A treasure, which amazes with its beauty, can be seen in the National Archeological Museum. It was discovered on November 7 by associate Professor Diana Gergova at the historical and archeology preserve in Sboryanovo, Northeastern Bulgaria. The famous Sveshtari tomb, which is included in the UNESCO world cultural heritage list, lies at the preserve as well. The unique find marked the 30th anniversary since the start of the archeological research in Sboryanovo, where the capital of the Thracian tribe Getty was situated. Many ancient settlements, sanctuaries and necropolises reveal the history of the one-time political and cultural center. Here is an interesting fact: series of researches show that the so-called King’s necropolis and the other necropolises of the Getty tribe were projected in accordance with a star map- as reflections of different constellations.
The research of the Omurtag hill, where the treasure was found, began in the 1980’s. The start was given by Bulgarian and Italian experts, says associate professor Gergova. A monumental tomb with pillars of the Doric style dating back to the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 3rd century BC was found there. It was destroyed by a massive earthquake. Some experts say that it was of a 7th magnitude at the Richter scale. Scientists made special researches, which aimed to reveal how this solid mound was built. “Even now, when we have such powerful machinery we find it hard to excavate this mound”, says the archeologist. Other researches were also made in the Omurtag mound. These were the studies of the lead, used for the assembling of the stone blocks as well as studies of the bones found at this place. It turned out that the Getty people, who once lived there were vegetarians.
“In my view, we are very dependant on the geophysical equipment”, says Diana Gergova. “Due to the new equipment provided to us 10 years ago, we managed to spot the central construction at the mound, some 21 meters below its top. We can expect to find there a tomb or other major construction.”
The site has not been explored for 7-8 years due to the lack of financing and powerful machinery. Only in 2012, the archeologists received excavation machinery from sponsoring companies. On the 3rd day of the exploration they came across a small part of crumbly soil. There they found wonderful golden objects, which were hidden there for centuries. Their number came to 264. They have a total weight of 1.8 kilograms. They were laid in a small wooden casket, which formed a vesicle in the solid mound.
According to Diana Gergova this is a unique find, because it was discovered at a high place in a very impressive mound. Each stage of its construction was connected to certain ceremonies of immortalization. This is why experts suppose that this treasure was in fact a funeral gift. In regards to the funeral itself, the archeologists need more funds and better organization to reveal more interesting facts. What does the golden treasure consists of?
“We are talking about 2 groups of memorials. The first one includes applications to a horse harness. The other one comprises of ornaments, among which is a beautiful diadem with figures of various animals and mythical creatures. There are 4 golden bracelets with a spiral form and a wonderful golden ring with an embossment of God Eros. The interesting thing here is that we found many golden fibres and tiny cylindrical and round golden beads. We also discovered golden applications, which were once placed over a veil interwoven with gold. It was laid over the whole find. We are very pleased that there is another effigy in the Kazanlashka tomb (which was also included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list), which reveals the one-time funeral procession, where a wooden casket was laid. A woman with a veil walks behind the man with the casket. So we have a full exemplification of a ritual, which was once practiced by the Thracian people”, said associate professor Gergova in conclusion.
The site is now to be prepared for the winter. If the weather is favorable, scientists will make new geophysical research of the place. Thus, archeologists will be better prepared for their next researches, which will start in the spring of 2013.
English version: Kostadin Atanasov
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