bulgarian archeologists at the peak of the Thracian rock sanctuary on 10 September 2005. A pulpit (from Latin pulpitum "scaffold" "platform" "stage" is a small elevated platform where a member of the clergy stands Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It is thought of as the first finding of the kind in Bulgaria. The pulpit was probably built at the end of the 4th century AD or the early 5th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Honorius and coincided with the period of the christening of the Thracians in the Rhodopes area. A pulpit (from Latin pulpitum "scaffold" "platform" "stage" is a small elevated platform where a member of the clergy stands Flavius Honorius ( September 9, 384 &ndash August 15, 423) was Roman Emperor (393- 395 and then Western Roman Emperor "Thracians" also refers to modern inhabitants of Thrace, regardless of ethnicity The Rhodopes (Родопи Rodopi, usually used with a definite article Родопите Rodopite, sometimes also called Родопа Rodopa or Родопа
It has the form of a one-ship basilica of 16. The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman 5 m length, which is the most typical form of an early Christian religious temple. M is the thirteenth letter of the modern Latin alphabet. Its name in English is spelled em (ɛm Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The pulpit, which is almost untouched by time, is richly decorated with stone-carved ornaments. An eagle with largely spread wings is clearly seen on the rock.
It also bears five inscriptions in Greek, which are yet to be explained but which archaeologists suppose are liturgical writings. Medieval Greek (Μεσαιωνική Ελληνική is a linguistic term that describes the fourth period in the history of the Greek language.
One hypothesis suggests the church existed until the 12th century when it was levelled by barbarian invaders. "Barbarian" is a pejorative term for an uncivilized person either in a general reference to a member of a nation or Ethnos perceived At about that time it was probably sealed up and abandoned to the oblivion of time.
External links
- Perperikon.bg - official site
- Kardzhali Museum page on Perperikon
- Perperikon Gallery
- Pictures of Perperikon
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