2009-2014 "The Golden Chariot of the Thracians"

Filming and promotion of the archaeological research of the Roman chariot from the 1st century near Karanovo, led by Veselin Ignatov.

In 2008 at rescue excavations after treasure-hunters’ raids on the Eastern Mound, archeologist Vesselin Ignatov discovered remains of a four-wheel ancient chariot with a team of two horses and a dog. The chariot is remarkable with the big size of the wheels – with a diameter of 1.20 m. The preserved tracks of wood give the idea of its construction and general appearance. The decoration of bronze trimmings of the crate of the chariot is impressive. Even more splendidly decorated are the yoke and harnessr of the horses. In October 2009 the team continued the excavations of the Eastern Mound and a built vaulted tomb of a Thracian nobleman sized 4 by 3 meters, was revealed. The funeral was performed by a cremation of corpses.

The tomb inventory is extremely rich: • A set of marshal weapons: a long sword, a short sword, a dagger, a crocheted chain armor, 5 spears and 3 shields; • Clay, glass (among them a rare rhyton) and bronze vessels (oynohoe, patera, bowl, jug, casserole and a vessel with a spout representing the head of a wild boar); • Strigil-holder with strigils; • Bronze chandelier with a lamp; • Two silver cups with gilt figural images; • Toilet box with bronze decorations; • Ornaments & decorations: silver fibula, golden rings with sail, silver belt applications, etc. • Silver coins (of Augustus and Tiberius) The glass rhyton is the second one with a decoration in Bulgaria and there are two more with a simpler form. The present find is a part of an animal unknown till now. Similar unique items made of glass are exceptionally rare worldwide and they can be seen only at a few places such as the British Museum and the Museum in Cologne. The silver gilt cups on which we could see the perfect images of Eros and some exotic fruits unknown for our lands, are with a two-layer corpus and are functioning as a thermos flask for drinks. Visitors of the excavations have been joking that, obviously, in ancient times some of the technological facilities of our contemporary life have been known. The detail workmanship is at the level of the Rogozen Treasure and some other top finds.

The swords of the high-born Thracian lie in fragments in the ground but the restorer Ms. Silvia Borissova has set to herself the ambitious task to take them out of there unscathed. To this purpose, the team has processed for days the metal remains in the tomb with special detergents and preparations which could tighten up and collect in one piece the thin flakes of metal prior to the separation of the sword from the embers and ashes of the cremation. The removal of the weapon and the rest of the armament unscathed is also an ambitious and highly technological task for the archeologists. One of the discovered golden rings is with an amethyst. The precious stone is of an exceptional purity and transparency which is a very rare phenomenon nowadays.

On the basis of the discovered materials, the funeral is presumed to date as of the middle of the 1st Century AD. From the gifts laid in the tomb it becomes clear that the deceased is a member of a family belonging to the rich ruling strata of the Thracian Odrysian aristocracy. Along with this, it is the earliest evidenced ritual of laying an ancient chariot by the tomb of the deceased. The discovered finds point to the earliest possible dating of the funeral and direct it to the time when the Thracians have just become subjects of the Roman Empire. However, the excavations are still ongoing and nobody knows how the tomb will surprise the team of scientists. It could be speculated with the possibility of this being the tomb of the last Thracian ruler prior to the fall down under Roman rule but archeologist Vesselin Ignatov definitely refuses to stand behind such a statement without having trustworthy evidences. The excavations have started and continue under a Project financed by the “Cultural Projects” Association and United Bulgarian Bank.