Thracian Tomb – Golyama Kosmatka mound

In 2004 a group of Bulgarian archeologists, headed by Georgi Kitov, found the biggest and oldest Thracian tomb found so far in the Thracian mound of Golyama Kosmatka near Shipka. In it, a completely preserved funeral of a Thracian aristocrat was found – a 26-m-long three-chamber tomb with a corridor. A ritual bed of an unidentified Thracian ruler and a unique golden treasure were also discovered inside the tomb. The exponents are probably more than 2400 years old. Among them, there are 19 golden items, one of which is a unique golden wreath decorated with oak leaves and acorns. A golden brooch, knee-pads, a helmet, a spear, a silver vessel and three wine amphoras, one of them carrying a producer mark, were also found. A bit earlier, only a couple of meters away from the discovery, a 10-kg bronze head was found, which is most probably the work of the great ancient Greek sculptor Phidias. Initially, the members of the archeological expedition thought the head belonged to a statue of Zeus, but later on, after studying it for some time, they concluded it most probably belonged to a Thracian ruler or a God, and was buried here as a sacrifice. (Photo: bg.wikipedia.org)