Stara Zagora

Stara Zagora is an ancient and large City in Bulgarian terms (140,000 people) located in the north-east of the Thracian plain. Neolithic villages were discovered near it, the most important of which is Karanovo. The fertile plain was the center of the agricultural revolution that appeared at the beginning of history. During the Bronze Age, copper mines were developed near the City, so naturally the Thracians established an ancient City here in the 5th century BC.

In the heart of the City there is a Museum with many findings from the Neolithic period (Goddess culture), in one of its branches called Topolnitsa Archaeological Park there are two restored houses from 8,000 years ago which the Bulgarians claim are the oldest houses in the world. You can also see the contents of the house and some Goddess figurines.

The Romans rebuilt Stara Zagora on a large scale according to Hippodamian design plan in the 2nd century AD and it became one of the main cities in the Roman province of Thrace. Impressive remains can be seen from this period such as: the ancient forum, baths, the walls of the old City, mosaics, streets, tombs and gates, an auditorium and a theater. The City has several beautiful Churches and cultural institutions (including an opera house), and at the heart of it is a beautiful park combined with a pedestrian street.

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Karanovo

This is the largest archaeological mound in Europe and contains seven layers of settlement, starting from the 7th millennium BC until the Thracian period. It is located near Stara Zagora, at the foot of the old Sredna Planina Mountains south of the Balkan Mountains. At the beginning of the settlement in the place (7th millennium BC) about 100 residents lived there in 18 houses, but after a few hundred years there were already thousands of people living peacefully together.

The mound is a reference point for the dating of all prehistoric excavations in Eastern Europe. It was studied in depth and especially the ancient layers from the time of the Goddess culture, where pottery vessels were found with unique characteristics that gave the name to an entire culture. Goddess figurines were also found – seated figures of women in which the legs and pelvis become a chair. In the Karanovo culture figurines the nose looks like a beak, and is created by pulling and pinching the clay out.

In the excavations, a seal was found with the oldest writing in Europe, which has not yet been deciphered. Most of the findings can be seen in the National Museum in Sofia. Not far from the mound is a Thracian tomb with a chariot from the 1st century BC and a small Museum room that was built around it.