Stobi, Republika Makedonija

The town of Stobi was built in the Hellenic period, some time before the rule of the Macedonian king Philip the Fifth. It was situated 160 km from Thessalonica on the main road Via Egnatia that led from the Danube to the Aegean Sea. Because of its location, Stobi was an important army, strategic, economic and cultural center at the time.
	Stobi

The town of Stobi was built in the Hellenic period, some time before the rule of the Macedonian king Philip the Fifth. It was situated 160 km from Thessalonica on the main road Via Egnatia that led from the Danube to the Aegean Sea. Because of its location, Stobi was an important army, strategic, economic and cultural center at the time.

Owing to the numerous historical and literary documents and archeological findings from the thorough research done in the area, there is a complete urban picture of Ancient Stobi, its architectural structure and organization of life, which speaks of a highly developed urban society with a high level of cultural development. Considering these facts and according to some additional sources, the beginnings of Stobi were much earlier, in the 7th and 6th Century BC. Some bronze objects discovered here and dating from ancient times include ceramic findings, which point to life in it as early as the Neolith and the Iron Age.

The town was rather developed in the early and middle Roman period, partly owing to its status of a "municipium" with its individual mint, where coins with the sign "Municipium Stobensium" were made. The "denar" coins were produced here, too. Numerous monuments with signs and buildings that are unique for their beauty have also been found. Among these are the great sanctuaries and, certainly, the famous Theatre.

The town wasn’t any less significant later, at the time of establishing the Christian religion. Stobi was quite influential as the Archbishop's Seat and later an Archbishopric. A lot of churches and basilicas with rich interior decoration, luxurious private palaces and other significant buildings come from this period.

There was also a Jewish community in Stobi in the 3rd Century. The Synagogue that proved this fact was torn down at the end the 4th Century and a Christian basilica was built on its remains.

In the late 5th and early 6th Century, the town was ravaged in the great Avaro-Slavonic invasions and was destroyed in the earthquake in 518. The discovered Justin II coins from the second half of the 6th Century and the necropolis with 23 Slavonic crests from the 9th to the 12th Century confirm that there was life in Stobi after the earthquake. The town was renovated, but never reached its previous level of prosperity.

On the ground where Stobi once was, numerous objects have been dug out and analyzed. The Northern three-arc basilica dates from the 5th Century. Its central arc is separated from the two on the sides by colonnades. A baptisterium was built in the church that lies on an older sacral construction. 23 Slavic crests were found near it.

Seven construction stages were discovered in exploring the Civil basilica. Bronze objects from the 5th Century were discovered at lower level and fragments from a fresco painting with a pond bird motif from the 1st Century were found under the naos.

Between the Civil and Northern Basilica there used to be a small bath. Several stages of construction of the big bath can be distinguished. Inside, a statue from the emperors’ period was found.

The Central Basilica is a three-arc temple built on top of the Synagogue at the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th Century. On the other hand, the Synagogue was built over an older Synagogue from the 3rd Century, known as the Synagogue of Polichramos. Two chests with coins from the 1st Century were found under the level at which the Synagogue was.

The house of psalms is in the south part in front of the Central Basilica. It consists of a central room and a colonnade hall, both with luxurious mosaic floors with geometric shapes. In the main hall there is an octagonal fountain. This building lies on older antic buildings. The streets Via Axia and Via Principalis lead away form the square in Stobi, where the town’s drinking fountain is situated.

The Peristerius Palace is a complex for several families including shops and storage facilities. In the middle section there is a yard with fountains. The main rooms south of the yard are halls with mosaic floors. The palace dates from the 4th and 5th Century.

Opposite the Peristerius Palace is the Teodosian Palace, one of the most remarkable and luxurious buildings in Stobi. It has a plan like the letter L. The central hall, surrounded by colons, has a pool with eight marble pedestals decorated with spiritual caneluris, where the discovered statues used to stand. In the yard there used to be flower terraces with decorated floors. They date from the 4th and 5th Century. Identically planned, but significantly smaller and more modestly decorated is the house of Partenius.

The Valavnica used to be a complex of interrelated buildings for residential purposes and stores. It was built on top of older objects. Its name comes from the workshop for dying and rolling fabric "valanje". The workshop for this purpose was a part of this complex and dates from the 1st to the 5th and 6th Century.

The Archbishop's Residence, Episcopalia, which was situated north of the Episcopalian basilica, served as a Christian oratorio in the 4th Century. One century later it became an Episcopalian seat. A bronze censer and a golden ring were found here.

The Episcopalian basilica, or as it is called the Church of Bishop Phillip, is a three-arc basilica with a narthex, exonarthecs and atrium. Its internal decoration was very luxurious, with white marble decorations and mosaic floors. The walls were painted with ensembles. There was also a luxurious Baptisterium and on its walls a three-layer fresco painting with pictures of saints and other characters was discovered. At first, the Baptisterium belonged to the old Episcopalian Basilica built in the 4th Century, over which the new one was built a century later. The old three-arc basilica with Episcopalian character is the first cathedral church in Stobi. The architectural findings include a number of skirt plates from the altar fence.

The main entrance double gate on the west side of the town is known by the name of Porta Heraclea.

The theatre in Stobi was built in the 2nd or early 3rd Century and resembles the ancient Greek theatres. It is one of the most impressive objects built in Roman time. The theatre consisted of an Auditorium, Orchestra and Scene. The Audience consists of two parts and was built of quality marble brought from Pletvar. The seat allowances were distributed according to the tribe to which the spectators belonged. This is the reason why the names of the five tribes were carved on some of the seats. In the 3rd Century, the theatre was transformed into a gladiator fights Arena, but later these cruel spectacles were forbidden by Czar Constantine the Great. In the 4th and 5th Century, this construction lived its tragic fate, remaining useless for its primary purpose and became a source of construction material.

One of the sacred objects with an inappropriate name is an early Christian three-arc basilica with a fountain in the middle. It is called Casino because of the two marble plates from a "casna trpeza" and bronze coins from the 5th-6th Centuries.

The three-arc basilica in the cemetery was built over the graves of a necropolis from the late antic period. A tomb of a saint was discovered on its south side.

The Palikura Basilica is a three-nave building with the central nave separated from the ones on the sides by a colonnade. It used to have a narthex, exonarthex and a big yard. Among several rooms there is an octagonal room, the so called "sceufilacion". It was built in the 4th century over a palace that belonged to a dignitary. Old Christian graves were found in the narthex and the east side of the basilica.

In the west cemetery there are a large number of graves from different periods of the history of the town. They are an endless source of information that tell us about the way of burying the dead and diseased and the material used. This includes the terracotta figures from late Roman time, memorials, and sculptures of the dead and other things.

Among the numerous buildings in Stobi is the Extra Muros Basilica, located east of the Necropolis. It is a small three-nave basilica with a mosaic floor, now severely damaged and a number of smaller rooms that led to the narthex. There used to be a Baptisterium here, too. The discovered architectural ornamentation has different styles and is a combination of elements brought from older buildings. The basilica was built in the 5th-4th century, most likely for the needs of the citizens of the suburb of Stobi.

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