Thracian Treasures from Bulgaria

THRACIAN TREASURESFROM BULGARL4

by Evgeni Paunov(In memoriam, Pmfessor Ivan Venedikov, JanJ6,1916 - Aug.19,1997,

distinguished reseait~her ofthe Thracian culture.)

Beginning in Februaiy, 1998 the major exhibit“Ancient Gold: The Wealth of the Thracian.s“

-~ is being shown in eight North American museumsthivugh the end of 1999 ( museums are listed atthe end of die article). First hosted in Japan in

~ 1994-1995, this spectacular collection ofancient~ ~f grave goodsfivm Bulgaria assembiesfor thefirst

urne more than 250 atuhaeological objects ofgreat artistic importance, datingfivm thefourthmillennium BC to the thi,d centuty AD. Findsfivm fifteen ancient mound-tombs are on loanfrom a dozen regional and central museums inBulgaria. Most ofthese materials have been onlyrecently excavatedfivm Thracian mounds.

In the last few decades a number of signilicant collections ofThracian Ireasures have been discoveied in piesent-day Bulgana, providing much of our present knowledge of ancient Thmce. The highartistic mastery, stylistic features, and skilled workmanship of thesedecorative Thracian objects clearly testil~y to rich local traditions in theapplied afls. They also comprise a major source of information onThracian histor~ cultuie and alt which until now has been littleexposed in American museums.

Hemdotus (480-425 BC), called by Cicero “the father of history,“has descnbed Thrace in his Histories (ca.445-44t) BC; see adjacentbox) as a politically heterogenous legion whose inhabitants weie “the

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Fig.2: Gold vessels frnm the Vä1chitr~n Treasure, l3th-l2th centuiies BC (NationalArchaeological Museum Sofia~ Photo by 1Cr Georgiev).

biggest and most numerous people in the world, next to the Indians;were they under one niler, or united, they would in my judgement beinvincible and the stnngest nation on earth; but since theie is no wayor contrivance to bring this about, they aie for this reason weak....“

Other comments on Thracian cultuie during the penod of theseexhibition materials am provided by the Greek general and militaryhistorian Xenophon. During bis march upcountry (Anabasis) withinPersia and Thrace during wars of4Ol-399 BC, he and other Greek sol

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dvFig.3: Map showing locations of present-day Bulgaria (red), Thrace (lightblue), Greece (dark blue), and various sites mentioned in text

diers suffered great hardships, but wem also at times lavishlyentertained (see box). Additional historical sources on Thraceinclude Homer‘s Iliad and Odyssey, Thucydides‘Peloponnesian War, Arrian‘s March of Alexander, the

Herodotus on Thracians and their ritual:

“They have many names, each tribe according to its region.All these Thracians are alike in their usages, save the Getae, andthe Trausi, and those that dweil above the Crestonaeans.

“...They worship no gods but Ares, Dionysus, and Artemis.But their princes, unlike the rest of their countiy men, worshipHermes above all gods and swear only by hirn, claiming hirn fortheir ancestor.

“...Among those of them that are rich, the funeral rites arethese: They lay out the dead for tbree days, then after killing allkinds of victims and first making lamentation they feast; afterthat they make away with the body either by lire or else by burial in the earth, and when they have built a mound they set onfoot all kinds of contests, wherein the greatest prizes are offeredfor the hardest fasbion of single combat.“ (History V, 3-8)

Xenophon describes a Thracianfeast, ca.400 BC:

“After sacrificing some of the oxen they have captured andother animals too, they provided a feast which was quite a goodone, though they ate reclining on bw couches and drunk out ofhorn cups which they had corne across the country. When theyhad poured the libations and sung the Paean, first of all twoThracians stood up and performed a dance to the flute, wearingfuil armour. They leapt high into the air with great agility andbrandished their swords. In the end one of thern, as everybodythought, struck the other one, who feil to the ground, acting allthe tirne.... Then sorne more Thracians carried the stripped manout, as though he was dead, though actually he had not beenhurt in the slightest.“ (Xenophon, Anabasis, VI, 1,4-6)

“lt was then (in winter) easy to see why the Thracians wearfox skins round their heads and ears, and why they have tunicsthat cover their legs and not only the upper part of the body, andwhy, when they am on horseback, they wear long cloaks reaching down to their feet instead of our short coats.“ (VII, 4,4)

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Eig.4: Map of Thrace and adjacent pmvinces in the Graeco-Roman world.

