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…

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…

7,000-Year-Old Ritual Table with ‘Horned Animal’, First Bulgarian Empire Settlement Found near Varna in Rescue Digs

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…

‘Economic’ Section of 5,000-Year-Old Settlement with а Dozen Kilns Found in Central Bulgarian Valley

‘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.

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.

Late Bronze Age Settlement Discovered in Northwest Bulgaria in Turkish Stream Gas Pipeline Rescue Digs

Late Bronze Age Settlement Discovered in Northwest Bulgaria in Turkish Stream Gas Pipeline Rescue Digs

A settlement originally dating back to the Late Bronze Age, which was also subsequently inhabited in the Thracian and Roman Antiquity, and the Middle Age, has been discovered by archaeologists near Rasovo in Northwest Bulgaria during rescue excavation on the…

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…

‘Salt Pit’ Prehistoric Town in Bulgaria’s Provadiya Built Oldest Stone Fortress Walls in Europe to Protect Its Riches, Archaeologist Says

‘Salt Pit’ Prehistoric Town in Bulgaria’s Provadiya Built Oldest Stone Fortress Walls in Europe to Protect Its Riches, Archaeologist Says

Some 6,700 years ago the residents of the Solnitsata (“The Salt Pit”) prehistoric town in today’s Provadiya in Northeast Bulgaria built what were Europe’s first fortress walls made of stone in order to protect their riches accumulated from the large-scale…

6,000-Year-Old Cranial Amulet Discovered in Kozareva Mogila Prehistoric Settlement near Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast

6,000-Year-Old Cranial Amulet Discovered in Kozareva Mogila Prehistoric Settlement near Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast

A round cranial amulet, i.e. one made out of a human skull, has been discovered during the 2016 archaeological excavations of the Kozareva Mogila (“Goat Mound”) prehistoric settlement near Bulgaria’s Black Sea resort of Pomorie.

Archaeologists Discover 6,500-Year-Old Gold Jewels in Solnitsata (‘The Salt Pit’) Prehistoric Town in Bulgaria’s Provadiya

Archaeologists Discover 6,500-Year-Old Gold Jewels in Solnitsata (‘The Salt Pit’) Prehistoric Town in Bulgaria’s Provadiya

Several roughly 6,500-year-old gold artifacts have been discovered by archaeologists together with numerous other finds during the 2016 excavations of the Solnitsata (i.e. “The Salt Pit”) prehistoric settlement, which has been dubbed “Europe’s oldest prehistoric town“, located near Provadiya in…

Archaeologists Reach Water in 6,400-Year-Old Well in Solnitsata Prehistoric Town in Bulgaria’s Provadiya

Archaeologists Reach Water in 6,400-Year-Old Well in Solnitsata Prehistoric Town in Bulgaria’s Provadiya

A 6,400-year-old water well has been discovered by archaeologists excavating the Solnitsata (i.e. “The Salt Pit”) prehistoric settlement, which has been dubbed “Europe’s oldest prehistoric town“, located near Provadiya in Northeast Bulgaria.

Archaeologist Discovers Largest Neolithic Homes from Europe’s First Civilization in Prehistoric Settlement in Bulgaria’s Sofia

Archaeologist Discovers Largest Neolithic Homes from Europe’s First Civilization in Prehistoric Settlement in Bulgaria’s Sofia

The largest Neolithic homes in Europe to date, which are 8,000 years old and belonged to the first European civilization, have been discovered in the Neolithic Settlement in the Slatina Quarter of the Bulgarian capital Sofia.

Archaeologists Find Wooden Wall, ‘Four-Leaf Clover’ Amulet in Prehistoric Settlement Mound in Bulgaria’s Petko Karavelovo

Archaeologists Find Wooden Wall, ‘Four-Leaf Clover’ Amulet in Prehistoric Settlement Mound in Bulgaria’s Petko Karavelovo

7,000-year-old archaeological structures and artifacts from the Chalcolithic (Aeneolithic, Copper Age), including a wooden wall, a loom, and a shell amulet have been discovered during the 2015 excavations of the prehistoric settlement mound in Bulgaria’s Petko Karavelovo.

Archaeologist Discovers 8,000-Year-Old Nephrite 'Frog-like' Swastika in Slatina Neolithic Settlement in Bulgaria’s Capital Sofia

Archaeologist Discovers 8,000-Year-Old Nephrite ‘Frog-like’ Swastika in Slatina Neolithic Settlement in Bulgaria’s Capital Sofia

A “frog-like” swastika made of nephrite has been discovered during archaeological excavations of the 8,000-year-old Slatina Neolithic Settlement in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.

