Varna Necropolis
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The Varna Necropolis (Bulgarian: Варненски некропол) is a burial site in the western industrial part of Varna (approximately half a kilometre from Lake Varna), Bulgaria.
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[edit] Discovery and excavation
The site was accidentally discovered in October 1972 by excavator operator Raycho Marinov. Research excavation was under the direction of M. Lazarov (1972-1976) and I. Ivanov (1972-1991) until 1991.
294 graves have been found in the necropolis, many containing sophisticated examples of metallurgy (gold and copper).
[edit] Chronology
The graves have been dated to 3500-3200 BC (4600-4200 BC radiocarbon dating) and belong to the Eneolithic Varna culture, which is the local variant of the KGKIV.
[edit] Burial customs
There are crouched and extended inhumations. Some graves do not contain a skeleton, but grave gifts cenotaphs). Interestingly, the symbolic (empty) graves are the richest in gold artifacts. 3000 golden artifacts were found, with a weight of approximately 6 kilograms. Grave 4 grave contained more gold than has been found in the entire rest of the world for that epoch. Three symbolic graves contained masks of unburmt clay.
[edit] External links
- Varna Archaelogical Museum contains many of the Varna Necropolis artifacts.
- Varna Necropolis Cultural Tourism page on the Golden Sands Resort web site.
[edit] References
- Bahn, Paul G. ed. 100 Great archaeological discoveries (New York: Barnes & Noble, 1995) (No. 34).
- Bogucki, Peter, Pam J. Crabtree eds. Ancient Europe: an Encyclopedia of the Barbarian World, 8000 B.C. – A.D. 1000 (New York: Scribners, 2004) (p. 341).
- Ivanov, I., M. Avramova. Varna Necropolis (Sofia, 2000).
- A. Fol/J. Lichardus (eds.), Macht, Herrschaft und Gold: das Graberfeld von Varna (Bulgarien) und die Anfänge einer neuen europäischen Zivilisation. Saarbrücken, Moderne Galerie des Saarland-Museums 1988.
