Dolen

Dolen may refer to:

See also

Dolen, Blagoevgrad Province

Dolen (Bulgarian: Долен) is a village in southwestern Bulgaria, located in the Satovcha Municipality of the Blagoevgrad Province.

Geography

The village of Dolen is located in the Western Rhodope Mountains. It belongs to the Chech region.

History

Prehistoric and Ancient Times

Prior to Dolen's existence, the area was strewed with Thracians hamlets, the remains of which can still be seen around the village. The hills surrounding the village are scattered with Thracian necropolises. Preserved are also the Thracian vineyards which were used until the Bulgarian National Revival.

Dolen is located on a Roman-Thracian road which used to connect Drama with Trimoncium, the Roman name of today's city of Plovdiv. Proof for the existence of this historic route are remains from the road itself at the eastern part of the village as well as the Roman bridge in the district of Banyan.

During the 1st century AD, the Romans moved the road-bed for military purposes, and built a new bridge close to the village of Kribul, thus assuring the passing of their troops along sunlit roads. As a result, Dolen remained isolated from the main stream of troops and convoys.