Archaeologists in Varna Study First Indo-Europeans on Bulgarian Lands

BTA correspondent Mila Edreva, Filip Pavlov

Salvage excavations near the village of Vetrino in Varna Region, Northeast Bulgaria (BTA Photo/Danail Voykov)

Varna, on the Black Sea,

15.07.2024 16:24

(BTA)

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Archeologists are studying the first Indo-Europeans who lived on Bulgarian lands through salvage excavations near the village of Vetrino in Varna Region (Northeast Bulgaria), Assoc. Prof. Stefan Alexandrov, Vice-President of the National Archaeological Institute with Museum (NAIM) at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, told BTA on Monday. The excavations are financed by Bulgartransgaz EAD, since the mound falls on a route part of its network.

Alexandrov said that the studied mound necropolis is from the Early Bronze Age, around the end of the 4th to 3rd millennium BC. In this mound, scientists have studied 15 structures, 12 of which graves. The other three are related to activities that take place before, during or after burial. "We know almost nothing about these people, they lived here 5,000 years ago and had no writing", said Alexandrov.

The excavations carried out so far show that there is one central grave in the mound, around which the other graves are arranged in the form of an arc. In the central grave the scientists found two silver pendants, which suggests that the man buried there had a high social status during his lifetime. "In fact, we are currently studying the first Indo-Europeans, the people who started the Indo-Europeanization of Southeast Europe and beyond", Alexandrov noted.

At this stage, it cannot be said whether the buried people are men or women, added NAIM expert restorer Rositsa Manova. "The bodies were covered with red pigment, which is of special interest to scientists, as such colourings were quite deliberately placed, apparently a ritual practice", she pointed out. Manova noted that the scientists also found traces of a ritual with burning logs alternating with stones.

Scientists attribute the large number of mounds in this area in Varna Region to the extremely suitable geographical conditions, as studies have shown that ancient people were cattle breeders who ate mainly dairy products and meat.

/MR/