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Cut-out detail; background removed. The goddess Athena wearing a helmet, seen from the side on a gold coin.
Gold coin from Mesambria

Nessebar · Main period: Antiquity

The town on the narrow isthmus

What do Nessebar’s coins and walls preserve?

9 scenes · 4 min · Sources · 21

StartListen

A helmet on a coin, repaired walls and roofless churches: evidence from different periods of Mesambria.

A present-day view of roofs and a church tower; not an ancient panorama.

Part 1 · Main period: Antiquity

The path along the isthmus

You enter Old Nessebar along the isthmus. This narrow strip of land joins the peninsula to the mainland. The site is more than 3,000 years old.

People lived here before the Greeks. Later came the Dorians, a group of ancient Greeks. They formed a polis: a town with its own government. Their exact arrival date is disputed. Along the way, you will see traces from different centuries.

Listen to scene · 1

Synthetic voice · 0:24
Sources · 4
  1. UNESCO World Heritage Centre Ancient City of Nessebar, World Heritage List no. 217 UNESCO World Heritage List
  2. Museum Ancient Nessebar History of Nessebar
  3. Corpus Nummorum project (institutional numismatic research portal; no individual byline on page) Coin Typology of Mesembria
  4. Japus; watermark removal by Beao Nesebar-panorama-day.JPG Wikimedia Commons
The modern Archaeological Museum building in Nessebar; not an ancient structure.
Stone walls with brick bands at the entrance to Old Nessebar. Present-day view with repaired sections.
Geographic context, without historical bordersGeographic context, without historical borders1234
Geographic context, without historical borders

Part 2 · Main period: Antiquity

The museum and three churches

The archaeological collection and the church buildings preserve evidence from different periods. Small finds inside complement the large walls outside. The museum has occupied its specially built home since 1994.

The map links it with three churches: Christ Pantocrator, St Sophia and St Stephen. These places exist today. Each building represents a different period. Coins, stonework and decoration provide different kinds of evidence. Start with something small enough to hold between two fingers.

Listen to scene · 2

Synthetic voice · 0:31
Sources · 9
  1. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Archaeological Museum
  2. Museum Ancient Nessebar Fortification Walls
  3. Museum Ancient Nessebar Basilica Saint Sofia
  4. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Christ Pantokrator Church
  5. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Saint Stephen Church
  6. Wikimedia geographical database contributors Nessebar Archaeological Museum
  7. Wikimedia geographical database contributors Christ Pantocrator
  8. Wikimedia geographical database contributors St Sophia — the Old Bishopric
  9. Wikimedia geographical database contributors St Stephen — the New Bishopric
Reverse of a Mesambrian diobol: four-spoked wheel, letters and outer rays. Small image.
The front of a diobol with a helmet covering the face, with eye openings.
The goddess Athena wearing a helmet, seen from the side on a gold coin.

Part 3 · Main period: Antiquity

A town on a coin

Mesambria, ancient Nessebar, minted its own coins in the fifth century BCE. The illustrated silver diobol has a helmet on the front and a wheel on the back. Diobol names a small coin. The helmet resembles a metal mask with eye openings.

Turn it over. Four spokes divide the wheel. Letters from the town’s name sit between them. One interpretation connects the wheel with Apollo, a Greek god. Another suggests the god Ares. Its meaning is uncertain.

1 · Four spokes
Four spokes meet at the wheel’s centre.
2 · The town’s letters
M-E-T-A abbreviates the town’s name. The coin is rotated in this photograph.
3 · Rays around the wheel
Short rays surround the wheel. Its shape is visible; a connection with a particular god is an interpretation.
4 · The legend of Melsas
A legend says Melsas founded the town and gave it his name. The coin does not prove that he lived.

