site.btaSofia Archaeological Museum Hosts Unique Exhibition of Thracian Armour

The National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NAIM-BAS) is hosting a unique exhibition of Thracian armour. Opening Wednesday, the exhibition "The Armour of Thracian Warriors" is part of a joint project with the participation of the St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, 21 Bulgarians museums and two Romanian museums, including the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest.

Speaking at the presentation of the exhibition, NAIM-BAS Director Hristo Popov stressed its uniqueness for both Bulgaria and the neigbouring countries in terms of the volume of information about Thracian warriors. The event features some 60 helmets, 10 samples of scale armour, mail, cuirasses, greaves, breast-plates and shields, over 120 in all, said Popov, adding that the exhibition hall currently looks like an armoury. In terms of the richness and format of the material presented, the exhibition is also a rarity on a global scale, he said.

The exhibition will also show burial complexes with full armament of Thracian warriors. It carries invaluable information about Thracian military, the burial rites of their aristocracy and their technological and metalwork achievements. Not the least so because the artefacts also reflect Thracian beliefs, mythological notions, aesthetic perceptions and preferences.

The most interesting items include the helmet and rhomphaia “sword” from Zlatinitsa (mid-4th c. B.C.), the helmet and armour from Ruets (1st quarter of the 5th c. B.C.), the breast-plate from Mezek (last quarter of the 4th c. B.C.) and the sword with sheath from the Golyama Kosmatka (end-4th-early 3rd c. B.C.).

“The armour of Thracian warriors” project was launched by the joint initiative of Sofia University and NAIM-BAS for the comprehensive study of Thracian protective armament to analyse and estimate the development of military art in ancient Thrace. The project is headed by noted archaeologist and university Prof. Totko Stoyanov. It benefits both the public and specialists, he pointed out, for it also shed light on the development of the basic state formations of the Odrysians to the south of the Balkan Range, and of the Getae to the north.

The Manager of the National History Museum of Romania in Bucharest, Dr Ernest Oberlander-Tarnoveanu, focused on the religious function of arms and armour in Thracian lands, particularly when a warrior was passing to the underworld. He also spoke of the future activities planned with NAIM-BAS. The leaderships of the two museums are soon to sign an agreement on joint action over the years ahead.

The partnership is to include research projects, as well as joint exhibitions. The Thracian gold treasure from Sveshtari will be exhibited in Romania in the autumn, Popov said.

The exhibition was organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture. Besides the 21 Bulgarian museums and the National History Museum of Romania, the Museum of History and Archaeology in Tulcea is the other Romanian participant in the event.

The exhibition will be open to the public from April 21 until November 30, 2022 at the Treasure Hall of NAIM-BAS.