Bulgaria’s Capital Sofia to Rebuild 8,000-Year-Old Prehistoric Homes from Slatina Neolithic Settlement

Bulgaria’s Capital Sofia to Rebuild 8,000-Year-Old Prehistoric Homes from Slatina Neolithic Settlement

Bulgaria’s capital Sofia is going to build exact replicas of 8,000-year-old homes whose remains have been discovered in the Slatina Neolithic Settlement located in the city’s Slatina Quarter.

Archaeologists Find 6,300-Year-Old Gold Jewel in Solnitsata (‘The Salt Pit’) Prehistoric Town in Bulgaria’s Provadiya

Archaeologists Find 6,300-Year-Old Gold Jewel in Solnitsata (‘The Salt Pit’) Prehistoric Town in Bulgaria’s Provadiya

A gold jewel which is at least 6,300 years old has been discovered by archaeologists excavating the Solnitsata (i.e. “The Salt Pit”) prehistoric settlement, which has been dubbed “Europe’s oldest prehistoric town”, located near the northeastern Bulgarian town of Provadiya….

Archaeologists Find 7,500-Year-Old Cult Complex, ‘Europe’s Largest Stone Building’ in Island Prehistoric Settlement in Bulgaria’s Durankulak Lake

Archaeologists Find 7,500-Year-Old Cult Complex, ‘Europe’s Largest Stone Building’ in Island Prehistoric Settlement in Bulgaria’s Durankulak Lake

A prehistoric cult* complex which is about 7,500 years old, i.e. dating to the Chalcolithic, as well as what has been described as “possibly Prehistoric Europe’s largest stone building”, have been discovered by the archaeologists who have resumed the excavations…

Prehistoric People in Bulgaria’s Provadiya Consumed Milk in 5th Millenium BC, Archaeologists Find

Prehistoric People in Bulgaria’s Provadiya Consumed Milk in 5th Millenium BC, Archaeologists Find

Samples from several skeletons discovered in the Provadiya – Solnitsata (“The Salt Pit”) prehistoric settlement in Northeast Bulgaria, which has been described as Europe’s oldest prehistoric town, indicate the people who lived there in the 5th millennium BC consumed milk.

Archaeologists Unearth ‘Dancing Priestess’ Figurine in Neolithic Settlement in Bulgaria’s Varbitsa

Archaeologists Unearth ‘Dancing Priestess’ Figurine in Neolithic Settlement in Bulgaria’s Varbitsa

A 7,500-year-old clay figurine from the Neolithic of what has been described as a “dancing priestess” has been discovered by archaeologists during the excavations of a settlement located near the town of Varbitsa, Shumen District, in Northeast Bulgaria.

Veliko Tarnovo Archaeologists to Get Meager Funding from Bulgarian Government for 2015 Summer Excavations

Veliko Tarnovo Archaeologists to Get Meager Funding from Bulgarian Government for 2015 Summer Excavations

The archaeologists from the Regional Museum of History in the northern Bulgarian city of Veliko Tarnovo will receive only a small portion of the government funding that they had requested for their 2015 summer excavations of six major archaeological sites.

Prehistoric People in Bulgaria’s Yabalkovo Had Domesticated Chickens, ‘Ate Europe's First Omelette’ 8,000 Years Ago, Archaeologist Reveals

Prehistoric People in Bulgaria’s Yabalkovo Had Domesticated Chickens, ‘Ate Europe’s First Omelette’ 8,000 Years Ago, Archaeologist Reveals

The prehistoric people inhabiting the Early Neolithic settlement near today’s town of Yabalkovo, Dimitrovgrad Municipality, in Southern Bulgaria, had domesticated hens some 8,000 years ago, meaning that chickens were raised in Europe much earlier than previously thought, reveals Bulgarian archaeologist…

Veliko Tarnovo Archaeologists Seek EUR 90,000 in State Funding to Excavate 6 Sites in Northern Bulgaria

Veliko Tarnovo Archaeologists Seek EUR 90,000 in State Funding to Excavate 6 Sites in Northern Bulgaria

The archaeologists from the Regional Museum of History in the northern Bulgarian city of Veliko Tarnovo have requested a total of BGN 175,000 (app. EUR 90,000) in government funding in order to carry out excavations of 6 major archaeological sites…

Archaeologists Find Huge Prehistoric Homes Burned Deliberately by Dwellers at Early Neolithic City in Bulgaria’s Mursalevo

Archaeologists Find Huge Prehistoric Homes Burned Deliberately by Dwellers at Early Neolithic City in Bulgaria’s Mursalevo

Huge two-storey houses which were deliberately set on fire by their inhabitants have been unearthed at the 8,000-year-old Early Neolithic site excavated by Bulgarian archaeologists near the town of Mursalevo, Kocherinovo Municipality, in Southwest Bulgaria.

