Archaeologists digging in northern Bulgaria have unearthed a 2,400-year-old Thracian tomb teeming with meticulously crafted gold jewelry and artifacts. The treasure was discovered last week near the village of Sveshtari, 250 miles northeast of Sofia, according to the Associated Press.
(AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup)
(AFP Photo / Dimitar Dilkoff)
The Thracians were a loose collection of clans and tribal confederacies dating back to the 5th century BC. Interestingly, they were expert metallurgists and jewelers, capable of producing intricately detailed and visually stunning pieces that rival or surpass the standards of their modern-day counterparts.
(AP Photo/ImpactPressGroup)
Considered a "lost civilization," the Thracians once flourished in a territory that now straddles Bulgaria, northwestern Turkey, Greece and southern Romania, according to euroheritage.net. By the 7th century A.D., they were assimilated by the invading Slavs and nearly forgotten – if not for the jewelry they left behind.
(AFP Photo / Dimitar Dilkoff)
The most recent finding in Sveshtari revealed a cache of golden artifacts, which included a gold tiara with reliefs of lions and fantasy animals, as well as four bracelets and a ring, reported team leader Diana Gergova.
Other examples of impressive Thracian workmanship are displayed at the Thracian Museum in Varna, Bulgaria. Thracian noblemen were buried with their jewelry and riches for their journey into the afterlife. Archeologists have exhumed skeletons adorned with gems, necklaces, bracelets, brooches and rings.
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