Bargala ( mk, Баргала) is an archaeological site in

Karbinci Municipality Karbinci ( mk, ) is a municipality in the eastern part of North Macedonia. '' Karbinci'' is also the name of the village where the municipal seat is found. Karbinci Municipality is part of the Eastern Statistical Region. Geography The municipal ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

, east of the city of

Štip Štip ( mk, Штип ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities. As of the 2002 census, the city ...

. It is situated in a river valley on the lower slope of the north side of

Plačkovica Plačkovica () is a mountain located the eastern part of North Macedonia, it extends between the cities of Radoviš, and Vinica. The highest peak is Lisec () at 1,754 m, the length of main valley slopes of the peak Lisec is 34 km. The valley of ...

Mountain. The site's name is of

Thracian The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied t ...

origin. An inscription at the site states that the city gate was constructed in 371/372 AD. An important religious and cultural centre of the middle

Bregalnica Bregalnica (, ) is the second largest river in North Macedonia. It starts as a spring near the mountain city of Berovo and it passes near the cities of Makedonska Kamenica, Kočani, Vinica and Štip, before joining the river Vardar on its way t ...

region, Bargala was a city in the Roman province of Macedonia Secunda. In the 4th and 5th centuries, the prosperous city was the seat of a bishopric with a basilica complex at its centre and four more basilicas located outside the city wall. The bishopric of Bargala existed until the end of the 6th century AD. Gold coins of Emperor Phokas (602-610) are discovered at the locality, as well as 6th and 7th century Slavic pottery. Coins found from the 580s provide an approximate date of the abandonment of Bargala and the arrival of the Slavs. Archaeological excavations began in 1966, uncovering the trapezoidal fortified site and ruins of its seven towers and two gates.

References

Karbinci Municipality Archaeological sites in North Macedonia Former populated places in the Balkans Geography of ancient Paeonia Macedonia (Roman province) {{Karbinci-geo-stub