Bulgaria Celebrates Day of Bulgarian (Cyrillic) Alphabet and Culture (Day of St. Cyril & St. Methodius): May 24
Bulgaria and Bulgarians around the world celebrate on May 24, 2021, the Day of St. Cyril and St. Methodius, i.e. the Day of the Bulgarian Alphabet (the Bulgaric alphabet more widely known internationally as the Cyrillic Alphabet) and Bulgarian Culture.
1st Century BC Traces of Earliest Roman Presence in Bulgaria on Danube Discovered Halfway between Major Antiquity Cities Bononia (Vidin) and Ratiaria (Archar)
A vast archaeological site, which was an Ancient Roman settlement with traces from the earliest Roman presence in today’s Bulgaria in the 1st century BC and was located halfway between the large Roman Empire cities of Bononia (today’s Vidin) and…
Silver Coin of Tsar Mihail Shishman of Second Bulgarian Empire Released by National Bank, Archaeology Museum in Replica Collection
A replica of a silver coin minted by Tsar Mihail III Shishman Asen of the Second Bulgarian Empire (r. 1323 – 1330) has become the fourth coin to be released by the Mint of the Bulgarian National Bank and the…
4th Century Bishop’s Basilica with Marvelous Early Christian Bird Mosaics Opened for Visitors Bulgaria’s Plovdiv in Big Restoration Project with US Funding
The partly restored ruins of the 4th century Bishop’s Basilica, or Great Basilica, of the Ancient Thracian and Roman city of Philipopolis, with its almost fully restored fabulous Early Christian flood mosaics with birds and other motifs, has been opened…
300-Meter-Long Wooden Passage between Inner City, Citadel Gates Discovered in Capital of First Bulgarian Empire Pliska
Archaeologists have discovered the remnants of a 300-meter-long (nearly 1,000 feet) wooden passage which connected gates of the inner city and the citadel of Pliska, the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire between 680 and 893 AD, alongside other newly…
Ancient Bulgar Strap Decorations, Dugouts from Medieval Bulgarian Empire Found in Debnevo Fortress near Troyan
A wide range of archaeological structures and artifacts with a dating range from 5,000 BC until the 14th century AD – including Ancient Bulgar strap decorations and dugouts from the time of the medieval Bulgarian Empire – have been discovered…
Silver Coin of Tsar Todor Svetoslav of Second Bulgarian Empire Released by National Bank, Archaeology Museum in Replica Collection
A replica of a silver coin minted by Tsar Todor (Teodor) Svetoslav Terter of the Second Bulgarian Empire (r. 1301 – 1322) has become the third coin to be released by the Mint of the Bulgarian National Bank and the…
Wooden Coffin Burials, Glass Jewels Discovered in Vast Medieval Necropolis near Bulgaria’s Radnevo
A large number of glass jewels and remains of wooden coffins in some of the burials among dozens of newly excavated graves have been discovered by archaeologists in a large necropolis from the 12th century, the High Middle Ages, near…
Vandals Tear Down Monument of Khan Kubrat, Founder of 7th Century Old Great Bulgaria, in Today’s Ukraine
Unknown vandals have torn down the monument of Ancient Bulgar leader Khan Kubrat (r. 632 – 665 AD), the founder of the so called Old Great Bulgaria, which was erected in 2012 in the town of Mala Pereshchepina, Poltava District,…
Cup-Shaped Copper Coin of Tsar Ivan Asen II of Second Bulgarian Empire Released by National Bank, Archaeology Museum in Replica Collection
A replica of a copper scyphate, or a cup-shaped copper coin, minted by Tsar Ivan Asen II (r. 1218 – 1241) of the Second Bulgarian Empire is the second coin to be released by the Mint of the Bulgarian National…
Gold Coin of Tsar Ivan Asen II of Second Bulgarian Empire Released by Bulgarian National Bank, Archaeology Museum as Part of Replica Collection
A replica collection of coins minted by the Tsars of the Second Bulgarian Empire has been launched in a joint project by the Mint of the Bulgarian National Bank and the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology, with the first…
‘Incredible’ Early Byzantine Fortress with Stone Assembly Letter Clues Unearthed near Bulgaria’s Shirokovo
Archaeologists have excavated for the first time a 5th century AD fortress near Shirokovo in Northeast Bulgaria, which is the early period of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) and is also likely to be the medieval Bulgarian city of Krastovets,…
3 Newly Found Gold Rings Reveal Antiquity, Middle Ages Life in Danube Region of Northeast Bulgaria
Archaeologists have discovered a total of three gold rings from the Antiquity, High Middle Ages, and Late Middle Ages in diverse archaeological sites in the Danube region of Ruse in today’s Northeast Bulgaria.
