Information
Landmark: Tsarevo (Ancient Antheia)City: Burgas
Country: Bulgaria
Continent: Europe
Tsarevo (Ancient Antheia), Burgas, Bulgaria, Europe
Overview
On Bulgaria’s southern coast sits Tsarevo, a town that long ago was the ancient Greek city of Antheia, where salt-laden breezes once swept in from the sea.Perched near the mouth of the Veleka River, the settlement once thrived in antiquity, its position on the Black Sea offering a commanding view of passing ships.In the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, the city took part in Greek colonization, and its sheltered harbor made it a vital trade hub, linking Greek cities with the nearby Thracian tribes.Ancient Antheia sprang up during the Greek push along the Black Sea coast, its first stones laid when traders sailed in with the salt tang still clinging to their clothes.People believe it began as a Thracian settlement, later taken over by Ionian Greeks who sailed from bustling Miletus.In Greek, the name “Antheia” means “flower,” a nod to the region’s rich soil and sweeping natural beauty.Perched on the coast, it thrived as a bustling link between the Greek world and the Thracian heartland.It was part of a wider chain of Greek colonies strung along the Black Sea coast, places like Apollonia Pontica-now Sozopol-and Mesembria-today’s Nesebar.In Tsarevo, once called Antheia, weathered stone walls and fragments of pottery still speak of its significance in ancient times.Archaeologists have unearthed crumbling stone walls, old fortifications, and the remains of houses, along with pottery shards and tarnished coins from the Greek and Roman eras.They’ve also found inscriptions and mentions of deities, shedding light on the city’s beliefs and customs in those times.After the Greek period, Antheia fell under Roman control before eventually becoming part of the Byzantine Empire.During Roman and Byzantine rule, the city went through waves of rebuilding and reinvention, keeping it important throughout antiquity.Today, Tsarevo is a quiet seaside town where fishing boats bob in the harbor and tourism thrives on its rugged coast and layered history.In Tsarevo’s archaeological museum, you can see pottery still dusted with the red earth of Antheia, along with tools and other relics from the ancient site.Today the town may draw visitors for its beaches and sleek resorts, but its weathered ruins keep its history alive.In Tsarevo, you can wander through the ruins of Antheia, stroll along the Veleka River’s quiet banks, and step inside St. Nicholas’ Church, whose worn stone walls tell centuries of local history.It’s a place where you can laze by the sea in the morning and trace the footsteps of ancient Greeks and Romans by afternoon, appealing to both history lovers and those chasing the coast’s natural charm.
