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coin which confirm that Orpheus is Bulgarian
Unique coin with the face of the Rome’s emperor Caracalla and Orpheus at the other side holding tunic is one of the hottest topic, because of the fact that she confirm the theory that Orpheus is Bulgarian. He is standing on caves that are symbolizing the Rhodopes and is performing with lyre, propped up on his left knee. This coin has been found by treasure-hunter 18 years ago, but subsequently has been redempted by famous businessman, who gave it to Nikolai Ovcharov’s archaeological expedition, that is working up on the studies at the Thracian settlement near the village of Tatul. As Nikolai Ovcharov says, this bronze coin confirm that Orpheus has Bulgarian and not Greek provenance. The fact that this coin has been mint at Philipopolis (nowadays Plovdiv) is proof that till the Roman epoch Orpheus has been one of the divinities of the city and the near centers in the eastern Rhodopes. There is only one coin like this. The rare copies are from the time of emperors Antoninus Pius, Geta and Caracalla. At these from Pii and Geta, Orpheus is surrounded from listening to his music animals, when at the coins from Caracalla the musician is siting on cave, symbolizing the Rhodopes.
Professor Ovcharov explain the parentage of the coin with the authorization on behalf of Rome at 2-3 century of the submissive cities to stamp their own coins. At one of the faces is binding force to be placed the effigy of the emperor, at the other- image of representative local cult. In this way from the Philipopolis mint of coins are observed a number of local cults- the one of the inclined river god Hebrus up on caves, which are the Rhodopes, and often aside of him is the goddess of the city with scepter. That emperor Antoninus Pius’s coins are some of the most interesting ones- they are presenting herself goddess Rhodopa, marked with name. She is presenting beautiful woman, siting on cave, that is symbolizing the great mountain. At her hands she is holding the flower, as known as “Haberlea Rhodopensis” - the Orpheus’s flower. Often on the coins are given local landmarks - various temples, and very often are shown the two most famous ones, Apollon and Hermes among to their statues at full size.



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» Orpheus The Poet of Rhodope Mountains
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2 Comments for "Coin that confirm is Orpheus Bulgarian"


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Tianks said:

Thrace, as a geographicalerm, does not coincide with one particular perople, since it was not inhabited solely by Thracians in antiquity. The Thracians had migrated to Southeastern Europe after the Greeks, after the middle of the second millenium B.C. and in particular in the 12th century B.C. At the same time, Thracian tribes settled in Asia Minor, especially in Bithynia and the Troad.
Thracian tribes inhabited Central Macedonia until the founding of the kingdom of Macedonia by the Temenids (early 7th century B.C.), at which time they were forced to move eastwards. In the end, the Thracian tribes were resitricted mainly to the northeastern area of the Balkans.
From the 7th century B.C. Greek colonies were founded on the Thracian seashores by colonists from the islands of the Eastern Aegean and the Ionian city-states of Asia Minor, a fact which led to more intense mutual influence between the Greeks and Thracians throughout the historical period.
In the Classical Period, the great kingdom of the Odrysians, which covered at its height the area from the Strymon River to the Black Sea and from the Aegean to the Danube, was created. The Odrysian kings were subjugated in 342 B.C. by the Macedonians, and after the fall of the kingdom of Macedonia in 168 B.C., became subject to the Romans.
In 47 B.C. the kingdom of the Odrysians was terminated and Thrace became established as a Roman province. During the Hellenistic and Roman tribes, the diaspora of the Thracian tribes due to movement elsewhere and service in the Roman army produced the final disappearance of the Thracians and their ethnic and cultural assimilation. After the hellenization of the main area of Thrace, the romanization of its northern areas followed. The subsequent spreading of Christianity contributed to the full integration of these populations into the Greco-Roman world.

September 10th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
prasov said:

What do Thracians have to do with the Tataric (turkic)tribe of Bulgarians?

November 12th, 2008 at 12:31 am

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