site.btaPanagyurishte Marks 75th Anniversary Thracian Golden Treasure's Discovery

A large audience gathered Wednesday evening at the Panagyurishte Memorial House Theater on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the discovery of the Panagyurishte Treasure.

"When we check the internet, the most common words associated with Panagyurishte are treasure and freedom," the town Mayor Zhelyazko Gagov began his address. He stressed that the treasure carries a strong message to be proud Bulgarians. "We owe the honour of its discovery here to three brothers before whom the treasure revealed itself, three brothers [It was accidentally discovered by three brothers, Pavel, Petko, and Michail Deikov] with honest hands who are sending us a message," Gagov added and invited the audience to applaud the descendants of the Deikov brothers who were among the guests at the event. "This treasure is like connective threads, like a circulatory system that runs through us so that we can hear the voice of our blood and remember who we are," the Mayor of Panagyurishte municipality added.

At the ceremony, the participants in the competitions for essay, drawing and video dedicated to the Panagyurishte Treasure were awarded.

The documentary film "The Thracian Treasure - The Embrace of the Gods", specially prepared on the occasion of the anniversary, was also presented.

The programme continues on Thursday with a scientific conference on the Panagyurishte Treasure, hosted by the town's museum of history.

The celebrations of the anniversary of the discovery of the Panagyurishte Treasure are held under Vice President Iliana Iotova's auspices.

The richest of Thracians treasures, the Panagyurishte Gold Treasure was discovered on December 8, 1949 by three brothers, Pavel, Petko, and Michail Deikov, tile workers from the town of Panagyurishte, Central Bulgaria. The treasure consists of nine gold vessels with a total weight of 6.100 kg: four rhyta shaped like animal heads, three decanters in the form of a female head, a phial (a shallow dish) and an amphora-rhyton with centaurs-formed handles. The amount of precious metal, originality of shapes and ornamentation, and the exquisite craftsmanship suggest that we are dealing with a truly royal collection. It is believed to have belonged to an unknown Thracian ruler of the Odryssian tribe who reigned at the end of IV c. and the beginning of III c. B. C.