Newly Found 13th Century Ivory Cross Reveals Name of Senior Cleric from Second Bulgarian Empire
A 13th century bone cross with intricate engravings has been discovered in the city of Veliko Tarnovo in Central North Bulgaria, the modern-day successor of the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396/1422) Tarnovgrad, revealing the name of the senior…
‘Archaeology Travel’ Founder Thomas Dowson: Bulgaria’s Is New Cultural Tourism Destination for the English-Speaking West
ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com has interviewed Thomas Dowson, a UK-based archaeologist and founder of Archaeology Travel, a service specializing in cultural tourism and international guided tours. Dowson recently explored Bulgaria as a cultural tourism destination, and his travel report “Move Over, Italy &…
Bulgaria’s ‘Old Capitals Act’ Seeks to Boost Development of Pliska, Veliki Preslav, Veliko Tarnovo & Vidin
A new piece of legislation dubbed the “Old Capitals Act” is supposed to boost the development, promotion, and research of Bulgaria’s medieval capitals which are today on its territory.
‘Unseen Treasures’ Showcased for 35th Anniversary of History Museum in Bulgaria’s Shumen
A new exhibition entitled “Unseen Treasures” has been opened by the Regional Museum of History in the northeastern Bulgarian city of Shumen to celebrate the 35th anniversary since the opening of its present building and permanent display.
Archaeologists Discover Unknown Fortress Walls, Byzantine Gold Coin in Rusocastro Fortress near Bulgaria’s Kameno
Two unknown fortress walls and three unknown fortress towers as well as a 14th century Byzantine gold coin have been discovered by archaeologists during the 2016 excavations of the major medieval fortress of Rusocastro in today’s Southeast Bulgaria.
Bulgaria’s Burgas Wins EU Funding with Turkey’s Kirklareli to Develop Aquae Calidae – Thermopolis Archaeological Preserve
The ancient spa resort Aquae Calidae, known as Thermopolis in the Middle Ages, whose ruins lie in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Burgas, will be developed further as a cultural tourism site with EU funding under the Interreg Program for…
Archaeologists Find Medieval Marketplace of Rahovets Fortress near Bulgaria’s Gorna Oryahovitsa
A medieval square which hosted the marketplace of the Rahovets Fortress near the town of Gorna Oryahovitsa in Central North Bulgaria has been discovered during its 2016 summer archaeological excavations.
6th Century AD Secret Passage of Tuida Fortress in Bulgaria’s Sliven Sheltered over Restoration Plans
The entrance of a secret passage from the 6th century AD in the Tuida Fortress in the Eastern Bulgarian city of Sliven has been sheltered in order to protect the intriguing facility and to provide for its future restoration.
Archaeologists Find Late Antiquity ‘Peacock’ Mosaic, Medieval ‘St. Peter’ Mural in Early Christian Great Basilica in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv
A previously unknown and very well preserved mosaic floor featuring an image of a peacock and fragments of a medieval mural possibly depicting St. Peter have been unearthed by archaeologists in the Early Christian and Early Byzantine Great Basilica in…
Kaliakra Cape Fortress near Bulgaria’s Black Sea Resort Kavarna Growing Ever More Popular with Tourists
The Kaliakara Cape Fortress, which is located on the picturesque Black Sea cape of the same name in Northeast Bulgaria, has been attracting a growing number of local and foreign tourists, with the local authorities in Kavarna Municipality now trying…
Bulgaria’s Montana Reopens Fully Renovated History Museum Exhibiting Ancient Thracian Treasure from Yakimovo
The fully renovated building of the Regional Museum of History in the northwestern Bulgarian city of Montana, the successor of Ancient Roman city and fortress Castra ad Montanesium, has been reopened with an exhibition of an Ancient Thracian treasure, the…
10th Century Golden Heart Jewel Worn by Bulgarian Empress Discovered in Medieval Capital Veliki Preslav
A remarkable golden jewel in the shape of a heart decorated with a five-color enamel, which may have belonged to the wife of Tsar Petar I (r. 927-969), has been discovered by archaeologists during excavations in Veliki Preslav (“Great Preslav”),…
Bulgaria’s Cabinet, Private Donors Contribute BGN 300,000 towards Restoration of 9th Century AD Great Basilica in Pliska
More than BGN 300,000 (app. EUR 150,000) have been contributed by the Bulgarian government and private donors for the ongoing archaeological restoration of the 9th century AD Great Basilica in Pliska, the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680-1018 AD)…
Archaeologists Find Grave of One of Last Senior Clergymen of Medieval Bulgarian Capital Tarnovgrad in Veliko Tarnovo
The grave of a person who seems to have been one of the last senior clergymen of Tarnovgrad, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396/1422), before its capture by the invading Ottoman Turks has been discovered by archaeologists excavating…
Archaeologists Discover Medieval Necropolis on Top of Late Antiquity Floor Mosaics of Great Basilica in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv
A necropolis containing a total of 18 burials from the Middle Ages has been discovered on top of the layers of floor mosaics of the Early Christian and Early Byzantine Great Basilica in the city of Plovdiv in Southern Bulgaria.