Listen to scene · 3

Synthetic voice · 0:29
Sources · 7
  1. Museum Ancient Nessebar History of Nessebar
  2. Corpus Nummorum project (institutional numismatic research portal; no individual byline on page) Coin Typology of Mesembria
  3. Emanuel Petac; Aurel Vîlcu About the Diobols Hoard of Apollonia Pontica and Mesembria Discovered in 1911 in Constanţa (Ancient Tomis) PDF Notae Numismaticae – Zapiski Numizmatyczne · 2019 · XIV · 43–58
  4. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Archaeological Museum: Hall Two — Messambria, the Pontic Polis
  5. Hermann Junghans Mesembria Rv.JPG Wikimedia Commons
  6. Hermann Junghans Mesembria Diobol Av.JPG Wikimedia Commons
  7. Photographer uncredited; ancient object: Mesambria mint, Alexander type Monnaie - Statère aux types d'Alexandre le grand, Mesembria, Thrace - btv1b10060926f (1 of 2).jpg Bibliothèque nationale de France / Wikimedia Commons
Stone walls with brick bands at the entrance to Old Nessebar. Present-day view with repaired sections.

Part 4 · Main period: Antiquity

A repaired wall

At the entrance, look at the stone and red brick. Greek builders used large stone blocks. Romans conquered the town in 72 BCE and kept its defences.

In the mid-fifth century CE, Byzantine builders raised a new wall. They alternated stone and brick. Byzantium is the name we now use for the Eastern Roman Empire. Repairs continued through the Middle Ages. The visible wall was not built all at once. Materials alone cannot tell us the age of every stone.

Listen to scene · 4

Synthetic voice · 0:31
Sources · 3
  1. Museum Ancient Nessebar Fortification Walls
  2. Museum Ancient Nessebar History of Nessebar
  3. Sarah T. Brooks Byzantium (ca. 330–1453) Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 2001

Part 5 · Main period: Antiquity

Activity: what can we see?

What can we point to directly on the back of the illustrated diobol?

  1. A wheel with four spokes.
  2. An inscription naming Apollo.
  3. A biography of Melsas.
  4. A picture of Christ Pantocrator church.
Why is that?

The wheel and spokes are visible. The symbol’s meaning is a separate research question.

Correct · A wheel with four spokes.

  1. Emanuel Petac; Aurel Vîlcu About the Diobols Hoard of Apollonia Pontica and Mesembria Discovered in 1911 in Constanţa (Ancient Tomis) PDF Notae Numismaticae – Zapiski Numizmatyczne · 2019 · XIV · 43–58
  2. Corpus Nummorum project (institutional numismatic research portal; no individual byline on page) Coin Typology of Mesembria
  3. Hermann Junghans Mesembria Rv.JPG Wikimedia Commons

Listen to scene · 5

Synthetic voice · 0:04
Sources · 3
  1. Emanuel Petac; Aurel Vîlcu About the Diobols Hoard of Apollonia Pontica and Mesembria Discovered in 1911 in Constanţa (Ancient Tomis) PDF Notae Numismaticae – Zapiski Numizmatyczne · 2019 · XIV · 43–58
  2. Corpus Nummorum project (institutional numismatic research portal; no individual byline on page) Coin Typology of Mesembria
  3. Hermann Junghans Mesembria Rv.JPG Wikimedia Commons
View along the central space of St Sophia towards the semicircular apse, with sky above the ruins.
Two tiers of brick arches within stone walls. Present-day photograph of the ruins of St Sophia.

Part 6 · Main period: Antiquity

The roofless church

At St Sophia, sky replaces the old roof. Building began in the late fifth and early sixth centuries CE. It is a basilica: a long church with three lengthwise spaces, called naves. Arches separate them. The semicircular part at the eastern end is called an apse.

It is called the Old Bishopric: the main church of the local church leader. The church was altered after it was first built.

Listen to scene · 6

Synthetic voice · 0:26
Sources · 3
  1. Museum Ancient Nessebar Basilica Saint Sofia
  2. Museum Ancient Nessebar History of Nessebar
  3. Balkan Heritage Foundation (project with Bulgarian Centre for Underwater Archaeology) Submerged Heritage of Nessebar Excavation Project · 2019

Part 7 · Main period: Antiquity

Activity: put events in order

Put the events in order from earliest to latest.

  1. The city starts minting coins
  2. Roman troops take the city
  3. Building St Sophia
  4. Krum captures the town
Why is that?

Fifth-century BCE coinage precedes the Roman conquest; the basilica belongs to later centuries; Krum’s capture comes after its construction.

