RARE THRACIAN HELMET FROM 2ND CENTURY AD ON DISPLAY IN PLOVDIV

A unique helmet from 2,000 years ago was shown to the public for the first time at an exhibition in the Archaeological Museum in the South Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. The find, whose worth as an archaeological artifact is estimated at EUR 2 million, was discovered during emergency rescue excavations at an ancient Thracian mound, Pamuk Mogila, near the town of Brestovitsa in 2013.

The helmet is just one of the 70 other artifacts displayed at the exhibition entitled “Ancient Treasures from Brestovitsa”.

The archaeologists from Plovdiv found 6 well preserved graves in the huge tumulus. The oldest one is from the 4th century BC. The Ancient Thracian helmet is made of iron with bronze coating. It features images of god Apollo and god Hermes and is decorated with motifs depicting mythological scenes from the Trojan War.

Kostadin Kisyov, the Director of the Archaeological Museum in Plovdiv says that two similar helmets have been found in Bulgaria and one of them - a silver mask helmet from Kamenitsa - in is in the collection of Plovdiv Archaeological Museum.

The unique Thracian war helmet is shown to the public only now because it has been restored for the past 2 years. The restoration cost BGN 12,000 (app. EUR 6,200).

The restoration of the helmet, which had been severely deformed by a sword blow, at the Bulgarian National Museum of History cost BGN 12,000 (app. EUR 6,200).

“In comparison,the restoration of a similar ancient war helmet in the UK took 7 years and cost GBP 150,000”, Kisyov explained.

The exhibition will be on display at the Museum of Archaeology in Plovdiv until mid June 2015 when it will be replaced with a guest exhibit from the Louvre Museum, which is currently hosting the Bulgarian exhibition entitled “The Saga of the Thracian Kings – Archaeological discoveries in Bulgaria”.