site.bta Bronze Applique of Dionysus Discovered during Archaeological Dig near Skutare

A bronze appliquе of the god Dionysus was discovered by archaeologists near the south-central village of Skutare on Monday, said Elena Bozhinova, head of the field research.

The archaeologists are investigating a multi-layered provincial settlement located just outside Plovdiv, which is dated to 6000 BC. The studied settlement is thought to have been agrarian in nature, with a rural population. It was not distinguished by luxury household items, which is why the finds at the site are few in number. However, the settlement was located near the richest city in Thrace, Philippopolis, and the people who lived near today's Skutare used to visit the city, said Bozhinova.

The appliquе is 15 centimetres high and was most likely attached to a chariot. Dionysus is represented upright, with a panther next to him. The applique is well made, and the material is very well preserved, noted Bozhinova, adding that the metal in all objects from Skutare is very well preserved, which might be due to a feature of the soil.

The excavations at the site in 2024 were organized by the Plovdiv Regional Archaeological Museum and completed on August 9, with archaeologists finding seven new wells, bringing the total number for the investigated settlement to 22 wells. “The most pleasant surprise for me was that this part of the settlement was intensively inhabited during the Middle Bronze Age”, said Bozhinova. She pointed out that the experts already have a clear idea of ​​how the terrain was settled and what the layout of the settlement must have looked like during the Middle Bronze Age, the Middle Ages and the Roman period.

Bozhinova said that they intend to participate in the traditional Bulgarian Archeology exhibition at the National Archaeological Institute with Museum, which presents the most attractive objects and finds in Bulgaria for each year. In 2023, they already participated with 16 objects from the site in Skutare.