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…
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…
Unseen 3rd Century BC Thracian Temple Discovered by Archaeologists beneath ‘Large Mound’ in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv
An Ancient Thracian temple from the 3rd century BC, of a type that has never been seen before, has been unearthed by archaeologists in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv, underneath a massive man-made hill known as “the Large Mound” (“Golyamata Mogila”). The Large…
Archaeologists Research Two Noble Families in First Bulgarian Empire’s Capital Veliki Preslav
Archaeologists are researching the lives of two noble families from Veliki Preslav (“Great Preslav”), the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire in 893-970 AD during the excavation of an early medieval monastery there, a report informs. The excavations at the…
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…
Christian Reliquary Cross Found in 11th Century Byzantine Fortress in Southeast Bulgaria Destroyed by Crusaders in Third Crusade
A bronze reliquary cross from the High Middle Ages of the engolpion type – i.e. a hollow cross used for keeping holy Christian relics – has been discovered by Bulgarian archaeologists during the excavations of the “Small Kale,” a fortress…
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…
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…
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…
300-Meter-Long Wooden Passage between Inner City, Citadel Gates Discovered in Capital of First Bulgarian Empire Pliska
Archaeologists have discovered the remnants of a 300-meter-long (nearly 1,000 feet) wooden passage which connected gates of the inner city and the citadel of Pliska, the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire between 680 and 893 AD, alongside other newly…
‘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…
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
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
Unknown Medieval Settlement from Second Bulgarian Empire, Bronze Age Settlement Discovered near Danube City Vidin
A previously unknown settlement from the Second Bulgarian Empire in the High Middle Ages and a layer from an Early Bronze Age settlement from the 3rd millennium BC have been discovered near the Danube city of Vidin in Northwest Bulgaria.
Bizarre 3rd Millennium BC ‘Trojan Cups’ Imported from Troy Become November 2020 ‘Exhibit of the Month’ in Bulgaria’s National Museum of Archaeology
A couple of bizarrely shaped ceramic cups from the 3rd millennium BC, or the Early Bronze Age, which are believed to have originated in ancient Troy, and are known as the Trojan Cups, have been declared “exhibit(s)” of the month…
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.
Horse Shoulder Blade with Mysterious ‘Magic’ Ritual Marks from ca. 1300 AD Discovered in Rusocastro Fortress in Southeast Bulgaria
A horse scapula, i.e. a shoulder blade bone, with traces from eating and bizarre traces of burning from ca. 1300 AD, meaning it might have been used in some kind of mysterious and thus far unknown “magic” ritual, has been…
‘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…
