Ulpia Oescus
Улпия Ескус

Photos and Text: Boris Begamov

Ulpia Oescus is one of the largest and most important cities in the Lower Danube region during the Roman era (II-IV century AD). The remains of Eskus are located on the territory of the village of Gigen, Gulyantsi municipality.

The city was founded in 106 – 109 AD, i.e. after the Second Dacian War (Imp. Trajan), which ended successfully for the Romans. This was a period in which the Empire reached its most significant territorial expansion to the northeast. To the name of the city – Oescus was added the father’s name of the ruling emperor. (From Ulpius, the father of Emperor Trajan, ed. Note).

In the area of ​​Oescus, over the Danube, the Romans built the longest bridge they created over a river – 2434 m. long wooden bridge. For the facility’s opening, Constantine the Great visited Oescus, and the event marks one of the most remarkable moments of that era in today’s Bulgarian lands.

Oescus was built on the site of an early Roman legionary camp. It gets its name from the nearby river Iskar (present days), which the Romans called Oescus. Oescus later became a city associated with the location of the V Macedonian Legion (Legio Quinta Macedonica) since construction equipment was brought from the east, where the legion participated in Rome’s war against the Persians.

In the II – III century, Oescus grew and became the economic and cultural center of the whole province of Lower Moesia. The strategic location to the Danube and at the same time to the then navigable Iskar, determine the importance of the city. The architecture bears the marks of Ephesus; there is information today that stonemasons from the same school created a similar architectural environment.

The city prospered during the time of the mighty empire, whose borders were delineated by the Limes, built along the Danube. The Danube served the Romans as a natural water barrier against the invading tribes and peoples from the northeast.

Next to Oescus, the Romans built the longest wooden bridge built in antiquity – the so-called. Constantine’s bridge, connecting the two banks of the Danube – Oescus with Sukidava (now Korabia, Romania).

A Forum, a Capitol, and a Civil Basilica were being built in the city. The Capitol included four temples – the Temple of Jupiter Optimum Maximus, the Temple of Juno, the Temple of Fortuna, and the Temple of Minerva. The cult of the gods was maintained by the Romans with brilliant architecture and unique building solutions.

In 376-378, Oescus was destroyed by the Goths. After the war, the city was burned and looted, and the fortress walls turned into ruins. As a result, the city experienced a decline, and from that time until the end of antiquity, only an internal fortification system was maintained.

In the 5th century, Oescus was repeatedly attacked by the Huns and suffered new major defeats and destruction. It is assumed that a great earthquake in the VI century finally put an end to the city.

In 1948-1949 the place was explored with the discovery of the so-called Achaean mosaic building. The mosaic adorned a room that was supposedly created for the visit of Emperor Constantine the Great, for the opening of the Danube bridge.

The multi-colored Achaean mosaic is an important discovery of archeological science; it is one of the most exciting works from the Roman era, discovered in Bulgaria. The mosaic can be seen in the Regional Historical Museum, Pleven, Bulgaria.

Today, Ulpia Oescus represents the spirit and ruins of a great civilization.
The site is one of the pearls of cultural and historical sites along the Danube River and the Dunav Ultra cycling route.

In present days, the nearly 3-meter statue from the temple of Fortuna in Oescus can be seen at the National Archaeological Institute with a museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Sofia). The statue is the largest of its kind found in Bulgaria.

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