Correct order

  1. The city starts minting coins
  2. Roman troops take the city
  3. Building St Sophia
  4. Krum captures the town
  1. Museum Ancient Nessebar History of Nessebar
  2. Museum Ancient Nessebar Basilica Saint Sofia
  3. Corpus Nummorum project (institutional numismatic research portal; no individual byline on page) Coin Typology of Mesembria

Listen to scene · 7

Synthetic voice · 0:04
Sources · 3
  1. Museum Ancient Nessebar History of Nessebar
  2. Museum Ancient Nessebar Basilica Saint Sofia
  3. Corpus Nummorum project (institutional numismatic research portal; no individual byline on page) Coin Typology of Mesembria
The facade of Christ Pantocrator with arches, green ceramic decoration and a drum below the dome.
St Stephen’s interior with murals, columns and an iconostasis. The photograph includes a white border.
A damaged painted fragment with exposed masonry at St Stephen. The date of this fragment is unverified.

Part 8 · Main period: Antiquity

Saucers and paintings on walls

At Christ Pantocrator, look above the arches. Ceramic saucers and four-leaf shapes decorate the facade, the outside wall. Pantocrator means Almighty: Christ, who rules over everything. The church dates to the thirteenth–fourteenth centuries.

Inside St Stephen, the New Bishopric, look at the wall paintings. It was built in the eleventh–thirteenth centuries. But an inscription dates its mural decoration to 1599. A mural is a painting on a wall. The building and its paintings have different ages.

1 · Ceramics on the wall
Green ceramic saucers follow the curve above the arch.
2 · An arch in the wall
A recessed arch decorates the facade. It is not a passage.
3 · A window below the dome
A window in the drum: the raised part beneath the dome.

Listen to scene · 8

Synthetic voice · 0:33
Sources · 4
  1. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Christ Pantokrator Church
  2. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Saint Stephen Church
  3. UNESCO World Heritage Centre Ancient City of Nessebar, World Heritage List no. 217 UNESCO World Heritage List
  4. Chrumps; sharpening by Jacek Halicki Church of Christ Pantocrator Nesebar.jpg Wikimedia Commons

Part 9 · Main period: Antiquity

Activity: match the clues

Match each object or place with its clue in the story.

  1. The silver diobol · Helmet and wheel
  2. St Sophia · The roofless Old Bishopric
  3. Christ Pantocrator · Ceramic saucers on the facade
  4. St Stephen · Mural painting inscription: 1599
Why is that?

The coin carries civic symbols; St Sophia is a basilica; we examined exterior ceramics at Christ Pantocrator and distinguished building from painting at St Stephen.

  1. Emanuel Petac; Aurel Vîlcu About the Diobols Hoard of Apollonia Pontica and Mesembria Discovered in 1911 in Constanţa (Ancient Tomis) PDF Notae Numismaticae – Zapiski Numizmatyczne · 2019 · XIV · 43–58
  2. Museum Ancient Nessebar Basilica Saint Sofia
  3. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Christ Pantokrator Church
  4. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Saint Stephen Church

Listen to scene · 9

Synthetic voice · 0:04
Sources · 4
  1. Emanuel Petac; Aurel Vîlcu About the Diobols Hoard of Apollonia Pontica and Mesembria Discovered in 1911 in Constanţa (Ancient Tomis) PDF Notae Numismaticae – Zapiski Numizmatyczne · 2019 · XIV · 43–58
  2. Museum Ancient Nessebar Basilica Saint Sofia
  3. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Christ Pantokrator Church
  4. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Saint Stephen Church

A new find for your collection

A wall, a coin and a church preserve different parts of the past of the same place.

Philippopolis · PlovdivA stadium below the shop windowsSee how people lived and worked in another period.Kazanlak Tomb · KazanlakHands beneath the domePanagyurishte Treasure · PanagyurishteGold from the clay pit