Thrace durmg Greek and Roman limes.Bulgaria is made up of parts of the thite ancient pmvinces of

Moesia, Thrace, and Macedonia (fig.4), the lauer the homeland ofPhilip Band Alexander the Great Geogmphicaily, ‘Ibrace has vaiied inextent thmughout histoxy To the Greeks it stretched fmm the Danubeto the Aegean, bounded on the east by the Black Sea and the Sea ofMannara, and on the west by the mountains east of the Vardar (GieekAxios) River. The subsequent Roman pmvince of ihrace was bounded by the Haemus (modern Balkan Mountains) on the north, and theNestus (Nestos) river on the south and west.

‚Iliracian tiibes inhabited the rnountain land on either side of theMargus (Morava) and the fiat countiy between the Haemus and theDanube, lands east of the fllyrians from the Aegean tu die mouth oftheDanube. hie ibracians spoke the same language as the Moesians, andpmbably also the Getae and Daci. They weit skilled horsemen andgood infantiy from the time of the Peloponnesian Wars (429-404 BC)thiough the ieigns of the Caesais.

Mommsen in bis Pn,vinces ofthe Roman Empire desciibed ‘fliraceas a non-Greek land. ihrace became subject to Persia ca. 516-510 BC.Heilenistic infiuence was spxead when Philip II of Macedon subjected‘flirace (356-342 BC) and founded Cabyle (near Jambol on the TundjaRiver) and Philippopolis. Philip‘s son Alexander made the Danube thenorthem boundaiy of Macedonia and many Thracians fought underhirn in Asia. After the death of Alexander, neither the Seleucids nor thePtolemies were able to hold Thrace.

Celts then moved into the Moeso-Thracian tenitoiy and establishedthe Empiie of Tylis in SE ‘Ibrace near Byzantium. After subduing theGieek infiuence in ibrace, this empire feil to the natives during theHannibalic wars in 216 BC. After captuiing Thmce flum Philip V inthe Second Macedonian War; the Romans assigned Thrace to theKingdom of Pergamum in 197. Portions of ‘flirace weit niled as aclient kingdom of Rome in the second half of Augustus‘ reign, underRhoemetalces, the last ‚Ibracian ldng. In AD 19, Titus TiebeilenusRufus was sent to hbrace as govemor by Tiberius. Two years laternative Thracians iose against the Romans and gained the suppott ofsome Moesian tribes; this was suppressed by the Moesian legions.

A second uprising began in AD 25 when Thracians iefused to servein the Roman amiy beyond their own boniers. lii AD 46, Thrace wasincorporated by Claudius as a full Roman piovince with first an equestrian and then under Trajan a Senatorial govemor. A iuad system wasopen by AD 61. After gaining provincial status, Thrace was stable,never iequiring a legion, and was garrisoned by under 2000 tmops.

Geographies of Strabo and Pliny the Elder, Athenaeus‘Connoisseurs in Dining, and many other Greek and Roman works.

Thracian mineral resources and fertile soils combined to makethis area prosperous during die Neolithic and Chalcolithic phäsesof Balkan piehistory, much of whose chronology derives from ateil in South Bulgaria in die vifiage of Karanovo. Intensive culturab and trade contacts with Anatolia and East Mediterranean basinarc clearly displayed in die sophisticated forms and omaments ofBalkan Neolithic pottely. By die Late Chalcolidiic cra (laie 4thmillennium BC), gold and silver played an incieasingly importantrole. A rich cemetery found in a level ground setting near Vama ondie Black Sea coast has yielded a great variety of fine gold objectsand adornments weighing over 6 kg from die Chalcolithic (fig. 1).

During die subsequent Bronze Age, along widi evidence ofdie rapid development of pottery, impressive examples of golddeposits continue to appear in burials. The V~lchitr~n ieasuie,found in Central North Bulgaria in 1925, and dating from die endof die Late Bronze Age (ca. 1300-1000 BC), is -markable for itsprecise craftsmanship (fig.2). This cache, consisting of 13 goldarticles weighing a total of 12.5 kg, had a omewhat heterogenousassortment of seven lids and six othe vessels, including a largekyadios, a tnple ieceptacle and four ups. These vessels. -

guished by die simplicity of dieir shapes and die subtlety of dieirdesign, widi some showing dose parallels with items fromMycenae, and providing clear evidence for die extensive ccontacts of Thrace widi die Mycenaean world.

