Copper-Age Axes Unearthed in Bulgaria

POLKOVNIK TALASKOVO, BULGARIA—Archaeology in Bulgaria reports that a hoard of 6,500-year-old tools was discovered on the edge of an ancient settlement in northeastern Bulgaria by a team of researchers led by archaeologist Dimitar Chernakov of the Ruse Regional Museum of History. The hoard contains 18 flat axes and four ax hammers crafted from a copper alloy. Together, the implements weigh more than 25 pounds. Chernakov said the axes are thought to have been made in one of the metal processing centers on the western coast of the Black Sea and shipped to the rest of the Balkan Peninsula. The items in the hoard bear few signs of wear, and may have been created as prestige items, or as a means of exchange, he added. To read about another recent discovery in Bulgaria, go to “Mirror, Mirror.”