Varna culture
The Varna culture was a Chalcolithic culture of northeastern Bulgaria, dated , contemporary and closely related with the Gumelnița culture. The oldest golden artifacts in the world (4600 BC - 4200 BC) were found in the Necropolis of Varna. These artefacts are on display in the Varna Archaeological Museum

The site was accidentally discovered in October 1972 by excavator operator Raycho Marinov. Research excavation was under the direction of Mihail Lazarov and Ivan Ivanov. About 30% of the estimated necropolis area is still not excavated. The Varna culture is characterized by polychrome pottery and rich cemeteries, the most famous of which are Varna Necropolis, the eponymous site, and the Durankulak lake complex, which comprises the largest prehistoric cemetery in southeastern Europe, with an adjoining coeval Neolithic settlement (published) and an unpublished and incompletely excavated Chalcolithic settlement. 294 graves have been found in the Varna necropolis, many containing sophisticated examples of the oldest gold metallurgy in the world, copper metallurgy, pottery (about 600 pieces, including gold-painted ones), high-quality flint and obsidian blades, beads, and shells. The oldest gold jewelry in the world found in the necropolis is dated 4,600 BC to 4,200 BC. Several prehistoric Bulgarian finds are considered no less old – the golden treasures of Hotnitsa, Durankulak, artifacts from the settlement of Yunatsite near Pazardzhik, the golden treasure of Sakar, as well as beads and gold jewellery found in the settlement of Solnitsata. However, Varna gold is most often called the oldest since this treasure is the largest and most diverse. The findings showed that the Varna culture had trade relations with distant lands, possibly including the lower Volga region and the Cyclades, perhaps exporting metal goods and salt from the Solnitsata rock salt mine. The copper ore used in Varna artifacts originated from the Sredna Gora mine near Stara Zagora, and Mediterranean spondylus shells found in the graves may have served as primitive currency. Burial rites 

Graves of the Varna Necropolis contained the oldest known examples of gold working in the world. Burials included both crouched and extended inhumations. Some graves did not contain a skeleton, only grave gifts. These symbolic (empty) graves are the richest in gold artifacts. 3000 gold artifacts were found altogether, with a weight of approximately 6 kilograms. Three symbolic graves also contained masks of unfired clay. Religion 

The Varna culture had sophisticated religious beliefs about the afterlife and developed hierarchical status differences. It has the oldest known burial evidence of an elite male. Some authors have described the Varna elite males as 'kings'. The end of the fifth millennium BC is the time that Marija Gimbutas, founder of the Kurgan hypothesis claims the cultural advance to male dominance began in Europe. The high status male was buried with remarkable amounts of gold, held a war axe or mace and wore a gold penis sheath or even possibly a decorative (gold) belt tip, it's all up to ones interpretation. The bull-shaped gold platelets perhaps also venerated virility, instinctive force, warfare and proto castle cult. Genetics of Grave 43

Elite Chiefdom Varna 43 was a man who lived between 4678 - 4371 BCE during the Late Neolithic. He was associated with the Eneolithic Balkans cultural group. His direct paternal line was T-M184  his maternal line belonged to mtDNA haplogroup U2

Gallery

See also 

 Early European Farmers
 Old Europe (archaeology)
 Boian culture
 Butmir Culture
 Cucuteni–Trypillia culture
 Funnelbeaker culture
 Hamangia culture
 Karanovo culture
 Lengyel culture
 Linear Pottery culture
 Sesklo culture
 Solnitsata
 Starčevo culture
 Tisza culture
 Vinča culture
 Vinča symbols
 Carnac Stones - Tumuli

References

Further reading 

 Henrieta Todorova, The eneolithic period in Bulgaria in the fifth millennium B.C. Oxford : British Archaeological Reports, 1978. BAR supplementary series 49. Henrieta Todorova, Kupferzeitliche Siedlungen in Nordostbulgarien. München: Beck 1982. Materialien zur allgemeinen und vergleichenden Archäologie  13. External links 

 Varna Archaeological Museum. Varna Necropolis Cultural Tourism page on the Golden Sands Resort web site. Another photo by Ivo Hadjimishev
 The Durankulak Lake Town - Kibela's Temple (Древното селище при Дуранкулашкото езеро - Езерният град)
 Very detailed information about findings in Varna necropolis I and II (founded in 1972 and 1976) - in Bulgarian language 

5th-millennium BC establishments
5th-millennium BC disestablishments
Archaeological cultures in Bulgaria
Archaeological cultures of Europe
History of Varna, Bulgaria
Neolithic cultures of Europe