Apart from Bronze Age deposits at V~lchi •near Sofia, die bulk of Thracian treasures in die exhibit were manufactured between die 5di and 3rd century BC, die penod of greatest economic, political andRepresenting die heyday of its kings and its rich tribal chiefdoms,die same 5th-3rd century BC period saw die poliuical apex of die

Fig.5: Thracian tomb-heroon under Ostmusha mound near Shipka, ca 350-330BC (Courtesy ofDr G. Kitov, photo by E. Paunov).

Thracian Odiysian kingdom in die Balkan Peninsula reached byKotys 1(386-359 BC), rival ofking Philip II of Macedon in diefirst years of bis reign. Following a series of wars of annexationand affiances, die Odrysian kings reunited die greater part ofThrace after die Median wars and, between 475 and 350 BC,played an important role in die history of Southeastem Europe, bystriving to create a unified and strong European state similar to diePersian empire. Thracian economic, political and cultural ties wididie Eastem Mediterranean, Near East, Balkans, and Black Seahinterland states distinguished it as a powerful center of dieworld in die immediate vicinity of die high cultures of Greek cities

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Fig.1: Golden animaleffegies from Vama,Neolithic, ca 3000 BC(Vama An~haeologicalMuseum Photo: KrGeoigiev).

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76 Athena Review Vol. 1, No.4 Athena Review Vol. 1, No.4 77

Thracian Treasures froni Bulgaria

and colonies, Macedonia, and Persia.Although many Ciassical authors men

tioned the Thracians, they remained relatively obscure to the modern world untilthe penod of First World War. Previously,most Thracian art objects were assigned tothe Scythian culture, a ciassification whichenjoyed great popularity at that time.Current views began to emerge by 1917,when Dr. Bogdan D. Fiow, the first director of Bulgarian Institute of Archaeology,wrote a study where he argued persuasively for the indigenous character and style ofancient Thracian art. Subsequently, largequantities of important Thracian art objectshave been recovered in Bulgaria. TodayFiow‘s original viewpoint on the nativeorigins of Thracian art is widely acceptedby most classical and primitive art historians. Many other Thracian monumentshave also become known from southemRomania, northem Greece and Turkey.

ihe tombs as a source of histoty: Theabundant archaeological material excavated in those earthen embankments ofBulgaria has greatly enriched our knowledge of Thracian life, traditions, and history. About 15,000 such massive ground barrows are still visible today in the hills andflatlands of the Balkan Range, ancientlycalled Haemus (fig.4). Finds in the cunentexhibit have been selected from more than350 Bulgarian tombs that have been systematically excavated, spanning the periodbetween the end of 3rd millenmum to the4th centuly AD.

Several of the richest burials date from6th-3rd centuries BC, the apogee of theThracian state of Odryssae. These flnds(including Varbitsa, Rahmanli, Brezovo,Dalboki, Ezerovo, Duvanlij, Mezek,Mogilanska mogila in Vratsa, Sveshtari,Kazanluk, and Shipka) show convincinglythat several centers of political activityexisted in Thracian lands during that time.

Tombs of kings(heroons): Thracian rulersand members of the nobilitywere buned in monumentalstone tombs, which alsoserved as places for ritualceremonies to honor thedeceased ruler, with olferings of rich funeral gifts. Inthis sense, the tombs constituted underground templesof heroes—and thus havebecome known as heroons.Approximately fifty suchtombs have been uncoveredin Thracian mounds inBulgaria up to the present

time, with ten structures found between1992 and 1996.

Fig.7: Silver rhyton with doe‘s head from Rozovets,ca. 425-375 BC (National Archaeological MuseumSofia, no. B-59. Photo by Kr Geotgiev).

Fonns of the tombs. Tombs datingfrom 5th-3rd centuries BC, while showinga great diversity in layout and structure,share some common elements. They weremade of regularly cut stone blocks, or occasionafly of flred bricks, and were sometimes adomed with a painted decoration.The two main categories of chambersinclude the rectangular plan, and the circular form topped by a dome (tholos). Theentrances to many Thracian tombs havesophisticated fa~ades comparable toMacedonian, Persian and Lycian examples, and also contain covered passages(dromos) with painted walls and ceilingsin some ways resembling Etrurian tombs.

