The Valchitran Treasure or Vulchitrun Treasure () is an early
Thracian
The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...
treasure.
Discovery
It was discovered on 28 December 1924 by two brothers who were working in their vineyard near the village of
Valchitran, 22 km southeast of
Pleven
Pleven ( ) is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality. It is the biggest economic center in ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
.
Description
The
hoard
A hoard or "wealth deposit" is an archaeological term for a collection of valuable objects or artifacts, sometimes purposely buried in the ground, in which case it is sometimes also known as a cache. This would usually be with the intention of ...
consists of 13 receptacles, different in form and size, and weighs in total 12.5 kg:
* two round platters
* five round domed pieces, two with central handles
* three cups with handles
* a jug with handle
* three leaf shaped vessels with handles
* a bowl with two handles (4.5 kg of gold)
The gold metal has a natural mixture of 9.7%
silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
.
The scientists dated the treasure back to
1300 BC, at the time of the
Thracians
The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...
.
It is now one of the most valuable possessions of the
National Archaeological Museum in
Sofia
Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
.
See also
*
History of Bulgaria
The history of Bulgaria can be traced from the first settlements on the lands of modern Bulgaria to its formation as a nation-state, and includes the history of the Bulgarian people and their origin. The earliest evidence of hominid occupation ...
*
Bronze Age Europe
The European Bronze Age is characterized by bronze artifacts and the use of bronze implements. The regional Bronze Age succeeds the Neolithic Europe, Neolithic and Chalcolithic Europe, Copper Age and is followed by the Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. It ...
*
Dabene Treasure
*
Panagyurishte Treasure
*
Rogozen Treasure
*
Lukovit Treasure
*
Borovo Treasure
Notes
Bibliography
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via- Met Publications*
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*{{cite book , last=Valeva, first= Julia, chapter=Chapter 14: Gold, Silver and Bronze Vessels, title=A Companion to Ancient Thrace , editor1= Valeva, Julia , editor2= Nankov, Emil , editor3= Graninger, Denver, place=Hoboken, publisher=John Wiley & Sons, year= 2015, pages= 197–198
1924 archaeological discoveries
Treasure troves in Bulgaria
History of Pleven Province
Gold objects
Thracian archaeological artifacts
Individual drinking vessels