A poster for The Lords of Salt exhibition dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the archaeological excavations of the Provadiya-Solnitsata Settlement Mound in Northeast Bulgaria. Poster by the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

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…

A likely chariot bronze applique showing ancient deity Dionysus with a panther (leopard) has been discovered at the prehistoric, Antiquity, and medieval settlement at Bulgaria’s Skutare near Plovdiv. Photo by lead archaeologist Elena Bozhinova, Plovdiv Museum of Archaeology

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…

The 5th century BC Scythian warrior's bone scepter discovered at the Salt Pit Settlement Mound in Bulgaria's Provadiya has become the August 2024 "Exhibit of the Month" of Bulgaria's National Museum of Archaeology. Photo: P. Leshtakov, National Institute and Museum of Archaeology

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

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…

Archaeologists Find nearly 7,000-Year-Old Copper Age Workshop for Production of Flint Tools near Belogradets in Northeast Bulgaria

Archaeologists Find nearly 7,000-Year-Old Copper Age Workshop for Production of Flint Tools near Belogradets in Northeast Bulgaria

A prehistoric workshop, or “manufacturing center”, for the production of flint tools going back to ca. 5,000 BC has been discovered by archaeologists near the town of Belogradets, Varna District, in Northeast Bulgaria, in rescue excavations for the construction of…

Ancient Bulgar Strap Decorations, Dugouts from Medieval Bulgarian Empire Found in Debnevo Fortress near Troyan

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…

Wooden Coffin Burials, Glass Jewels Discovered in Vast Medieval Necropolis near Bulgaria’s Radnevo

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…

2 Prehistoric Artifacts from Bulgaria Included in ‘Earth as Heritage’ Exhibition in Lyon’s ‘Confluence Museum’ in France

2 Prehistoric Artifacts from Bulgaria Included in ‘Earth as Heritage’ Exhibition in Lyon’s ‘Confluence Museum’ in France

Two prehistoric artifacts from Bulgaria from the 6th and 5th millennium BC have been included in an exhibition entitled “The Earth as a Heritage: From the Neolithic till Our Time” of the Confluence Museum (Musée des Confluences) in the French…

6,500-Year-Old Full Set of Vessels, Including Zoomorphic One, Gold Bead from World’s Oldest Found in Prehistoric Settlement Mound near Bulgaria’s Pomorie

6,500-Year-Old Full Set of Vessels, Including Zoomorphic One, Gold Bead from World’s Oldest Found in Prehistoric Settlement Mound near Bulgaria’s Pomorie

A full set of 21 prehistoric pottery vessels, including a remarkable zoomorphic vessel, and a gold bead which is among the oldest gold items in the world, have been discovered in a Chalcolithic (Aeneolithic, Copper Age) settlement mound from the…

Yet Another 7,000-Year-Old Slab with Likely Proto-Writing Found in Bulgaria, in Transitional Stone-to-Copper Age Settlement

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

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…

7,000-Year-Old Settlement Mound in Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Burgas Presented for the First Time in Exhibition

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…

Mouthless Prehistoric ‘Alien’ Mask Mixing Human, Animal Features Found in Salt Pit Settlement Mound in Bulgaria’s Provadiya

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…

6,000-Year-Old Submerged Prehistoric Settlement Reveals Black Sea Level Was 5 Meters Lower 5,000 Years Ago

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),…

7,000-Year-Old Kilns from Prehistoric Ceramics Workshop Dug Up at Bazovets Settlement Mound in Northeast 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.

Which Is the World’s Oldest Gold? The Five Oldest Gold Treasures: All from the 5th Millenium BC, All Found in Bulgaria, All Made by ‘Old Europe’

Which Is the World’s Oldest Gold? The Five Oldest Gold Treasures: All from the 5th Millenium BC, All Found in Bulgaria, All Made by ‘Old Europe’

Humanity’s thirst for GOLD throughout the last – as it turns out – nearly 7,000 years has been very prominent, and so the question of which the oldest gold in the world is has been captivating the imagination of people…

Hotnitsa Gold Treasure - Hotnitsa, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

Hotnitsa Gold Treasure – Hotnitsa, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