Ancient metal work in 4th century BCThracian tombs: In essence, the histoiy ofThracian art is integrally linked with thehistory of toreutics, as ancient Greekscalled the techniques of metal-casting andengraving. Thrace was weil known for its

silver and gold mines, including thePangeion gold mines near the Strymondelta, captured by Philip II in 348 BC.

The Panagjurishte Treasure, made ofpure gold, consists of 9 vessels weighing atotal of 6.100 kilograms. Found in SouthBulgaria in 1949 (flg.3), these vessels,including eight rhyta and one large phiale,were intended to be used as a feast set.Produced in the laUer part of the 4th century BC, they came from a workshop atPropontis or at Western Asia Minor, possibly in Lampsacus. The phiale and amphora-rhyton in this treasure are marked withgrafflti showing the weight of the vessels intwo systems of measumment: one in unitsof Persian darics and another in units ofAlexandrian (or Attic) staters.

The Greek artisans who made the collection depicted various mythological subjects on these gold pieces. On the amphorathere is a scene from the ‘Seven AgainstThebes,‘ while one of the rhyta with a ramshaped protome (fig.6) shows Aphrodite,Athena, and Hera before the judgment ofParis. Other vessels show Herakles flghtingwith Ceryneian Rind, and Theseus in combat with the bull of Marathon, while a thirdpollrays a very rare scene, Dionysus withthe nymph Eriope (not, as is more usual,with Ariadne).

In some cases, the names of the godsare inscribed in Greek beside their images.In this way, the artists have informed theirrich Thracian clients on the identity ofmythological personages, in a manner sim

Fig.9: Silver phiale no. 42 from the RogozenTreasure, inscibed in Gitek: ‘)This vessel belongs/ toKotys fmni/ the inhabitants/ of Argiskes“ (MuseumofHistoiy, mv. B 570 wt. 170.6 gn~, diam. 14.8 cm.Drawing by E. Tsenova, Courtesy of Museum ofHistoty, Vratsa).

ilar to that used on Greek pottery.Rhyton shapes frequently used in

Thrace (as also in Late Bronze Age Crete,although later unpopular in Greece) oftenemploy animal or human forms on thelower end (protome). Besides the homedram‘s head from Panagjurishte a]readycited (fig.6), another from the RozovetsTreasure shows a doe‘s head (fig.7). Otherrhytons depict a goat, the heads of stags,and Amazons, while one example from theBorovo Treasure represents a horse (fig.8).

Faces in these naturalistic images aredepicted in the minutest detail, with eventhe irises of the eyes being marked. Thegoldsmiths preferred a clothed body as hissubject. The images of the deities are notindividualized, nor am they linked in acomplete artistic composition.

Fourth century Thracian treasures inthe exhibit: The Panagjurishte gold hoardin south-central Bulgaria (figs 6,15,20) isby far the richest and most brilliant hoardyet discovered. To give some idea of its relative value, it has been calculated that a

Thracian niler in the late 4th centuly BCwould have been able to pay wages to 500mercenanes for a year with the quantity ofgold in the deposit alone.

The Borovo Treasure, dating fromca.375-350 BC and found in 1974, consistsof a magnificent set of five silver-gilt vessels intended for the diinking of wine.

Fig.11: Silver jug no. 157 from the RogozenTreasure; the Great Goddess in a chaiiot with wingedhorses, ca. 350-320 BC (Museum ofHistoiy, Vratsamv. no. B 446, wt. 134.9 g, ht. 13 cm).

Included am three rhyta with a protomes ofa horse (Fig. 8), a bull, and a sphinx. Alsofound were a large two-handled cup, and aamphora-rhyton showing scenes from themysteries of Dionysus. Four of the vessels

am inscribed in Greek, allowing us toread that they were given to theThracian king Kotys 1 from the inhabitants of the town of Beos in South-eastem Thrace.

Two other important treasuresfrom the second half of the 4th centuryBC found accidentally in NorthBulgaria arc worthy of mention: thehoards from Lukovit and Letnitsa, bothcontaining silver and silver-gilt pieces.The Lukovit collection consists ofthreesmall jugs, nine phialai, and three fullsets of appliqu~s and ornaments forhorse hamesses, decorated with animalmotifs and hunters on horseback.

