The Roman Bath in Bansko
The archeological site known as Roman Bath represents a late Roman thermo-mineral spa (Balneum) built in the 3rd and 4th Century A.D. It is located about 12 kilometers east of Strumica, at the foot of the Belasica mountain. The spa was discovered in 1978 while doing excavation work for the foundation of the Czar Samuil Hotel. The bath used the healing properties of the water from the spring Parilo, located about fifty meters south-west of the object, with a capacity of 42 liters per second and temperature of 72°C.
Eleven rooms with a total area of 623 m2 have so far been discovered in the bath. Walls are preserved from a height of 2 meters to up to 6.70 meters. The best preserved rooms are the ones that were used as sauna and the cold water pool called frigidarium. Preserved also are the floors of all rooms that are made of ceramic tiles and mortar, as well as the base sections of the domed construction. The complete system of floor and wall heating remains intact including the water piping system and the drainage. The most recent excavations uncovered new buildings with multi colored floor mosaics dating from the 4th Century A.D.
Czar’s Towers is a fortress located at the top of a steep hill overlooking Strumica from the south. The fortress lies on a plateau at 445 meters above sea level. The edges of the plateau are lined with remains from the protective walls. Today, a forty-meter section of the west wall stands partially preserved, including layers of ruins from the northern wall. Part of the tower on the southwest side, which has been preserved, together with the tower on the southeast side, which collapsed in the earthquake of 1931, used to form the southern gate. It is very likely that the gate functioned with a draw bridge. Within the fortress, there used to be a central tower or dungeon, used as a command centre and lodging place for the head of the fortress and the officers. About fifty meters north of the dungeon, there is a rectangular room a few meters deep, which was used for storing wheat, wine, water etc. Inside the fortress, there are remnants from structures that were used for residence or as shops. South of the gate, there used to be a necropolis that had been used from the 1st Century B.C., which is the time the fortress originates from, – to the Ottoman period. Up until the 15th Century, the fortress was serviced by a crew, but, due to the stabilizing factors in the Ottoman Empire, the fortress had already been abandoned at the time of Evliya Çelebi (1670). This dominating hill boasts a continuity of life that dates back to the 4th millennium B.C., when a rich eneolith and early bronze culture flourished in the region.
The Basilica in the old urban nucleus under the foundation of so-called, Orta Mosque - Strumica
This historical site represents a complex set of structures that used to be part of the old city center. Findings originating from various periods have been collected here including the Hellenistic, the Roman, the Late Ancient, and the Middle Ages. The Hellenistic period is represented by the following findings: Megara cups with motifs from Homer’s Illiad (3rd-2nd Century B.C.), a plate featuring Artemis, the goddess of hunting, worshipped greatly in this region in the 3rd and 2nd Centuries B.C., and a plate holder featuring Silen, a wilderness deity. The Roman period is represented by an eagle and many other findings from the 2nd Century A.D. There are also many plates, cups, jars, earrings, and coins from the 3rd and 2nd Century B.C. until 17th Century. A marble statue base was also found here dating from the late 2nd and early 3rd Century A.D. stating: “It is in good time that the city places this statue of its patron, the great Tiberius Claudius Menon, for his benevolence and qualities.” The site also contains remnants from a structure that is very likely to have been an early Christian basilica.
In the late 11th and early 12th Century, a triple-apse church was raised, most likely dedicated to the Holy Mother of God, of which mention is made in the charters of the Serbian ruler Stefan Dushan (1331-1355), and the Byzantine emperor John VI Cantacuzenus (1347-1354). A synthronos found in the church suggests the Episcopal rank it had. The fresco paintings date back to the time when the church was built. One of the most remarkable frescoes are The Apostle Paul from the composition of the Apostles taking Holy Communion, the Apostle Luke, the Apostle Simon, female hieromartyrs of noble descent, the cycle of the big holidays and the Passion of Christ. The church burnt down in the 13th Century, and a necropolis was built on the same place which was used from the Middle Ages up until 17th Century. In 1613/14, or 1022 according to the Islamic calendar, a mosque was built on the same place. It was called Orta, or Middle Mosque. The site of the Orta Mosque is still under archeological scrutiny. A conservation project intended to reinforce the structure by steel frames and concrete blocks is under way, which will also result in opening up more space in the mosque’s yard.
THE TOMB OF STRUMA
It is a medieval tomb located 3 kilometers to the west of Strumica , near the village of Banica . The tomb looks like a mausoleum and is composed of 9 layers of carved freestone. It is 230 cm high, 240 cm wide and 400 cm long . There are three legends among people that refer to the origin of the tomb:
1. That the tomb belonged to Struma, sister of the King Marko.
2. That the tomb belonged to Perseus, a Prince , relative of Alexander the Great
3. That the tomb belonged to Struma , daughter of a commander of the Slavs in the area of Strumica. This legend says that the town was surrounded by strong Byzantine armed forces but they did not succeed in conquering the town.
Then the treason of Struma happened because she was in love with the Byzantine military commander and thus revealed the secret of the unconquerable Czar’s Towers to him. The secret was that the horse’s shoes should be nailed reversely, and by that, the horse climbed the steep rocks around the fortress easily. The Byzantines conquered the fortress and the father cursed his daughter: when she dies , the earth will pitch her out nine times. The nine layers of carved freestone, according to the legend, are related to the nine times of pitching out and burying of Struma. However, whether one of these legends is true or the tomb has a history of its own, is not yet known.
Machuk: Urban Mansion from the Late Ancient Period
The Machuk historical site is within close proximity of the Orta Mosque. It is an urban mansion erected somewhere between the 4th and 6th Century A.D., and it represents a small part of the once existent ancient town in these parts. Today, the only thing remaining from the structure is foundations, and, to some degree, the mosaics and the fresco painting that determine the time it originates from.
The feudal tower is located on Ohridska Street. It was probably built in the Ottoman period for both defensive purposes and to provide lodging. The tower was built out of chipped freestone and has a rectangular foundation with dimensions of 6.9 x 9 meters. The tower consists of a cellar, a basement and three levels. Hanging wooden balconies are attached to the structure on the second and third level.
Located on the east side of the city and with a depth of eleven meters, Maiden’s Wall served the function of a rest area on the road to Salonica.
It was built by a Turk in memory of his ill daughter whose last wish on the deathbed was for her father to sell her clothes and to dig a well with the money. The wall was reconstructed in 2004.