Agricultural work in the Plovdiv region of southern Bulgaria has brought to light an assemblage of thirty gold and silver objects of exceptional richness, dated to the 2nd century BCE. This Thracian treasure, discovered at a depth of less than one metre in a cereal field, constitutes one of the most important archaeological finds from the Thracian world in several decades. It is now conserved at the National History Museum in Sofia, where it is being subjected to thorough analysis by a team of Bulgarian and foreign specialists1.

The Thracians, warrior people and consummate craftspeople

The Thracians were a vast group of Indo-European peoples who inhabited the region corresponding to modern Bulgaria, northern Greece, and European Turkey, from at least the 2nd millennium BCE until their gradual absorption into the Roman and Byzantine worlds. Despite their importance in ancient sources, the Thracians left no written records of their own, making archaeological finds of this type particularly precious. Their princely tombs and precious metal votive deposits are among the most spectacular of the European Iron AgeIron AgeThe last period of protohistory (from c. 1200 BC in Europe and the Near East), marked by iron metallurgy and the first kingdoms.→.

Panagyurishte Treasure, Thracian gold rhytons from the 4th century BCE
The Panagyurishte Treasure, discovered in Bulgaria in 1949, is the most celebrated ensemble of Thracian goldsmithery. The new Plovdiv region treasure fits within the same aristocratic tradition. (Credit: Spiritia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)

The most remarkable piece in the Plovdiv treasure is a pair of silver-gilt rhytons representing animal protomes: the chest of a leaping stag and the forequarters of a galloping horse. These ritual libation vessels, from which liquid flowed through a spout at the base of the animal head, are characteristic of Thracian aristocracy of the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. The repoussé scenes decorating the bodies of the rhytons represent hunting episodes and mythological figures that specialists have yet to identify precisely2.

Inscribed phialai and a context of crisis

Among the thirty objects in the deposit are also six silver phialai, the libation bowls characteristic of Greek and Thracian religious rite. Four of them bear inscriptions engraved in the Greek alphabet that may record the names of their Thracian owners or dedicate the objects to a deity. The reading of these inscriptions is ongoing and may yield precious information about the identity of the Thracian elite members who owned these objects.

Thracian silver phiale with floral and zoomorphic decorations
Thracian silver phiale with repoussé decorations. Similar bowls were found in the new Plovdiv region treasure, some bearing inscriptions in the Greek alphabet. (Credit: Wmpearl, CC0, Wikimedia Commons)

The dating of the treasure to the 2nd century BCE corresponds to a period of strong political instability in the Thracian world. This century saw the growing expansion of Roman power in the Balkans, the pressure of Celtic peoples coming from the west, and internal conflicts between rival Thracian dynasties for control of the Odrysian kingdom. The concealment of the treasure in a field at shallow depth and without an apparent marker is typical of deposits made in emergency situations by owners seeking to secure their possessions against an immediate threat3.

Thracian goldsmithery, an unparalleled artistic legacy

The Plovdiv treasure is part of a long tradition of exceptional discoveries in Bulgaria. From the Vulchitrun treasure (Bronze AgeBronze AgeA protohistoric period following the Neolithic, defined by bronze metallurgy (a copper-tin alloy) and the rise of the first cities and states; in Egypt it corresponds to the age of the first pyramids.→, 14th-13th century BCE), through the Panagyurishte treasure (4th century BCE, nine solid gold vessels), the Rogozen treasure (more than 165 silver pieces), and the numerous Thracian princely tombs excavated in the "Valley of Thracian Kings" at Kazanlak, Bulgaria is one of the richest countries in the world for ancient metal treasures. This concentration is explained by the presence in the Balkans of rich gold and silver ore deposits that fed Thracian goldsmiths' workshops since the Early Bronze Age.

Thracian tomb of Kazanlak with wall paintings from the Valley of Thracian Kings
The Thracian tomb of Kazanlak, famous for its wall paintings depicting feasting and cavalry scenes. The "Valley of Thracian Kings" in Bulgaria is one of the richest concentrations of Iron Age funerary monuments in Europe. (Credit: Edal Anton Lefterov, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)

The technical quality of the Plovdiv treasure objects testifies to a very high level of craftsmanship. The repoussé work on the rhytons shows perfect mastery of the metal, with reliefs of a fineness that rivals the finest contemporary Hellenistic productions. Non-destructive X-ray fluorescence analysis of the silver alloy compositions indicates the use of very high-purity silver, probably from Thracian mines in eastern Thrace or Macedonia.

The ritual interpretation of these treasures remains at the centre of scholarly debate. Some see them as simple accumulations of wealth concealed in troubled times, while others, drawing on ancient sources describing Thracian religious practices, interpret them as sacred votive deposits. The joint presence of libation vessels (rhytons and phialai) and equestrian harness elements in the Plovdiv treasure is characteristic of an assemblage linked to Thracian aristocratic ceremonies centred on the horse and wine, two essential elements of religion and power in this culture.