Thracian heritage of Bulgaria

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The ethnoname “Thracians” denotes the multi-composite and multitudinous population that inhabited the territory up to the Carpathians on the north, reaching the Black Sea on the east, up to the Vardar river on the west and down to the Aegean Sea on the south (map). It was Homer who first mentioned the Thracians in line 434 of the Tenth song in his “Ilyad”. That name is also found in various Cretan-Mycenaean written records.
Herodotus (V, II) wrote: “The Thracian ethnos is the most numerous one after the Indian. The Thracians are differently named in each separate region but the manners and customs of the whole nationality remain just the same everywhere.”
The Thracian tribe called Odryssaes inhabited the region of Plovdiv in the V-I c. B.C. It was the only one among all the 46 known Thracian tribes that set upa form of government headed by a Royal institution. The Odryssian state included the present territory of Bulgaria, the northwestern part of Turkey and the northern regions of Greece. The representatives of the Thracian aristocracy were buried in huge mounds or stone sepulchres, of various layout, architecture and interior (Image). The earliest sepulchres featuring cyst layouts and multi-colored paintings dating from V c. B.C. were found in the region of Kaloyanovo. (Image). They are related to the heirs of the first Odryssian tsar Teres I (480-440). Under the reign of the Thracian tsar Kotis I (383-359), in the beginning of IV c. B.C., the monumental masonry-built tombs with antechambers (dromos) and burial chambers equipped with a door for multiple visits were first introduced. Such kind of tombs were found in the vicinity of Perushtiza, Brestoviza and Plovdiv, as well as near the village of Starossel, Hissar region.
The Panagyurishte Gold Treasure
The Treasure collection consists of nine gold vessels with a total weight of 6.100 kg, discovered in 1949 near Panagyurishte.
The gold beverage set includes a phiale (a dish) and eight rhytons (cups) in the form of different zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures. The treasure used to be the possession of an unknown Thracian ruler of the Odryssian tribe who reigned at the end of IV c. and the beginning of III c. BC.

Image 1: Phiale (a dish), adorned with relief images of black men’s heads and acorns, situated in concentric-circle forms. Image 2: Gold Aries-shaped rhyton. The handle of the vessel ends in a lion figure. Relief figures of the sitting Dionysus and the bacchante Eriope are depicted on the neck of the rhyton. Dancing bacchantes are represented around them. Image 3: Gold deer-shaped rhyton. The figures of Athena, Paris, Hera and Aphrodite are represented on its neck. Image 4: Gold deer-shaped rhyton. Its handle ends with a lion figure. Two mythological scenes of fightings are represented on the neck - Heracles against the doe of Cerynia and Theseus against the bull of Marathon. Image 5: Amphora-rhyton with centaurs-formed handles. Three compositional scenes are depicted on the vessel. The central scene represents five warriors in a battle. The second scene depicts two warriors in the fortune-telling ritual of predicting the future on a liver. The third one, in the lower part of the amphorae, represents the figures of Silenus and the little Heracles in his cradle killing two snakes. Image 6: Gold rhyton with a goat-protome-shaped lower part. The relief figures of Hera, Arthemis, Apollo and Nike are presented on its neck. Image 7: Amazon-head-shaped gold rhyton. The amazon has a veil over her well-arranged hair and a necklace on her neck. The handle of the rhyton ends in the figure of a flying sphinx. Image 8: Gold rhyton in the form of an Amazon head with a helmet on. The two sides of the helmet bear the relief figures of flying sphinxes. Image 9: Amazon-head-shaped gold rhyton. The amazon has a veil over her well-arranged hair and a necklace on her neck. The handle of the rhyton ends in the figure of a flying sphinx.