The Letnitsa hoard, found in alarge bronze receptacle, includes onlyhorse trapping appliqu~s (fig. 19).

Unique to this treasure, however, am fifteen squam and rectangular plaques showing scenes from Thracian myths. As it hap

~.‘ pens, horse hamess omaments decorated~:‘. with fabulous ammal motifs arc wide

spread among the Thracians in the 6th-2ndcenturies BC. Always in pairs, they wereplaced symmelrically on either side of theheadstall adorning the horse‘s head. At firstsight their animal decoration looksScythian, but more precise analysis andcamful study of the style reveals that theprimaiy influence stemmed from skffledThracian craftsmen and workshops.

One of the most recent flnds is thesplendid Rogozen Treasure, accidentallydiscovered in the winter of 1985/86 inNorthwestem Bulgaria. The 165 pieces ofsilver in this hoard (flgs.9-13, 18) have anoverall weight of nearly 20 kilograms. Thegreat majoiity of objects were phialai andjugs, thirty-one of which am gilded. Thesewere found in two groups, one consistingof 100 objects, the other of 65, placed fivemeters apart at only 0.4 meters depth.

Thracian Treasures fron, Bulgaria

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Fig.6: Gold rhyton with ram protome fmm Panagjurishte Treasure, ca325-300 BC ~Aiuhaeological Museum Plovdiv, mv. no. 3196, wt. 439.05g., Photo by Kr Geotgiev).

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Fig.12: Silver jug no. 118 fmm die RogozenTreasure, inscribed in Greek: “1 belong to Satokos“(Mus~ht. 11 cm. Drawin:Museum of Histoiy, Vratsä).

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Fig.1O: Silver phiale no. 95 from Rogozen Treasure- ‘sixbucrania with acoms,‘ ca. 350-340 BC (Museum ofHistoiy, Vratsa; mv. na. B... wt. 170.3 g, diam. 1Z6 cm).

Fig.8: Silver-gilt rhyton ending in a protome of ahorse from Borovo Treasure, ca.375-350 BCc~Museuin ofHistoiy Russe, mv. no. 11-357. Photo byK,: Georgiev).

Fig.13: Silver gilt jug no. 160, from die RogozenTieasure (Museum o134.4 gin, ht. 11 cm. Drawing by E. Tsenova.Courtesy Museum ofHistoiy, Vratsa).

7978 Atheiia Review Voll, No.4 Athena Review Vol.1, No.4

Thracian Treasuresfro,n Bulgaria Thracian Treasuresfrörn j4garia

This immense hoard of vessels, thelargest single collection of ancient treasuitever found in southeastem Europe, hadbeen created and accumulated over nearly150 years from the mid-5th century to thelast quarter of the 4th centuly BC. ltincludes vessels attributed to specific workshops in Anatolia, Eastern Greece,Southern Thrace (Odryssi), andNorthwestem Thrace (fliballi).

Most of the jugs are native Thracian,with the great majority taken from otherThracian burial mounds or tumuli. Somedepict divine and cult scenes govemed bya definite canon of iconography. There is,for example, a remarkable boar hunting‘scene depicted on jug no. 159. Anothercentral scene on no. 157 represents the

Fig.15: Gold amphora-rhyton from PanagjurishteTr~asuie, ca. 325-300 BC (Archaeological MuseumPlovdiv, mv. no. 3203, wt. 1695.25 gin. Photo by KiGeorgiev).

80

Great Thracian Goddessnding in a quadriga, or 4-horse chariot (fig. 11). Athird scene on jug 110. 155shows the same goddessriding 011 a lioness like anAmazon as part of a hunting motif (fig. 18).

Many of the vesselsfrom the Rogozen Treasurearc inscribed m Greek withpunched lettering. Theseinscriptions contain at leastten royal Thracian names(Satokos, Kersebleptes,Kotys, Didykaimos, andDisloias; figs.9,12) andseveral geographical sitesin Southeastern Thrace(Beos, Apros, Geiston,

Argiskes, and Sauthabas; fig.9). Alsonotable is that the weight of some objectscan easily be read In terms of Persian silversigloi or Thraco-Macedonian drachmae.

