The city of Plovdiv is situated in southern Bulgaria. During its long history it has been conquered by numerous peoples: Thracians, Macedon, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgarians, Ottoman Turks which contributed to the city's various historical heritage.
| History of Plovdiv | |
|---|---|
| Timeline of events | |
| 6000–5000 BC | Establishment of the earliest settlements on the territory of modern Plovdiv (Yasa Tepe 1 and Yasa Tepe 2) |
| 5th century BC | Ancient Plovdiv was incorporated into the Odrysian kingdom |
| 347–342 BC | The Thracian town was conquered by Philip II of Macedon who named it Philippopolis |
| 46 | Philippopolis was incorporated into the Roman Empire by emperor Claudius |
| 1st–3rd century | Philippopolis became the central city of the Roman province Thracia |
| 250 | The whole city was burned down by the Goths |
| 4th century | Philippopolis regained its previous size. The city was part of the Eastern Roman Empire |
| 836 | Khan Malamir incorporated the city into the First Bulgarian Empire |
| 976–1014 | Basil II based his army in Philippopolis during the war with Samuel of Bulgaria |
| 1189 | The city was conquered by the crusader army of Frederick Barbarossa |
| 1205 | Philippopolis was conquered and raided by the Latin Empire and Kaloyan of Bulgaria |
| 1371 | Phillipopolis was conquered by the Ottomans. The city name was changed to Filibe |
| January 1878 | Plovdiv was liberated from Ottoman rule during the Battle of Philippopolis |
| July 1878 | Plovdiv became capital of Eastern Rumelia |
| 1885 | Plovdiv is at the center of the events that led to the Bulgarian unification |
| 1920–1960 | Period of industrialization |
| 1970-1980 | Discovery of the archeological sights in Plovdiv, the Old town was restored |
| 1999 | Plovdiv hosted European Cultural Month |
| 2014 | Plovdiv was awarded the title European capital of culture 2019 |