Thracians

Japanese tourists are intrigued by the opportunity to visit Bulgaria and get acquainted with the masterpieces of Thracian culture, according to BNR.

 This became clear after the meeting of Bulgarian Minister of Tourism Stela Baltova with the chairman of the Japan-Southeast Europe Business Association Kihachiro Nishiura.

A large number of artifacts from the Thracian civilization have been unearthed during archaeological excavations which have been continuing for 16 years in the northwestern province of Tekirda?. 

The excavation of the largest unstudied Thracian mound in Bulgaria and the Balkan peninsula will begin in May.

The Thracian mound of Maltepe, is located near the village of Manole, fifteen kilometres from the city of Plovdiv.

The final aim of the project, which is worth BGN 1.6 M, is to establish an archaeological centre with an open-air museum.

Specialists from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein will familiarise themselves with the history of the ancient Thracian city of Perperikon near the Bulgarian town of Kardzhali.

This will be done within the framework of the "Perperikon - past and future" project, which will be realised next year.

Around a dozen men and a woman stand knee-deep in the waters of the Tundzha River in central Bulgaria, looking for specks of goldMore than 2,000 years after the ancient Thracians crafted their exquisite jewelry from gold deposits in Bulgaria, hundreds are combing its rivers again in the hope of striking it rich in the EU's poorest country.

The numerous Thracian gold treasures, which have been excavated in Bulgaria over the years, have unleashed a gold rush in the country.

In the past years, more and more Bulgarians have started searching the country's rivers for specks of the precious metal, a recent article by AFP claims.

Crucial findings in ancient Heraion-Teikhos in Turkey's Thracian province of Tekirda?, which illuminates the life of the ancient Thracian people, are being threatened by illegal treasure hunters, according to the head of the excavations in the field. 

The Epic of the Thracian Kings exhibition which was hosted by the Louvre in France is considered to be one of the best exhibitions for this year, a French magazine has said.

A rare Byzantine gold coin dating back to the 11th century has been found in the ancient city of Perperikon, the renowned Bulgarian archaeologist Nikolay Ovcharov revealed on Sunday.

The coin made of 23-carat gold is depicting Byzantine Emperor Basil II (976-1025) and his younger brother Emperor Constantine VIII (1025-1028).

The Thracian treasures, which had been on exhibition at the Louvre museum since April, returned to Bulgaria late on Wednesday.

The return of the treasure was carried out under strict security measures, with its arrival at the airport and transportation to the National Historical Museum (NIM) being heavily guarded, private bTV station reports.