Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com – Bulgaria, situated in southeastern Europe on the Black Sea, has a long, fascinating history and a rich culture.

It is one of the oldest countires in Europe and a treasure trove to archaeologists and historians. Unfortunately, archaeological excavations last year were somewhat less successful than hoped because the session for planned archaeological research at the Ministry of Culture started very late.

A selection of some ancient Bulgarian artifacts on display. Credit: Bulgarian news Agency – More pH๏τos here

“Rescue archaeological excavations for various infrastructure projects across the country were also limited in scope and number. Nevertheless, Bulgarian archaeologists did their best on their tasks. Some of the results can be seen in the current exhibition,” said ᴀssoc. Prof. Dr. Hristo Popov, Director of the National Archaeological Insтιтute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NAIM-BAS).

Professor Popov explained that the exhibition’s goal is to raise awareness and support the Great Mother Goddess Cybele temple in Balchik, a site discovered 15 years ago.

“This monument of world importance continues to have an extremely unhappy fate,” said Prof. Popov. He said there is no temple from the classical Hellenistic and Roman period that is so well preserved in Bulgaria, Romania or Serbia, adding that it could be argued whether even Greece and Turkiye boast so well preserved temples from this era,” the Bulgarian News Agency reports.

“This monument of the highest rank with wonderful finds, which are kept in the Balchik museum today, stands hostage to our inability as a society and as insтιтutions to do our job so that it is popularised,” Professor Popov said.

The exhibition тιтled “Bulgarian Archaeology 2022”, in the National Archaeological Museum in Sofia will last until May 21.

The public will be able to admire 300 artifacts excavated from 30 Bulgarian sites last year. These precious artifacts highlight the “development of cultures in present-day Bulgaria from the Neolithic (6000 years BC) until the Middle Ages. Among them are gold, silver and bronze adornments, fine ceramic anthropomorphic figurines, pottery, marble votive reliefs and elaborate wall decorations, decorated ritual hearth, coins, tools and weapons.

Among the most impressive finds are the ceramic vessels from the settlement mounds at Poroy near Burgas and Provadia near Varna, the necklace from the settlement mound Durankulak, the jewelry and weapons from the early Hellenistic necropolis near the village of BoH๏τ, a necklace of gold and jade from the ancient necropolis in the Sea Garden of Apollonia Pontica, votive tablets of a Thracian horseman from the Roman architectural complex at the village of Stroyno, a bronze stylus from the ancient fortress of Borovets, and a gold seal ring from Pliska” the Bulgarian News Agency reports.

This is the 16th edition of the exhibition which is arranged by the National Archaeological Insтιтute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, together with 17 museums from across the country.

If you are interested in archaeology and ancient history and happen to be in the vicinity of the National Archaeological Museum in Sofia, this exhibition is a must-see.

Written by Jan Bartek – AncientPages.com Staff Writer