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[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmgksNt-xgI[/media]

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BC, found in Odryssian kings’ burial mounds near the villages of Duvanli and Chernozem, in Kaloyanovo region. The Ancient Greek Art collection consists of black-and-red-figured pottery produced in the Attic workshops as well as of silver objects (kantharoses, phiales and skyphoses) decorated with gilt figures and Greek Pantheon mythological scenes. The collection also includes gold jewelry objects for adorning feminine bodies and clothing.
Image 1 - a pelike, depicting a a guitar player, surrounded by goddesses of victory; Chervenkovi mogili, the town of Brezovo, Plovdiv region; V c. B.C. Image 2 – an amphora presenting two scenes: the fight of Theseus against Procrustus and a scene with Dionysos; Moushovitsa, the village of Duvanlij, Kaloyanovo district; VI-V c. B.C. Image 3 – a hydria depicting a teoxenia – a feast of the Dioskuri; Bashova mogila, the village of Duvanlij, Kaloyanovo district; V c. B.C. Image 4:
1. a silver kantharos bearing the gilt images of Dionysos, a bacchante holding a doe in her hands, another dancing bacchante and a satyr; Golyama mogila, the village of Duvanlij, Kaloyanovo district; V c. B.C.
2. A silver phiale (dish) bearing the gilt images of races with chariots (IVc.B.C.) and a silver cylix (a shallow cup on a tall stem) with gilt images of Selene (V-VI c. B.C.); Bashova mogila, the village of Duvanlij, Kaloyanovo district.

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The Antiquity Department of the Museum contains more than 5,000 exhibits divided into several collections illustrating the Thracian-Roman Arts.
Bronze Plastic Art Collection
The Bronze Plastic Art collection includes more than 200 bronze statuettes of idols worshipped by the Thracians in the period of I – IV c. The most numerous ones are the statuettes of the Thracian Rider, Hermes, Heracles, Telesphorus, Silenus, Fortunae, etc.
The Museum is in possession of over 100 bronze ornaments of chariots, pieces of furniture, as well as bronze vessels found in burial mounds all over Thrace. Those which provoke the greatest interest include the funeral bronze vessels from the site near “Kamenitza” in Plovdiv, dating from I c., also from the village of Voivodinovo in the region of Plovdiv, dating from II c., as well as the collections of Roman military diplomas and surgical instruments, dating from I – III c.
Image 1 - “Drunken Silenus” statuette, from Stara Zagora region, II c Image 2 - The “Lares Compitales” statuette, from Philipopolis region, II c. Image 3 - The “Sitting Black Boy” balsamarium - from a burial mound, the village of Voivodinovo in the region of Plovdiv, II c Image 4 - Roman military diploma belonging to a Thracian named Dolesus, doing military service on the territory of Syria during Emperor Vespasian’s reign (69–79), the village of Suhozem, Karlovo region. Image 5 - Surgical instruments from various funerals in Philipopolis region, II c. Ancient Sculptures Collection
The Ancient Sculptures Collection includes 50 marble portrait-heads from Philipopolis, some of which are statues of real-life people, found in the theatre and the big buildings, as well as torsos of idols worshipped in various regions of Thrace.
The Museum also houses a part of the impressive marble plastic arts objects, used to decorate religious and civil architecture buildings from I - IV c. -- the theatre, the stadium and the town forum, as well as the main street with its rich colonnade near the eastern gate of Philipopolis, are all elaborately decorated. The fund treasures a great part of the frieze-architrave, columns and capitals of the Ancient Stadium, as well as its entrance wall-piers decorated with objects related to Hermes and Heracles. (Image 7)
The most attractive among the town decorations is the frieze-architrave, ornamented with the health-giving idols of Philipopolis, dating from III c. (Image 8)
The Museum keeps more than 1,000 exhibits from various sanctuaries in Thrace. The most valuable among them are those from the sanctuary of Asclepius Zemidrenetius near the village of Batkun, the Pazardzhik district, the sanctuary of Apollo Seulamenos near the village of Trud, Plovdiv region, as well as the unique tracery consecrated tombstone of Mithra Taurokton near the village of Kurtovo Konare in the region of Plovdiv.
Another museum collection includes tombstones, sarcophagi and epitaphs from the Philipopolis necropolises. The most valuable among those monuments are the tombstones from the Eastern necropolis, as well as the numerous sarcophagi from the Western necropolis.
Image 6 – Marble portrait-head of a young man, Roman villa in the village of Pastusha, Plovdiv region, from the beginning of II c. Image 7 – Pillaster from the entrance of the Ancient Stadium with the attributes of Heracles depicted on: a quiver of shafts, a lion’s hide and a mace, while on the other side it has Hermes’s symbols: Herma, Hydria and a palm-branch, II-III c. Image 8 - Frieze of the health-giving idols of Philipopolis, from left to right: Luna, Iaso, Panacea, Telesphorus, Epione, Machaion, Padaleirios, Sol – III c. Image 9 – Relief of the sitting Asclepius, Hygeia and Telesphorus, with dedication from Claudius Spartokos; the sanctuary of Asclepius Zemidrenetius near the village of Batkun, the Pazardzhik district, III c. Image 10 – Votive plaque of Mithra Taurokton, the village of Kurtovo Konare, Plovdiv district, III c. Image 11 – Stela of the gladiator Feropsus, Eastern necropolis of Philipopolis, II c. Image 12 – Stela of the veteran Caius Iulius Gratus, Eastern necropolis of Philipopolis, mid. I c. Terracotta and Lamp Collection
Contains more than 500 Roman clay lamps made in the town, imitating the models of the famous Athenian lamp-makers Elpidephoros, Eutuches, Pireitos. An interesting cult utensil bearing the images of Zeus-Serapis and Dionysos also originates from the town.
Image 13 - Ritual crater with serpent-shaped handles and images of Zeus-Serapis and Dionysos – Philipopolis, III c. Antique Mosaics Collection
The Collection contains predominantly mosaic panels from civil and religious buildings, with total surface area of 750 sq. m.
Mosaics in civil buildings

