Perperikon, Bulgaria’s Delphi: the Ancient City

A rival of Delphi or the fruit of archaeologists’ fantasies, the half-ruined Thracian city of Perperikon is one of Bulgaria’s most interesting destinations. Discovered more than 20 years ago, it is still undergoing excavations and every consecutive step of the digs provides new food for the imagination of Bulgarian historians.

The huge pool of solid stone in the rock at the top.

Source
http://www.utaot.com/2013/04/03/perperikon-bulgarias-delphi-the-ancient-city-of-excessive-pleasures/

Located in the Eastern Rodopi Mountains, Perperikon is perched on one of the low hills, 15 kilometres north-east of the town of Kurdzhali. On the hill, 470 metres above sea level, one can make out various, overgrown-with-grass but nonetheless impressive elements: stone steps, half-destroyed walls, tombs, food depositories, mosaics and stone equipment which – according to archaeologists, was used for making wine and sacred rituals.

Scattered around the hill, the ruins outline an acropolis, a fortress and a sanctuary, housing structures, halls, rooms, corridors, staircases and streets, which were probably the boulevards of their time. Down below, the gold-bearing Perpereshka River runs, its valley strewn with dozens of archaeological finds from various eras, grouped around Perperikon.

Perperikon (changed through the years from the Greek name Hyperperakion) is the most significant archaeological find on Bulgarian territory for the last 20 years. Scientists believe that it was precisely Perperikon that was the temple of Dionysus described by Herodotus, which used to rival Delphi in Antiquity.

Aerial video