Anchialos (Pomorie, Bulgaria today) was possibly founded in the 5th or 4th century B.C. as a colony of Apollonia. It is mentioned in Strabo's Geographica as a small town. It was briefly captured by Messembria in the 2nd century B.C., but retaken by Apollonia and its fortified walls destroyed. The western Black Sea coast was conquered by the Romans under Marcus Licinius Crassus in 29 - 28 B.C. after continuous campaigns in the area since 72 - 71. The city became part of the Roman province of Thrace and was formally proclaimed a city under Trajan. Anchialos prospered as the most important import and export location in Thrace during the 2nd and 3rd centuries and acquired the appearance of a Roman city during the Severan Dynasty.