Bulgaria’s hot archaeological summer

This year, Bulgaria has again been blessed with spectacular archaeological discoveries of the ancient Thracian civilization. The Thracians lived in what are now parts of Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia, Turkey and Greece from 4,000 BC to the 4th century AD.

In August, the team of Dr. Georgi Kitov uncovered a previously unknown and still intact tomb from the 5th century BC in the “Valley of Thracian Kings” in southern Bulgaria. It was filled with gold, silver and bronze jewels as well as crafted ceramics, but without a doubt, the most impressive find was a 1 pound solid gold mask of a human face, unique among Thracian discoveries. “This mask is important for all of us,” said Kitov. “It proves that it’s not just the ancient Egyptians or Greeks that were great peoples. The Thracians were a magnificent civilization too. This is as significant as digging up the mask of Tutankhamen or Agamemnon.”

In September the same expedition team unearthed two new tombs. According to Kitov, one of them is the largest ever discovered in Bulgaria. The owner of the burial mound, dubbed “Goliamata Kosmatka,” is still a mystery, but archaeologists currently believe it to be the famous king Seuthes III from the 4th century BC. A 22-pound bronze head discovered in the tomb resembles the king’s face, previously known from coins of the same period. Additionally, a golden wreath, a sign of royalty, was found among the 73 artifacts. “The bronze head apparently was severed from a whole statue and then buried in a ritual aimed at appeasing Thracian gods,” Kitov told the Bulgarian daily 24 Chasa.

The Thracian settlements on the Balkan Peninsula were eventually incorporated into the Roman Empire or assimilated by the invading Slavic tribes, but their civilization is still far less known than that of their Greek and Roman counterparts. The “Valley of the Thracian Kings” takes its name from the thousands of small tumuli spread throughout the region. Many of these are empty or have been looted by treasure hunters, but despite these obstacles and a lack of funding from the Bulgarian government, Dr. Kitov and his small team have slowly continued to excavate in the Valley and shed light on the extraordinary Thracian civilization.

By Ioanna Georgieva and Rich Fromer
Sofia, Bulgaria (eTurboNews)

November 17, 2004   Posted in: Bulgaria