Bulgaria’s ancient Thracian heritage was thrust into the spotlight in 2004 with a number of key archaeological discoveries in the so-called Valley of the Thracian Kings. A team of Bulgarian archaeologists, led by Professor Georgi Kitov, discovered a 2400-year old golden mask in the tomb of an ancient Thracian king on August 19. The mask bears the image of a human face and is made of 500 grams of solid gold. The discovery was made near the town of Shipka, in the heart of the Stara Planina Mountain. Dozens of Thracian mounds are spread throughout this region, which archaeologists have called ‘the Bulgarian valley of the kings,’ a reference to the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, which is home to the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs.
“The unique mask looks even better than the famous image of King Agamemnon, the Greek anti-hero described by Homer in the Iliad,” Kitov said after making the discovery. “This is the first Thracian mask of solid gold ever found,” he said. Previously, archaeologists had only found masks covered with golden foil.
Continue reading The 2400 year old Golden Mask of Thracian king found by Georgi Kitov