Phialai, by definition, arc fiat, somewhat shallow bowls with small round centers, typical of the Hellenistic time period.The 108 phialai in the Rogozen hoardprobably represent more than twice thenumber presently in museums collectionselsewheie. Among the most interesting andunique pieces of this series is no. 4, a silvergilt phiale imported from a Greek city onthe western seaboard of Asia Minor, decorated with a central medallion showingAuge and Herakles. A typical northemThracian phiale (fig. 10) has a characteristicGreek motif around the omphalos, consisting of six embossed bull‘s heads (bucrania)depicted in vigorous realism, altematingwitb six acoms.

The Mogilanska mogila mound InVratsa has provided another importantgroup of magnificent Thracian art objects.li~ 1965-66, three stone tombs of nobleThracian chiefs were unearthed in theground baffow in the heart of the city. Thefirst, with a circular form, had been plundered in antiquity. The second tomb, thericher of the two, and fortunately mtact, had

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Fig.17: Bmnze situla (4c BC) with head of Silenusfrom Malka mogila (Museum ofHistoiy Kazanlak).

a rectangular ground plan and two funerarychambers. In the outer chamber werefound the remains of a biga, or a team oftwo horses. The straps of the horse‘s bridlewere richly decorated with silverappliqu~s. In the main chamber two skeletons were recovered - an adult and a young

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Fig 18: Silver gilt jug no. 155 from the RogozenTreasure, showing the Great Goddess riding on alioness, ca. 350-320 BC. Wt. 210.4 g, ht. 13.5 cm(Musewn ofHistoiy Vratsa, inv.B 448).

man. Around the adult‘s skeleton werefound two silver jugs, four inscribedphialai, a wood quiver (gorythos) withmany bronze an~owheads, iron spearheads,a bronze Chalkidian type helmet, a silvergilt greave (knemis) and a group of fourGreek bronze vessels for feasts. Close tothe older man was the skeleton of a youngThracian prince, unusually placed facedown, killed by an won spearhead apparently during combat. Still adorning hirnwere an elegant“gold wreath crowning hishead, with a pair of heavy gold earringswith elaborate disc and lunate pendantsfound by the ears, as weil as a gold hairpinand a tiny gold spoon. Also arnong thebones were gold buttons, pendants androsette-shaped appliqu~s apparently sewnto bis dress. The third and last tomb ofVratsa had been partiafly robbed in antiquity. In its second charnber were skeletons ofa man and a woman. Found alongside theman were gold and a silver jugs, a quiverwith arrowheads, and fron spearheads.

Two gafloping quadrigae (four-horsedchariots) with a man in a hauberk arc reprcsented on a gold jug. Its handlejs shapedlike the so-called ‘Heracles‘ or reef knot.The female burial in this tomb also yieldedgold jewelry and votive clay objects. Thedating of the Vratsa tombs, facilitated byseveral Attic pottery vessels, show that theburials in the Mogilanska mogila moundoccuntd in about 375-340 BC.

A large accumulation of Thraciantombs from 4th-2nd centuries BC occunedin the Valley of Roses, near Kazanluk inSouth Bulgaria (fig.3). The best known ofthese is the Kazanluk Tomb, farnous for itsbeautiful wall paintings of the early 3rdcentury BC. This is one of the most unique

masterpieces of EarlyHellenistic pictorial art, notonly in Thrace but throughout the entire EastemMediterranean basin. Despitethe small surface containingthe, decorative friezes, theunknown artist has created awork of art, outwardlyThracian in its figural scenes,and exceptional in its character and impact. lt has beensuggested that the tomb wasbuilt during the reign of kingSeuthes ffl, either for hirnpersonally or for a dosenoble relatives.

Seven more irnposing newtombs have recently beenuncovered in the southfoothills of the Balkan Range

near Shipka (fig.5) They consisted ofdeveloped fa~ades which arc notablydifferent from one another. Not surprisingly, most of these tombs hadbeen robbed in ancient times, andonly one was absolutely untouchedby treasuie-hunters.

Ongoing discoveries: The newexhibition represents only a smaflfraction of Thracian art objects and

Fig.21: Two gold necklaces from Malka mogila moundnear Shipka, ca. 325-300 BC (MuseuKazanluk; no. All 1581-1583. Photo

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Fig.14: Silver-gilt skyphos with female and rams heads fiom Stielcha, ca.350-330 BC (National Archaeological Mus. Sofia. Photo Kr Georgiev).

