Archaeologists believe the ancient city of Perperikon in Bulgaria may once have been called Pergamon (Greek: Πέργαμον), the same name as the famous capital of ancient Greek-ruled kingdom in Anatolia. Although the two cities stood hundreds of miles apart, researchers are investigating whether they shared a name nearly 2,000 years ago.
Bulgarian archaeologist Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov bases his theory on a settlement called Pergamon that the Greek geographer Claudius Ptolemy recorded in ancient Thrace. Ovcharov believes this settlement was Perperikon, a major archaeological site in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains. He first proposed the identification 20 years ago. Ancient maps and geographical research now offer additional support, he says. However, no inscription has confirmed Perperikon’s Roman-era name.
Ancient maps point to a possible connection
The name Pergamon appears in Geography, a second-century work by the Greek geographer Claudius Ptolemy. He placed a settlement with that name in Inner Thrace, but its exact location has remained uncertain. Ptolemy’s work helped shape ancient Greek cartography and geographical mapping, although errors in his coordinates have complicated efforts to identify some settlements.
Could an ancient city in Bulgaria have shared its name with the capital of a powerful Greek kingdom?
Archaeologists believe Perperikon may have once been called Pergamon, a name recorded nearly 2,000 years ago by Greek geographer Ptolemy. pic.twitter.com/vIMpZPEiE0— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) October 12, 2026
Ovcharov examined interpretations of Ptolemy’s measurements alongside the known locations of Roman cities, including Philippopolis (now Plovdiv) and Augusta Traiana (now Stara Zagora). He argues that the evidence points toward the middle course of the Arda River, near modern Kardzhali, where Perperikon stands.
Historical maps offer another clue. An 1801 map by Joseph-Romain Joly marked Pergamon near the Arda River. Earlier European cartographers, including Abraham Ortelius, who published a map of ancient Thrace in 1585, also depicted the region using ancient geographical records. The proposed connection is particularly interesting because Pergamon was also the capital of the Attalid Kingdom in western Anatolia.
Both ancient settlements occupied steep, naturally protected hills. Some scholars have suggested that the name Pergamon referred to a fortress or fortified height, although its precise origin remains uncertain.
Roman tombs and Byzantine artifacts discovered
Recent excavations have revealed further evidence of Perperikon’s importance during the Roman and Byzantine periods. During the 2026 excavation season, Ovcharov’s team uncovered monumental tombs in the city’s Southern Quarter, including circular mausoleums, rock-cut graves and stone sarcophagi. Earlier discoveries in the same area included rare Roman-era statue fragments. Ovcharov compared the burial area to Roman roads lined with elaborate tombs, such as those near Pompeii and along the Appian Way outside Rome.
Nearby, archaeologists investigated a fourth-century building constructed from carefully cut stone blocks. The structure stands about 20 meters from an early Christian basilica. Ovcharov believes it may have later served as a residence for bishops. Other discoveries included Christian reliquary crosses, bronze ornaments, and a seal belonging to Irene Komnene Laskarina, wife of 13th-century Emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes.
Although these findings highlight Perperikon’s importance, they do not establish its ancient name. Whether the Bulgarian city was the Pergamon recorded by Ptolemy remains an open archaeological question.
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