SVESTARI, BULGARIA—A 2,500-year-old chariot and two horses that appear to have been buried in an upright position have been found in a Thracian tomb. Diana Gergova of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences thinks that the pit was dug with a sloping side so that the horses, wearing elaborate harnesses, would have been able to pull the chariot into place before they were killed. A dog had also been chained to the chariot. The vehicle may have been owned by the occupant of a nearby grave, which also contained armor, spears, swords, medication, and an inkwell. The discovery of the intact tomb was a surprise, since many of the tombs in the area have been plundered.
Remains of Upright Horses Discovered in Thracian Tomb
News September 27, 2013
Recommended Articles
Off the Grid January/February 2025
Tzintzuntzan, Mexico
Digs & Discoveries January/February 2025
Bad Moon Rising
Digs & Discoveries January/February 2025
100-Foot Enigma
Digs & Discoveries January/February 2025
Colonial Companions
-
Features July/August 2013
The First Vikings
Two remarkable ships may show that the Viking storm was brewing long before their assault on England and the continent
Courtesy Liina Maldre, University of Tallinn -
Features July/August 2013
Miniature Pyramids of Sudan
Archaeologists excavating on the banks of the Nile have uncovered a necropolis where hundreds of small pyramids once stood
(Courtesy Vincent Francigny/SEDAU) -
Letter from China July/August 2013
Tomb Raider Chronicles
Looting reaches across the centuries—and modern China’s economic strata
(Courtesy Lauren Hilgers, Photo: Anonymous) -
Artifacts July/August 2013
Ancient Egyptian Sundial
A 13th-century limestone sundial is one of the earliest timekeeping devices discovered in Egypt
(© The Trustees of the British Museum/Art Resource, NY)