Pistiros, an Ancient Greek Trading Town in Inland Thrace
Pistiros was an ancient Greek emporion, or trade centre, in the heart of Thrace, on the left bank of the Maritsa near Septemvri and Vetren in Pazardzhik Province. Founded in the fifth century BCE, it traded metals, pottery and wine between Thracian kings and Aegean cities. It is a rare example of a Greek commercial town built inland, and a good detour for archaeology lovers.
Greek merchants built a fortified town hundreds of kilometres from the sea, and a king promised not to station soldiers there. The proof is an inscription found in 1990 about 3 km away.
The history of Pistiros
Pistiros was founded in the third quarter of the fifth century BCE, in the days of the first kings of the Odrysian kingdom, the main Thracian state of the time. Its builders were Greek traders: the sources point to merchants from the island of Thasos, from Maroneia and Apollonia, and to colonists from the coastal city of Pistyros. The place was chosen with care. It lay close to timber and to copper, iron and gold mines, at the crossing of several major roads, on the Hebros, today the Maritsa, which small boats could navigate.
Excavations have uncovered the eastern fortification wall with a gate, towers and a bastion, built of stone blocks on the model of the Thasian defences, as well as stone-paved streets, houses with stone bases and a well-built sewer system. The town reached its peak in the fourth century BCE, under the Odrysian king Cotys I, who ruled from 384 to 359 BCE, and his successors. It was then that traders from Thasos, Apollonia and Maroneia received guarantees for their lives, property and business, recorded in a long Greek text called the Vetren inscription.
That text, found in 1990 at the nearby site of Bona Mansio, gave the town its name. It says that merchants' disputes are judged among their own people, that their land is not to be taken away, that no garrison is to be installed in Pistiros, and that no road taxes are to be levied on goods travelling to Maroneia. Stones from the town wall were later reused in the mansio. The emporion kept its political autonomy under the Thracian crown. Grave inscriptions of Greeks from Apollonia and Maroneia and graffiti of both Thracian and Greek names show a mixed population.
Trade was the town's life. More than a thousand copper and silver coins have been found, from Thracian rulers, Greek cities and Macedonian and Hellenistic kings, along with a hoard of 552 silver and gold coins of Alexander the Great, Demetrios Poliorketes, Lysimachos and Seleucus I, discovered in 1999. Luxury Attic pottery and Thasian wine amphorae were imported, while metals went the other way, and jewellery workshops produced local ornaments.
The end came with the Celts, who burned the emporion around the third century BCE. A village with a workshop making fibulae and other ornaments grew on its ruins. Excavations began in 1988 on the left bank of the Maritsa, led at first by Mieczysław Domaradzki, and have involved Bulgarian, British, Polish, Czech and French teams. Some scholars once thought Pistiros was also a royal residence, but no palace has been found, and the identification of the site still raises some debate.
Curious facts about Pistiros
- A strongly fortified Greek town this far from the sea is rare in European archaeology, and researchers are still working out how it came to exist.
- The Vetren inscription was found about 3 km away, at Bona Mansio, whose builders had reused stones from the walls of Pistiros.
- In the inscription, the king promises not to install a garrison and not to levy road taxes on the merchants' goods to Maroneia, and the merchants “shall open and close their wagons” themselves.
- The excavations produced more than 1,000 coins, and a 1999 hoard of 552 silver and gold coins from the time of Alexander the Great and his successors.
- Studies of bird bones show 16 kinds of birds, and domestic chicken makes up about 69 % of the finds.
- Pistiros Lake in Antarctica is named after the town, and an annual archaeological field school has run on the site since 2013.
Tours near Pistiros
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Pistiros: what to know
- The site lies on the left bank of the Maritsa, about 2.2 km from Septemvri and 3.5 km from Vetren.
- The sources do not describe visitor facilities, paths or opening conditions at the site, so check locally before you go.
- The finds are kept in the Archaeological Museum “Prof. Mieczysław Domaradzki” in Septemvri, which is the natural first stop.
- Since 2013 an annual field school has worked on the site, so excavation activity may be going on in season.
- Other places on this site within reach include the fortress of Tsepina (about 18 km) and the Apriltsi Memorial Complex (about 30 km).
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Pistiros is
Photos of Pistiros
Questions
What was Pistiros?
Pistiros was an ancient Greek emporion, or trading town, in inland Thrace, founded in the fifth century BCE and flourishing in the fourth century BCE.
Where is Pistiros and how do I get there?
It lies on the left bank of the Maritsa in Pazardzhik Province, about 2.2 km from Septemvri and 3.5 km from Vetren.
How do we know the site is Pistiros?
The Vetren inscription, found in 1990 at Bona Mansio about 3 km away, names Pistiros. Stones from the town walls were reused in the mansio, which supports the identification.
Who lived in Pistiros?
A mixed population of Greeks from cities such as Thasos, Maroneia and Apollonia, and Thracians, as shown by grave inscriptions and graffiti.
What happened to Pistiros?
The Celts burned it around the third century BCE, and a village with a workshop making ornaments grew on the ruins.
Where can I see finds from Pistiros?
Most of the material is kept in the Archaeological Museum “Prof. Mieczysław Domaradzki” in the town of Septemvri.
Also nearby
Tsepina Fortress
Dorkovo · ruined Rhodope fortress of a medieval despot
18 km away
Apriltsi Memorial Complex
Panagyurishte · hilltop monument to the 1876 April Uprising
30 km away
Alyosha Monument
Plovdiv · giant Soviet soldier watching over the city
55 km away
Plovdiv Roman Stadium
Plovdiv · a 30,000-seat Roman stadium under the main street
55 km away