Sunday, 12 February 2012



Bulgaria: Archaeology Artefacts from Ancient Odrysian Kingdom Displayed in Sofia



BalkanTravellers.com   

28 June 2010 | An exhibition, titled “The Treasures of the Odrysian Warriors,” containing over 200 unique artefacts from the ancient Odrysian kingdom, will open at the National History Museum of Sofia on Tuesday.

The exhibition presents the treasures of the ruling class of the Odrysian (Thracian) kingdom (between fifth and first century BC), including aristocrats, military commanders, the ruler’s associates and relatives, as well as his personal guard.

Visitors will have the chance to see for the first time collected in one place many treasures, including: gold and silver vessels; sparkling appliquéd ornaments, decorated with filigree and enamel; luxurious tableware; golden breastplates; silver knee-guards, helmets and spears; as well as other objects used by the Odris aristocrats and warriors in their life on earth and in their afterlife, according to the Museum’s official press release.

The displayed artefacts also include personal belongings and armaments of the Thracian ruler Seuthes III; a Thracian prince’s lamellar chain armour, put together from over 1,600 separate pieces; a golden breastplate from the village of Saloyanovo; golden cups from the villages of Topolchane and Daskal Atanasovo; a golden necklace from Kabile and a silver phalera from stara Zagora.

The artefacts, according to the press release, will give visitors a chance to get a glimpse of the Odrysian rulers who created Southeast Europe’s most powerful state between the fifth and the middle of the fourth century BC.

The exhibition, which will be on display until the end of October, has put together artefacts discovered during archaeological excavations over the past several years, which belong to different museums, including Sofia’s National History Museum and National Archaeological Museum, the Regional Archaeological Museum in Plovdiv, the Regional History Museums in Stara Zagora, Yambol and Sliven and the History Museums in Kazanlak and Nova Zagora.

Read more about Bulgaria on BalkanTravellers.com
Use BalkanTravellers.com's
tips to organize your trip to Bulgaria
 

Epicure


Turkey
Izmir Gourmet: Food is in the Air

Food is literally everywhere in Izmir.

The first stop a traveller would usually make, is Passaport – the vivid promenade along the seaside, which has turned into a landmark with its black and white pavement.
Full Story



Curiosity Chest


Turkey
Santa Claus Museum in Turkey to Attract Newlyweds and Tourists

4 May 2010 | A Turkish travel agency intends to popularize the birthplace of Santa Claus’s prototype, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, in present-day Turkey, not just as a tourist but also as a wedding destination. Full Story



Useful Reads


Turkey
A Brief History of the Late Ottoman Empire (2008) | By M. Şűkrű Hanioğlu

Far too often, the narrative of the collapse of an empire becomes a moral drama. Wealth is drained away by decadence, and power undercut by corruption. There are attempts at recovery, reform, re-consolidation; perhaps a war, or a grand alliance, or another gamble which seems mad in hindsight. Private fiefdoms emerge, tribes break away, and hostile external powers chip away at the borders.
Full Story




Music


Macedonia
Macedonia: Esma Redžepova's Passion for Humanity

"A Gypsy from the city of Skopje", as she calls herself, Esma Redžepova has more than 40 years of singing and humanitarian efforts under her belt. Full Story