Near-perfect bronze-covered Thracian chariot uncovered near Nova Zagora
Sofia Echo, 24.11.2008
Archaeologists in
Nova Zagora, south-eastern Bulgaria, have uncovered an
1800-year-old bronze-covered chariot. The chariot is thought to have belonged to a Thracian aristocrat. Found at a dig site at the Iztochna Mogila (Eastern Mogila, “mogila” being the word for a Thracian burial hill) near the village of Karanovo, the chariot is in near-perfect condition, with its four, 1.5-metre wheels and seating area “lavishly ornamented”.
On the bronze-plated wooden chariot are scenes from
Thracian mythology, including figures of the god Eros with outspread wings, a jumping panther and a carving of a mythological animal with the body of a panther and the tail of a dolphin, archaeologist Vesselin Ignatov said in various articles.
Also found in tomb, thought to date to the first to third century CE, were the wealthy Thracian himself, buried alongside his belonging, which included well-preserved wooden and leather objects, some of which were thought to be horse harnesses.
This is the second four-wheeled chariot to have been found in the Nova Zagora region, with the first being found in August 2008.