3 Gold Coins from Byzantine Empire after 1071 Battle of Manzikert Found in Bulgaria’s Lom in Almus, Lomgrad Ruins
Archaeologists have found a small hoard of gold coins from the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) minted after the emblematic Battle of Manzikert in 1071 under Emperor Michael VII Ducas during excavations of the Ancient Roman and medieval Byzantine city…
Rare 5th Century AD Late Roman Marble Table Discovered in Petrich Kale Fortress near Bulgaria’s Varna
Archaeologists have discovered a beautiful white marble table from the 4th – 5th century AD, i.e. the Late Roman and Early Byzantine period, during excavations in one of the towers of the Petrich Kale Fortress near the Black Sea city…
Huge 6th Century AD Industrial Kiln for Construction Materials Found in Bulgaria’s Danube City Silistra, Linked to Byzantine Emperor Justinian I
A huge industrial kiln, or furnace, for the production of ceramic construction materials such as bricks and tiles, which dates back to the 6th century AD, more specifically to the reign of Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Emperor Justinian I the Great,…
Early Thracian, Roman, Medieval Settlements, Athena Statuette Found in Rescue Digs by Bulgarian Coal Mining Company
Three different ancient settlements – an Early Thracian settlement, a town from the time of the Roman Empire, and an Early Byzantine and medieval Bulgarian settlement – have been discovered in rescue excavations in three locations near the town of…
8,000-Year-Old Structures, Medieval Christian Necropolis, Ottoman Slaughter Fire Traces Found in Bulgaria’s Stara Zagora
A wide range of archaeological structures and artifacts “slicing through history” have been discovered during rescue excavations on a construction plot within the Augusta Traiana – Vereia Archaeological Preserve in the Southern Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora – including 8,000-year-old…
Archaeologists Find Holy Well of Early Christian Monastery on Top of 2,500-Year-Old Apollo Temple on Bulgaria’s St. Ivan Island
Archaeologists have discovered the 1,500-year-old holy well, or ayazmo, of the Early Christian monastery on the St. Ivan Island off the coast of Bulgaria’s Black Sea town of Sozopol, which was built on top of an Ancient Greek temple of…
Horse Shoulder Blade with Mysterious ‘Magic’ Ritual Marks from ca. 1300 AD Discovered in Rusocastro Fortress in Southeast Bulgaria
A horse scapula, i.e. a shoulder blade bone, with traces from eating and bizarre traces of burning from ca. 1300 AD, meaning it might have been used in some kind of mysterious and thus far unknown “magic” ritual, has been…
‘Pillow’ Brick with Gospel of John Inscription in 13th Century Clergyman Grave, Byzantine Gold Threads Found in Medieval Bulgarian Capital Tarnovgrad
A senior medieval clergyman’s grave from the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire, possibly even one of the patriarchs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, containing a brick with an inscription quoting the Gospel of John, has been discovered during the…
Archaeologists Unearth Burgus (Tower Fort) in Lesser Known Roman Danube Fortress Bulldozed by Treasure Hunters in Northwest Bulgaria
Archaeologists have exposed what was a burgus, a Late Roman Era tower fort, or a centrally located tower inside Pomodiana, a little known but massive Late Roman and Early Byzantine Fortress on the Danube River in today’s Northwest Bulgaria, which,…
8 Years after Theft of St. John the Baptist Relics in Bulgaria’s Sliven, Finder Laments Unresolved Case
The case of the theft of a particle from the holy relics of St. John the Baptist committed in the city of Sliven back in 2012, less than 2 years after the relics’ discovery on a Black Sea island, has…
Crusaders from Third Crusade Destroyed 11th-Century Byzantine Empire’s Fortress in Southeast Bulgaria Destroyed, Archaeologists Find
A small but remarkable Byzantine fortress, which existed in the 11th – 12th century in today’s Southeast Bulgaria, was seemingly destroyed by the Western European knights from the Third Crusade in 1189 – 1192 AD, the archaeological research team has…
Skeletons from Medieval Christian Necropolis Found on Top of Ruins of Ancient Marcianopolis in Bulgaria’s Devnya
Three skeletons from what appears to be a medieval necropolis have been discovered during rescue archaeological excavations at the ruins of the major Roman city of Marcianopolis (Marcianople) in today’s town of Devnya in Northeast Bulgaria.
