Sandanski Archaeological Museum

The Sandanski Archaeological Museum holds the main collection of finds from the Parthicopolis excavations, including Roman mosaics, ceramics, coins, inscriptions, and sculptural fragments. It also covers the pre-Roman Thracian period and the later medieval history of the Sandanski area.

The museum is small by national standards but the quality of the mosaic collection is exceptional. Signs are primarily in Bulgarian but the objects speak for themselves, and the staff are generally willing to give some guidance. Admission is inexpensive and the museum can be covered in an hour or so.

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A story
The museum's prize exhibit is a late Roman floor mosaic showing a hunting scene, excavated from a villa in the Parthicopolis ruins. Mosaics of this quality are rare in Bulgaria — most of the country's Roman heritage was in the Danubian towns to the north, and southwestern Bulgaria was on the empire's margins. Finding a villa with a fine mosaic here suggests that Parthicopolis was wealthier than its obscure history might suggest.