Dragoynovo
Encyclopedia
Dragoynovo is a village in central southern Bulgaria
, in the Parvomay
municipality of Plovdiv Province
.
valley merges with the high mountains of the Rhodopes. The Dragoyna peak has two summits - Golyama (Big) and Malka (Little) Dragoyna, with an attitude difference of some 110 metres (360.9 ft). They are connected by a saddle.
As the highest point in the region, the peak has an extensive view.
In the 5th century BC, the powerful Odrysian kingdom
was established in the Maritsa valley. The kingdom survived for centuries. The region of Dragoyna was probably a local centre of the Thracian
aristocracy within the Odrysian kingdom. A high concentration of Thracian tumuli
has been registered in the area. A golden ring has been found in Ezerovo near Dragoyna bearing an inscription that is thought to be in Thracian using the Greek alphabet
. It indicates that the owners of the ring dedicated it to their deceased relatives. A settlement, most probably related to the sanctuary, was located close to the modern village of Dragoynovo.
In the 1st century AD this part of Thrace
was added to the Roman Empire
, and later it remained a part of its eastern half, the Byzantine Empire
. It is known that a town centre, fortifications and churches from the Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages existed in the region. Probably in this period the legend – about queen Dragoyna – was made up.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, in the Parvomay
Parvomay
Parvomay is a town and the name of a Municipality in Southern Bulgaria. It is located in Plovdiv Province region close to the towns Sadovo and Chirpan. The English translation is sometimes given as Parvomai or Purvomai...
municipality of Plovdiv Province
Plovdiv Province
Plovdiv Province is a province in central southern Bulgaria. It comprises 18 municipalities on a territory of 5,972.9 km² with a total population, as of December 2009, of 701,684 inhabitants...
.
Geography
The region of Dragoyna is located where the MaritsaMaritsa
The Maritsa or Evros , ) is, with a length of 480 km, the longest river that runs solely in the interior of the Balkans. It has its origin in the Rila Mountains in Western Bulgaria, flowing southeast between the Balkan and Rhodope Mountains, past Plovdiv and Parvomay to Edirne, Turkey...
valley merges with the high mountains of the Rhodopes. The Dragoyna peak has two summits - Golyama (Big) and Malka (Little) Dragoyna, with an attitude difference of some 110 metres (360.9 ft). They are connected by a saddle.
As the highest point in the region, the peak has an extensive view.
History
The name of the village until 1906 was Kozluk.In the 5th century BC, the powerful Odrysian kingdom
Odrysian kingdom
The Odrysian kingdom was a union of Thracian tribes that endured between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC. It consisted largely of present-day Bulgaria, spreading to parts of Northern Dobruja, parts of Northern Greece and modern-day European Turkey...
was established in the Maritsa valley. The kingdom survived for centuries. The region of Dragoyna was probably a local centre of the Thracian
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
aristocracy within the Odrysian kingdom. A high concentration of Thracian tumuli
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
has been registered in the area. A golden ring has been found in Ezerovo near Dragoyna bearing an inscription that is thought to be in Thracian using the Greek alphabet
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet is the script that has been used to write the Greek language since at least 730 BC . The alphabet in its classical and modern form consists of 24 letters ordered in sequence from alpha to omega...
. It indicates that the owners of the ring dedicated it to their deceased relatives. A settlement, most probably related to the sanctuary, was located close to the modern village of Dragoynovo.
In the 1st century AD this part of Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
was added to the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, and later it remained a part of its eastern half, the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. It is known that a town centre, fortifications and churches from the Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages existed in the region. Probably in this period the legend – about queen Dragoyna – was made up.