The necklace of precious metals was discovered during the archaeological survey of the “Tsviatkova” mound, necropolis “Kosmatkite” in the lands of Shipka – Sheinovo, Kazanlak municipality, studied with the funds of the National Museum of History.
Necklace from the “Flower” mound
The necklace of precious metals was discovered during the archaeological survey of the “Tsviatkova” mound, necropolis “Kosmatkite” in the lands of Shipka – Sheinovo, Kazanlak municipality, studied with the funds of the National Museum of History by a team of Dr. Georgi Kitov (National Archaeological Institute with Museum – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) and Gavril Lazov (National Museum of History) in 1995.
At the end of the 1990s, conservation work was started on the fragments of the artefact in the Central Laboratory for Conservation and Restoration of the National History Museum. In 2020, a team of archaeologists, a restorer, an artist and a photographer under the direction of Pavlina Devlova (National History Museum) carried out the graphic reconstruction and conceptual reconstruction of the monument. It was restored in 2021 by Georgi Iliev (Regional History Museum – Yambol) as part of a restoration, conservation and exhibition project funded by the Ministry of Culture.
The breastplate is made of different elements and materials. The base is a solid iron moon-shaped collar that covers the chest, shoulders and back. At the neck, the base is curved in an “L-shape” to protect the neck from the front and back. An embossed silver plate with solid gilding and exquisite decoration completely covers the iron backing. Twelve longitudinal belts of different widths are formed by hammering, running from the neck to the periphery.
The restored monument belongs to the group of the so-called Mezek type breastplates spread in Thrace in the second half of the 4th century BC.
The breastplate is part of the rich gold and silver grave offerings in the mound. The decorated specimen is part of a protective parade armament. Its discovery, together with numerous arrowheads, spearheads, knives, a horse skeleton, numerous horse harness appliqués, silver fragments and elements of decoration on objects suggest that it belonged to a nobleman.
Font: Pavlina Devlova
Photographer: Todor Dimitrov
