Stobi-an ancient town in the Republic of Macedonia

Stobi is the most famous archaeological site in the Republic of Macedonia. It is located near town Gradsko in the Republic of Macedonia


Stobi was an ancient town of Paeonia. It is located on the main road that leads from the Danube to the Aegean Sea. Stobi was built where the Erigón River (mod. Crna) joins the Axiós River (mod. Vardar). Because of its location, Stobi was an important army, strategic, economic and cultural center at the time. Later Stobi was conquered by Macedonians, and later turned into the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia Salutaris.


Foundation
Stobi developed from a Paeonian settlement established in the Archaic period. Located on the northern side of a terrace, the early town covered an area of about 25,000 m2  (270,000 sq ft). Its proximity to the junction of the Erigón and Axiós Rivers as well as its position in the fertile central Vardar valley allowed it quickly to develop a flourishing economy and to establish trade. Nearby Mount Klepa was a lucrative source of marble. The initial Paeonian population was later supplemented by other immigrant groups.

The Macedonian period
It is believed that in 217 BCE, Philip V annexed Paionia during his campaign against the  Dardani  who had entered Bylazora, the largest Paeonian town.
The city was first mentioned in writing by the historian Livy, in connection with a victory of Philip V of Macedon over the Dardans in 197 BC.


The Roman period
In 168 BC, the Romans defeated Perseus and Macedonia was divided into four nominally independent republics. In 148 BC, the four provinces of Macedonia were brought together in a unified Roman province. 


During the reign of Augustus  the city grew in size and population. The city in 69 BC became a municipium and began to mint coins printed with Municipium Stobensium. The citizens of Stobi enjoyed Ius Italicum and were citizens of Rome. During Roman times Stobi was the capital of the Roman province Macedonia Salutaris. Emperor Theodosius I stayed in Stobi in 388.




At the time of the establishment of the Christianity, Stobi was quite influential as the Archbishop's Seat and later as 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 was torn down at the end the 4th Century and a Christian basilica was built on its remains.




The destruction
Late in the 5th century the city underwent a terrible turn of events. In 479, it was robbed by Theodoric, an Ostrogothic king. The citizens reconstructed the city, but in 518 it was struck by a powerful earthquake. Avaro-Slavic invasions in the 6th century destroyed the city's economy and infrastructure.





The discovered coins from the second half of the 6th Century (from the Byzantine emperor Justin II) 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.



Today, the remains of this famous archaeological site are very popular tourist destination in Republic of Macedonia.