First Ever Synagogue from Medieval Bulgarian Empire Discovered in Trapesitsa Fortress in Old Capital Veliko Tarnovo
The first known synagogue from the times of the medieval Bulgarian Empire has been discovered by archaeologists excavating the Trapesitsa Fortress in the city of Veliko Tarnovo, the successor of Tarnovgrad, which was capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire in…
Trafficking Channel from Bulgaria to UK, Western Europe Busted, 4,600 Plundered Artifacts Seized
The Bulgarian and the British police have arrested a total of 9 people for running a trafficking channel for the illegal exports of antiques and archaeological artifacts plundered by treasure hunters in Bulgaria.
Hoard of Byzantine Gold Coins Hidden during Hun Invasion Discovered in Ancient Marcianopolis in Bulgaria’s Devnya
A Byzantine gold treasure from the 5th century BC, i.e. the early period of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium), consisting of a hoard of gold coins of Emperor Theodosius II which were probably hidden when the major Roman city of…
Silver Medieval Venetian Coins Discovered in Rusocastro Fortress in Southeast Bulgaria
A total of three silver coins minted in the medieval Republic of Venice, an Italian city-state that was a major power in the Mediterranean, have been discovered in very good condition by archaeologists excavating the fortress of Rusocastro in Southeast…
Sealed 16th Century Ottoman Looting Tunnel for Draft Animals Found inside Tower Tomb beneath Bulgaria’s Largest Thracian Burial Mound
A huge tunnel for looting that fit large draft animals and was dug up in the 16th century, during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1521 – 1566) has been discovered by archaeologists inside the 3rd century…
Culverin Cannonballs from Vlad Dracula’s 1461 Victory over Ottoman Turks Found in Danube Fortress Zishtova in Bulgaria’s Svishtov
Cannonballs from culverins – primitive early medieval cannons – most probably used in 1461 during the conquest of the Zishtova Fortress by Wallacian Voivode Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, from the Ottoman Turks have been discovered…
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.
Top 25: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in Fourth Quarter 2018
Following are the 25 most popular stories with you, the readers of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com, during the fourth quarter of 2018.
Prison Inmates Find Hoard of 7,000 Ottoman Silver Coins Hidden in 2 Treasure Pots in Bulgaria’s Pleven
A hoard of over 7,000 silver coins minted by the Ottoman Empire and hidden in two treasure pots has been discovered by accident by inmates from the prison in the city of Pleven in Northern Bulgaria.
World’s First Medieval Gold Cross Reliquary with Holy Cross Particle Discovered in Trapesitsa Fortress in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo
A 12th century cross, which is a reliquary (engolpion) containing a particle from the Holy Cross from Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, and is the first known artifact of its kind that is made of pure gold, has been discovered by archaeologists…
Slavs, Avars Burned Down Byzantine City Chrisosotira in Early 7th Century, Digs on Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast Reveal
The Early Byzantine city of Chrisosotira on Cape Chervenka on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast was most likely sacked by the Slavs and Avars during their invasions of the Byzantine Empire in the first half of the 7th century AD, archaeologists…
Hoard of 18th Century Ottoman, Western European Coins Found in Treasure Pot in Bulgaria’s Black Sea Town Ahtopol
A hoard of 854 silver and gold coins from the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe from the mid-18th century as well as jewelry have been discovered by archaeologists hidden in a treasure pot in late medieval ruins in the Bulgarian…
First Ever Gold Coin Found in Bulgaria’s Lyutitsa Fortress, of Byzantine (Nicaean) Emperor John III Ducas Vatatzes
A gold coin has been discovered for the first time by the archaeologists excavating the medieval fortress Lyutitsa near the town of Ivaylovgrad in Southern Bulgaria – it is from the mid-13th century, and of the type minted by Byzantine,…
Decline of Bulgarian, Byzantine Empires before Ottoman Conquest Revealed by Tatar Plunder Treasure Pot from Black Sea Fortress Kaliakra
The contents of the gold and silver treasure pot of plunder of a Tatar (Mongol) leader from ca. 1400, which has recently been discovered in Bulgaria’s Kaliakara Cape Fortress on the Black Sea coast, is a true testimony to the…
13th Century Woman Buried in Bulgaria’s Rahovets Fortress Had 12,000-Year-Old Gene Mutation of Europe’s Last Hunter-Gatherers
A 13th century woman, whose grave was discovered in 2017 in the Antiquity and medieval Rahovets Fortress in Central North Bulgaria, has turned to carry a 12,000-year-old gene mutation from Europe’s last nomads, hunter-gatherers who wandered through the continent as…
Mysterious ‘Game of Thrones’ – Type Find, Agate Jewel for Throne’s Spikes, Discovered in Bulgaria’s Rusocastro Fortress
A mysterious 14th century artifact made of agate, a firm semi-precious stone, has been discovered in the Rusocastro Fortress in Southeast Bulgaria, is reminiscent of “Game of Thrones” in the sense that it might have been a jewel decorating the…
Gold, Silver Treasure Pot with Tatar Leader’s Plunder Discovered in Kaliakra Fortress on Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast
A clay treasure pot containing almost 1,000 gold and silver archaeological artifacts believed to have been looted by a Tatar (Mongol) leader, whose horde was eventually subjugated by the Ottomans ca. 1400, has been discovered during excavations in the Kaliakra…
Second Bulgarian Empire Demolished 6th Century Byzantine Walls of Rusocastro to Build Far More Massive Fortress, Archaeologists Find
The 6th century AD Early Byzantine fortress walls of the Rusocastro Fortress in today’s Southeast Bulgaria were almost completely demolished by the Second Bulgarian Empire in the 13th century so much more massive walls could be erected, the archaeologists excavating…
Early Christian Bishop’s Residence, Reliquary Cross with Crucified Jesus Christ Found in Bulgaria’s Rock City Perperikon
An Early Christian bishop’s residence from the 5th century AD and a bronze engolpion cross depicting the crucified Jesus Christ have been discovered, among numerous other finds, by the archaeologists excavating the ancient rock city of Perperikon in Bulgaria’s Eastern…
Silver Tornese Coins from Crusaders’ Principality of Achaea (Morea) Found by Archaeologists in Bulgaria’s Rusocastro Fortress
A hoard of seven silver coins minted in the Principality of Achaea, also known as Morea, a 13th century successor state of Byzantium founded by the Crusaders from the Fourth Crusade, has been discovered by archaeologists in the Rusocastro Fortress…
Unknown 4th Century Tower, Gold Coin of Byzantine Emperors Andronicus II, Andronicus III Found in Bulgaria’s Rusocastro Fortress
A previously unknown fortress tower from the 4th century AD as well as a Byzantine gold coin from the 14th century, the High Middle Ages, are the most recent discoveries in the large fortress Rusocastro in Southeast Bulgaria.