The Hotnitsa Gold Treasure is among the very top contenders for the title of the world’s oldest gold, i.e. the world’s oldest gold treasure or oldest human processed gold, together with several other prehistoric gold treasures from the 5th millenium…

Durankulak Gold Treasure - Durankulak Lake Lagoon - Durankulak, Dobrich, Bulgaria

Durankulak Gold Treasure – Durankulak Lake Lagoon – Durankulak, Dobrich, Bulgaria

The Durankulak Gold Treasure is a prehistoric gold treasure, possible the world’s oldest gold treasure, or at least one of the five or six prehistoric gold treasures claiming the title of being “the world’s oldest gold”, i.e. the world’s oldest…

Sakar Gold Treasure - Sakar Mountain - Alexandrovo, Bulgaria

Sakar Gold Treasure – Sakar Mountain – Alexandrovo, Bulgaria

The Sakar Gold Treasure is a prehistoric gold treasure and one of the world’s oldest gold treasures and oldest gold artifacts processed by humans.

Prehistoric Figurine Depicting Pregnant Woman Found in Middle Chalcolithic Workshop near Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast

Prehistoric Figurine Depicting Pregnant Woman Found in Middle Chalcolithic Workshop near Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast

A partially preserved 6,600-year-old anthropomorphic clay figurine from the Chalcolithic (Aeneolithic, Copper Age) has been discovered by archaeologists in a prehistoric pottery workshop located close to the town of Suvorovo, Varna District, in Northeast Bulgaria, near the Black Sea coast.

3 Species of Treasure Hunters Are Destroying Archaeology in Bulgaria’s ‘Plunder Paradise’ worth up to USD 1 Billion a Year, New Book Reveals

3 Species of Treasure Hunters Are Destroying Archaeology in Bulgaria’s ‘Plunder Paradise’ worth up to USD 1 Billion a Year, New Book Reveals

Three “species” of treasure hunters dubbed “diggers”, “yuppies” and “super experts”, whose a total number is in the low six figures, are destroying the world archaeology and history heritage found in Bulgaria in a criminal industry worth up to 1…

15,000 Attend Grand Opening of World’s Largest Historical Park near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

15,000 Attend Grand Opening of World’s Largest Historical Park near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

More than 15,000 people have attended the grand opening of the world’s largest “Historical Park” for cultural tourism, education, and entertainment located in the town of Neofit Rilski, near the Black Sea city of Varna in Northeast Bulgaria.

Grand Opening of World’s Largest Historical Park Set for June 22 near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

Grand Opening of World’s Largest Historical Park Set for June 22 near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

The world’s largest “Historical Park” for cultural tourism, education, and entertainment purposes, which is located in the town of Neofit Rilski, near the Black Sea city of Varna in Northeast Bulgaria, is going to be officially opened on June 22,…

Invaluable Magura Cave with Prehistoric Drawings Vandalized with Scrawls in Northwest Bulgaria

Invaluable Magura Cave with Prehistoric Drawings Vandalized with Scrawls in Northwest Bulgaria

The Magura Cave in Northwest Bulgaria featuring invaluable prehistoric cave drawings from as early as 8,000 – 6,000 BC, a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, has been vandalized with scrawls by unknown persons.

World’s Largest 'Historical Park' to Be Opened near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna in Spring 2019

World’s Largest ‘Historical Park’ to Be Opened near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna in Spring 2019

A “Historical Park” for cultural tourism, education, and entertainment purposes described as “the world’s largest and first of its kind” by its creators is going to open doors in the spring of 2019 in the town of Neofit Rilski, near…

Bulgaria’s Nikopol to Build Fishing Settlements from Paleolithic till Middle Ages in New Danube Archaeological Park

Bulgaria’s Nikopol to Build Fishing Settlements from Paleolithic till Middle Ages in New Danube Archaeological Park

An archaeological park with a total of five fishing settlements recreating fishermen’s in the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age), Chalcolithic (Copper Age, Aeneolithic), the Bronze Age, the Roman Antiquity, and the Middle Ages will be built by the Danube town of…

Europe’s Largest Hoard of Copper Age Axes, Ax Hammers Discovered in Northeast Bulgaria

Europe’s Largest Hoard of Copper Age Axes, Ax Hammers Discovered in Northeast Bulgaria

A hoard of 6,500-year-old Copper Age axes and ax hammers – Europe’s largest such find so far – has been discovered by accident near the town of Polkovnik Taslakovo, Dulovo Municipality, Silistra District, in Northeast Bulgaria.

