archaeological evidence for the exploitation of gold ore deposits at ...

Geoarchaeology and Archaeomineralogy (Eds. R. I. Kostov, B. Gaydarska, M. Gurova). 2008.
Proceedings of the International Conference, 29-30 October 2008 Sofia, Publishing House “St. Ivan Rilski”, Sofia, 266-270.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE EXPLOITATION OF GOLD ORE DEPOSITS AT
THE VILLAGES OF KOLIO MARINOVO (SARNENA GORA MOUNTAIN) AND BABYAK
(WESTERN RHODOPES) IN ANTIQUITY
Milena Tonkova
National Archaeological Institute and Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1000 Sofia; milenatonkova@hotmail.com
ABSTRACT. Archaeological evidence for the exploitation of gold ore deposits at the villages of Kolio Marinovo (Sarnena Gora Mountain) and
Babyak (Western Rhodopes) in antiquity are traced at the current study. The methodic of study consists in restoration of settlement system
established around ancient mining galleries where archaeological materials were found. According to archaeological researches made at the region
of the mines of Kolio Marinovo and near the sanctuary of Babyak there is many evidences that the mines were also used during the Pre-Roman
and Roman period.
The map of the ancient gold and silver deposits from Thrace
(from the territory of Bulgaria) (Fig. 1) is compiled on the basis
of several studies. The most important are those from the First
International Symposium of History of Mining in Southeast
Europe held in Bulgaria in the 80-es of the XX c. (First
Symposium on the History of Mining in South-East Europe,
1975) and the study of G. Georgiev on the traces of ancient
mining in our lands (Georgiev, 1987). It was a good beginning,
Fig. 1. Map of the ancient gold and silver deposits from the territory of Bulgaria
266
unfortunately that was left without constant extension, for the
exchange of knowledge between geologists and
archaeologists on the problems of this boundary for both
scientific disciplines. The ancient gold mining data have been
reviewed and discussed in relation to the localization of
jewellery workshops, some of which are known to have exist in
the close vicinity (Tonkova, 1994, 183-188; 1999).

On the base of the published sources the conclusion can
be drawn that for most known examples one can speak only of
ancient gold mining without having data allowing chronological
decisions to be done from these findings. Only in certain cases
the archaeological chance has made possible discovery of
materials allowing more precise dating. Such are the cases
with the antique mines of Kolio Marinovo (Sarnena Gora
Mountain) and Babyak (Western Rhodopes) which are the
object of our study. The evidences refer mainly to Roman and
Medieval Ages although there are many indications that these
deposits were known in earlier periods. These suggestions are
a result of a thorough study of the settlement system from the
territory of the recorded ancient mining exploitations. The field
observations combined with studies on adjacent sites, certain
historical facts and analyses of specialists from earth sciences
Fig. 2. Map of the gold deposits from the territory of Bulgaria
Mining galleries were discovered in the frames of the present
village Kolio Marinovo which were described by Balaschev
and Radoslavov. Coins minted in Serdicae between 197 and
218 were found in these galleries (Balaschev, 1922, 461-466;
Radoslavov, 1934). This date serves as terminus ante quem,
i.e. the galleries were surely exploited before this time
(Tonkova, 2000, 137-138). At the same time, i.e. during the
Roman period there was a fortress (quadriburgium, fortress
with military functions, connected with the defense of roads or
passes) (Dinchev, 1997, 95-96), obviously defending the
functioning mines. It must be noted that just to the village of
Kolio Marinovo there was an important Thracian sanctuary of
Kybele and the Thracian Heros (Velkov, 1932/34, 65) 1 – the
gold extraction was guarded both by the authority and by the
deities. The evidence in this respect are already plentiful that
will be discussed bellow.
1 During the field inspections a part of a votive tablet of the Thracian
Heros was found; unpublished data of the author.
267
sometimes lead to very encouraging results. Some of them will
be presented bellow.
The settlement system in the region of the
Chirpan Heights from the V-I c. BC and gold
extraction in Sarnena Gora in Antiquity
One of the gold-bearing occurrences is located in the
South part of Sarnena Gora Mountain in the area of the
villages Chekhlare, Kolio Marinovo, Slavjanin and Gorno Selo.
There was a claim for gold extraction at the mine ‘Golden
Fleece’ in the 20-es of the last century. Gold has been still
panned in the Rakhmanlijska, Omourovska and Novoselska
Rivers till now (Fig. 2). There are clear evidences for gold
extraction in this region in antiquity.
There are indirect data about the exploitation of mines in
Kolio Marinovo in Pre-Roman times. In this respect quite
meaningful is the concentration of hoards with coins of the
second and I c. BC from the lands of five neighboring villages
in the gold-bearing zone: Chekhlare, Kolio Marinovo
(Zlatareva, 1960), Pravoslav, Medovo (Gerasimov, 1963;
Nikolov, 1964) and Naidenovo (Gerasimov, 1955) (Fig. 3).
Their burial in the late I c. BC must has been connected with a
probable instability in the region (Nikolov, 1964) that could be
referred to the control above the mines. Furthermore, Y.
Yuroukova supposes that their burial was connected exactly
with the offensive of the army of the Roman commander
Lucullus, suppressed the revolted against the Roman
expansion Pontic colonies. It is considered that Lucullus
subjected the exploitation of gold from the mines at Kolio
Marinovo and, even, with this gold he minted coins necessary
for the replenishment of his treasury (Yuroukova, 1963, 43).
The exploitation of the goldbearing deposit at Kolio Marinovo
and the surrounding area of the Sarnena Gora in the earlier
Classical and Hellenistic Ages can not be illustrated with such

