Thracian Secrets And Roman Echoes Within Villa Armira’s Walls

I'm glad, though, that I gave in to the tourist rule that says: If it's a landmark, it must be visited. By the way, I read that the location of such wealthy ancient villas was no accident. There were some guidelines: the place had to be beautiful, close to a major road, but not directly on it, with a nearby water source, and the villa itself should be on a southern slope. The builders of the villa followed all of these recommendations.

The visit to the villa started like this: A lady in charge of the visitors played a short 10-minute introductory film about the history of the settlement around Villa Armira, from when it was built by wealthy Thracians. This happened at the beginning of the Roman establishment in Thracian territories.

I won’t retell what I watched, not because it wasn’t interesting, but because I won’t be able to convey it as vividly and colorfully. The film was made very engaging. It gave me a solid foundation to understand what I saw and heard during the guided tour afterward.

The large guest room.

The villa was built following the Roman model. It had many rooms (guest rooms, reception areas, bedrooms), a pool, a heating system for the rooms and water, Roman baths, and thermal insulation. In the villa, they discovered a first layer of mosaics and murals (though fewer murals are preserved). Then, on top, a second layer of mosaics was laid by the heirs of the original inhabitants. The second mosaics included colorful elements.

The heating system for the rooms.

Scenes from legends about gods and goddesses, Dionysus, Ariadne, Artemis, etc.

The mosaics were truly impressive, especially as I listened to the explanations about the meanings of the various symbols and the depictions of scenes from legends. I also learned that when the villa was uncovered, its artifacts were taken to various museums around the country. Some of them were irreversibly lost, ending up in the hands of collectors abroad. The villa was looted several times during the 1990s.

The pool.

The decorative railing around the pool.

The pool.

During the socialist era, the site was inaccessible to visitors because it is very close to the Greek border. It's also interesting that among all the mosaic decorations in Villa Armira, two motifs are particularly prominent and appear in many places. These are: the depiction of Medusa Gorgona and various forms of swastikas, which are found throughout the villa, in large numbers. The swastika is a very ancient symbol of luck, over 7,000 years old.

Swastika.

Overall, I was surprised by how little is known about the villa's inhabitants. But that’s understandable—the inhabitants were of Thracian origin, and the Thracians didn’t leave behind much written history. They lived with thoughts of a lavish afterlife and didn’t concern themselves much with what they’d leave behind while alive.

The master bedroom of the villa owners.

Portraits became fashionable during this period. However, they weren’t depicted on the walls but on the floor. Archaeologists believe this is one of the villa's owners and his children, a boy and a girl.

Hypocaust – the villa’s underfloor heating system.

Villa Armira was established in the latter part of the 1st century and remained in use until the late 4th century, when it was burned to the ground. Historical sources indicate that in 378 AD, after the Battle of Adrianople near the fortress of Bukephalon, the Roman Emperor Valens suffered critical injuries and was taken to Villa Armira, where he later died.

The beautiful columns around the pool.

And while you're in the Ivaylovgrad region, be sure to try this local dish

The homemade zelnik, made with spinach and handmade dough sheets, baked in a pan on the stove.

Cheers)))

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Villa+Armira/@41.4965345,26.1069438,15.54z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x14b2edbea80fca73:0xe5254a9051704b6f!8m2!3d41.4992028!4d26.1062327!16s%2Fm%2F07k71nx?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTAwOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Enjoy