Preparations Begin for New Excavations at Perperikon, Previously Unknown Ancient Temples Will Be Explored this Summer

Preparations have begun for new excavations at Perperikon in June, following the securing of state funding. For four months, archaeologists will search for further secrets of the sacred city, which has existed for nearly 7,000 years.

Aerial photographs have revealed previously unknown ancient temples, the head of the research, Professor Nikolay Ovcharov, told the programme “Bulgaria in 60 Minutes” on April 1. The state funding will allow archaeological research at Perperikon to be carried out for the 26th consecutive year. This summer, work will once again focus on the southern quarter of the ancient city. The location has not been chosen by chance, as many ancient temples and public buildings are concentrated there.

Professor Nikolay Ovcharov: “A monumental circular building has been uncovered, with a diameter of more than 15 metres, which we interpret as a Temple of the Sun. In fact, this is the fifth consecutive ancient temple from the 3rd–4th century, alongside the temple of the Thracian Horseman, the temple of wine, and that of Mithras, which shows that shortly before the adoption of Christianity in Bulgaria, Perperikon experienced a veritable boom in pagan cults.”

In addition to Perperikon, the state has allocated funding for other archaeological sites of priority for Bulgaria.

Professor Nikolay Ovcharov: “These include Heraclea Sintica, which has attracted attention in recent years, Ratsiaria near Vidin, the prehistoric saltworks at Provadia, and two additional sites added later, but which are very interesting – Rusokastro, where one of the largest battles near Burgas took place under Tsar Ivan Alexander, and the Church of Theodosius of Tarnovo in Veliko Tarnovo.”

According to Professor Ovcharov, Bulgaria’s cultural tourism remains underappreciated.

Professor Nikolay Ovcharov: “We continue to talk about our seas and forests, and I have nothing against them, but cultural and historical tourism – as a country with the third highest number of monuments, alongside Greece and Italy – should, in my view, be a priority for any government in Bulgaria.”

The archaeological summer at Perperikon is already promising to be highly interesting, and preparations are already underway.

'City of the Hobbits' and War Projectiles Among the Latest Discoveries at the Ancient Thracian City of Perperikon

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The ancient Thracian city of Perperikon is located in the Eastern Rhodope mountains, Southern Bulgaria, 15 km northeast of the present-day town of Kardzhali, on a 470 m high rocky hill, which is thought to have been a sacred place.

Perperikon is the largest megalith ensemble site in the Balkans.

As an archaeological site, Perperikon is an 8,000-year-old prehistoric megalithic shrine, which was later built upon by the Thracians, the Romans, the Byzantines, and the medieval Bulgarian Empire.