This Wednesday an exhibition displaying a golden decoration chariot from Ancient Thrace opened in the Mall of Sofia. The Thracian chariot was discovered in 1976 near the village of Karanovo but there was little interest in the incredible find. That was until this year when archaeologist, Veselin Ignatov, head of the history museum in Nova Zagora, and a specialist on Thracian chariots, found it as he was inspecting the museum basement.
The decorative plaque is 52 cm long, 12 cm wide, and 0.3 cm thick. It was placed on the lower back part of the chariot, which was more likely a luxury passenger car rather than a war chariot. The image appears to be an ancient building, probably a temple. Other decorations include a busy of Hercules and two heads of Medusa. To date, over 200 chariots dated back to Thracian and Roman times have been found in Bulgaria by both archaeologists and treasure hunters. In comparison, only two chariots have been found in the rest of Roman Empire – one in Pompeii, and one in Ephesus; and about 20 chariots have so far been discovered in Hungary.
The chariot will be on display until 22nd September 2009.