Tour 11. Prilep, Marko’s Towers and Styberra

Region of Prilep was part of ancient Pelagonia that was inhabited by the tribe Pelagones in antiquity, annexed to Macedonian kingdom during the 4th century BC. Archaeological excavations in the village Bonče revealed the tomb of the Macedonian king Demetrius.
Close to the village of Čepigovo near Prilep are the ruins of the ancient Macedonian city of Styberra, later incorporated into the Roman Empire. Styberra was razed by the Goths in 268 AD, but remained partly inhabited. The city was an important urban center and the last Macedonian king, Perseus, had his military headquarters here from where he conducted campaigns against the Romans in 169 BC.
After the death of King Vukašin in 1371 Prilep was ruled by his son Marko, from the strong fortress built around the old town on the nearby mountain and hills. Prilep even got its name from the Slavic word meaning the city hanging from the mountain. In 1395 it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, until 1913, when it was annexed by the Kingdom of Serbia.