Starosel

This is the largest Thracian tomb-temple and one of the most beautiful ever discovered. It is located on top of a hill in the heart of a wooded natural area, 50 km north of Plovdiv on the edge of the Thracian plain. It is a huge tumulus with a diameter of 220 meters. On its southern side is an Orphic worship platform where sacred dances and music were practiced; on the northern side there are a wine press and a temple to Dionysus.

The site was discovered by the “Indiana Jones” of Bulgaria—archaeologist Georgi Kitov. Some believe it to be the burial place of the Thracian Odrysian king Sitalces from the 5th century BCE. The entire area was a sacred necropolis, and many large tumuli surround the site, some of which have been excavated and are open to visitors.

As with other Thracian burial temples, the architectural plan includes a corridor of massive carved stones leading through an antechamber—resembling a tomb—into a magnificent circular inner chamber. This temple was used annually by the king for ceremonies of rebirth, initiation, and transformation. Physically, this would be expressed through a sunbeam penetrating the inner chamber on specific days of the year.

In the inner circular chamber are ten Doric columns, above which is a cornice decorated with thirty engravings of three vertical lines—possibly a lunar calendar. The cornice is painted in red, black, and blue, symbolizing the transition from darkness to light, night to day (black of night becomes blue of day through the red of sunrise). The diameter of the chamber is 5.60 meters—1.80 meters multiplied by three. These dimensions may relate to the height of the person for whom the temple was built and the size of the energy field (aura) around him, which reaches to the fingertips when the arms are outstretched. The room has a special echo and a domed ceiling representing the heavens, composed of 17 layers.

Since no bones were found inside, it is believed that this was not a burial site, but rather an initiation temple for the ruler, which became sacred after his death. Each ruler and noble had a personal temple used for initiation with the goal of awakening the inner light and connecting with the spiritual sun. This is why, on the marble door of the chamber, there are ten medallions depicting a face with long hair (symbolizing sun rays), and almond-shaped eye motifs on the doorposts. The number ten relates to the Thracian belief in ten spiritual energies (parallel to the ten sefirot in Jewish Kabbalah). The engravings of the door hinges show that the door was used often. The thickness of the wall surrounding the inner chamber is 90 cm—one-seventh of the combined diameter of the room and wall, or one-sixth of the room’s diameter. All numbers used in the temple are symbolic and reflect the structure of man and the universe.

Kitov suggested that during initiation ceremonies in the inner room, the candidate—usually a king—would be brought in after preparation involving dance, music, ecstasy, and perhaps the use of psychoactive substances. He would remain in the dark chamber for several days, undergoing sensory experiences aided by the space’s proportions and materials, and then emerge enlightened. Sometimes, a sacred marriage ceremony was performed there between the initiate and a priestess or royal woman, in order to conceive a child blessed by the gods. This is supported by Kama Sutra-like engravings found in tombs nearby. In addition, a ray of sunlight entered the room on the shortest day of the year, symbolizing the union of male and female forces.

Below is the symbolic meaning of numbers in the Thracian tomb-temple at Starosel, according to archaeologist Valeria Alexandrov, who excavated the site:

1. A female deity

2. Self-conception, divine self-creation

3. The sun is created—the son of God

4. The divine cycle begins: the sun grows and matures, beginning from the shortest day of the year and rising to the equinox, then to the longest day, which is linked to conception

5. Beyond the feminine divinity—humans are children of Mother Earth, giving fruits back to the earth

6. Man is born

7. Man matures

8. Man follows a spiritual path

9. Man becomes half-divine; he must cross the River of Memory to understand who he is

10. Man attains eternity—divinity. The eternal being can pass through all worlds

Near the historical site of Starosel is a unique winery that features a large-scale underground reconstruction of the nearby Thracian temple. The central hall, called the “Wine Temple,” serves as a tasting room and has a special echo, just like the real “tomb” temple.

At the site of Kozi Gramadi, located in the Sredna Gora Mountains above Starosel, remains of a Thracian royal palace were discovered, dating from the time of Odrysian king Amadocus II, a contemporary and rival of Philip II of Macedon in the 4th century BCE. It’s possible that the palace and fortress were built in response to Philip’s founding of Philipopolis (modern Plovdiv) on the opposite side of the Thracian plain.

There are several other Thracian temple-tombs near Starosel, some of which are accessible. One of them is the Horizont Tomb, and another is the large Zhaba Mogila (Frog Mound) near the town of Strelcha, about 20 km from Starosel. Not far from there is the town of Panagyurishte, where one of the most important Thracian gold treasures was found—parts of which are displayed in the local museum.

Close to the Starosel temple is the town of Hisar, which preserves its ancient Roman walls. Today, it serves as a tourist and spa destination and is famous for the medicinal properties of its waters. In the center of town is an archaeological park with thermal springs. Visitors can see an impressive Roman gate, city walls, and a reconstructed bathhouse with marble-lined pools and hot water spouting from the ground into fountains that locals still use.

Interestingly, Hisar has 22 hot springs, each with different physical and chemical properties and varying temperatures—ranging from 31°C to 51°C. The waters are known to help with digestive, kidney, and orthopedic condition.