Special Jubilee Exhibition Extended Due to Huge Interest in Startling Finds from 20 Years of Digs at Provadiya-Solnitsata Prehistoric Settlement – Europe’s Oldest Town
The special jubilee exhibition entitled “The Lords of Salt,” which was opened in June 2024 in Sofia, has just been extended due to the huge interest in the most startling finds from the 20 years of archaeological excavations at what…
Bronze Pitcher Found amid Late Antiquity Arson in Roman City Deultum Close to Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast
A perfectly preserved bronze pitcher from the Late Antiquity has been discovered by archaeologists in the Ancient Roman colony Deultum near the town of Debelt, Burgas District, close to the Black Sea coast. Deultum was a Roman colony, which according…
Massive Hoard of 500 Antiquity Coins Found at Eastern Gate of Ancient Philipopolis in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv
A massive hoard of some 500 Antiquity coins from different time periods, some of them going back 2,500 years, has been discovered by archaeologists doing rescue excavations close to the eastern gate of the ancient city of Thracian and Roman…
Headless Horse Skeleton Found in Likely First Known Cuman Settlement from Second Bulgarian Empire
A well-preserved headless animal skeleton, most likely of a horse, has been discovered by Bulgarian archaeologists excavating a settlement from the High Middle Ages at the foot of the Rahovets Fortress, which might prove to be the very first known…
Ornate 5th Century BC Bone Scepter of Scythian Warrior Becomes August 2024 ‘Exhibit of the Month’ of Bulgaria’s National Museum of Archaeology
A truly impressive and sophisticated artifact – a bone scepter that belonged a Scythian warrior from the 5th century BC discovered in Europe’s oldest town, the Provadiya-Solnitsata Settlement Mound in Northeast Bulgaria – has been declared “Exhibit of the Month”…
Special Jubilee Exhibition Presents Startling Finds from 20 Years of Digs at Provadiya-Solnitsata Prehistoric Settlement – Europe’s Oldest Town
A special jubilee exhibition entitled “The Lords of Salt” has been opened in Sofia to showcase the most startling finds from the 20 years of archaeological excavations at what is proving to be the oldest town in Europe – the…
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…
7,000-Year-Old Ritual Table with ‘Horned Animal’, First Bulgarian Empire Settlement Found near Varna in Rescue Digs
An archaeological site containing structures from both the Neolithic, with a “horned animal” ritual table as especially intriguing find, and the time of the First Bulgarian Empire in the Early Middle Ages, has been discovered by chance near the Black…
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…
Ancient Thracian Horse Burial, ‘Half a Skeleton’ Human Burial from Early Iron Age Found near Bulgaria’s Polski Trambesh
An Ancient Thracian burial of a horse and a human burial containing only the upper half of a person’s body from the Early Iron Age (ca 1,000 – 500 BC) have been discovered by archaeologists near Orlovets and Polski Trambesh…
‘Earliest Dispersal of Modern Humans’ in Eurasia’s Mid-Latitudes, Regular Mixing with Neanderthals Revealed by 46,000-Year-Old Remains from Bulgaria’s Bacho Kiro Cave
An international team of scientists has arrived at crucial conclusions about the earliest spreading of modern humans throughout Eurasia and the Americas and about their mixing with Neanderthals in the Upper Paleolithic based on years of research of human remains…
Bronze Dionysus Chariot Bust, Venus Terracotta Found in Home Burned Down in 251 AD Goth Invasion of Roman Empire in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv
A bronze bust of Ancient Thracian and Greek god Dionysus, which was part of the decoration of a chariot, and a terracotta (statuette) of Roman goddess Venus have been discovered inside a large 2nd century AD building from ancient Philipopolis,…
Iron Age Ancient Thracian Hamlet, ‘Cross-Shaped’ Ax Discovered in Highway Construction Excavations in Bulgaria’s Ugarchin
An Iron Age Ancient Thracian settlement, or, rather, a hamlet which was inhabited on and off over a period of about 1,000 years – from the 11th century BC until the 1st century BC, has been discovered by archaeologists during…
3,000-Year-Old Bird-Shaped Vessel Placed in Burial Urn Found in Bulgaria’s Baley in Crucial Thracian Bronze Age Necropolis
Archaeologists have discovered 15 new graves from the 2nd millennium BC, the Middle Bronze Age and the Late Bronze Age, near the town of Baley on the Danube, Vidin District, in Northwest Bulgaria, in a necropolis from the earliest Ancient…
Large Silver Coin Hoard Hidden during 251 AD Goth Invasion of Roman Empire Discovered in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv
A coin hoard containing nearly 600 silver coins (denarii) from the 1st – 3rd century AD, most likely hidden during the first large-scale barbarian invasion of the Roman Empire, the invasion by the Goths in 250-251 AD, has been discovered…
Fine Marbles in 14 Different Colors from Constantine the Great’s Danube Bridge Opening in 328 AD Found in Roman City Ulpia Oescus in North Bulgaria
Archaeologists have discovered a total of 14 different kinds of highly sophisticated colorful marbles used in lavish wall decorations of a grand hall in the huge Roman city of Ulpia Oescus in North Bulgaria, and believe they most likely had…
Slab with Marching Ancient Greek Warriors Discovered at Apollo Temples on Ancient Black Sea Island in Bulgaria’s Sozopol
A 2,500-year-old slab, a relief depicting marching Ancient Greek warriors, or hoplites, has been discovered among other finds in the recent archaeological excavations of two temples of ancient god Apollo on the St. Cyricus Island, today a peninsula, in the…
Yet Another 7,000-Year-Old Slab with Likely Proto-Writing Found in Bulgaria, in Transitional Stone-to-Copper Age Settlement
Bulgarian archaeologists have found one more prehistoric clay slab with possibly pre-alphabetic writing or proto-writing carvings, this time in a large 7,000-year-old settlement near Panagyurishte in South Central Bulgaria, which is from the transition period between the Late Neolithic (New…
120 Ritual Pits in 7,000-Years-Old ‘Pit Field’ Found in Northeast Bulgaria, Prehistoric Bull Figurines Remarkable
A field of hundreds of prehistoric ritual pits from the 6th millennium BC, i.e. the Late Neolithic (New Stone Age) has been discovered and excavated near the towns of Kovachevets and Popovo in Northeast Bulgaria, yielding numerous prehistoric artifacts including…
Archaeologist Figures Out Thracian Name of Roman Danube City Sexaginta Prista, Bulgaria’s Ruse
The Ancient Thracian name and thus the earliest name of today’s Danube city of Ruse in Northeast Bulgaria, the successor of the Roman Empire city of Sexaginta Prista, was probably Plestrodava, a Bulgarian archaeologist hypothesizes.
‘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,…
7,000-Year-Old Settlement Mound in Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Burgas Presented for the First Time in Exhibition
The oldest settlement in today’s Black Sea city of Burgas in Southeast Bulgaria – today a prehistoric settlement mound – which existed in the Late Neolithic (New Stone Age) and throughout the entire Chalcolithic (Copper Age) period, has been presented…
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…
80 Newly Found Dugouts Offer Glimpse into 9th Century Rural Life in First Bulgarian Empire
Archaeologists have discovered a 9th century AD village from the time of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680 – 1018 AD) near the town of Gradishte, Shumen District, in Northeast Bulgaria, with some 80 dugouts offering a glimpse into the life…
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…
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.
‘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…
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…
