Nested on the banks of the river Vodocha and the sleepy hills of Mount Elenica, one of the three mountains of the Strumica valley is the small village of Vodocha. Nowadays, there is rarely any smoke coming out of the desolate chimneys of the eighty houses that will not strike you either as charming or significant. I doubt anything about this village, ever will. The blue river waters that used to run through it, have dried out, as they now belong to the lake built high up the river bed, deep in the hills. The river’s destiny seems to be intertwined with that of the village. It is emptier by the day, and so is the village. Many have left pursuing their luck elsewhere. And yet, somewhere there at the bottom of that dry river bed, lays of history untold. Stories of rises and falls, success and failure, winning and losing, religion, death, glory and many more. Stones might be soulless and cold, but sometimes they talk. They tell stories of times past and history carved into them for a place significantly insignificant, that we are yet to learn and understand. Here is a bit of what they have told us until now.

As the adage goes: Once upon a time…

Well, Vodocha’s once upon a time is long ago… how long ago no one knows with certainty. What we do know, is that the Strumica valley has one of the oldest settlements in the Balkans. People started settling it in the V millennium (fifth) BC. The first material evidence found about its first settlements was at the archaeological site near the village Angelci,(less than 2km from Vodocha), where a rich Neolithic culture flourished, which by its characteristics belongs to the “Anzanbegovo-Vrsnik” era. The culture was typical for that period on the Macedonian territory, and it got its name from the archaeological sites of Anzanbegovo – Stip and Vrsnik – Vinica.

One of the important characteristics of this culture is that settlements of the time are located on gentle slopes and near streams. Hence, the indication and conclusions were drawn, that Vodocha was already a settlement at that period. Historical data tells us that at this particular age, houses were built in a quadrangular shape and usually had max one or two rooms. So this can be your first idyllic picture of how the villages looked like in those times.

Another interesting fact about houses from that period is that in the later stages, the construction of the first brick houses started. Vodocha’s inhabitants must have always been gourmands as the era’s archaeological findings, show the first mud stoves found in the houses. Did they BBQ in-house? Well, we don’t know. Artistry seems to have flourished as well, as the pottery found in this period, is often well polished, decorated and coloured. Another interesting fact of this era, is that the dead are buried outside the settlements, usually, on the opposite side of the stream and river.

The village was not only rich in pottery, but apparently, the villagers also enjoyed a rich spiritual life. Archaeological findings indicate the forming of a cult towards the “Great Goddess Mother”. It is a cult and a tradition that has expanded and remained present in the Strumica valley until today. Further proof of the following this belief has had is the church in the village of Veljusa (a neighbouring village) dedicated to St. Bogorodica Eleusa (Madona) and the one in Vodocha. Namely, within the monastery complex of St. Leontius, between the years 1018 to 1037, on its western side a small cross-domed church dedicated to “St. The Madona of Eleusa and Introduction ” will be built. The fertility myth in the Strumica valley continues to live through its Carnival and the legend of Struma. (the origin of the city of Strumica name).

As the river flows so does the village. So, the end Neolithic age brought about big changes in the way the villagers lived. Vodocha in antiquity was inhabited by the Paionians and was part of their kingdom. The Paionians were a tribal organization that occupied most of Macedonia, as well as parts of neighbouring countries. After 550 b.c the Paeonians became a particularly important force in the region and will continue to rule this region until it was finally conquered by Philip II.

The first written mention of this region is found in 429. BC by Thucydides in his description of Sitalk’s military campaign in Upper Macedonia. A little later, the Paeonian tribe Astrion is mentioned, which lives in the city of Astrion, a name that is well known as one of the first names of the city of Strumica. The Paeonians participated in the process of formation (ethnogenesis) of the Ancient Macedonians, so their assimilation into the Macedonian kingdom was completed without major difficulties. With the final conquest and integration of Peonia in Macedonia, Vodocha, and the whole region became part of the Alexander Empire, which at its peak will cover three continents.

An interesting fact relating to this region is that Demetrius, son of the Macedonian king Philip IV, was killed in the city of Astrion (less than 4km away from Vodocha). This period in history books has been described as quite economically productive for the entire region, and the villagers lived a prosperous life. This period is also marked by the transition from the cult of the goddess Mother to the cult of the Sun. The reason behind this transition is that the Macedonian nation strongly favoured the lion and the sun as its symbols. Archaeological findings from this period also find a representation of the eagle, a symbol that will later be very influential, both in the Roman and Byzantine periods.

Unfortunately, the glory of the Macedonian state will quickly fade, bringing about new storms in the valley. With the fall of Ancient Macedonia, the Romans became the new masters of this region. In 168 BC with the fall of the last Macedonian king, Vodocha becomes part of the Roman province of Macedonia. Although the Romans ruled this territory, the Macedonian character of the population remained unchanged until the arrival of the Slavs. One very notable change is that of toponyms. The Romans insisted on renaming all the villages, so from Astrion – Strumica, will be renamed to Tiberiopolis. Unfortunately, I could not find any information about the exact name of Vodocha at that time.

The historical data I was able to gather though, points that the renaming of the village finally took place in the 3rd century, in honour of the then patron of the city Tiberius, Tebius Claudius Menon. This name will remain in use until the 11th century when the Slavic toponym finally prevailed. The name that is mentioned in history books for Vodocha is Milno (a name that will be used until 1014)

To be continued…