A Final Journey by Horse

The Thracians could not have imagined life without horses—they even took their horses and chariots into the afterlife, to carry their souls to heaven. While many chariot burials have been found in Bulgaria, a recently discovered tomb from the site of Sveshtari is a rare example in which the horses were found standing upright, positioned with their heads resting on stone “cushions,” almost to appear as if they were still moving or standing, says archaeologist Diana Gergova of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The burial dates to the end of the fourth century B.C. and likely belonged to a member of the Getae, one of the most powerful Thracian tribes.