Archaeologists Discover ‘Monumental’ Roman Era Tomb of Thracian Aristocrat in Bulgaria’s Largest Burial Mound
A “monumental” Roman Era tomb from the 3rd century AD which most probably belongs to an Ancient Thracian aristocrat has been discovered by archaeologists excavating the Maltepe Burial Mound near the town of Manole, outside of the city of Plovdiv,…
Archaeologists Find Gild Mosaic Cubes in Agathopolis on Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast, Prove It Was Older than Known
Two small gold-coated mosaic cubes, also known as tesserae, from the Early Christian period are the most interesting find from the 2018 summer excavations in the ancient Black Sea town of Agathopolis near today’s Bulgarian town of Ahtopol, according to…
Richly Decorated Roman Grave Stele That Was Never Used Found in Kovachevsko Kale Fortress in Northeast Bulgaria
An Ancient Roman grave stele “with a very interesting iconography” which, however, remained unfinished and was never used has been discovered by archaeologists during excavations in the Kovachevsko Kale Fortress near Popovo in Northeast Bulgaria.
Exhibition of 16th – 19th Century Gold Jewelry from Bulgaria Extended by National Museum of History in Sofia till October 2018
Bulgaria’s National Museum of History in Sofia has announced it is extending its exhibition (more photos here) showcasing gold jewels and the goldsmiths’ art from the Bulgarian lands from the 15th until the 19th century.
11,000 Coins, Archaeological Artifacts Seized on Bulgaria’s Border in Attempted Smuggling from Turkey into EU
Over 11,000 ancient coins as well as dozens of archaeological artifacts have been seized by customs officers at the Lesovo Crossing Point on Bulgaria’s border with Turkey in a car entering Bulgaria and the EU during a smuggling attempt.
Preslav Gold Treasure – First Bulgarian Empire – Veliki Preslav, Bulgaria
The Preslav Gold Treasure was discovered by accident on April 11, 1978, in an area known as Kastana located right to the northwest of the ruins of the city of Veliki Preslav (“Great Preslav”) in today’s Northeast Bulgaria, which was…
Second Tortoise Shell Found in Roman Tomb in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv, Deemed Linked with God Hermes, Ancient Afterlife Beliefs
The shell of a second tortoise have been found inside the Ancient Roman tomb, which has recently been discovered on the campus of the Medical University in the southern Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, after the original tortoise discovery baffled the…
Ancient Thrace Was Gradually Taken Over by Ancient Greek, Greco-Roman Sports Culture, Reveals New Exhibition at Bulgaria’s National Museum of Archaeology
Bulgaria’s National Institute and Museum of Archaeology in Sofia has unveiled a new large-scale exhibition presenting “Sports in Ancient Thrace” with a wide-range of archaeological artifacts dating from the Iron Age to the Late Antiquity.
303 AD Inscription Dedicated to Emperor Diocletian over Tetrarchy in Roman Empire Discovered by Archaeologists in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv
An ancient inscription glorifying Roman Emperor Diocletian (r. 284 – 305 AD) after he introduced the so called Tetrarchy system of government in the Roman Empire has been discovered by archaeologists during rescue excavations in the southern Bulgarian city of…
Marvelous 10th Century Preslav Gold Treasure Displayed after Conservation in Germany as Bulgaria’s Veliki Preslav Marks 40th Year since Its Discovery
The Preslav Gold Treasure, the greatest known treasure from the Golden Age (9th – 10th century) of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680 – 1018) described by some experst as the richest find of jewels from medieval Europe, has been exhibited…
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…
Hobby Archaeologists Find Treasure of Legendary Viking King Harald Bluetooth on Germany’s Ruegen Island in Baltic Sea
Two amateur archaeologists, one of them a 13-year-old boy, have discovered a large silver treasure on Germany’s Ruegen Island in the Baltic Sea which have been associated with Harald Gormsson, aka Harald Bluetooth, one of the last Viking kings of…
Archeologists Find Rare 12th Century Lusterware Pottery from Medieval Egypt in Building with Rich Murals, Reveal Medieval Streets in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv
A very rare piece of lusterware, a type of pottery, made in medieval Egypt in the 12th – 13th century AD, has been discovered in a medieval building richly decorated with colorful murals during rescue excavations in the southern Bulgarian…
Bulgaria Marks 40 Years since Discovery of Preslav Gold Treasure from First Bulgarian Empire
Bulgaria marks on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, the 40th anniversary since the discovery of the Preslav Gold Treasure, the greatest known treasure from the Golden Age (9th – 10th century) of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680 – 1018), and also…
