Archaeological finds of great scientific value discovered near Gigen

Archaeologists discovered a head of a statue, probably of a Roman emperor, and preserved columns from the colonnade in searches in the Roman town near the village of Gigen, near the city of Pleven in North Bulgaria. It was one of the largest and most significant Roman cities on the Bulgarian lands.

In the western part of the central hall of Ulpia Eskus, archaeologists found preserved marble columns and parts of capitals (the topmost member of a column), and in an antique embankment near them a head of a statue. It is possible that she is of the so-called Soldier Emperors from the middle or the second half of the 3rd century, suggests Assoc. Professor Kabakchieva. On 9^th of July, 328, the Roman Emperor Constantine has come to the largest city on the right bank of the Lower Danube to open a bridge across the river. The archaeological evidence suggests that the ruler was welcomed at the central residence of Ulpia Eskus, part of which is the colonnade discovered these days.

The huge complex became the centre of Ulpia Eskus in the late Roman period, when the scheme of the Early Roman city was abandoned, said Assoc. Prof. Kabakchieva. Because of it, the main street of the ancient city has been moved.

New discoveries show that the central building of Ulpia Eskus was much larger than it has been known so far. The famous “Achaeans” mosaic, which is now kept in the Pleven Museum, was found in one of its bedrooms, more than half a century ago.