Intriguing ‘Dionysus with Panther’ Chariot Applique Discovered in Bulgaria’s Skutare in ‘Multi-layer’ Settlement

A highly intriguing ancient artifact – a bronze applique depicting wine god Dionysus together with what is believed to be a panther, which was most likely decorating a chariot – has been discovered in Bulgaria’s Skutare, close to the city of Plovdiv, in a settlement established in the Neolithic, and inhabited over ten different time periods, until the Middle Ages.

The old archaeological structures in the “multi-layer” archaeological settlement in Skutare in Southern Bulgaria dates back to the Neolithic period, about 6,000 BC.

The newly discovered applique of Ancient Thracian and Greek mythology deity Dionysus, the god of wine, festivity, and fertility, is about 15 centimeters (1 foot 1 inch) tall.

It was most likely attached to a chariot, according to lead archaeologist Elena Bozhinova from the Plovdiv Museum of Archaeology, cited by the Bulgarian National Television (BNT).

The excavated prehistoric, ancient, and medieval settlement in Skutare has a total area of several acres.

Bozhinova emphasizes the ten historical periods during which it was inhabited: Early and Late Neolithic; Early, Middle, and Late Chalcolithic (Copper Age); Early and Middle Bronze Age; Early Iron Age; Archaic and Classical Period in the Late Bronze Age; Early Roman Period, Early Middle Ages; and Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine) period.

The report notes that some of these time periods have not been known in the history of Plovdiv, or haven’t been well-researched.

“The settlement was agrarian in character, it had rural population. It doesn’t stand out with luxury household items, which is why there have been few finds on the site,” Bozhinova explains.

“At the same time, the settlement was located close to the richest city in Ancient Thrace, Philipopolis (today’s Plovdiv – editor’s note). So, the people who lived near today’s Skutare would visit Philipopolis to enjoy its fine goods, and were tempted to buy something,” the lead archaeologist elaborates.

In her words, one such purchase could have been the bronze applique showing Dionysus together with a panther.

The applique itself was discovered inside a pithos, a large pottery vessel, together with an iron sickle.

The bronze artifact shows Dionysus standing, with a panther, i.e., a leopard, next to his legs.

“The applique is of very fine craftsmanship, and the material is very well preserved,” Bozhinova says.

The Dionysus with a panther applique has been transferred to the restoration workshop of the Plovdiv Regional Museum of Archaeology.

According to the lead archaeologist, due to the nature of the local soil, all metal artifacts and coins from the Skutare settlement are very well preserved, they have undergone little patination, and, respectively, that has caused them little damage.

“One of the possible reasons this place was settled again and again could be the proximity to the so-called Via Diagonalis (the Ancient Roman road from Constantinople to Central Europe – editor’s note), which passes only 500 meters away from this settlement,” the archaeologist explains.

During summer 2024, Bozhinova’s team had a month for the research of about 7.5 decares (nearly 2 acres) from the prehistoric, Antiquity, and medieval settlement.

This year’s excavations have led to the discovery of seven ancient water wells, bringing the total number of known wells in the settlement to 22.

The biggest well, with a diameter of 3.3 meters, was discovered on August 9, 2024, the last day of this year’s digs.

“The most pleasant surprise for me this year was the discovery that the settlement was intensively inhabited during the Middle Bronze Age,” the lead archaeologist says.

In her words, her team already has a pretty good idea how site was settlement, and what its planning was during the Middle Bronze Age, the Roman period, and Middle Ages.

From the Middle Ages, the researchers have studied the remains of three lightly constructed houses with hearths.

Each one of those houses had large yards surrounded by solid fences.

The archaeologists have also discovered a large amount of pottery and bones from different time periods, which are yet to be studied.

“We know that the neighboring plots are going to be developed. We hope that some investor will not surprise us with the intention to build very swiftly. If [such an investor] shows up, we will be obliged to react [with rescue digs,” lead archaeologist Elena Bozhinova is quoted as saying.