Top 50: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in Calendar Year 2018

Top 50: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in Calendar Year 2018

Following are the 50 most popular stories with you, the readers of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com, during the calendar year of 2018.

Chalcolithic Necropolis of World’s Oldest Gold Treasure Left Dilapidated in Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

Chalcolithic Necropolis of World’s Oldest Gold Treasure Left Dilapidated in Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

The Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis where the world’s oldest gold treasure was discovered, the impressive Varna Gold Treasure from the 5th millennium BC, has been left dilapidated and unrecognizable for tourists in spite of promises by the local authorities it is…

6,500-Year-Old Skeleton Discovered in Chalcolithic Settlement with Pottery Workshop near Bulgaria’s Suvorovo

6,500-Year-Old Skeleton Discovered in Chalcolithic Settlement with Pottery Workshop near Bulgaria’s Suvorovo

The 6,500-year-old skeleton who inhabited what was a Chalcolithic (Aeneolithic, Copper Age) settlement with a pottery workshop have been discovered by archaeologists near the town of Suvorovo in Northeast Bulgaria.

Weird Prehistoric ‘Space Rocket’ Artifact from Bulgaria’s Telish Remains Mystery as Renewed Research Finds No Matches

Weird Prehistoric ‘Space Rocket’ Artifact from Bulgaria’s Telish Remains Mystery as Renewed Research Finds No Matches

An extremely odd prehistoric artifact found in a Chalcolithic (Aeneolithic, Copper Age) settlement from 5,000 BC near Telish in Northwest Bulgaria, which has conditionally been known as a clay model of a “rocket” or a “space ship”, has no archaeological…

Archaeologist Ventsislav Gergov: Destruction of Europe's Chalcolithic Civilization Shows the Stronger Triumps over the Smarter in World History (Interview Part 2)

Archaeologist Ventsislav Gergov: Destruction of Europe’s Chalcolithic Civilization Shows the Stronger Triumps over the Smarter in World History (Interview Part 2)

Ventsislav (“Ventsi”) Gergov is a Bulgarian archaeologist. He was born in Iskar, Pleven District, in 1946. He majored in archaeology at Veliko Tarnovo University “St. Cyril and St. Methodius”, and joined the team of the Pleven Regional Museum of History…

Archaeologist Ventsislav Gergov: Chalcolithic Civilization from 7,000 Years Ago Was the Height of Southeast Europe, Bulgaria (Interview, Part 1)

Archaeologist Ventsislav Gergov: Chalcolithic Civilization from 7,000 Years Ago Was the Height of Southeast Europe, Bulgaria (Interview, Part 1)

Ventsislav (“Ventsi”) Gergov is a Bulgarian archaeologist. He was born in Iskar, Pleven District, in 1946. He majored in archaeology at Veliko Tarnovo University “St. Cyril and St. Methodius”, and joined the team of the Pleven Regional Museum of History…

5th Millenium BC Prehistoric Settlement near Bulgaria’s Pomorie Was Much Larger Than Known Settlement Mound, Archaeologists Find

5th Millenium BC Prehistoric Settlement near Bulgaria’s Pomorie Was Much Larger Than Known Settlement Mound, Archaeologists Find

The prehistoric settlement known as Kozareva Mogila (“Goat Mound”) near Bulgaria’s Black Sea resort of Pomorie, which dates back to the 5th millenium BC, i.e. the Chalcolithic (Aeneolithic, Copper Age), was substantially larger than the settlement mound known and visible…

8 Marvelous Artifacts from Exotic Places Discovered by Archaeologists in Bulgaria Recently and How They Got There

8 Marvelous Artifacts from Exotic Places Discovered by Archaeologists in Bulgaria Recently and How They Got There

Some of the most stunning archaeological finds are artifacts which were discovered at a certain location but originated in distant, and, to put it that way, exotic places, having somehow made their way thousands of kilometers or miles away in…

Archaeology in Bulgaria. and Beyond