Archaeologists have unearthed a dazzling gold wreath in a 2,100-year-old burial mound of a Thracian warrior and his horse. The unique headpiece is part of a set of gold jewelry excavated from the grave of the "Lord of Sakar," named after the mountain range in southeast Bulgaria where he was found.
"The golden treasures discovered in our lands testify to high craftsmanship, rich spiritual life and prosperous societies," Evelina Slavcheva, president of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, said in a statement.
The ancient burial mounds were discovered during digging related to the installation of a solar park in 2024. A team of archaeologists from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences excavated the burials and found that one contained the bones of a young woman and the other a middle-aged man.
Both tombs included many gold artifacts, but the man's grave is the richest ever discovered in Bulgaria, according to a translated social media post from the Municipality of Topolovgrad, where the site is located.
Due to the opulence of the man's burial, complete with the bones of his war horse, he has been dubbed the Lord of Sakar. He lived during the late Hellenistic period, around 150 to 100 B.C., and may have been a warrior aristocrat, according to the statement. At the beginning of the century, the area of Thrace was partly under Greek rule, but by the end of the century, the Romans had conquered it as part of their empire.
Preliminary research suggests the Lord of Sakar was about 35 to 40 years old when he died. The wreath — made from gilded silver — was found encircling his skull. Other artifacts discovered in his grave included ceramic and glass vessels, iron spears and a shield, silver jewelry and a unique gem-covered knife.
Related: Medieval knight 'Lancelot' and his stunning stone tomb found under ice cream shop in Poland
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The man's horse was also honored with numerous grave goods, including a gilded bronze decoration on his harness depicting the mythic hero Hercules defeating a giant. The harness featured other bronze depictions of animals, likely representing more of Hercules' exploits, as well as a gold headpiece with the image of a snake.
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Less is known about the burial mound of the woman, who lived at the beginning of the second century B.C. Archaeologists recovered two pairs of well-preserved leather shoes; a wooden chest covered in gold, silver and jewels; and numerous gold, glass and bronze items. Near this mound was a small sanctuary dated to the second half of the second century B.C., where archaeologists found a large number of regional coins.
The Hellenistic period gold objects were revealed to the public on Aug. 12 at Bulgaria's National Archaeological Institute with Museum as part of an exhibition called "The Glitter of Hellenistic Gold. The Lord of Sakar." The exhibition is open through Oct. 17.
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Kristina Killgrove
Staff writer
Kristina Killgrove is a staff writer atLive Sciencewith a focus on archaeology and paleoanthropology news. Her articles have also appeared in venues such asForbes,Smithsonian, andMental Floss. Kristina holds a Ph.D. in biological anthropology and an M.A. in classical archaeology from the University of North Carolina, as well as a B.A. in Latin from the University of Virginia, and she was formerly a university professor and researcher. She has received awards from the Society for American Archaeology and the American Anthropological Association for her science writing.
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