• Polychromatic mosaic bearing the emblem of ”Eyrene” from a residential peristyled building built after the Gothic Invasion in 251 (image 14).
• Polychromatic flooring bearing the emblem of “Narcissus”, with dolphins in the corners, from a residential peristyled building, II c.
• Mosaic bearing the emblem of “Blue birds” from a residential building, II c.
• Polychromatic mosaic found in the apoditerium of a residential building with a bath, V-VI c.
• Two-layered polychromatic mosaic in OPVS VERMICVLATUM, found in nine rooms of the Termi Aqui, situated right under today’s “Kniaz Alexander” street, II - IV c. AD.
• Wall mosaics and floorings of theTermi situated right under today’s ”Yoachim Gruev” school, of an area of 2.5 decares (from the middle of III c. until the end of IV c.)

Mosaics in religious buildings

• Monochromatic mosaic, bearing the emblem of Menora and donors’ inscriptions from a synagogue, III-V c.
• Polychromatic two-layered mosaic with geometrical figured pictures of birds and Christian symbols from an episcopal 3-nave basilica, with atrium portici, partially revealed, V-VI c.
• Monochromatic mosaic from a residential complex, IV c.
• Marble mosaic tiling, featuring pictures of a deer and birds from a baptistery, V-VI c.
• Polychromatic mosaic from a martyrium - an early Christian building outside the fortified town, V-VI c.

Image 14 – Replica of the central panel of the “Eyrene” mosaic, middle of III c.

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Once upon a time the Thracians inhabited Bulgarian lands. Thracian rulers and members of the nobility were buried in monumental stone tombs, which also served as places for ritual ceremonies to honor the deceased ruler, with offerings of rich funeral gifts. The tombs constituted underground temples of heroes, and have thus become known as heroons. Approximately fifty such tombs have been discovered in Thracian mounds in Bulgaria up to the present time.
The Kosmatka Tomb, Kazanlak

In the summer of 2004 a team of Bulgarian archeologists unearthed a large, intact Thracian mausoleum dating back from the fifth century BC near the central Bulgarian town of Shipka. "This is probably the richest tomb of a Thracian king ever discovered in Bulgaria. Its style and its making are entirely new to us as experts," said Georgy Kitov, the head of the team. "This unique find will broaden our knowledge of the masterful goldsmith skills of the Thracians", he told AFP. According to Kitov, the mausoleum "features an incredible architecture and is laden with golden, silver, bronze and earthenware objects." The tomb probably dates back from the times of the dynasty founded by Seutus III and includes a 13-meter (40-foot) corridor leading to three rooms, one of them a huge granite block hollowed out to form a death chamber, its floor strewn with more than 70 gold, silver, bronze and clay objects. Inside one of the rooms the team found a golden crown of oak leaves and acorns, the first such object found in a Thracian temple. Also found were a complete bronze body armor adorned with goddesses, a sword with a gold-studded pommel, crafted ceramics and three big wine amphoras. The tomb is equipped with a marble door on the second chamber decorated with a female head and the God Apollo.


