Plovdiv is very, very old, indeed more ancient than Bulgaria itself. "The
Eternal City", as Rome is conventionally called, is much younger. Athens,
Carthage and Constantinople came into being later.
A contemporary of Troy and
having survived Mycenae, Plovdiv is a city upon layers of cities and an epoch
upon layers of epochs.
Plovdiv is all in one: a Thracian and classical Greek
polis, the pride of Philip of Macedonia, the capital of Thrace under the Roman
Empire, a centre of Byzantinism, a stronghold of the Bulgarians, a dream of
the crusaders, a magnificent, wealthy and most important city. Kendros, Eumolpia,
Philippopolis, Pulpudeva, Trimontsium, Pulden, Populdin, Ploudin and Filibe
- those were the ancient names of Plovdiv throughout its 6000 to 8000 years
of existence. The name Plovdiv first appeared in 15th century documents and
has remained till today.
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