Thu, Feb 23 2012

Fully preserved Thracian chariot discovered near Elhovo

Fri, Aug 08 2008 19:27 CET 1409 Views
Fully preserved Thracian chariot discovered near Elhovo

A team led by archaeologist Daniela Agre of Bulgaria's National Institute of Archaeology unearthed an ancient four-wheel chariot near the Borissovo village in the Elhovo region, dating back from the first half of the second century ACE, Focus news agency reported.

Along with the 1900-year-old chariot, in the funeral mound the team discovered shields, richly adorned in bronze, as well as table pottery and glass vessels. The finds led Agre to believe that she had come across the funeral of a wealthy Thracian aristocrat.

The chariot was fully preserved, which, the archaeologist said, was a rare circumstance and it was the first such case in Bulgaria.

Agre's team also found the skeletons of two riding horses and some leather objects placed next to them, believed to be horse harnesses. The archaeologist suspected the horses have been sacrificed for the burial ceremony.

Agre has explained that the discovery could be traced back to the rule of Roman emperor Trajan (from 98 to 117 ACE), when Thrace was a Roman province. Thracian aristocrats, however, displayed loyalty by serving in the Roman army, and were able to preserve their privileges of nobility.

  • Print
  • Send via email
  • Translate to
  • Share:

To post comments, please, Login or Register.


Please read the The Sofia Echo forum comments policy.

More in this category

Suspended sentence in Bulgarian judiciary influence-peddling case

The row in 2009 resulted in the dismissal of several top magistrates, most of whom later were reinstated after they filed appeals.

Bulgaria mulls drug prices audit

Konstantinov said on February 21 that the audit should be carried out by external experts to avoid any suspicion of a cover-up.

Traffic on Danube Bridge grinds to a halt

The queue, mostly made of cargo trucks, was on the Romanian side of the Danube River and the reason was slow processing of incoming traffic by Romanian border police.

Mild morning throughout Bulgaria as thaw continues

Elsewhere, at 10am on February 22, London was seven Celsius, Moscow minus four Celsius, Istanbul seven Celsius, Salonika eight Celsius, Athens 11 Celsius and Antalya 12 Celsius.

Sofia to seek contractor to neuter street dogs

A new census of stray dogs in Bulgaria’s capital city is to be carried out by the end of March 2012.