The big Arsenalka Tomb, Kazanlak

The Kazanluk Tomb in south Bulgaria is famous for its beautiful wall paintings of the early 3rd century BC, one of the most unique masterpieces of Early Hellenistic pictorial art. Despite the small surface containing the decorative friezes, the unknown artist has created an exceptional work of art. This tomb was built during the reign of king Seuthes III, either for him personally or for close relatives among the nobility.
The facade of a tomb 5th - 4th sentury BC.
Mogila Goliama Arsenalka near Sheinovo, Kazanlak.

Sveshtari Tomb

It is situated 2,5 km south-west of Sveshtari (a village 42 km north-east of Razgrad). Uncovered during excavations of a sepulchral mound. Dating back, in approximation, to the first half of the 3rd century BC. The central camera of the vault is rich in decoration - it is designed as a facade of a temple with the image of a horseman, being bestowed with a golden wreath by a goddess, and a religious procession; on three of the walls - a high relief with 10 stone statues of clad women figures. The funeral rites, the building technique, the architectural design and the decoration, distinguished for Hellenistic models, provide evidence that a Thracian ruler has been buried there.

Helvetia Tomb, Shipka

On July 29, 1996 a Thracian tomb of the 4th century BC was uncovered near the town of Shipka, in the south foothills of the Balkan Range. Large regular stones were used to build the tomb, situated five meters underground. The metal part of a Roman soldier's shoe found at the site indicates that the tomb may have been plundered as early as in Roman times. The Shipka Tombs are seven in total on an area of Central Bulgaria considered to have been the Valley of the Thracian Kings.
Thracian temple - dromos and facade


Satyr on a bronze situla 4th century BC.
Small Shipka tomb, Kazanlak region.
Museum of History, Kazanlak.





Starossel Tomb

Teams of Bulgarian archeologists have made phenomenal discoveries in the summer of year 2000. One of the major discoveries was the grave of what is believed to be a Thracian ruler. The site, at the village of Starossel near Plovdiv in southern Bulgaria, has been dated from the forth or fifth century BC. The two-chamber grave is approached by monumental stairs and a corridor. It is surrounded by a wall made out of some 4 000 stone blocks and was hidden under a 20-meter high mound of earth. Within, archeologists found a magnificent trove of relics, including a large gold funerary wreath, other gold jewelry, bronze shields, helmets and swords, and two sets of silver decorations for horses. The grave and its surroundings are also thought to have been an important religious site for Thracians. THRACIAN TOMBS in BULGARIA at Motoroads.com

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Golden Mask of a Thracian king

Archeologists have discovered a 2,400-year-old golden mask that was likely made for a Thracian monarch's funeral. The mask depicts a full face with moustache and beard. The rare artifact is made of 600 grams of solid gold and "is without paragon in archeology," according to Georgi Kitov and his team that unearthed the find in the summer of 2004 near the village of Shipka, in the so-called Valley of Thracian Kings. The mask may belong to King Seutus III, the Thracian king who ruled in the fifth century BC. Besides the mask, archeologists also found a golden ring showing a rower, and many bronze and silver vessels. No remains have been found but archeologists continue to excavate the tomb.
Panagyurishte Treasure

While digging for clay for brick-making near the town of Panagyurishte in Sredna Gora mountain of central Bulgaria, a team of workmen came upon what was obviously an important treasure. When finally unearthed, it was found to consist of a phial and eight rhytons, one shaped like an amphora and the others like heads of women or animals. Dated to the turn of the fourth and third century BC, the find was sensational, not only for its weight in gold - over 6 kg, but also for the originality of its forms.