‘Sad’ Story of Roman Veteran Who Served 44 Years in Military Revealed by Tombstone from Almus in Bulgaria’s Danube Town Lom
A tombstone inscription in Latin revealing the “sad” life story of a Roman military veteran who served a total of 44 years in the Roman military, an untypically long period, has been discovered during the excavations of the Ancient Roman…
Massive Hexagonal Tower Keep, Horn Workshop Excavated in Medieval Fortress Rusocastro in Southeast Bulgaria
Archaeologists have excavated in full a massive hexagonal tower keep, which towered in the 13th-14th century over the medieval Bulgarian and Byzantine fortress of Rusocastro in today’s Southeast Bulgaria.
Thracian Pits, Roman, Byzantine Buildings Found in Rescue Digs in Sexaginta Prista Fortress in Bulgaria’s Danube City Ruse
Ancient Thracian ritual pits, an Ancient Roman building, and Early Byzantine masonry as well as Western European porcelain from the 19th century, among other items, have been found during partial rescue excavations on the territory of the Sexaginta Prista fortress…
5th Century BC Ancient Greek Shrine Discovered in First Ever Excavations on Tiny St. Peter Island off Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast near Sozopol
An Antiquity shrine from the 5th century BC, the time of the Ancient Greek colonization of Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, has been discovered during the first ever archaeological excavations on the tiny St. Petar / St. Peter Island off the…
Archaeologists Discover Western Gate of Ancient Roman, Byzantine Fortress Bononia in Bulgaria’s Danube City Vidin
The massive western fortress gate and seemingly the main entrance of the Ancient Roman and Early Byzantine city of Bononia has been discovered by archaeologists in the city of Vidin in Northwest Bulgaria, on the Danube River.
Third Satellite Town of Early Medieval Bulgarian Empire’s Capital Pliska Found during Digs for Turkish Stream Natural Gas Pipeline
Rescue archaeological excavations for the construction of the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline (dubbed “Balkan Stream” by the Bulgarian government) have yielded a surprising discovery: a completely unknown medieval town described as the third satellite town of the city of…
Gold Earring from Egypt’s Fayum Mummy Portraits Discovered in Roman City Deultum in Southeast Bulgaria
An actual ancient gold earring which can be seen depicted in some of the so called Fayum Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt has been discovered in Southeast Bulgaria by archaeologists excavating the Ancient Roman colony Deultum near the town of…
Bulgaria Marks 1155 Years since Adoption of Christianity as Official Religion by First Bulgarian Empire
Bulgaria and Bulgarian Orthodox Christians marked on Saturday, May 2, 2020, the 1155th anniversary since the formal adoption of Christianity as the official state religion back in 865 AD under the leadership of St. Knyaz Boris I Mihail (r. 852-889;…
10th Century Cross with Jesus Christ Image, Peacock Ring Seal Found in Tuida Fortress in Bulgaria’s Sliven
A cross with an image of Jesus Christ from the 10th century, the time of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680 – 1018) and a medieval ring seal from a peacock image are among the most interesting artifacts discovered during the…
Newly Found 1st Century BC Roman Fort, Customs Push Back Founding Almus Fortress in Bulgaria’s Danube Town of Lom
An Early Roman fort from the 1st century AD has been discovered in the Ancient Roman city of Almus in today’s town of Lom on the Danube in Northwest Bulgaria, demonstrating that the first Roman fortifications on the site were…
