Ratiaria

Near the village of Archar, 17 km south of the Danubian town of Vidin, the ruins of the ancient Roman town of Ratiaria lie. The Roman settlement Ratiaria arose at the beginning of I century AD as a military center on the remains of an older Moesian settlement. In honour of his victory over the Dacians, Emperor Trajan constructed Moesian Ratiaria. The town developed as a big craft center, where goldsmith trade was of great importance. Digging in the ruins of a house, archeologists found two necklaces, four rings, two earrings, a pin, and a solid bracelet made of 23-carat gold. For more than two centuries (II–IV century AD) Ratiaria was the most significant military and economic center in today’s Northern Bulgaria, a stronghold of the Roman culture and civilization. One of the emperor’s six armouries was here. The bright town’s culture can be perceived in the sculptures, the gravestones and sarcophagi, in the architectural fragments and the elegant polychromatic mosaics. Today the ancient Roman settlement is regularly raided and destroyed by treasure-hunters.