Rogozen Treasure


The Rogozen treasure, called the find of the century, was also discovered by chance. In this case the finder was a tractor driver, who in the autumn of 1985 was digging a trench in his garden when he discovered a collection of sixty-five silver receptacles. On January 6, 1986, in a second trench near the first one, a hundred more receptacles were found by the archaeologists of the local museum. The treasure consists of hundred and eight phials, fifty-four jugs and three goblets. All the objects are silver and some with a golden gilt. Their total weight is twenty kilograms.
The ornamentation, embossed in relief, is different in every case. This variety of motifs and decorative elements makes the Rogozen Treasure an invaluable source of information for the fifth and fourth centuries, BC.Several of these pieces seem to had been imported, but most were made in Thracia.

Vulchitrun Treasure


The treasure was discovered by accident on 18 December 1924 by two brothers who were deep-ploughing their field four kilometers from the village of Vulchitran, Pleven district. The ploughmen stumbled across 13 gold objects at a depth of about 40-cm. It consists of 13 vessels - a large, deep vessel with two handles, one big and three small cups with one handle each, two big and five smaller discs. All items are made of solid gold, the total weight is 12.425 kg. The vessels were used in cult ceremonies. This treasure is the most remarkable example of the art of the Later Bronze Age in Thracia (XIII-XII c. BC).

Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis

The Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis which experts qualify as
"the world's oldest gold" and a trace of "Europe's most ancient civilization" was a sensational discovery. It is situated about 500m to the north of Lake Varna and about 4 km to the west of the downtown. In 294 graves were discovered more than 3000 golden objects dating back 6000 years. In Hall 6 of Varna Museum of History is exhibited the whole inventory from some of the most significant graves. On both sides of the entrance are represented the graves with masks of human faces shaped out on spot and appliquéd with gold plates. The rich variety of funeral utensils going along with the dead is best illustrated by two of the symbolic graves / No 4 and No 36/. In grave No 4 have been found two unique vessels where the typical for the time decoration of strongly stylized geometrical symbols is fulfilled in golden paint.
Borovo Treasure

At the end of December 1974 another treasure, dated from the first half of the fourth century BC, came to light at Borovo. It consists of luxurious five-vessel drinking set. Three of them are rhytons ending in the protomes of a horse, a bull, and a sphinx. The fourth is a large two-handled bowl in the center of which a deer attacked by a griffin is depicted in relief. The fifth is a richly ornamented silver jugglet, with two bands in relief depicting scenes connected with the cult of Dionysus. On the upper frieze the god is tearing animals to pieces, and chasing satyrs or being chased by them. We can see Dionysus with Ariadne, standing out in a poetic dream. On the lower part the god marries Ariadne, who unbinds her belt The treasure bears an inscription in Greek letters with the name of the Thracian King Kotys I who reigned the Odryssaean Kingdom from 383 to 359 BC and that of the craftsman Etbeos.
Loukovit Treasure


The treasure of Loukovit must have been buried in the period of the Macedonian rule in Thrace, perhaps during the reign of Alexander the Great, when he was crossing the lands of the Tribally. It was dated to the second half of the fourth century BC. The treasure consists of three small pitchers, nine phials and a large number of silver appliqués, decorated with animal motifs and figures of horsemen. On two of them a lion with gilded mane attacks a stag whose legs are folded under the body. The artifacts are the work of different craftsmen which shows that it was brought together gradually and also proves the rich artistic life in the northern Thracian lands in the fourth century BC.
Vratsa Treasure from Mogilanska Mound

The treasure of Vratsa from the Mogilanska mound comprised three tombs which were yielded , during 1965-66 excavations in the heart of the city. Two were plundered back in antiquity, and the third contained a funeral of a man and a woman, one of the richest to be discovered in Thrace. There are several striking artifacts among the multitude of gold and silver objects intended to serve the deceased in the next life. A silver cone-shaped pitcher suggests that the dead were initiated into the Dionysian cult, since the cone was a symbol of Dionysus. The gold laurel wreath and earrings show remarkable sophistication and craftsmanship. The gold pitcher is interesting with its handle fashioned like a Herculean knot which is right over the plume-ornamented bodies of the two chariots drawn by four horses each. Since the chariot is always a symbol of the sun god, many scholars believe that the chariot driver is Apollo - the principle god of the Tribally. Here a unique knee-piece with a female head figure was found. Knee-pieces were part of ancient warriors' protective armor and were intended to protect legs. A perfectly symmetrical, framed by an intricate coiffure and crowned with a gilded ivy wreath human face covers the kneecap. There are bird-shaped earrings, with two serpents outlining the face in the background. In the lower part, their bodies blend into those of roaring lions, whose heads lock right under the chin. Another two serpents on the knee-piece have promotes that blend into griffin lions.
Letnitsa Treasure

Letnitsa treasure dates back to 400 - 350 BC. It was found in a bronze vessel and like many treasures was an accidental discovery. It consists of a bit, a headstall and small pierced silver plaques, part of harness. Each appliqués has a ring on its back, through which the strap fastening is passed.
What is new about this treasure are the twenty-four square or rectangular scenes of mythology or of everyday life. For the first time in these appliqués a human figure is used for a horse trappings adornment. According to the depicted subject the appliqués may be divided into two groups: appliqués representing a fight between animals and others with mythological scenes. THRACIAN TREASURES in Bulgaria

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Culture


The Bulgarian lands have rich and most diverse cultural heritage. Inhabited since prehistoric times, they keep lasting traces from different ages with rich traditions. Their location on a crossroads explains the intertwining, mixing, the mutual influences of the culture, mores, and religions of tribes and peoples, having lived and crisscrossed the region. Getting in touch with the thousands of cultural messages, bequeathed to us by those living before us is very exciting indeed. Invaluable is the cultural and historical heritage of ancient Thracians, Greeks, Romans, of generations of Bulgarians leaving through their achievements intriguing and useful information about their lifestyle, traditions and their spiritual enlightenment.
One of the earliest traces from Antiquity were found in the Bacho Kiro Cave close to the Dryanovo Monastery. These are flint and bone implements of labour and pottery from the middle and late Paleolithic Age. Of value to science are the finds from the settlement mounds near the village of Hotnitsa (Hotnitsa treasure) and the village of Karanovo (Karanovo settlement mound). The gold objects found in the Varna Chalcolithic necropolis have been described as the oldest processed gold in the world. The most ancient copper mines in Europe have been found in the vicinities of Stara Zagora. Copper ore had been mined in their galleries as far back as at the end of the millennium B.C. and copper products were made. Featuring among the preserved masterpieces of the late prehistoric art in the Balkan Peninsula are the unique cave drawings in the Magoura Cave (northwest of Belogradchik).
Among the most precious relics unearthed in the Bulgarian lands has been the cultural heritage of the Thracians, who had produced incredible artistic and architectural masterpieces. The Thracian art, passing through a long and complicated path of development from the beginning of the late Bronze Age to the end of Antiquity has left remarkable treasures, temples, sanctuaries and cities.
The magnificence of the Thracian treasures is stunning. Standing out among them are the Panagyurishte gold treasure, the Rogozen treasure, the Vulchitrun gold treasure, the Borovo silver treasure, the Vratsa treasure, etc. Valuable and beautiful with their exquisite decorations are also the Kralevsko gold treasure, the Letnitsa treasure, the Lukovit treasure.
Listed among the favourite sites of cultural tourism in Bulgaria are the Kazanluk tomb and the Sveshtari tomb, included in the list of the UNESCO-protected world cultural heritage. Of interest is the Alexandrovo tomb (near the village of Alexandrovo, Haskovo region) with valuable murals, the Mezek Thracian tomb (Haskovo region). Intriguing details of the building technique and artistic methods from Antiquity can also be identified in the remains of the royal Thracian cities of Kabile (in the vicinity of Yambol) and Seuthopolis (under the waters of the Koprinka Dam near Kazanluk), as well as in the Greek Black Sea coast colonies of Odessos (Varna), Apollonia (Sozopol), Messembria (Nessebur), Dionysopolis (Balchik), to mention just a few. Quite a few of which developed over old Thracian settlements.
The region of the Kazanluk valley (known as the Valley of Roses) became particularly popular in the 1990s, as new tombs were unearthed there, presenting the evolution of the Thracian culture in the century BC. Bulgaria and the world started to speak about the Valley of the Thracian kings.
During the last few years the findings of the Bulgarian archaeologists have been bordering on sensations. Enormous interest has been shown in the Starosel Thracian cult centre (near Hissarya, Plovdiv region), in Perperikon (by the side of Kurdzhali, in the eastern parts of the Rhodope Mountains), where a rock-built sacred city of the Thracians has been unearthed, in Tatoul, in the treasures of Zlatinitsa and Sinemorets.
