There are more than 4500 caves in the territory of Bulgaria. Some of them have been turned into show caves. Others are still researched by speleologists. A few Bulgarian caves keep unexpected natural shapes and waterfalls in their amazing interiors. The Devils’ Throat Cave in Rhodope Mountains for instance, is famed for its underground waterfalls including Europe’s second largest one (42 m). Legend has it that exactly from that point Orpheus descended into the underworld to look for his sweetheart Eurydice. Another popular show cave, Saeva Dupka in Northern Bulgaria, has magnificent stalactites and stalagmites. Earthenware was found in it dated to the Roman Era. In 1961 archaeologists found in Snezhanka Cave in the Western Rhodope Mountains earthenware made by the ancient Thracians without the use of the potter’s wheel. The rock in one of the halls of Magurata Cave, Northwestern Bulgaria, clearly displays prehistoric drawings dated to different periods of time – the Paleolith, the Neolith and the early Bronze Age.
There is intriguing evidence of human presence in the Yagodinska Cave in the Rhodope Mountains. It is also known with the name Imam’s Hole and is the longest one in the Rhodope Mountains: 10,500 m. It is 275,000 years old and the remains of a cave dwelling found 4 m inside starting from its natural entrance, has been dated to the Copper and Stone Age (4th millennium BC). More from Snezhana Koundzhieva, guide at Yagodinska Cave.
“The first visit to this part of the cave by an archeologist took place in 1928 when Vassil Mikov found pottery here and reported about it. However only in 1960 his colleague Petar Detev came here to research the dwelling. Unfortunately, he only held shallow digs. The first proper archeological expedition arrived here in 1963 and its leader was Dimitar Raychev.”
Interestingly, the cave dwelling consists of several premises. The living room was the place to make the pottery and process wheat. There was a separate premise to serve as a bed chamber. The natural walls of this dwelling – the rocks – have been charred by the use of a glaze-kiln as well as by heating from an open fire. When exactly was this dwelling inhabited?
“There are three major cultural strata”, Snezhana Koundzhieva explains. “The first one is dated to 4200-3600 BC. The others are dated to 3100 and 3000 BC respectively. Archeologists have established the reason why the first inhabitants left the cave. Researchers contend that an earthquake caused rock slides and they had to leave the dwelling.”
Charred wheat and manual grinders called chromels attest to the way prehistoric people made bread. Unique pottery fragments have been found with both external and internal paintings. These findings are unique in Bulgaria.
“The cave’s anteroom was used to accommodate a pottery workshop. The glaze-kiln however was placed in the 100 sq. m large living room. The inhabitants of the cave dwelling were also involved in stockbreeding and farming. Tools and animal vertebrae have been found here, as well as weaving devices. It seems that apart from pottery the inhabitants of the dwelling at Yagodinska Cave also knew how to weave”, concludes guide Snezhana Koundzhieva.
English version: Daniela Konstantinova
