Thracian gold treasures rival Troy's
More than 15,000 golden pieces of Thracian royal jewellery dating back to the 3rd millennium BC have been unearthed in Bulgaria, archaeologists say.
"The golden objects unearthed near the village of Dabene in central Bulgaria are not just pieces of Thracian jewellery. They are objects of exquisite regal ornamentation," says Associate Professor Bozhidar Dimitrov, director of Sofia's National Museum of History.
"In the whole of Europe and the Near East there is only one find that rivals these extremely well-crafted pieces: the golden treasures found in ancient Troy," Dimitrov says.
"The large number of golden objects and the expert craftsmanship in their making lead us to question Troy's supremacy as the biggest ancient centre for goldsmiths."
Digging started near Dabene a year ago after an archaeologist saw a farmer's wife wearing a necklace of golden rings, assembled by her husband from pieces he had found on his farm.
Dimitrov says it was likely that more gold objects would be found.
In July, the museum's team of archaeologists discovered the tomb of a Thracian king from the 4th century BC, filled with treasures including a golden crown and body armour along with gold, silver and bronze cups.
Last year, another archaeological team unearthed near Shipka, in central Bulgaria, a golden mask similar to the 'Mask of Agamemnon' discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in Troy.
Central Bulgaria is considered the cradle of ancient Thracian civilisation, which extended from the Caucasus to southwestern Europe from the 4th millennium BC to the 3rd century AD.