The Panagyurishte gold treasure is a Thracian treasure dated to the end of the 4th, the beginning of the 3rd century BC. It was found in 1949 two kilometers south of Panagurishte.
The treasure is an exceptionally beautiful golden service with very rich decoration and ornamentation. It is used either for feasts or for religious sacraments and rituals related to Thracian mythology. It consists of nine vessels made of pure gold with a total weight of over 6 kg.
Four of the rhizomes are shaped like heads or as the front of the bodies of animals - a ram, a goat, and two are deer-headed deer. On top of the rhytons are mythological scenes and mythological scenes from ancient Greek mythology. One of the rhythms depicts the solemn feast in honor of Dionysus' wedding with the Princess Ariadne. Three of the pots are bowls shaped like the head of the Amazon. The handles of these jugs are shaped like centaurs-mythological beings with animal body and head of man.
Master craftsmanship also has the found-shaped bowl-shaped bowl. On it are engraved four circles with 24 protruding ornaments in each circle with decreasing size from the edge to the center of the phial. The outermost, and the two smaller, are shaped like nigger heads, and the last innermost circle is made of acorns. Between the rows and the individual elements, the phial is decorated with plant ornaments.
The most interesting in shape and decoration is the large amphorubic vessel. Its handles are shaped like stunning centauri, and the two wine spout openings at the base of the vessel as Negro heads. Between the Negro heads is depicted the figure of the child Heracle, struggling with the serpent. Extremely rich amphora decoration is complemented by masterly crafted scenes from mythology.
The objects of the Panagyurishte treasure are completed as an extremely rich and high artistic value service for ritual gifts. They are of particular importance for the study of the Thracians and their way of life, their ties to Hellenistic culture and similar beliefs.
After the study of the vessels, the archaeologists came up with several hypotheses about the origin of the vessels. The more popular are two: The first is that the objects were made in the town of Lambsak, an Hellenic colony located on the southern coast of the Black Sea in today's Turkey. And the second hypothesis that has recently begun to prevail after the archaeological discoveries in Bulgaria in recent years and the high craftsmanship in the fabrication of the objects found is that the workshop was made in a local goldsmith's studio located in the Panagurishte region.
Who was his owner? Could it have belonged to any of the Odrys kings? What made him hide it in the ground? We can not get an exact answer. We can only guess, but that does not prevent us from enjoying the Panagyurishte gold treasure as a priceless, highly artistic and unique witness of antiquity.
Thanks for reading, you can follow me here for more articles:
