Exquisitely engraved vessels and finely crafted idols - Kozareva mound reveals its secrets

published on 9/7/24 6:05 AM

Photo: Pomorie HIstorical Museum

The findings from the archaeological excavations of Kozareva mound - a settlement from the 5th millennium BC, became a real sensation already in 2014, when they were presented to the general public for the first time. Among the exquisite exhibits of utmost interest are amulets made from human skulls, clay vessels and copper and flint implements. Of interest are some of the largest flint plates ever discovered, used by ancient people in their economic activities.

Even then, the scientific world assessed the Kozareva Mound as one of the most valuable archaeological sites discovered in Bulgaria.

But the archaeological excavations of the mound continue and every year more and more valuable evidence of a highly developed civilization on our lands comes to light. They illustrate how the earliest form of trade arose alongside the various domestic industries. The very location of the mound is also key in this regard. It was located on an ancient Black Sea route for the commercial exchange of valuable raw materials. Nowadays, the studied settlement is located near the town of Kableshkovo in the region of the Black Sea city of Burgas.

The excavations began nearly 30 years ago by Prof. Petya Georgieva, a teacher at the St. Kliment Ohridski University and her students. It turns out that the mound is a fertile environment for training practice, as each summer something new is added to the collection of ceramic fragments and tools of labor from 7 thousand years ago. And a curious fact - even during excavations of the necropolis - a settlement of the dead, located about 400 meters from the mound - richly ornamented clay pots were found, proof of the ancients' belief in the afterlife.

The emergence of mining at that time also reflected the decoration of the clay vessels from the prehistoric settlement. On them appears the graphite decoration, an imitation of the metallic luster. This gives a special elegance to the objects.

Small idols and finely crafted amulets, bone jewelry, sharp flint plates and pottery engraved with the blade of a copper awl all speak to the aesthetic taste and affluence of the population in the fifth millennium BC, archaeologists say.

"The ancient people built their settlements in the same place, without doing any special cleaning of the terrain beforehand. When some houses became unusable, they demolished them, everything was leveled and new ones were built on top," explains Nadezhda Stoikova, an archaeologist from the historical museum in Pomorie:

"In this way, something like a "cake effect" is obtained, and over thousands of years, the slopes of this settlement subside and acquire the shape of a mound with smooth slopes. The Kozareva mound is located 11 km from the resort town of Pomorie. From the middle of the month August to mid-September there, visitors can see the remains of furnaces and dwellings of the ancient inhabitants. The finds are mainly pottery, stone and flint knives. We also find small idols made from the bone of an animal. They are extremely beautiful and rich in details.

From this we can judge that there was already a very well-developed civilization in the area, but of the same time dates the Varna Chalcolithic treasure from the necropolis, where more than 2 kg of gold were found in the grave of a ancient priest".

The number of discovered ceramic vessels indicates that their production significantly exceeded the needs of the local population. Among the most valuable finds is a large ceramic furnace, discovered in one of the workshops, where the ancients also used to bake quite large clay vessels:

"As a form, it resembles the body of a giraffe with an expanded lower part, and above is the chimney, which allows the air to go up and bake the vessels", Nadezhda Stoykova explained to Radio Bulgaria. "We can boast of a completely renovated First Hall in the historical museum in Pomorie, dedicated entirely to the prehistoric site of the Kozareva Mound", explains Nadezhda Stoikova in conclusion.

Photos: Gergana Mancheva, Pomorie History Museum, facebook.com/kozareva.mogila

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