Archaeologists Discover Late Neolithic Graves in Prehistoric Settlement in Bulgaria’s Mursalevo

Several graves from the Late Neolithic period have been discovered by the archaeologists conducting the rescue excavations of the 8,000-year-old Early Neolithic city near Mursalevo in Southwest Bulgaria.

Bulgarian Archaeologists Find 3rd Skeleton in Ancient Thracian Child Sacrifice Pit, Enlist Scottish Osteoarchaeologist for Research

Bulgarian Archaeologists Find 3rd Skeleton in Ancient Thracian Child Sacrifice Pit, Enlist Scottish Osteoarchaeologist for Research

The skeleton of a third child sacrificed by Ancient Thracians has been discovered by Bulgarian archaeologists in the same ritual pit at the prehistoric site near Bulgaria’s Mursalevo where last week they found the remains of two Thracian child skeletons.

Renowned Bulgarian Archaeologist Prof. Henrieta Todorova Has Passed Away at 82

Renowned Bulgarian Archaeologist Prof. Henrieta Todorova Has Passed Away at 82

Renowned Bulgarian archaeologist, Prof. Henrieta Todorova from the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology, famous for her research of some of Europe’s earliest sites with traces of civilized prehistoric life (found in Northeast Bulgaria), has passed away at the age…

Bulgarian Archaeologists Find Ancient Thracian Child Sacrifice during Excavations of Early Neolithic City at Mursalevo

Bulgarian Archaeologists Find Ancient Thracian Child Sacrifice during Excavations of Early Neolithic City at Mursalevo

Archaeologists conduct the rescue excavations at the the 8,000-year-old Early Neolithic city at Mursalevo in Southwest Bulgaria, which also contains ritual pits from the time of Ancient Thrace, have discovered the remains of two children sacrificed by the Ancient Thracians.

Black Sea Resort Shabla to Attract Tourists with Bulgaria’s First Paleolithic Open-Air Museum in Durankulak Lake

Black Sea Resort Shabla to Attract Tourists with Bulgaria’s First Paleolithic Open-Air Museum in Durankulak Lake

Bulgaria’s northeastern Black Sea resort town of Shabla has created the country’s first open-air Paleolithic museum at the site of a prehistoric settlement on the Big Island in the Durankulak Lake, near the town of Durankulak, Shabla Mayor Prof. Rayna…

Archaeologists Resume Rescue Excavations of 8,000-Year-Old Prehistoric Settlement near Bulgaria’s Mursalevo

A team of Bulgarian archaeologists has resumed the rescue excavations of the unique Early Neolithic settlement near the southwestern town of Mursalevo, Kocherinovo Municipality, which they discovered in April-May 2015 as they were carrying out rescue digs along the route…

Bulgaria’s Road Agency Provides EUR 2.5 Million for Rescue Archaeological Excavations in 2015

Bulgaria’s Road Infrastructure Agency, a government body, will provide about BGN 5 million (app. EUR 2.55 million) for rescue excavations preceding the construction of the respective sections of the Struma Highway, the Maritsa Highway, and the Sofia Ring Road.

Bulgarian Archaeologists Freeze Rescue Excavations of Newly Found Early Neolithic Settlement near Mursalevo

Bulgarian Archaeologists Freeze Rescue Excavations of Newly Found Early Neolithic Settlement near Mursalevo

The team of Bulgarian archaeologists conducting rescue digs at the Early Neolithic settlement near Mursalevo, which they found in May 2014, has frozen its excavations along the route of the Struma Highway for the winter period.

Bulgarian Archaeologists Discover Early Neolithic Settlement in Highway Construction Rescue Excavations

Bulgarian Archaeologists Discover Early Neolithic Settlement in Highway Construction Rescue Excavations

A unique Early Neothlithic settlement dating to about 5,800 BC has been discovered by a team of Bulgarian archaeologists led by Prof. Vasil Nikolov, who are conducting rescue excavations near the town of Mursalevo, Kocherinovo Municipality, in Southwest Bulgaria, along…

Archaeology in Bulgaria. and Beyond