BULGARIAN ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOUND THE "TAX OFFICE" OF THE ANCIENT ROMAN TOWN NICOPOLIS AD ISTRUM

Bulgarian archaeologists discovered the "tax office" of the ancient Roman town Nicopolis ad Istrum near today’s city of Veliko Turnovo. The control over the trade and the quality of offered goods in the ancient town were rather tight. The archaeologists found many measures and scales in the ancient Roman “revenue agency”, which for the time being is the biggest administrative building in the town.

18 km away from the current city of Veliko Turnovo, the little jewel of the Roman Empire, Nicopolis ad Istrum was so often robbed in the past that there was almost nothing left in it. But the land was sufficiently preserved to remind about the greatness of the empire. Nicopolis ad Istrum is known as the town where the bible was translated into Gothic language. Once the town was destroyed, it was not recovered for a second life, which gave an opportunity for the researchers to almost entirely recreate the town and the ideas about the life in it.

Nicopolis ad Istrum was founded by the Roman Emperor Trajan in honour of his victories over the Dacians in 101 and 106, but also because of the need to strengthen his presence and power in the region. So at the beginning of the II century, Nicopolis was designed with a sense of majesty, which is obvious even from the size of the streets, as the discovery of the recent one shows.

Pavlina Vladkova, the head of the excavation works explains that this street leads to the town square. It was actually very broad. There are no signs of wheels on the stones, which may mean that people walked on it. The square itself looks great, all surrounded by columns and statues and deliberately built on a higher ground. This explains the steps in front it.

More interesting however is the huge building which the archaeologists found in front of the square, she said. It was used for control over the trade. Initially, I called it the ancient “revenue agency”, Vladkova noted. Every person who used to sell goods at the square and at other places in the town had to use accurate measures and weights, not to cheat the clients and the quality of the goods had to go through a check, she explained. The control was exercised through the so-called ezgagia i.e. controlling weight.

After the discovery of this trade centre, the archaeologists hope to explore some of the residential buildings, because, for the time being, they are only guessing how many and hat people lived in the ancient town. It was known for the advanced civilisation. Nicopolis ad Istrum was destroyed in a barbarian invasion of highly uneducated and underdeveloped Slavs and Avars, who, in the seventh century ruthlessly destroyed most of the cities and even failed to take advantage of their achievements.

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