The rescue excavations at the prehistoric, Antiquity and medieval settlement at Bulgaria’s Skutare near Plovdiv have been conducted for two consecutive years now.

It was first discovered in 2017 during field research over the reconstruction of the railroad from Plovdiv to the Black Sea city of Burgas.

A total of 16 artifacts unearthed in the 2023 excavations were presented in February 2024 during the annual “Bulgarian Archaeology” exhibition at the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology in Sofia.

Thus, almost all of the 18 artifacts that the Plovdiv Regional Museum of Archaeology supplied for the exhibition were derived from the Skutare digs.

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Background Infonotes:

According to the pre-1980 excavations, the history of the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv – often dubbed the oldest city in Europe – began with the human settlement on the ancient hill of Nebet Tepe (“tepe” is the Turkishword for “hill”), one of the seven historic hills where Plovdiv was founded and developed in prehistoric and ancient times.

Thanks to the prehistoric, ancient, and medieval settlement and fortress of Nebet Tepe, Plovdiv hold the title of “Europe’s oldest city” (and that of the world’s six oldest city, according to a Daily Telegraph ranking). Recent excavations, however, have disputed that title.

The hills, or “tepeta”, are still known today by their Turkish names from the Ottoman period. Out of all of them, Nebet Tepe has the earliest traces of civilized life dating back to the 6^th millennium BC, which makes Plovdiv 8,000 years old, and allegedly the oldest city in Europe. Around 1200 BC, the prehistoric settlement on Nebet Tepe was transformed into the Ancient Thracian city of Eumolpia, also known as Pulpudeva, inhabited by the powerful Ancient Thracian tribe Bessi.

During the Early Antiquity period Eumolpia / Pulpudeva grew to encompass the two nearby hills (Dzhambaz Tepe and Taxim Tepe known together with Nebet Tepe as “The Three Hills”) as well, with the oldest settlement on Nebet Tepe becoming the citadel of the city acropolis.

In 342 BC, the Thracian city of Eumolpia / Pulpudeva was conquered by King Philip II of Macedon renaming the city to Philippopolis. Philippopolis developed further as a major urban center during the Hellenistic period after the collapse of Alexander the Great’s Empire.

In the 1^st century AD, more precisely in 46 AD, Ancient Thrace was annexed by the Roman Empire making Philippopolis the major city in the Ancient Roman province of Thrace. This is the period when the city expanded further into the plain around The Three Hills which is why it was also known as Trimontium (“the three hills”).

Because of the large scale public construction works during the period of Ancient Rome’s Flavian Dynasty (69-96 AD, including Emperor Vespasian (r. 69-79 AD), Emperor Titus (r. 79-81 AD), Emperor Domitian (r. 81-96 AD)), Plovdiv was also known as Flavia Philippopolis.

Later emerging as a major Early Byzantine city, Plovdiv was conquered for the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680 – 1018 AD) by Khan (or Kanas) Krum (r. 803-814 AD) in 812 AD but was permanently incorporated into Bulgaria under Khan (or Kanas) Malamir (r. 831-836 AD) in 834 AD.

In Old Bulgarian (also known today as Church Slavonic), the city’s name was recorded as Papaldin, Paldin, and Pladin, and later Plavdiv from which today’s name Plovdiv originated. The Nebet Tepe fortress continued to be an important part of the city’s fortifications until the 14^th century when the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396 AD) was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. During the period the Ottoman yoke (1396-1878/1912) when Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire, Plovdiv was called Filibe in Turkish.

Today the prehistoric, ancient, and medieval settlement on Nebet Tepe has been recognized as the Nebet Tepe Archaeological Preserve. Some of the unique archaeological finds from Nebet Tepe include an ancient secret tunnel which, according to legends, was used by Apostle Paul (even though it has been dated to the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I the Great (r. 527-565 AD)) and large scale water storage reservoirs used during sieges, one of them with an impressive volume of 300,000 liters. Still preserved today are parts of the western fortress wall with a rectangular tower from the Antiquity period.