The missing link of the Thracians civilization's history has been found in Bulgaria's ancient sanctuary of Perperikon.
A team of archaeologists is to announce the phenomenal historical finding on Friday.
It concerns the transition from the late Bronze Age to the Iron one.
The researches of Perperikon highlight an almost unknown period from the time when the Thracian culture had developed and the time of the Trojan War.
Another version, from news.bg doesn't add any illumination:
In the ancient sanctuary complex Perperikon (Eastern Rhodope Mountains) was found the missing section in the Thracian' history.
The discovery treats the transition between the latest Bronze Age and the beginning of the early Iron Age.
The examination of Perperikon and Tatul ancient settlements gives light to one almost unknown and unexplored period from the Thracian' history.
This is the time of the formation of the Thracian' culture and the time of the Trojan War.
While this events are known from written information, the explorations in the Eastern Rhodopes gives material evidence for the Thracian' culture.
... nothing about this at the Perperikon website ...
UPDATE:
Thanks to N.S. Gill, I found this item from Novinite:
Bulgarian archaeologists announce on Thursday they have made an incredible discovery in the Perperikon area, an ancient living region of Thracians.
The archaeologists said last summer they discovered the missing link in Thracian's history. They have found evidence for the transition from the late Bronze epoch to the early Iron epoch.
At the end of the Bronze epoch, as a result of cataclysms a global system is destroyed. Scientists call the system "East Mediterranean Civilization". After its end, there came the so called "dark ages" - a period, who until recent was a mystery for archaeologists.
According to Associate Professor of ancient history Krassimir Leshtakov, during the "dark ages" Thracian tribes have lived peacefully, thus creating a highly developed civilization. Finally, the world can see the "fruits" of this civilization at Perperikon.
The living area has been around 12 square kilometres, which is much more than the one of Troy for example,
Archaeologists found many objects, such as mould for casting axes, bellows used in smelting industry, arrows, melting pots and pivots. All these objects prove that Perperikon has been a metallurgical centre 13 centuries BC.
Specialists even talk about temple economy, which existed also in Crete and the Middle East. Thracians had games, typical of Egypt and Mesopotamia, which involved fortune telling and astronomy.
The earliest traces of human civilisation discovered so far at Perperikon were dated to the late Neolithic Period, 6th-5th millennium BC.
The ancient Thracian city of Perperikon is located in the Eastern Rhodopes, 15 km northeast of the present-day town of Kardzhali, on a 470 m high rocky hill. The city is called "The Sacred" because of te famous sanctuary and oracular shrine dedicated to Dionysus of the Bessi was situated there.
A legend tells that Alexander the Great himself had sacrificed upon the altar of Dionysus.
Posted by david meadows on Feb-25-07 at 2:15 PM
Drop me a line to comment on this post!
Comments (which might be edited) will be appended to the original post as soon as possible with appropriate attribution.