People in this story

KrumChristSaint Stephen

Sources

  1. Sarah T. Brooks Byzantium (ca. 330–1453) Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art · 2001
  2. Corpus Nummorum project (institutional numismatic research portal; no individual byline on page) Coin Typology of Mesembria
  3. Wikimedia geographical database contributors Nessebar Archaeological Museum
  4. Wikimedia geographical database contributors Christ Pantocrator
  5. Wikimedia geographical database contributors St Sophia — the Old Bishopric
  6. Wikimedia geographical database contributors St Stephen — the New Bishopric
  7. Museum Ancient Nessebar History of Nessebar
  8. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Archaeological Museum
  9. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Christ Pantokrator Church
  10. Emanuel Petac; Aurel Vîlcu About the Diobols Hoard of Apollonia Pontica and Mesembria Discovered in 1911 in Constanţa (Ancient Tomis) PDF Notae Numismaticae – Zapiski Numizmatyczne · 2019 · XIV · 43–58
  11. Photographer uncredited; ancient object: Mesambria mint, Alexander type Monnaie - Statère aux types d'Alexandre le grand, Mesembria, Thrace - btv1b10060926f (1 of 2).jpg Bibliothèque nationale de France / Wikimedia Commons
  12. Hermann Junghans Mesembria Diobol Av.JPG Wikimedia Commons
  13. Hermann Junghans Mesembria Rv.JPG Wikimedia Commons
  14. Japus; watermark removal by Beao Nesebar-panorama-day.JPG Wikimedia Commons
  15. Chrumps; sharpening by Jacek Halicki Church of Christ Pantocrator Nesebar.jpg Wikimedia Commons
  16. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Archaeological Museum: Hall Two — Messambria, the Pontic Polis
  17. Museum Ancient Nessebar Basilica Saint Sofia
  18. Museum Ancient Nessebar The Saint Stephen Church
  19. Balkan Heritage Foundation (project with Bulgarian Centre for Underwater Archaeology) Submerged Heritage of Nessebar Excavation Project · 2019
  20. UNESCO World Heritage Centre Ancient City of Nessebar, World Heritage List no. 217 UNESCO World Heritage List
  21. Museum Ancient Nessebar Fortification Walls

Images

Photographer uncredited · Public domain · National Library of France / Wikimedia Commons

The front of a gold coin from Mesambria, called a stater. It shows the goddess Athena wearing a helmet. The coin follows a design of Alexander the Great.

Open source

Full attribution

Digitisation: National Library of France, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Photographer uncredited. Cut-out detail; background removed.

User:Japus · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

A present-day view of roofs and a church tower. In 1983, Old Nessebar was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Japus; watermark removal: Beao. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5. Processed image.

Svik at Bulgarian Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The modern Archaeological Museum building in Nessebar; not an ancient structure.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Svik at Bulgarian Wikipedia. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Processed image.

Julian Nyča · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Stone walls with brick bands at the entrance to Old Nessebar. Present-day view with repaired sections.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Julian Nyča. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.

Hermann Junghans · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons

Reverse of a Mesambrian diobol: four-spoked wheel, letters and outer rays. Small image.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Hermann Junghans. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0 de. Processed image.

Hermann Junghans · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons

The front of a diobol with a helmet covering the face, with eye openings.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Hermann Junghans. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0 de. Processed image.

Photographer uncredited · Public domain · National Library of France / Wikimedia Commons

The front of a gold coin from Mesambria, called a stater. It shows the goddess Athena wearing a helmet. The coin follows a design of Alexander the Great.

Open source

Full attribution

Digitisation: National Library of France, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Photographer uncredited. Processed image.

Gérard Janot · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

View along the central space of St Sophia towards the semicircular apse, with sky above the ruins.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Gérard Janot, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Processed image.

Oleg Yunakov · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Two tiers of brick arches within stone walls. Present-day photograph of the ruins of St Sophia.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Oleg Yunakov. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.

Chrumps · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The facade of Christ Pantocrator with arches, green ceramic decoration and a drum below the dome.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Chrumps; sharpening: Jacek Halicki. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.

fusion-of-horizons · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

St Stephen’s interior with murals, columns and an iconostasis. The photograph includes a white border.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: fusion-of-horizons. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0. Processed image.

Pierre André Leclercq · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

A damaged painted fragment with exposed masonry at St Stephen. The date of this fragment is unverified.

Open source

Full attribution

Photo: Pierre André Leclercq. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.

Geographic context, without historical borders

Tom Patterson · Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso · Public domain · Natural Earth

Open source

Full attribution

Tom Patterson · Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso