
Continue reading Coin that confirm is Orpheus Bulgarian
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The Roman figurine confirms the hypothesis that this was the ancient singer’s sanctuary i have talked you about in my previous post ( Tatul - the possible tomb of Orpheus ). A unique Roman bronze statuette of Orpheus was discovered during archaeological excavations near the village of Tatul, Momchilgrad region. The figurine dates back to the end of 1-2 century AD. “We are talking about a wonderful figurine of a man with a specific hairdo and excellent proportions of the body. His left hand rests on a lyre and he holds a plectrum in his right hand,” explained for Standart daily Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov from the Museum of Archaeology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) who heads the team of experts working near Tatul.
Continue reading Bronze Statuette of Orpheus Discovered in Bulgaria

For more than a century already, archaeologists have searched for the remains of the famous temple where Dionysus had an oracle. It is believed that, when made, the discovery will be as important as that of Troy and Mycenae. Very little is known about the temple today and the only thing which is know for sure is that it was in the Holy Rhodope mountains.
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus is the main source of information about the temple of Dionysus. In his famous History, Herodotus gives an account of the march of Xerxes’ immense army on Greece in 480 BC. As the huge invasion force was slowly making its way along the Aegean coast, many Thracian tribes sent envoys to pledge their allegiance to Xerxes. Only the Satrians, who inhabited the Rhodope, chose to ignore him: “The Satrians however never yet became obedient to any man, so far as we know, but they remain up to my time still free, alone of all the Thracians. […] These are they who possess the Oracle of Dionysus; which Oracle is on their most lofty mountains. Of the Satrians those who act as prophets of the temple are the Bessians.” Indeed, the Satrians went down in later historical accounts as Bessians.
Continue reading The Temple of Dionysus on Holy Mount Rhodope