Sofia / world today news/ Archaeologists discovered one of the earliest images of a Thracian horseman ever found. The find, dated to the 3-4th century BC, was made at Perperikon and was presented by Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, reported a reporter of the KROSS Information Agency.
Some time ago, during field trips in the nearby surroundings, his colleagues found, in the hall with the altar in the second new temple, a marble relief of a Thracian horseman from the 2nd-3rd century CE, i.e. from the last years of the pagan cult of the Thracian gods before Christianity was accepted in the Roman Empire.
“The history of Perperikon begins as early as the 5th century BC, and in the 2nd century BC we can already speak of the complex of sanctuaries dedicated to the cult of the god Dionysus. It is assumed that it is located on a total area of 12 square km, which makes it the largest on the Balkan Peninsula”, recalled Prof. Ovcharov.
The new find was found in autumn about 300 meters away, on a small hill, which the locals call Beşik Tepe. According to Prof. Ovcharov, it was regularly searched by treasure hunters and was literally “plowed” by their raids. In the late 1990s, they discovered numerous bronze statuettes and ancient coins of Philip II of Macedon from the 4th-3rd centuries BC. After going around the area, the archaeologists discovered part of a large ceramic urn. More precisely, the mouth, on which a horseman is depicted in profile, with his face turned full-face. “The workmanship is primitive, but very expressive. Clearly a work of folk art, but absolutely unique. No other such has been found. We delayed its presentation until we prepare the report”, explained Ovcharov.
According to him, when he showed the find to the famous trachologist Prof. Ivan Marazov, he literally fell from surprise. Experts agree that the find is unique. It is dated from the early Hellenistic era of the 3-4th century BC.
This is one of the first known ceramic depictions of a horseman in Thracian art. The earliest are from the 5th century BC, but they are all on silver and gold, and are extremely rare.
In his left hand, the horseman holds the horse’s reins, and in his right hand, an object that archaeologists have not yet been able to identify, but they assume is a sword.
“This is the first monument that shows the attitude of the common man to art, i.e. how he sees art through his own eyes”, commented Nikolay Ovcharov.
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