The oldest settlements in the territory of Haskovo and its surroundings date back to the New Stone Age (ca. 5th millennium BC). The favourable geographic location and living conditions were conducive to their early and progressive development. The uncovered stone implements, dozens of idols and amulets, necklaces, earthenware, etc. dating back to the 6th - 3rd millennium BC are direct evidence of the life of various tribes here. Some of them became extinct, others were assimilated, and still others, as the Thracians, stayed permanently.

    The ancient Thracian period in the history of Haskovo and its region from the 1st millennium BC to the 4th century AD is characterized by continual development, and the numerous archaeological finds speak of the Thracians’ life in this land. The area was probably agricultural, with developed winegrowing. Evidence of this are the discovered implements, the great number of rock wineries, preserved across the region to this day, as well as the later Thracian sanctuaries dedicated to Dionysus. The excavations of the Hissar Fortress also prove the existence of active economic life and high material culture. The silver and gold finds from the tumuli in the area, coins from the Greek poleis, the great quantity of ceramics give an idea of the Thracians’ manufacture and their links with the Aegean world. The Thracians were famous as good warriors. Over the years, they were conquered by the Macedonians, but once Alexander of Macedon undertook his march to Asia, they rebelled and overthrew his power. The same thing happened with the Celts in the early 3rd century BC. With the annexation of Thrace to the Roman Empire in the 1st century, the settlements in the territory of the present-day city fell in the sphere of Greek-Roman cultural influence. The Roman-period finds in the city environs and the dozens of tumuli in the area bear testimony to the comparatively high density of the Thracian population and the high culture they created.

 

 

Thracian dolmen in Haskovo (XII – VII century BC)

 

A dolmen is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of three or more upright stones (megaliths) supporting a large flat horizontal capstone (table). Dolmens were usually covered with earth or smaller stones to form a barrow, though in many cases that covering has weathered away, leaving only the stone "skeleton" of the burial mound intact.

 

 

    The village of Alexandrovo is situated 20 km northeast of Haskovo. It is known for the medieval Alexandrovo Fortress, devastated in the last decades, and three Thracian tumuli, two of which were destroyed during the centuries. The third one has not been explored. But another one, a hardly discernable tumulus in the vicinity, proved to be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in Bulgaria. A team of archaeologists came across it accidentally on their way to the small tumuli and were astounded. The team leader, the well-known Dr. Georgi Kitov said: “On December 17, 2000 our Thracological expedition for tumulus exploration found a sub-tumulus facility that stunned our ideas of Thracian culture – the tomb-temple in Roshava Chuka mound near Alexandrovo village, Haskovo region.”

    It is dated to the 4th century BC. The murals are extremely well preserved and are of high artistic and scientific value. According to Dr. Kitov, they are comparable only with those in the Kazanlak Tomb, but unlike them, the Alexandrovo frescoes are indisputably authentic Thracian in style and subject. Opposite the entrance there is an interesting inscription and the profile of a Thracian. Experts decoded the two words as Kodzimases the Master. According to Dr. Kitov, this is a real sensation – the earliest self-portrait in antique art!

    The tomb has a 10 m long passage and two rooms – a rectangular and a circular chamber. Astonishingly, the entrances are very low, 1.2 m at the most, so one has to bend to go inside. Straightening up, realizing one’s own insignificance, one is dumbfounded by the strange world, impregnated with history, mysticism and colour. The multi-figure scenes whisper stories of ancient Thracian rulers and their harsh life. Men riding horses or on foot, dressed or half-naked, wild and domestic animals, plant and geometric ornaments cover the walls at the end of the passage and in the two rooms. The first one, the rectangular, is among the smallest in Thrace.

    The central chamber is the circular one and it is more spacious than that of the Kazanlak Tomb. Built by finely cut granite blocks. A destroyed ritual bed was found in it (restored in 2003). The chamber diameter equals its height – 3.4 m. The walls are divided in 16 horizontal belts. The best preserved belt is at eye level and represents 4 hunting scenes with 4 horsemen, 4 pedestrians, 9 dogs, 2 wild boars and 2 deer. The armed men, assisted by the dogs, chase and kill their victims. Hunting was a privilege of the Thracian aristocracy, and hunting wild boars was the divine pastime of the rulers, who became gods after they died. The scenes are very dramatic and impressive. The similar profiles of the men suggest that these are representations of different moments of the exploits of one and the same Thracian king.

    The 23 human images in the tomb, representing different moments of life, are a valuable source for the lifestyle, religion, philosophy, appearance, armament and dress of the Thracians. Of particular importance is the information about the clothes and weapons of the Thracian horsemen. All horses bear on their faces elongated double axes, labrises, until recently qualified as elements of shield decoration. The finding of a silver labris at about the same time in Starosel, Hissar district, provided an answer to one of the questions of Thracology – about the horse-trappings.

    The dome is closed by a horizontal block, a key stone, symbol of the Sun, one of the sources of life and basic cult in Thracian religion. In the circle centre there is a grey-white double axe, symbol of power, which speaks of the fact that the relics of a ruler rest in the room. To the east, the circle outside the labris is coloured in red, the colour of the dawn, of the beginning, of birth. To the west, the color of sunset, of the end, of death.

    The Alexandrovo Tomb is a proof of the high artistic skills of the Thracians and is a link in our knowledge of antiquity between similar monuments in Southern Italy and Greece. It enjoys immense interest on the part of the cultural and scientific circles and the broad public in Bulgaria and the world. Its proximity to the Europe-Asia highway predicts it the future of an elite tourist sight of Bulgaria.