Traces of structures from Roman times can be identified to this day: fortress walls and forums, temples and thermae, amphitheatres, stadiums and buildings of various assignment in the ancient cities of Philipopolis/Trimontium (present-day Plovdiv), Serdica (present-day Sofia), Odessos (present-day Varna), Pautalia (present-day Kyustendil), Diocletianopolis (present-day Hissarya), Abritus (present-day Razgrad), Nicopolis ad Istrum (north of Veliko Turnovo), Nicopolis ad Nestrum (east of present-day Gotse Delchev), Novae (next to Svishtov), Sexaginta Prista (present-day Rouse). Many of them, partially restored and adequately presented, give an idea of the skills of the builders and architects of yore. Among the best known are the ancient theatre in Plovdiv, the Roman thermae in Varna, the museum display in the open of Sexaginta Prista in the central part of Rouse, the impressive remains of ancient thermae (the Asclepion of Pautalia) in Kyustendil and many more. Very interesting and highly valuable are the late Antiquity floor mosaics from Augusta Trajana (present-day Stara Zagora), the Roman and early Byzantine mosaics of what had once been Martianopolis (an archaeological reserve), the mosaics in the Mosaics Museum, the only one of its kind, in Devnya. Dated to that same age are: the Silistra vaulted tomb, the Pomorie domed tomb, the Hissarya family tomb, known for its original frescoes.
When in the century A.D. the Christian religion gained equal rights with the rest of the religious confessions, the construction of Christian temples began in the Bulgarian lands. Interesting from a scholarly point of view and very frequented are the early Christian churches of St Sophia and the rotunda of St George in Sofia, the Church of St Sophia (the old Bishopric) in Nessebur, the Chervenata [Red] Church near Perushtitsa and some others.
There is keen and fully justified interest in the cultural and historical monuments that have survived from the time of Danubian Bulgaria, founded by Khan Asparouh. The stunning remains of Pliska and Veliki Preslav (the first and the second capital of Danubian Bulgaria) are living evidence of the traditional building skills, brought by the old Bulgarians. Their grand architecture is kind of a symbol of the political, economic and cultural upsurge of the medieval Bulgarian state. The reign of Simeon the Great, marked by an exceptional political upsurge and the flowering of culture and letters, has been referred to as a Golden Age of Bulgarian Culture.
The Madara Horseman rock relief is the most significant Early Medieval item of Bulgarian monumental art and the only one of its kind in the European cultural history (located near the village of Madara, Shoumen region). It has been included in the list of the world heritage under UNESCO protection.
Veliko Turnovo has been the living symbol of Bulgarian statehood over the ages. It is one of the most visited towns in Bulgaria. Part of the city territory has been declared a museum reserve. The brilliant capital of the Bulgarian Kingdom during the centuries, Turnovo was among the largest cities in terms of area and population in the Southeast Europe of that time. What has survived to date (partially or wholly restored) takes us again to the time of the regal Turnovgrad city, when magnificent palaces, monasteries, churches, fortifications, bridges and big buildings were erected. The flowering of the remarkable Turnovo School of Art was directly related to the economic and political strengthening of the kingdom, with the large-scale construction and intensive literary activities in the royal court, in the bishopric and the monasteries. Among the peak artistic achievements are the book miniatures, some of which can be seen to this day (in the Gospel of Ivan Alexander, the Manases Chronicle, the Tomichov Psalmbook and some others). The most remarkable cultural achievement in the late Middle Ages in Bulgaria and the most remarkable Bulgarian literary phenomenon during the century was the Turnovo Literary School, connected with the activities of Patriarch Euthymius.
Featuring among the cultural monuments that have survived from that period are the murals in some of the Turnovo churches, the icons in the churches in Nessebur and elsewhere. Worthy of special attention are the unique frescoes in the Boyana Church and the Ivanovo rock churches, appreciated for their true value and included in the list of the world cultural heritage under the protection of UNESCO. These indisputable masterpieces of medieval Bulgarian art present to the world the achievements of the Bulgarian creative genius.
Church murals painted during the period of Ottoman domination can be seen in the churches of the Kremikovtsi, Dragalevtsi and some other monasteries in what has been referred to as the Sofia (Small) Mount Atho,s near the city of Sofia; in the Orlitsa Nunnery of the Rila Monastery; in Arbanassi and other churches and monasteries.
The exclusive upsurge in architecture and the fine arts, accompanying the National Revival Period, found expression in the erection of remarkable housing and public buildings, in representative churches and monasteries. The remarkable art schools of Samokov, Tryavna and Bansko came into being in that serene period rife with constructive energy. Their representatives produced extraordinary pieces of woodcarving, icon painting and painting.
Objects of cultural tourism are both a number of settlements and town districts, having preserved the atmosphere of the National Revival period like Koprivshtitsa, the Old Plovdiv, Veliko Turnovo, Arbanassi, Zheravna, Bozhentsi, Tryavna, Bansko, Melnik and some others (some of them have the status of cultural and historical reservations), as well as remarkable monasteries and churches, among which are the Rila, Bachkovo, Troyan, Rozhen, Preobrazhenski [Transfiguration] monasteries, the Church of the Holy Virgin in Pazardzhik, the Church of the Holy Trinity in Bansko and some others. Becoming lively centers of the cultural and socio-political life in the 18th-19th centuries, the Bulgarian monasteries became natural breeding grounds for the spiritual and material creativity of the awakening Bulgarian nation.
The period following Bulgaria Liberation (1878) was characterized by sweeping construction. Urban development plans were made en masse, the town and city centers were shaped, solid buildings of a new, European look were put up, decoration of the urban houses was modernized. Special saloons, deluxe cafes and clubs came into being, where topical matters, associated with the culture and policy of post-liberation Bulgaria were discussed in an agreeable and refined atmosphere. The European influence spread increasingly more tangibly both in the lifestyle and customs of the people and in the architectural outline of the newly built structures. Cities like Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Rouse, Bourgas and others were undergoing rapid and visible changes over the years.
A great number of the present-day Bulgarian cities naturally combine their centuries-long history and the artistic samples from various ages with the living and noisy presence of contemporary life. Some of them are university centers focusing the lively cultural life of our time, while others are fashionable resorts, offering fine conditions for holidaymaking, convenience and entertainment. And no matter where they are located in the mountains, in the fields or at the seaside � they are attractive because of their most varied and unexpected opportunities of cultural tourism in the country.
Bulgarian artists, writers and actors, musicians and singers, architects, scholars and inventors, established or rising, produce the Bulgarian cultural heritage of tomorrow, addressing the spiritual messages of contemporary Bulgaria to the world and the future generations. Having inherited the creative potential of a millennial culture, they produce original musical and verbal images; they mould sculptures and shape new architectural outlines; they create unique paintings, drawings and sculptures. The world is familiar with the outstanding people of art, in which Bulgaria takes deserved pride. Among them are Boris Christov and Nikolai Giaourov, Gena Dimitrova and Raina Kabaivanska, Alexandrina Milcheva and Hristina Angelakova, Mincho Minchev and Mila Georgieva, Vasko Vassilev and Lyudmil Angelov; the choirs The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, Gousla [Rebec] and Yoan Koukouzel, the childrens radio choir and the Bodra Smyana Choir; artists Ivan Milev and Vladimitrov Dimitrov- the Master, Tsanko Lavrenov and Zlatyu Boyadjiev, Zhorzh Papazov and Dimitur Kazakov, Nikola Manev, Vezhdi Rashidov, and Svetlin Rousev.

[Musaka]

Yes,Bulgarians really mixed with Thracians,that is without any doubts..When Bulgarians came on Balkan peninsula they came on Thracians territories,but in now big amount they mixed with them,i don't think that anyone can say that,there were too many movements in that period of time..My opinion is that on Balkan peninsula there is not a single nation for whom you can say that is pure of it's heritage,we are all mixed on some way,cultural,genetical...and thank you for removing my post from this thread,i didn't understand what is going on,not at all

[Sergius]

I moved a bunch of posts from this thread to the Staff forums. People, please, calm down.

[ImperiaBG]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK9OdYvbL7o&feature=related[/media]