Raycho Marinov

In October 1972, Raycho Marinov discovered a soiled bracelet within the container of his excavating machine. He was excavating in West Varna, a location where the discovery of historical artefacts was not particularly rare. Raycho did not attach much significance to the common occurrence of farmers unearthing copper coins in their fields. He collected the bracelet, along with many other pieces of jewellery he discovered nearby, and stored them in a shoebox with his boots. After a few weeks, he neglected the box until he eventually handed over the gold to Dimitar Zlatarski, his former instructor and the curator of the local history museum. Zlatarski, acknowledging the significance of the artefacts, summoned specialists from the Varna Archaeological Museum.

Upon scrutiny, it transpired that Marinov’s discovery was far more precious than the copper coins discovered in the adjacent fields. The jewellery originated from the Copper Age, and Marinov’s discovery was the most significant collection of Copper Age artefacts at that time.

An extensive excavation commenced promptly. Despite the passage of several months, the excavation site where Marinov discovered the original pieces of jewellery has remained mostly undisturbed. A multitude of archaeologists flocked to the site, and an almost uninterrupted excavation took place from 1972 until 1991.

The discovery at Varna consisted of an extensive burial ground associated with the ancient Varna Culture, a people from the Copper Age that inhabited Eastern Europe prior to the arrival of the Indo-Europeans. The area was strewn with several graves, concealed behind layers of accumulated rubbish over the course of many years.

• Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis
• Varna Archaeological Museum

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