 Sofia, the capital and largest city in Bulgaria, was founded by the Celtic tribe of the Serdee thousands of years ago. Located just west of the Iskall River, which itself is a tributary of the Great Danube River, Sofia sits at the foot of the Vittosha Mountain and the city is home to many mineral springs. The Serdee inhabited parts of the Bulgarian section of the ancient region of Thrace. In the ancient world, Thrace corresponded to the modern territories of Eastern Greece, Western Turkey and Southern Bulgaria. The tribe lived around the city of Serdica, which was the Roman name for the modern city of Sofia. In Greek, the city was known as Serdonpolis or Serdica. One of the earliest records that refers to the city comes from a first century BC Athenian source that describes it as, as to Ton Serdon or city of the Serdee. It is thought that the Serdee settled in ancient Bulgaria during the Celtic invasion of the broader region and around the 4th century BC. Very few objects exist from the Serdee, but we do have a coin used by the ancient tribe. On one side of the coin, to the left in the photo, the coin features the heads of the Greek river god Strymon, although this is pretty boring. The reverse of the coin on the right of the photo features a trident, a three-pronged spear associated with gods of the sea, most famously with Poseidon. The coin is an over-strike of the official Thessalonian coin, which existed from 187 to 31 BC, which the Serdee overlaid with a new design. It is thought that this was part of the Serdee's own distinct currency, as opposed to being some attempt at forgery. The Serdee seemed to adopt Thracian culture over the years, holding onto elements of their Celtic heritage. However, some scholars do argue that the Serdee were more from Thracian origins than Celtic ones. However, this is debated. It seems likely that they were a Celtic tribe that settled the ancient lands of Thracia, and then became assimilated into Thracian customs over the decades and centuries. Prior to the Celtic influx, Serdeeca was incorporated into the Odrisian Kingdom in the 5th century BC, which was an ancient Thracian kingdom. In 339 BC, Alexander the Great's father, Philip II of Macedon, sacked the city. Also in the 4th century BC, the Serdee Celtic tribe settled in the region, although the precise details are not known. The Serdee was then in control of the city for centuries, until the 1st century BC, between 27 and 29 BC. Rome sacked the city. The campaign was led by Marcus Lucinaeus Crassus, a Roman general and statesman, who was often referred to as the richest man in Rome. Crassus attacked the Serdee tribe, and beheaded many of the captives. Serdeeca then became an important Roman city, with the Romans building an amphitheater, a circus, and baths amongst other structures. The city was located on a strategic Roman road, known as the Via Militaris, a road that linked Singedunum, the name of ancient Belgrade in modern Serbia, and Constantinople, known today as Istanbul and Turkey. For centuries, Serdeeca was the capital of numerous Dacian provinces of the Roman Empire. The Roman Emperor, Galerius, who ruled Rome from 305 to 311 AD, was born in or near Serdeeca. During Roman times, the inhabitants of Serdeeca, who had a Thracian origin, were often referred to as Allerians. When the power of the Roman Empire was in decline, Serdeeca was raided by Huns, Visigoths, and Slavs amongst other peoples, with Attala the Hun plundering the city between 441 and 447 AD. In 809 AD, the city was then incorporated into the 1st Bulgarian Empire, with the Can of Bulgaria at the time being Crème. During this period, Sofia became known by the Slav name Sredex, as opposed to Serdeeca. In the early 11th century AD, Sredex then became part of the Byzantine Empire. In 1194 AD however, the city was re-incorporated into the 2nd Bulgarian Empire. Sredex was then conquered by the Ottomans in the 14th century AD, remaining part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries. In the late 19th century, Sofia was back in Bulgarian hands when it was incorporated into the Principality of Bulgaria, a semi-autonomous state that existed from around 1878 to 1908. The city then became part of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1908 to 1946, the People's Republic of Bulgaria between 1946 and 1990, and the Republic of Bulgaria until the present day. This entire history of a city that stretches back over thousands of years, all started when a Celtic tribe settled the lands of ancient Sofia. Thanks for watching, please subscribe and hit the bell to turn on notifications. You can also support this work through buymeacoffee.com and Patreon. All the links are in the description below. 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