Varna

Near Lake Varna is a nearly 7,000-year-old cemetery that is considered one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world. Worked metals of copper and gold, obsidian glass, ceramics, and jewelry representing an ancient prehistoric culture called the “Varna culture” were found there. About 6 kg of jewelry and gold tools were found in one grave.

The “Varna Gold Treasure” is the oldest gold in the world found in such large quantities. The grave is of a male, surrounded by many gold ornaments arranged in a way that represents the chakras (energy centers) and the human energy field (around each person there is a field called an aura). The findings can be interpreted as being related to energy centers in the body and suggesting that the man was a shaman. Alternatively, they can be interpreted differently—that the man was a warrior and that the wealth of the grave indicates the beginning of male dominance and inequality (an interpretation I believe is incorrect). The Varna gold treasure is now on display in a museum in Sofia.

In addition to the cemetery, the remains of many Neolithic villages were found in the Varna area, and the findings are displayed in the city’s archaeological museum. According to Marija Gimbutas, the Varna culture represents the first stage in the transition from a Goddess–woman culture to a male-dominated culture, as manifested in the presence of warrior graves.

Another settlement where gold treasures from the same period—the Varna culture—were discovered is Durankulak, the northeasternmost settlement in Bulgaria, close to the Romanian border. In this place, the remains of an ancient temple to the Goddess Cybele were found. It is located on the shores of a lake and serves as an open prehistoric museum, known (for some reason) as the “Bulgarian Troy.”

Today, Varna is the resort and beach tourism center of Bulgaria. Few of its visitors are aware of the fact that it is one of the oldest cities in the world. The city became a Thracian-Greek polis in the 6th century BC and served as a point of contact and bridge between the Thracian tribes and the emerging Greek culture. Later, it became an important Roman and Byzantine city.