Bulgaria’s Cabinet Poised to Grant Black Sea Town Sozopol Ownership over St. Ivan Island Famous for St. John the Baptist’s Relics
Bulgaria’s Cabinet is prepared to transfer ownership of the Black Sea island “St. Ivan (St. John)”, known for its Early Christian and Early Byzantine monastery where relics of St. John the Baptist were discovered back in 2010, to the local…
Pre-Columbian Mediterranean ‘Round’ Ship Discovered for the First Time by Underwater Archaeology Expedition in Bulgaria’s Black Sea Zone
The world’s first ever well preserved sunken “round ship”, a medieval Mediterranean ship which was a precursor to the Age of Discovery vessels such as the ones on which Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic, has been discovered in Bulgaria’s Black…
Bulgaria’s Capital Sofia to Fund Search for Alleged Outer Fortress Wall of Ancient Serdica
The administration of Bulgaria’s capital Sofia plans to invest major funding in expanding the archaeological excavations in the city, including a search for the alleged outer fortress wall of its predecessor, the Ancient Thracian and Roman city of Serdica.
Bronze Age Discoveries Reveal Ancient Bulgar Capital Pliska Was Settled Much Earlier Than Middle Ages
Discoveries of a Bronze Age home and artifacts have revealed that the Ancient Bulgar city of Pliska in today’s Northeast Bulgaria, which was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680-1018) in 680-893 AD, was settled much earlier than previously…
Archaeologists Find Roman Pagan Temple, Votive Figurine in Ancient Missionis near Bulgaria’s Targovishte
A pagan temple from the Late Roman period has been discovered during the 2016 summer excavations of the Late Roman, Early Byzantine, and medieval Bulgarian city of Missionis located near Targovishte in Northeast Bulgaria, which was known as Krum’s Fortress…
Newly Restored Trapesitsa Fortress in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo Attracts over 1,000 Tourists on Day One
A total of over 1,000 tourists have visited the newly restored Trapesitsa Hill Fortress in the city of Veliko Tarnovo in Central North Bulgaria, the successor of medieval Tarnovgrad, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396/1422), on the first…
Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo Unveils Newly Restored Trapesitsa Fortress in Controversial Project with Azerbaijan Funding
The city of Veliko Tarnovo in Central North Bulgaria, the successor of medieval Tarnovgrad, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396/1422), has formally opened for visitors the Trapesitsa Hill Fortress, which has been partly restored in a controversial project…
Archaeologist Discovers Ancient Greek Shrine of Demeter, Persephone in Bulgaria’s Black Sea Resort Sozopol
A shrine of goddesses Demeter and Persephone from the 6th century BC has been discovered during the 2016 archaeological excavations of the Ancient Greek polis of Apollonia Pontica, today’s Bulgarian Black Sea city of Sozopol.
Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo to Open for Tourists Trapesitsa Fortress after Restoration with Azerbaijan Money
The city of Veliko Tarnovo in Central North Bulgaria, the successor of medieval Tarnovgrad, the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396/1422), is going to open for visitors the Trapesitsa Hill Fortress, which has been partly restored with funding from…
Archaeologists Excavate Early Christian Basilica Destroyed by Barbarian Invasion, Ancient Earthquake in Bulgaria’s Cherven Breg
An Early Christian basilica which was destroyed by a barbarian invasion and a major earthquake in the Late Antiquity has been excavated by archaeologists near the town of Cherven Breg, Dupnitsa Municipality, in Southwest Bulgaria.
14th Century Bishop’s Bone Crosier to Be Displayed at Restored Trapesitsa Fortress in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo
A very rare find, a bone crosier, i.e. a staff, of a Bulgarian bishop from the 14th century is to be displayed in the museum exhibition of the soon to be opened newly restored Trapesitsa Fortress in the city of…
Necropolis with Rich Inventories from Second Bulgarian Empire Discovered in Bulgaria’s Vratsa
A necropolis from the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396/1422), i.e. the High Middle Ages, containing rich funeral inventories of silver and copper jewels has been discovered as a result of construction, and has been excavated by archaeologists in…
Archaeologists Find Votive Tablets of ‘Thracian Horseman’ Deity in Ancient Roman City Abritus
Two votive tablets with images of the Thracian Horseman, also known as Heros, the alleged supreme deity of the Ancient Thracians, have been found during the 2016 summer archaeological excavations of the Ancient Roman and Byzantine city of Abritus near…
Bulgaria’s National Institute & Museum of Archaeology Publishes New Issue of ‘Arheologia’ Journal
Bulgaria’s National Institute and Museum of Archaeology in Sofia has released a new issue (Issue No. 1-2, 2015) of its “Arheologia” Journal, the Museum has announced.
Antiquity Amphitheater Voted Most Important Cultural Landmark of Bulgaria’s Plovdiv
The Antiquity Amphitheater, which was built during the reign of Roman Emperor Trajan (r. 98-117 AD), has been voted the most important cultural landmark of the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv in a poll of the local residents.
Archaeologists Discover Necropolis in Ancient, Medieval Fortress Nebet Tepe in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv
A necropolis and a large amount of marble fragments, among numerous other finds, have been discovered by the archaeologists excavating Nebet Tepe, the prehistoric, ancient, and medieval settlement and fortress, to which the city of Plovdiv owes the title of…
Bulgaria’s Plovdiv Featured in ‘The Guardian’ Article on 10 “Great European City Breaks You’ve Probably Never Thought Of”
The southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv has been featured as one of ten “Great European City Breaks You’ve Probably Never Thought Of” in an article of “The Guardian”. Author Kevin Rushby appears enchanted by Plovdiv thanks to its archaeological, historical,…
Bulgaria’s Rusocastro Fortress Could Attract Hundreds of Thousands of Tourists Per Year, Bulgaria’s Tourism Minister Says
The major medieval Byzantine and Bulgarian fortress and city of Rusocastro in Southeast Bulgaria could get tens, even hundreds of thousands of visitors per year with the proper promotion, according to Bulgaria’s Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova.
Archaeologists Find 6th Century AD Brazier in Kalyata Fortress near Bulgaria’s Yakoruda
A ceramic brazier, a container for hot coal typically used for heating, which dates back to the 6th century AD, i.e. the Early Byzantine period, has been discovered by archaeologists excavating the Late Antiquity and medieval fortress of Kalyata near…
Archaeologists Find Senior Clergyman’s Tomb in Newly Discovered Basilica in Bulgaria’s Rock City Perperikon
The tomb of a senior monk and clergyman has been unearthed by archaeologists in the newly discovered Early Christian basilica in the prehistoric, ancient, and medieval rock city of Perperikon (also known as Perperik or Perperek) near Kardzhali in Southern…
