The Thracians believed that real life begins after death. Therefore, they strove to properly conduct their loved ones on their last journey - surrounded them with abundance and luxury, so that they would not need anything in the next world.
40 years ago, on a hot summer evening, while exploring one of the Thracian graves in the village of Kraljevo, archaeologist Georgi Ginev discovered a stone coffin. And when the necropolis began to "give out" golden objects, he realized that a Thracian of royal blood was buried in this place. Along with finds from the purest sample of gold, the archaeologist found an amphora from the island of Thassos. Thanks to the inscription on it, it turned out that it was made 265 BC. e. This is how the dating of the jewels was determined. The discoverer of the so-called The Kralevo gold treasure passed away at the beginning of 2019, but his name will be mentioned more than once in different parts of the globe, as well as the treasure, which has already visited more than one continent.
“The hoard consists of 47 gold objects, as well as ceramic vessels, including amphorae, jugs and bowls, a burial wreath made of gilded clay, and a bronze ax. These findings can be divided into several groups - the first includes a silver breastplate decorated with two trees of life, and the second - two gold earrings with lion heads and two massive snake-shaped bracelets made of silver, which was subsequently gilded.
The most famous group included a forehead and 36 round and rectangular gold appliqués, which adorned the head of the beloved horse of the buried Thracian ruler.
Two of the appliqués depict the mythical animal griffin, while the other four depict the most common motif during the reign of Alexander the Great, the god Hercules with a lion's skin on his head.
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This gold ammunition was really used, because on the back of the items there are rings through which leather belts were inserted. The Thracians adorned the heads of horses during parades and at banquets."
Three hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Getae tribe lived on the territory of the modern Torgovisht region, according to Herodotus, the most courageous and fair among the Thracians. Brave soldiers fought with the troops of Philip the Great, and the attempts of Alexander the Great and his prominent commander Lizimakh to subdue them were unsuccessful.
“In the area of Torgovishte, we found five large Thracian settlements with fortresses and sanctuaries,” said the archaeologist. “There are no magnificent palaces here, but the Getae built beautiful, massive tombs. After all, they believed that real life awaits them in the next world, so they prepared their eternal home, surrounding themselves with objects worthy of their rank. The Getae both cremated their dead and buried them in the ground, therefore several bodies were buried in some tombs. In the case of the Kralje grave, the perishable remains were first burnt, and the ashes were placed in a special ceramic vessel with gilding, called hydria."
When the Kraljevo treasure was discovered in 1979, its priceless exhibits for several weeks, without security, were exhibited in the center of Targovishte, to the delight of the residents of the city.
“But after a little time, by order of Lyudmila Zhivkova (daughter of the party leader T. Zhivkov and the Minister of Culture - ed.), The treasure was transported to Sofia, to the National Historical Museum, despite the fact that it is recorded in the inventory books of our museum, - recalls Stefan Ivanov. “And now, almost 35 years later, as a result of an agreement between the two museums, for more than 5 years the treasure has been in the Regional Historical Museum of Targovishte and all archeology lovers can see it.”
Will the Kraljevo treasure remain forever in the museum of its discoverer and not far from the place where it has lain for more than two millennia? The archaeologist could not answer this question with confidence. But if the treasure remains in Targovishte, it will be not only pride for the museum, but also another reason for tourists to visit this beautiful Bulgarian city.
Translation by Snezhana Nikiforova