In Bulgaria, scientists discovered altars carved into rocks: details

In Bulgaria, scientists discovered two large altars

Valentina Stoeva, BTA Kardzhali

In the ancient Thracian city of Perperikon, which is located on the territory of modern Bulgaria, scientists discovered two large altars. One, according to scientists, was used for sacred winemaking, and the other for animal sacrifices.

These archaeological finds confirm the fact that there was once a great temple of Dionysus, writes Arkeonews.

Perperikon is the largest megalithic settlement in the Balkans, which has a long history. Various civilizations lived here, such as Thracians, Romans, Byzantines and others.

In this place, archaeologists discovered numerous rock-cut altars and sanctuaries that could have been used for religious rituals in honor of the god Dionysus.

“The earliest sacrifices were made 3000-3200 years ago, at the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age. Since the altar belongs to the Roman era, we use data from that time and perform a comparative reconstruction.” – explained Bulgarian archaeologist and head of archaeological excavations Nikolay Ovcharov.

Ovcharov noted that it was probably an altar to the underground gods, where people had to dress in black and the animals (mostly small ones like goats and sheep) that were sacrificed had black fur. A mandatory condition was that the animals were healthy, as well as that they were not dragged by force and that they walked voluntarily.

Archaeologists suggest that the altar was made at the end of the Bronze Age or the beginning of the Iron Age and was abandoned during the Middle Ages. It is connected with temples of the III-IV centuries.

Ovcharov emphasized that the altars are only the beginning, and new finds should be expected. Excavations at Perperikon will continue until the beginning of November.