Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis

The Chalcolithic necropolis of Varna was discovered during accidental construction works in the western industrial zone of Varna in 1972. The discovery and research is associated with the name of the important archaeologist Ivan Ivanov, and at the beginning it was under the leadership of Mikhail Lazarov. The discovery soon became a sensation in modern historical science, which far exceeded the borders of Bulgaria.

As a result of the research, 294 graves have been discovered so far. Thousands of gold, copper, clay, flint, stone and other objects have been documented, most of which still remain unique for their era. The amount of gold is amazing - nearly 6kg, which is more than all finds from this era found in Europe combined. Excavations are not complete - about 30% of the alleged territory has not yet been excavated. It is interesting that the main part of the movable NCC found in the necropolis were distributed in four graves - 1, 4, 36 and 43. Wands were also found in them, which is evidence of power and a high position in the hierarchical structure of a developed society.

Although the archaeological find continues to be the subject of research and there are still many questions and hypotheses about the extent and form of social organization, the discoveries made so far prove that the oldest known highly developed European civilization existed at this place from this period.

The discoveries from the Varna Chalcolithic necropolis are located in the Regional History Museum - Varna.