The first people around our land

The country ranks third after Greece and Italy for the number of its archeological monuments. The Karanovska mound near the town of Nova Zagora reveals exceptionally interesting findings from the Paleolithic Age. Traces from the Glacial epoch can be found in the Magura cave famous for its cave drawings. The Thracians have left us numerous historical monuments. The most well-know of these are the tombs in the town of Kazanlak and near the village of Sveshtari; the sanctuary of Orpheus and a multitude of gold and silver treasures often exhibited in the biggest museums of the world.

End of the antiquity

The oldest gold in the world , dated 8000 years back , is of Thracian origin. Antiquity is considered to have come to an end in the territory of contemporary Bulgaria at the end of the 3 rd century AD with the establishment of the Byzantine Empire. Numerous remains have been preserved from that period, among which ruins of whole cities, amphitheatres, foundations of public and religious buildings, magnificent mosaics, sculptures and objects from the everyday, religious and cultural life.