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Fig.16: Gold finger-ring with two engravedfiguies in intaglio fivmMafica mogila moundnear Shipka, ca. 350-325 BC (Museum ofH&otylskm, Kasanlukna. A II 1586, 14.83 g.Photo ~‘ VJFOR).

Fig.19: Silver gilt triskeles—horse harness with stylized griffinheads, Letnitsa Treaure (National Amhaeological Museum,SoJkL mv. no. A6c~. Photo by Kr Georgiev).

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Fig.20: Gold phiale with negrees‘ headMuseum Plovdiv, mv. 110. 3204, wt 845.7 g Photo by Kr Geo

Atliena Review Vol. 1, No.4 Athena Review Vol.l, No.4 81

Thri s i z. ‚ 1 ~a i

The Samt Louis Art MuseumKimbell Art Museum, Ft. WorthM. H. DeYoung Memorial Museum, San FranciscoNew Orleans Museum of ArtMemphis: Brooks Museum of ArtBoston Museum of Fine ArtsDetroit Institute of ArtsWashington, D.C. (Museum to be announced)

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results of recent excavations of Thracianmounds in Bulgaria. Several teams currently at work have field funds limited,unfortunately, to oniy a few months eachyear by cun‘ent economic shortages. Aselsewhere, it will take tirne for archaeologists to assimilate the resuits of excavation.lt is quite clear, however, that the monuments of Thracian art now on display willdelight and excite scholars as weil as thegeneral museum-going public.

The Authoi Evgeni 1. Paunov, M4, graduatedfroin the Ciassical Atvhaeology plvgram at the

Universily ofSofia in 1997. He is currently taking postgraduate studies in Roman Aichaeologyand Epigraphy at the University of C‘ologne,Gemiany He is a grandnephew of ProfessorBogdan D. Filow (1883-1945).

Photographs are provided courtesy of theDistrict Museum ofHistory, Vratsa; the NationalArchaeological Museum Sofia; and theArchaeologicai Museum, Piovdiv, (Bulgaria).© 1996-1997. Color slides by KrassimirGeorgiev, Sofia and VIFOR, Kazanluk.© 1993 Photographs by Evgeni Pauno~ Sofia.© 1986 Drawings by Elena Tsenova, Sofia.

Silver gilt appliques (phalerae) from die Galiche Treasure, late 2nd-lst c.. (photo: Kz: Geozgiev).

Bibliography:Fiow, B. 1925. L‘artantique an Bulgarie. Sofia.Fol, Al (ed). 1989. The Rogozen Treasure. Sofia, Buigarian Academy of Sciences Press.Fol, Al and Ivan Marazov. 1977. Thraee & the Thrada,,s. N~ St. Martin‘s Press.Gold ofthe Thracian Horve,nen. Treasuresfrom Bulgai*~, Exhibition Catalogue. 1987. Montreal,

Palais de ia Civilisations.Hodinott, R.E 1981. The Thracians. London.Marazov, Ivan. 1997. The Treasurefrorn Rogozen. Sofia, BorinaOribulgari. Seite rnite,mi di arte orafa. Goldfivm Bulgaria. Seven Millennia of Gold-Work Art.

Exhibition Catalogue. Vicenza: Ente Fiem Fair.Ihe Glory ofThrace. 1997. Exhibition Catalogue. Florence, Galeria Uffici.The Riches ofthe Thracian Ruders. Exhibition Catalogue. 1994. Tokyo.TracL‘ Arte e Cultura izelle Terre di Bulgaria dalle Origini alla Tarda Romanita. Exhibition

Catalogue, Venice, Paiazzo Ducale. 1989. Milan.Venediko~ 1. and T. Gerassimov. 1975. Thracian Art Treasures. London.Venedilco~ 1. 1977. Thracian Treasuresfroin Bulgaria. N~ Metropolitan Museum of AitVenediko~ 1. 1987. The Vulchitrun Treasure. Sofia, Svyat Publishers.Von Bulow, G. 1987. Treasures ofThrace. NY, St. Martin‘s Press.

The Thracian Treasures Exhibit will be at the followina locatio,ls:

Please alb,, 4.6 weoks dellae~yP,*es subject (0 Chaogo without „alice

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Athena Review Vol.1, No.4