Complete remains of 2,500-year-old chariot and two horses found in Bulgaria

Archaeologists have uncovered the incredible remains of a complete Thracian carriage and two horses that appear to have been buried upright.

The horses and carriage were found in a Thracian tomb along with other artefacts in the village of Svestari in north-east Bulgaria. The particular mound where the carriage was discovered, is adjacent to the well-known Mound of Bulgarian Khan Imurtag, where the same research team uncovered a hoard of gold last year. However, the finding is surprising as looters have ravaged most of the ancient mounds in the region, despite a UNESCO ban.

May be an image of 2 people and bone

The carriage, complete with two wheels, seat and boot, has been dated to 2,500-years-old and is thought to have belonged to Thracian nobility, judging by the imported goods found in nearby graves.

“The find is unique, it is not resembling any other carriage dating from the Thracian era ever uncovered in Bulgaria,” said Professor Diana Gergova of the National Archaeology Insтιтute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, who led the dig.

Sadly, it appears that the chariot was placed in a narrow hole with a sloping side to allow horses, decorated with elaborate harnesses, to pull it into its final resting place, after which they were killed. Experts reached this conclusion after noticing that the horses were still attached to their harnesses and to the carriage.

The Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting a large area in Central and Southeastern Europe who were first mentioned in Homer’s ‘Iliad’, where they were described as allies of the Trojans in the Trojan War against the Greeks. They were known to be fierce warriors and horse-breeders who established a powerful kingdom in the fifth century BC.

Related Posts

Alien hunters claim a mysterious ‘monolith’ on Mercury is a doorway to another world—fueling bizarre theories of interplanetary portals.

Hold on to your tin foil hats, because this is a good one. Alien hunters have found what they claim to be an unexplained shadow on Mercury,…

The Whispering Stone: Ancient Art or Alien Echo?

The Whispering Stone: Ancient Art or Alien Echo?

This enigmatic carving is a Rorschach test etched in stone. Two figures peer out from the weathered surface, their oversized, almond-shaped eyes and bulbous heads mirroring the…

The Ancient Sentinel: A Baobab’s Whisper Across Time

The Ancient Sentinel: A Baobab’s Whisper Across Time

This is no ordinary tree. Gnarled and colossal, its trunk a tapestry of time-worn grooves, the baobab rises from the earth like a monument carved by forgotten…

The Bent Pyramid: A Monument to Imperfection

The Bent Pyramid: A Monument to Imperfection

The Bent Pyramid does not tower with the flawless geometry of Giza’s great tombs. Instead, it rises from the Dahshur desert like a question carved in limestone—its…

Guardians of the Eternal: The Silent Dialogue of the Desert Coffins

Guardians of the Eternal: The Silent Dialogue of the Desert Coffins

Standing sentinel in the vast emptiness of the desert, the two ancient Egyptian sarcophagi cut a striking silhouette against the endless horizon. Their once-vibrant colors, though faded…

The Enigma of the Alien-Like Artifact: A Mirror of Human Curiosity

The Enigma of the Alien-Like Artifact: A Mirror of Human Curiosity

Discovered under ambiguous circumstances, the mysterious stone carving depicting a humanoid figure with an exaggeratedly large, bulbous cranium continues to captivate both scholars and enthusiasts of the…