50 Ancient Iron Arrow, Spear Tips Lead to Criminal Charge against Bulgarian Businessman
The District Prosecutor’s Office in the Danube city of Ruse in Northeast Bulgaria has charged prominent businessman Plamen Bobokov with the illegal possession of archaeological artifacts over a total of 50 pieces of ancient weaponry, namely iron arrow and spear…
Unknown Medieval Settlement from Second Bulgarian Empire, Bronze Age Settlement Discovered near Danube City Vidin
A previously unknown settlement from the Second Bulgarian Empire in the High Middle Ages and a layer from an Early Bronze Age settlement from the 3rd millennium BC have been discovered near the Danube city of Vidin in Northwest Bulgaria.
Bizarre 3rd Millennium BC ‘Trojan Cups’ Imported from Troy Become November 2020 ‘Exhibit of the Month’ in Bulgaria’s National Museum of Archaeology
A couple of bizarrely shaped ceramic cups from the 3rd millennium BC, or the Early Bronze Age, which are believed to have originated in ancient Troy, and are known as the Trojan Cups, have been declared “exhibit(s)” of the month…
Top 20 Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in November 2020
Following are the 20 most popular stories with the readers of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com from around the worold during the month of November 2020.
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…
‘Economic’ Section of 5,000-Year-Old Settlement with а Dozen Kilns Found in Central Bulgarian Valley
A nearly 5,000-year-old prehistoric settlement, or, rather, its “economic” and production section, with close to a dozen kilns has been discovered by archaeologists in the Karlovo Valley in Central Bulgaria.
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…
Mouthless Prehistoric ‘Alien’ Mask Mixing Human, Animal Features Found in Salt Pit Settlement Mound in Bulgaria’s Provadiya
A bizarre prehistoric clay mask or a figurine lacking a mouth but featuring both human and animal traits and resembling an “alien” from a sci-fi movie, which dates back to the end of the 5th millennium BC, has been discovered…
Crusaders from Third Crusade Destroyed 11th-Century Byzantine Empire’s Fortress in Southeast Bulgaria, 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…
Bulgaria to Turn Former Black Sea Island near Sozopol into Archaeology Museum with Aid from Louvre, France, OAE
Bulgaria’s Ministry of Culture is planning to use help from the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, and its affiliate in Abu Dhabi, OAE, in order to turn the St. Cyricus Island, formerly a small Black Sea island off the coast…
Roman Emperor ‘Lied’, Thanked City for ‘Bribe’, Reveals Newly Decoded Inscription from Ancient Nicopolis ad Istrum in Bulgaria
A newly decoded ancient stone inscription in Ancient Greek reveals that Roman Emperor Septimius Severus and his son and Co-Emperor Caracalla told “political lies” and demonstrated corruption in the Roman Empire by expressing gratitude for a large-scale “bribe” from the…
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.
576th Year since Battle of Varna, ‘Battle of Peoples’ of European Christians against Ottoman Empire, Goes without Any Events in Bulgaria
The 576th year since the Battle of Varna in 1444, also known as the “Battle of Peoples” or the last medieval battle for Bulgaria, in which the Ottoman Empire routed the European Christian forces, was marked on Tuesday, November 10,…
6,000-Year-Old Submerged Prehistoric Settlement Reveals Black Sea Level Was 5 Meters Lower 5,000 Years Ago
Underwater archaeologists have discovered that a submerged prehistoric settlement near the mouth of the Ropotamo River in Southeast Bulgaria previously thought to be from the Bronze Age was in fact 1,000 years old, going back to the Chalcolithic (Copper Age),…
Nazi Uniforms Stolen from Museums across Netherlands, Denmark Causing Concern
Uniforms from Nazi Germany have been stolen from several museums in the Netherlands and Denmark over the past three months prompting question about what might be causing the heightened interest in Nazi paraphernalia behind the heists.
Global Treasure Hunting, Antiquities Theft Rise Thanks to Pandemic, Social Media, Report Says
Treasure hunting for archaeological, historical, and cultural artifacts as well as their direct theft and trafficking are on the rise worldwide due to the effect of the global coronavirus pandemic and thanks to the convenience of social media, according to…
Prehistoric People Owned 40-Million-Year-Old Sea Urchin Fossil, Carpathian Obsidian, Neolithic Settlement in Bulgaria’s Ohoden Pushed Back to Mesolithic
A string of exciting and mysterious finds have been discovered during the 2020 archaeological excavations of the Ohoden Neolithic settlement near the city of Vratsa in Northwest Bulgaria – including blades of obsidian from the Western Carpathian Mountains in today’s…
Plateosaurus Skeleton Shows Some Young Dinosaurs Did Look Like Their Parents, German Scientists Find
Although the babies of many dinosaur species looked markedly different from their parents, at least some young dinosaurs had the exact same appearance as the adults from their species, German researchers have found based on the skeleton of a Plateosaurus.
‘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…
3,300-Year-Old Bronze Age Sword, Ax Found by Accident in Northern Czechia
A rare bronze sword and a bronze ax from ca. 1,300 BC, the Bronze Age, have been discovered by accident by a mushroom picker in the Jesenik District in Northern Czechia.
Vast Artifact Collection Seized from Exiled Oligarch to Be Appraised by German, Italian Experts, Bulgaria’s Prosecution Says
The very large and rich collection counting thousands of Antiquity archaeological artifacts, many of them gold and silver Ancient Thracian vessels, which has been seized from Bulgarian businessman Vasil Bozhkov, oftentimes described in media as an oligarch, is intact and…
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.
7,000-Year-Old Kilns from Prehistoric Ceramics Workshop Dug Up at Bazovets Settlement Mound in Northeast Bulgaria
Two kilns from the Early Chalcolithic (Aeneolithic, Copper Age) period – ca. 4,800 – 4,600 BC – which seem to have been part of a prehistoric pottery-making center, have been unearthed at the Bazovets Settlement Mound in Northeast Bulgaria.
Scandal Erupts as Roman Mosaics Get Trampled On in Villa Armira Mansion near Bulgaria’s Ivaylovgrad
A wedding ceremony involving guests trampling upon invaluable and protected Ancient Roman floor mosaics in Villa Armira, a famous 1st century AD mansion of a Thracian – Roman aristocratic family, near Ivaylovgrad in Southern Bulgaria, has caused a public outrage.
Bulgaria Celebrates Day of National Awakeners
Bulgaria marks on November 1, 2020, its Day of National Awakeners, a holiday designed to honor the people who brought about the “awakening” or revival of the Bulgarian nation in the 18th, 19th and early 20th century.
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…
Odd 8,000-Year-Old Neolithic Burials, Oldest in Sofia Valley, Discovered in Bulgaria’s Capital
A total of four Neolithic burials from almost 8,000 years ago, which are both peculiar and the earliest graves to have even been found in the Sofia Valley, have been discovered by archaeologists in the Slatina Neolithic Settlement in what…
Vast ‘Changing Room’ Found in Roman Thermae (Public Baths) of Ancient Spa Resort Diocletianopolis in Bulgaria’s Hisarya
A sizable “changing room” or “undressing room”, apodyterium in Latin, has been discovered by archaeologists in the main thermae (public baths) of the major Ancient Roman city and ancient spa resort of Diocletianopolis in Bulgaria’s Hisarya.
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…
