As we have learned from an article in the SEGA newspaper, dated Aug.25th 2001, the ancient Thracian tombs in Bulgaria are over 15,000. Unfortunately, only 1000 are explored by scientific expeditions. All the other 14,000 tombs have been plundered by treasure-hunters. Hundreds of thousands of USD leave Bulgaria as priceless and forever lost historical and architectural heritage.This year, after the discovery done in June by the team of Dr.Kostadin Kissov near the village of Chernozem, today we are reading in Maritsa newspaper about the next archaeological discovery connected to the Thracians, near the town of Peshtera.Near the Chernozem village, the Plovdiv archaeologists discovered one of the earliest burials of a Thracian aristocrat, buried with his horse into the riches necropolis of Odryssaen Kings, dated 5th century AD. Unfortunately, the central chamber had already been plundered by treasure-hunters. The scientists found a whole tunnel the mound, dug by excavator, and another one, manually dug.
We learn from today?s issue of the Maritsa newspaper that a huge Thracian sanctuary was found in the Genevra region - not far from the Shiroka Lucka Dam, near the town of Peshtera. The discovery was made during the ?Rhodope 2003 ? The Temple of Dionysus? Expedition, led again by Dr. Konstantin Kissov. The Thracian temple is situated at about 1700 meters altitude and belonged to the Bessae tribe that once populated that part of the planet. Its priests, according to the archaeologists, used to run the famous in the ancient world Temple of the God Dionysus for many centuries. The expedition is sponsored by the Peshtera Winery JSC, and is part of the company?s policy for support of valuable cultural projects within the region. From all the 17 rocky sanctuaries found so far in the Western Rhodope, this is undoubtedly the biggest one.