Bylazora

Bylazora or Vilazora was a Paeonian city from the period of early classic antiquity. It is located on the Axius River, at Veles in the Republic of Macedonia. Polybius tells us that "King Philip V captured Bylazora, the largest town of Paeonia, and very favourably situated for commanding the pass from Dardania to Macedonia: so that by this achievement he was all but entirely freed from any fear of the Dardani, it being no longer easy for them to invade Macedonia, as long as this city gave Philip the command of the pass". In 219 BC, the Dardanians collected their forces for a raid into Macedonia and at that time must Bylazora already have been in their hands. Bylazora with its location at Veles commanded the entrance to a long defile and, no less important, a route southwestwards into Pelagonia via the Babuna Valley, or Raec Valley into Styberra and interior of the Macedonian Kingdom. One assumes that Bylazora as the largest Paeonian town must have been in Dardanian possession when Philip V captured it in 217 BC, and then garrisoning it with aim to end Dardanian raid. Bylazora is also mentioned by Livy in his "The History of Rome" when Perseus in 168 BC arranged military support from the Gauls who were camping in Desudaba, Maedica, requesting the Gaulish army to shift their camp to Bylazora, a place in Paeonia, and their officers to go in a body to him at Almana on the River Axius. The geographic dominance over the surrounding valley has determined the communications significance of the city in ancient times. It was situated between the states (or sometimes provinces) of Dardani, Thrace and Macedonia. Ancient Bylazora was the biggest and most significant city of Paionia, mentioned in the records of Polybius and Titus Livius. They emphasize its strategic geographic position as a frontier of the northern border of Macedonia against the Dardanians.

According to experts, there are two significant dates related to the relations between ancient Macedonia and Bylazora: The first is 217 B.C. when king Philip V of Macedonia reconstructed its fortifications; The second is 168 B.C. when king Perseus of Macedonia, during the Third Macedonian War, arranged military support from the Gauls who were camping nearby, in defending the city against the Romans.

Discovery

The strange fabrication that Bylazora would have existed at the village Kneze near Sveti Nikole stems from professor Ivan Mikulcic who in 1976 set his foot on the hill called Safara and claimed "this is Bylazora" without presenting a single substantial fact. In that manner he was able to move the ancient Bylazora on the bank of Axius River to the inland of Paeonia at Kneze near Sveti Nikole.

In August 2008, a team of researchers led by archaeologist Boban Husenovski from the National Museum of Macedonia with participation of researchers from the The Texas Foundation for Archaeological & Historical Research discovered the main gate ofa city, fortification walls and plenty of small archaeological finds, that have been dated to between 6. and 3. century B.C.

From these findings, they have so far been able to confirm that these are in fact the remains of the ancient Payonian city of Bylazora. The excavations are ongoing (2008).

External links

• 2008 Summary Report, TFAHR
• 2008 Excavation Photos, TFAHR
• 2008 Excavation Report, TFAHR