In the 1970s, archaeologists in Bulgaria stumbled upon a vast Bronze Age necropolis from the 5th millennium BC that contained the oldest gold artifacts ever discovered near the city of Varna today. But it wasn’t until they reached the 43rd tomb that they realized the true meaning of this discovery. Inside Burial 43, they unearthed the remains of a high-status man buried with enormous wealth – more gold was found in this burial than in the entire rest of the world. world during that period.
Most people have heard of the great civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley, all of which are noted as the earliest known civilizations characterized by urbanization, organized management and cultural innovation. But few people have heard about the mysterious civilization that appeared on the shores of a lake near the Black Sea about 7,000 years ago.
Great Varna culture
Varna culture, as it is known, was not a small and insignificant society that appeared in a small corner of what would become Bulgaria and quickly disappeared into the pages of history. Rather, it was an astonishingly advanced civilization, older than the Mesopotamian and Egyptian empires, and the first known culture to make gold artifacts.
Varna is also home to the largest known prehistoric necropolis in Southeast Europe, which reflects a wealth of cultural practices, complex funerary rites, ancient belief systems and the ability to producing exquisite and finely crafted goods. It has been known as the cradle of civilization in Europe.
The Varna man’s burial site has some of the world’s oldest gold jewelry. ( Yelkrokoyade / CC BY SA 3.0 )
The rise of goldsmithing and wealth
Evidence suggests that goldsmithing first began in Varna around 4600 to 4200 BC. As advances were made and craftsmen mastered the smelting of copper and gold, the inhabitants now had something extremely valuable to trade. Growing contact with neighboring countries to both the north and south eventually opened up trade relations in the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions, which was of great importance for the development of society. The deep bay, where Varna’s settlements were located, provided a comfortable harbor for ships passing through the Black Sea, and Varna became a prosperous commercial center.
Increased commercial activity allowed metallurgists to accumulate wealth, and a social gap very quickly developed with metallurgists at the top, followed by middle-class merchants and farmers. lower class people. Incredible discoveries made at a nearby cemetery also suggest that Varna had powerful rulers or kings – but we’ll come back to that.
And so, the foundation was laid for the emergence of a powerful and flourishing culture, its influence spreading throughout Europe for thousands of years to come.
Explore the ancient Varna civilization
The first evidence of Varna’s ancient civilization appears in the form of tools, vessels, utensils and figurines made from stone, flint, bone and clay. Then an amazing accidental discovery came to light and caused a stir around the world. In October 1972, excavator operator Raycho Marinov stumbled upon a vast Bronze Age necropolis containing the oldest gold artifacts ever discovered.
It became one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever made in Bulgaria. Extensive excavations were conducted under the direction of Mihail Lazarov (1972–1976) and Ivan Ivanov (1972–1991), revealing Varna’s magnificent civilization for the first time.
More than 300 tombs have been discovered in the cemetery and in them more than 22,000 exquisite artifacts have been found, including more than 3,000 made from gold – with a total weight of 6 kg (13.23 lbs.) . Other precious relics found in the tombs include bronze, high-quality flint tools, jewelry, Mediterranean mollusk shells, pottery, obsidian blades, and beads.
Gold objects were found in the cemetery. ( Yelkrokoyade / CC BY SA 3.0 )
Analysis of the tombs shows that the Varna culture had a highly structured society – elite members of the society were buried in shrouds with gold ornaments sewn into their wrappings and graves. filled with treasures, including gold ornaments, heavy bronze axes, elegant jewelry, and richly decorated pottery, while others were buried simply with few grave goods.
The wealth of the tomb 43
While there were many elite tombs discovered, there was one in particular that stood out among the rest – tomb 43. Inside tomb 43, archaeologists discovered the remains of a man of high status, seemingly a ruler/leader of some kind. More gold was found in this burial site than in the entire rest of the world during that period. The man, known as the Varna man, was buried with a scepter – a symbol of high rank or spiritual power – and wore a solid gold sheath over his penis.
The burial was extremely important not just for the grave goods – it was the first known elite male burial in Europe. Before that, women and children were given the most elaborate burials.
Marija Gimbutas, a Lithuanian-American archaeologist who is famous for claiming that Neolithic sites across Europe provide evidence for pre-Indo-European matrilineal societies, argues that was in the late 5th millennium BC the transition to male dominance. started in Europe. Indeed, in the Varna culture, it was observed that around this time, men began to be treated better after death.
Complex funeral rites at Varna cemetery
The tombs in the Varna necropolis also offer much more than the precious artifacts found within them and discoveries related to social hierarchy; The characteristics of the tombs also provide important insights into the religious beliefs and complex funerary practices of this ancient civilization.
It became clear to the researchers that males and females were placed in different positions in the graves – males were placed on their backs, while females were placed in a fetal position. But most surprising was the discovery that some tombs contained no skeletons at all, and that these ‘symbolic tombs’ were the richest in terms of the amount of gold and other treasures found inside them. Some of these iconic tombs, or obelisks, also have human-sized masks made of adobe clay placed where the head would have been.
A human-sized clay head was found at the Varna necropolis. ( CC BY SA 4.0 )
Graves containing clay masks were also found to contain golden amulets with images of women placed where the neck would have been. These amulets, associated with pregnancy and childbirth, show that ‘burial’ is for women. Further evidence for this is the fact that no battle axes were found in these monuments, but each of them had a bronze pin, a flint knife and a spinning spindle.
Replica of an iconic tomb of a deformed face made from clay. The original was found at the Varna Chalk Necropolis (grave 2) and dates to the 4th millennium BC. (Ann Wuyts/ CC BY 2.0 )
The fall and legacy of Varna culture
Towards the end of the fifth millennium BC, the once powerful Varna culture began to disintegrate. It is theorized that the collapse of the Varna civilization was the result of a combination of factors including climate change, the transformation of large tracts of arable land into swamps and marshes, as well as the incursion of mounted warriors from the steppe.
Although the Varna civilization did not leave any direct descendants, members of this ancient culture left behind many lasting legacies that set the stage for the emergence of subsequent civilizations. followed throughout Europe. Their metallurgical skills were unmatched in Europe and throughout the world, and their society displayed many of the characteristics of a developed and advanced civilization.
They also developed the social structure of a centralized authority – an individual or organization to oversee and ensure the proper functioning of society. All the basic principles of modern society were discovered – a model of civilization that we still follow today.
