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Unearthed after 2,500 years, the gold earrings that could have been made yesterday
Last updated at 03:39am on 17.08.08
It's the sort of classic jewellery favoured by modern women except these earrings were worn 2,500 years ago.
An archeologist discovered gold earrings, a ring and other funeral gifts dating back to the 5th century B.C. while excavating a Thracian tomb near the village of Kushare, about 280km from Sofia, Bulgaria.
Some of the oldest examples of gold jewellery and artifacts have been discovered in Bulgaria and it's Black Sea coast is considered the birthplace of the world's metal production.
Thracian bling: The gold earrings discovered during excavations of a tomb in Bulgaria
What are Bulgaria's borders today were part of several ancient civilizations, including Thracian cultures which existed from the 5th millennium BC up to the end of Roman rule.
Bulgarian archeologist Georgi Kitov, who made these discoveries, specializes in Thracian cultures and is well known for his controversial excavation practices, such as using earthmoving machines.
Last year his team unearthed a gold mask belonging to a fourth century B.C. Thracian King in southeastern Bulgaria.
Gold fever: A ring was also found by archaeologist Georgi Kitov
A gold ruff dating back to the 5th century B.C.
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The Thracian Civilization Orphaned Again
Dr. Kitov – In Memoriam
He was the king of the Bulgarian archaeology and a slave of it. Trying to save the Thracian Civilization heritage, almost alone against all treasure hunters, against the bureaucracy of the government and the spiteful critiques of his jealous colleagues. He was one of the last remaining believers in the importance of the science of Thracology and the magnitude of the Thracian Orphism.
With more than 200 publications and books about the Thracian culture, he became famous after discovering the gold mask of Seuth III in 2005, together with a rich burial and cult tomb of the great Thracian King. National Geographic featured him in a sad article about the Bulgarian Gold Rush as the savior of the remaining treasures. Discovery channel filmed him while unearthing the next gold mask in 2007 in a typical Orphic burial. Sites as Alexandrovo Tomb, Kosmatka, Svetitzata, Starosel Cult Complex, and others in the Valley of the Thracian Kings owe him not only the discovery, but also the documentation, publication and preservation of the finds.
- Rossitza Ohridska-Olson, Pompano Beach, USA, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
