Archaeologists in Bulgaria have uncovered a Roman inscription at Aquae Calidae, an ancient Thracian sanctuary and thermal complex near Burgas, dating the find to the early reign of Emperor Trajan. The discovery adds a new written record to a site that preserves evidence of Thracian religious activity and centuries of Roman use.
The Regional History Museum in Burgas announced the find Monday, saying the inscription dates to the late first or early second century, during Trajan’s reign from A.D. 98 to 117. Excavations are led by Associate Professor Dimcho Momchilov and funded by Burgas Municipality. Epigraphist Dr. Nikolay Sharankov of Sofia University is deciphering and interpreting the text.
The museum said the artifact provides evidence for the “development and significance of Aquae Calidae during the Roman era.” Its full text, translation and language have not yet been released, so it remains unclear what person, event or building activity the inscription records.
Roman inscription adds to Thracian sanctuary record in Bulgaria
The find joins a growing group of inscriptions from Aquae Calidae. Between 2015 and 2022, archaeologists uncovered several Latin texts from the first and second centuries. One inscription found in 2015 dates to Emperor Nero’s reign and shows that the Roman baths were built in the first century, before Trajan came to power.
Researchers are decoding a Roman inscription from a Thracian sanctuary in Bulgaria, adding to evidence of Roman and Greek activity at Aquae Calidae. pic.twitter.com/jDWbgJ21rV
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) September 15, 2026
Researchers also found several second-century votive altars. One, discovered in 2022, was dedicated to the nymphs by Marcus Obséquant. Archaeologists later identified part of a nymphaeum, or monumental fountain associated with the nymphs, in the Roman bath complex. Work in 2025 exposed part of a Roman marble pool and produced more coins and other artifacts.
Aquae Calidae had a history that began before Roman rule. The Burgas museum identifies the hot-spring site as a Thracian sanctuary of the Three Nymphs, a place that drew visitors to its mineral waters.
Greek evidence adds another layer to Aquae Calidae
The site also has a clear Greek connection. In 2015, archaeologists found a Greek inscription on a marble slab dated to A.D. 26-37. The text named members of the last Thracian royal dynasty. Burgas officials said it referred to a sanctuary dedicated to Demeter by Apollonios Eptaikent, an official associated with Anchialos and its surrounding region.
Further evidence appeared in 2019, when excavators reported finding one Greek and one Latin inscription at Aquae Calidae. Those discoveries show that Greek and Latin both formed part of the site’s written record across different periods.
For now, the Trajan-era find adds another piece to that record. Its wider significance will depend on Sharankov’s reading and eventual publication of the inscription.
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