site.btaProf. Nikolay Ovcharov to Present Newly Discovered Thracian Altars for Blood Sacrifices and Divination at Perperikon

Newly discovered Thracian altars for blood sacrifices and divination will be presented on Wednesday at Perperikon, the ancient Thracian city in the Eastern Rhodopi Mountains, Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, head of excavations at the site for nearly 25 years, told BTA. Ovcharov pointed out that these altars fully prove the fact that the great temple of Dionysus was located in the complex.

"The earliest sacrifices were made 3000-3200 years ago, at the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age," the archaeologist explained, adding: "One of the altars is from the Roman era and with it we have the opportunity to reconstruct the way in which a sacrifice was made. Most likely sacrifices of small animals, goats and sheep",.

Ovcharov will report on half of this year's studies in Perperikon, which are some of the most large-scale ones thanks to a BGN 500,000 subsidy from the State.

Ovcharov  also noted that there are very interesting interim results. The southern quarter, which has not been explored since 2016, has been found to be saturated with buildings associated with various cults. The first altars are from the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age. Later, in the Roman era, several temples appeared until the 5th-6th century, when, after the adoption of Christianity, the great basilica of Perperikon was built.