Bulgaria Inside

During their work near the village of Izvorovo in the summer of 2008, archaeologists discovered a golden treasure dating back to the Bronze Age. Izvorovo is situated in the southern Sakar region and scientists were working on a mound of diameter 31 m and height of 2.9 m.

One of the discovered artifacts is an impressive golden necklace made of 320 spherical and elongated beads. Its length is 1.5 meters. Other artifacts include spherical objects having solar decorations, golden and silver plates, a silver ring and a bronze knife.

A similar necklace has been discovered only on Crete but was made of 24 beads. Archaeologist Borislav Borislavov, leader of the team, said that the grave where the artifacts were found probably belonged to a noble person or a priest. The skillfulness used in artifact creation resulted from the fact that a major trade route connecting Central Europe to Asia Minor passed through the region.

The mound kept its importance as cult place in the 2nd century AD, when a settlement formed near it. It was surrounded by a stone wall and was covered with soil once again. This layer facilitated the preservation of the mound till present days.

Archaeologists believe that the discovery is of international importance since it will shed light on one of the little known periods of development inside Bulgaria.

The treasure has been put on display in the National Museum of History.