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The Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis

Article · February 2010

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Marinella Vusheva
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 The Varna Chalcolithic
Necropolis

Dr. Marinella Vusheva, PhD

Art History & Visual Anthropology
marinella.nbu@gmail.com
  Facts related to the Varna Necropolis:

It was found in 1972. 99 graves contain

In 57 from the
It dates back to skeletons
graves there were no
around 5000-4000 BC. human skeletons or in a
bones. stretched
supine position.

Another three
the graves possess
three-dimensional images
To date, 294 of a human face made
graves have been from clay, and there were
found, golden objects applied to
(30 % of the estimated some specific parts of the face,
area of the necropolis such as the forehead,
has not been excavated) eyes, mouth
and
ears.
 The Research:
 The Necropolis is situated
around 500 meters off the North
coast of the Varna Lake. The
graves were found on a south
sloping terrace with sea height
from 12 to 18 m from the current
level of the sea. Until now the
excavated area is around 7500
sq. m. There were found 294
burial pits and parts from them,
in which there were either
archaeological artifacts or such
traces.
 The findings
 An unknown and diverse treasure
originates from the 294 graves which
were discovered. Only the golden objects
were over 3000 and their net weight was
over 6 kilogrammes. There were also 160
copper tools and a few jewelry; 238 flint
plates and scrapers, among which some
were long up to 44 cm !; 86 stone axes,
adzes and chisels; a lot of beads made
from marble, quartz, minerals and kaolin.
Of particular importance are the findings
from the shells of Mediterranean molluscs
- Dentalium and Spondylus. The former
are rough and their number is over
12,000, and the latter are about 1130
beads, bracelets, and other applications
made from the shells of Spondylus. To all
these we need to add over 650 pottery
that were poorly baked or just dried,
which in turn is associated with the buried
ritual.
 Grave N 43 ( The Royal Burial)

 The grave is located in the central

part of the Necropolis. Apart from
the skeleton of the dead person
buried there,1011 gold items with a
total weight of 1516 grammes have
been discovered in the grave,
namely hundreds of beads, plates
for bows, long flint knife, pottery,
copper axes, massive bracelets,
gold phallus and gold scepter - a
categorical sign of the supreme
power.
The latter especially surprised the
archaeologists because they found
a scepter in a prehistoric grave for
the first time. In this grave, there
was more gold than it has been
found in the world for that epoch.
 Anthropological studies show that it was a
man of around 40-50 years of age, with a height of
about 180 cm. Both his height and his age make a
striking impression bearing in mind the statistics,
which determines the average age of the buried
people about 28 years, and their average height of
160 cm for the men and 148 cm. for the women.
 The symbolic funerals:
 So far, the presence of the so called
symbolic graves has not been
known from the research of the
eneolith in Southeastern Europe.
The main difference from the others,
apart from the inventory, is the lack
of human skeleton or bones.
The total number of the symbolic
graves is 57 and according to the
variety and the amount of inventory
they are divided into four sub-types:
The first type are 3 rich in
inventory graves № 1, № 4 and
№36. Even the number of
gold objects that are 216, 339 and
857 respectively, with a weight of
around and over one kilogram,
speaks for their wealthiness.
 Grave № 36
As a set, the gold objects in it fully repeat the diversity of the objects found in
normal graves. Among them we can see a tiara, earrings, necklace, pectoral
cross, bracelets and a belt. In the whole ritual context, they can be regarded as
aloforms of the individual parts of the human body, which were intended to
decorate the head, the neck, the chest and the waist. Apart from that the objects
were not just thrown into the grave, but they were carefully arranged instead.
The figure is outlined by the objects, restoring the vertical structure of the
missing human body. Apart from the earrings, the necklaces and the bracelets,
which are signs of both sexes, the blacksmith tools stand out : a hammer-
scepter, awl, chisel. It is significant that only in grave N 36 the hammer is not a
real tool/ actual instrument, but it is a gold image of the object itself - with great
certainty it was defined as a symbol of royal power.
Boomerang
Astragalus (knucklebone)
 Symbolic funerals 2:
Graves with masks
 In the graves N 2, N 3 and N 15
were buried three sculpted from clay
persons whose features were
indicated with gold (eyes made from
round plates, elongated mouth,
teeth from nails). The forehead is
crowned with golden tiara, the ears
were decorated with earrings and
the neck - with a necklace . Gold
beads , which had been probably
sewn on the veil, were scattered
over the face of the person from
grave N 3
Thank you for your attention

Translated by
Antoaneta Tsenova
 Bibliography:

1. Маразов, И., Митология на златото, С., 1994

2. Иванов, И. Съкровищата на Варненския халколитен некропол.
С., 1978
3. http://firstls.hit.bg/varnanecropolis
4. Иванов И., М.Аврамова, Варненски некропол, С., 1997 г.
5. Иванов, И. Най -старото злато Варненският Некропол и
неговото място в българската история, С., 1997

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