Ancient Macedonian City Heraclea Lyncestis — Attraction in Municipality of Bitola

Heraclea Lyncestis

Heraclea Lyncestis is a ancient Macedonian town found by the ancient Macedonian King Phillip 2nd in the middle of the 4th century BC, but most of the remains that can be seen in Heraclea Lyncestis are from the Roman and the early christian period.

Heraclea Lyncestis was an important strategical town during the Hellenistic period as it was at the edge of Macedonia border with Epirus to the west, until the middle of the 2nd century BC, when the Romans conquered Macedon and destroyed its political power. The Romans divided Macedonia into 4 regions and Heraclea was in the fourth region. The main Roman road in the area, Via Egnatia went through Heraclea, and Heraclea was an important stop. The prosperity of the city was maintained mainly due to this road. Objects discovered from the time of Roman rule in Heraclea are: Votive monuments, a portico, thermae (baths), a theatre and town walls. In the early Christian period, Heraclea was an important Episcopal seat. Some of its bishops are mentioned in synods in Serdica and other nearby towns. From this period are the ensembles of the Small and Great (Large, Big) basilica. The Grave (Funeral) basilica with a necropolis is located east of the theatre.

The Roman emperor Hadrian built the theater in the center of the town, on a hill, when many buildings in the roman province of Macedonia were being restored. It began being used during the reign of Antoninus Pius. Discovered in 1931, a small bone ticket for a seat in the 14th (out of 20) row is the earliest known proof of the theater’s existence. The theatre itself wasn’t discovered until 1968. Inside the theater there were three animal cages and in the western part a tunnel. The theater went out of use during the late 4th century AD, when gladiator fights in the Roman Empire were banned, due to the spread of Christianity, the formulation of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the abandonment of, what was then perceived as, pagan rituals and entertainment.

In the early Byzantine period (4th to 6th centuries AD) Heraclea was an important episcopal centre. Some of its bishops have been noted in the acts of the Church Councils as bishop Evagrius of Heraclea in the Acts of the Sardica Council from 343 AD. A Small and a Great (Large) basilica, the bishop's residence, a Funeral (grave) basilica near the necropolis are some of the remains of this period. Three naves in the Great Basilica are covered with mosaics of very rich floral and figurative iconography. There are birds, trees, bushes, a red dog, which is a symbol of paradise, and animals beasts as a domain of the earth. These well preserved mosaics are often regarded as fine examples of the early Christian art period. Other bishops from Heraclea are known between 4th and 6th century AD as bishop Quintilinus mentioned in the Acts of the Second Council of Ephesus, from 449 AD. The city was sacked by Ostrogoth/Visigoth forces, commanded by Theodoric the Great in 472 AD and, despite a large gift to him from the city's bishop, it was sacked again in 479 AD. It was restored in the late 5th and early 6th century. The Episcopacy Residence was excavated between 1970-1975. The western part was discovered first and the southern side is near the town wall. The luxury rooms are located in the eastern part. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th room all have mosaic floors

In the late 6th century Heraclea Lyncestis suffered successive attacks by Slavic tribes. In place of the deserted theater several houses were built between the 6th century and the 7th century AD, when Slavs settled across the northern regions of the Balkans.

Just small portion of Heraclea Lyncestis has been unearthed, including a theatre, two water fountains, courthouse, baths, bishops palace and two basilicas. There is a small museum on the grounds with few artifacts and a nice scale model of the city...

I recently visited the Heraclea Archeological Site near Bitola and had a mixed experience. The museum offers a lot of potential and some unique features, but there are areas that need improvement.

Positives: The online guided tour was operational and provided a lot of interesting information. It was a great way to learn about the history and significance of the artifacts. The augmented reality (AR) application added a modern and interactive element to the experience, which was quite impressive. Free Parking

Areas for Improvement: The mosaics, which I was particularly excited to see, were unfortunately covered, making them inaccessible. There were no signs in the vicinity pointing to the location of the museum, which made it difficult to find. The ramp for those with disabilities was broken, making the museum inaccessible to individuals in wheelchairs. The café was closed during my visit, which was disappointing. The toilets were very old and not well-maintained. The small museum inside was also closed, limiting the experience further.

Overall, while there were some highlights, the Heraclea Museum needs to address these issues to provide a more enjoyable and accessible experience for all visitors. I hope these improvements can be made in the near future to fully showcase the...

This place has such amazing history and I would have given it an even higher ranking but it feels like there's a bit of neglect by the authorities. Conversely, I was saddened by the fact that many mosaics had been covered by gravel to "preserve them for the future". Not all were covered though.

The place is next to free of cost to enter. We paid about 130 dinars per person to enter. Upon entering we were offered a tour guide for free which we of course accepted, however, despite having a proper historian who gave us TONS of information about Macedonian history, very little was actually about the site Heraclea. Also we stood still talking for over an hour in the sun without actually moving through the site. We virtually had to drag the historian/guide along so we could see the different ruins. Again, I'm not complaining about his knowledge. It was actually extraordinary how much he knew. He just wasn't a good -tour guide-.

Many of the ruins had been rebuilt to look like its peers. As a history enthusiast I feel that it spoils the feeling of the place as it's suddenly much more difficult to decipher how it was supposed to look when the area was inhabited.

However, it's still very much worth visiting. If you're in the...