2024-09-07 02:38:31
The BBC called the Bulgarian seaside town of Sozopol a “mini Greece” with a treasure trove right on the shore. The British media published a study on the Black Sea settlement, describing it as a bustling port city where incredible relics can be found just a few meters underwater since ancient times.
Perched on a rocky peninsula, Sozopol’s old town is a bird’s nest of stone and timber. Solid family houses, restored city walls and weathered cliffs give a sense of tightness and fortress. But where the ancient settlement faces west, towards the small island of St. Kirik, Sozopol wraps its welcoming arms around its natural harbor, offering sailors a safe haven along this turbulent stretch of the Black Sea coast,” they state in their published material, cited by NOVA .
“Now Sozopol is one of the most popular Bulgarian resorts with medieval churches and wide sandy beaches. But it is this embracing port that first brought the traveling ancient Greeks to Sozopol more than 2,500 years ago,” the media added.
The modern name of the city derives from the Greek word “City of Salvation”, but in the first millennium BC it was called Apollonia Pontica (Apollon of the Black Sea) after the great Greek sun god Apollo.
Apollonia Pontica became a busy port city with a significant temple of Apollo and a 13-meter bronze image of the god. In terms of ancient Greek statues, it is inferior in size only to the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Famous throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, the giant statue of Apollonia Pontica featured on the city’s coins and was eventually stolen by the Romans.
