The National Archeological Museum in Sofia has recently launched a new exhibition entitled The Glamor of Eternity. The main exhibit is a modern reconstruction of a beautiful antique chariot discovered near the village of Karanovo, Nova Zagora region. The two-wheeled chariot probably belonged to a Thracian aristocrat and was unearthed in 1976 in the so-called Long Mound – part of a necropolis consisting of 16 mounds, some of which have huge dimensions. The burials in this necropolis date back from the late 1st to the early 2nd century AD.
The excavation works enable archeologists to study the burial rituals of ancient Thracians who believed that afterlife was better than our earthly existence. That is why they placed all kinds of everyday objects next to the corpse of the dead persons because they would need them in afterlife. The richer and nobler the dead person, the more exuberant the burial gifts. In the Long Mound, table vessels, weapons, objects for personal hygiene, and even surgical instruments were uncovered.
The chariot now on display in the National Archeological Museum in Sofia was discovered nearby. Near the chariot, there were two horses in harness and one horse for riding. Apart from the reconstructed model of the chariot, the exhibition also features fragments of its original construction: wheels, axes, and railings for the seats made of iron. And even more: beautiful bronze loops and figurines and an exquisite engraving that decorate the rear of the luxurious chariot. There are also information panels on the Thracians and their beliefs.

© Photo: Veneta Pavlova

The restored decoration of the chariot

The reconstruction of the unique engraved decoration was done by restoration expert Sylvia Borissova from the Historical Museum in New Zagora. According to her, the idea for the reconstruction of the chariot sprang up from this decoration when the objects in the museum started being reexamined.

“It was then that we saw that this was not just a piece of tin, but an engraving. So we started cleaning it, which took about eight months. We used the photographs from the archeological digs. We made drawings as to how the chariot looked like. The experience we accumulated since 2007 with”.

According to archeologist Vesselin Ignatov, who has been studying the antique chariots on Bulgarian lands for years and is also the manager of this project, the Historical Museum in Nova Zagora is perhaps the only museum in the world showcasing three two-wheeled chariots from this period that can be reconstructed.
More from Sylvia Borissova: 

“Two-wheeled chariots have a special construction with soft or hard suspension which is extremely interesting, and also various decorations. We also have three four-wheeled chariots. We can show these antique vehicles, the rituals, and beliefs of the ancient Thracians. It helps us find out why burials in the 1st and 2nd century were so rich and lavish, and why aristocrats could afford such luxury and opulence. It is an act of extravagance to bury a beautiful and expensive chariot in the ground. Such chariots in antiquity were just as expensive as luxury cars today. Such burial rituals including chariots were spread mostly in the region of Nova Zagora and Stara Zagora, but also in other parts of Bulgaria. Unfortunately, quite a lot of these exciting archeological finds have partly been damaged by illegal treasure-hunters”, Sylvia Borissova told Radio Bulgaria.

© Photo: Veneta Pavlova

Some of the iron decorative elements of the chariot

It was actually after a signal for illegal digs by treasure hunters that Vesselin Ignatov started the excavation of another mound – the eastern mound near the village of Karanovo. Archeologists discovered there a chariot and an exceptionally rich burial that sheds further light on our knowledge of ancient Thracians and their beliefs. 

Translated by: Rossitsa Petcova