direct evidence. It, however, could be supposed on the ground
of the concentration of numerous monuments coming from the
region – remains of a strong representative power of the V-IV
c. BC. These are rich graves (Rosovets, Brezovo, Slavianin,
Bratya Daskalovi), big settlements (Brezovo, Kolio Marinovo),
a dense settlement network where Thracians and Greeks lived
together (Medovo, Naidenovo, Saedinenie), developed road
system. This wealth of remains of advanced settlement system
could be explained through the control on the gold deposits,
the organization of gold exploitation, the trade with gold and
import goods, with the control on the commerce between the
valleys of the Maritsa and Toundzha River as a whole, as well
as, with the control above the roads (Tonkova, 2000; 2002).
We tried to confirm our hypothesis with objective evidence,
with the help of specialists in the exact sciences. Metal slag
from second-first century settlements from the goldbearing
zone (e.g. the village of Najdenovo) and from a Roman
settlement near the village of Bratya Daskalovi) was analyzed
by M. Leblanc – a French specialist at the laboratory in
Montpelier. As far as it concerns the slag from this site their
opinion is that it could be remain from the melting of gold
(unpublished data). In fact, there are other evidences for
probable traces of gold processing. Two stone blocks come
from this site. It consists of separate unlinked segments made
of volcanic tuff. As material, shape and dimensions, and
therefore as a purpose, they are identical to corresponding
elements of the ‘movable millstone’ of the so called ‘Delos
rotary mill’ considered as a Greek phenomenon (Tonkova,
2000, 137, s. 1). Part of the scientists supposes that these
mills, a Greek patent, were designed not for grinding of grain
but for ore (Brunet, 1996). Another direction of study is the
268
Fig. 3. Map of the settlement system in
the region of the Chirpan Heights
analysis of the numerous gold artifacts, found in the rich
graves of the local Thracian aristocrats. The perspective in
such studies recently is demonstrated by the analyses of the
gold pectoral from a grave dated ІV c. BC from the village of
Bratya Daskalovi (former village Voinitsite) (Fig. 4). The gold
content is comparable with the content of native gold from the
area of Sarnena Gora (Kulev et al., in press)
Fig. 4. Golden pectoral from a rich grave near the village of Bratya
Daskalovi (former village Voinitsite)
Our study on the settlement system in the region of the gold
mines led to a great but expected by us discovery – an
important settlement of the time of the Thracian king Seuthes
III. The remains of this Thracian settlement are situated in the
“Halka Bunar” locality in the area of the village of Gorno
Belevo, near the town of Chirpan. Structures belonging to three
sectors – manufacturing, cult and residential, have been
studied so far. Five pottery kilns were found in the first sector.
The time of the existence of the settlement could be related to

the period of the last years from the IV c. BC to the second
decade of the III c. BC (Tonkova, 2002). Without direct
connection with the theme under consideration, this find is a
circuitous argument for the level of living, political organization,
commercial and cultural relations of a settlement and also
illustrates the prosperity of the region connected with the mine
exploitation also in the Early Hellenistic period.
Thracian sanctuary near the village of Babyak
and the ore mining deposit “Babyak”, Western
Rhodopes
The location and unique archaeological finds from the
sanctuary near the village of Babyak present us with the
opportunity to describe it as a fundamental cult place of the
belligerent Bessoi – the Thracian population that originated
from the Western Rhodopes area and the valleys along the
Upper Mesta River (Domaradski et al., 1999; Gotzev, 1994;
Tonkova, 2005; 2007; Tonkova, Gotzev, Ed., 2008).
The sanctuary near Babyak is situated over a threesectioned
peak “Babyashka Chuka” located on a high summit
(1653.6 m a.s.l.), а natural dominant over the surroundings, the
view it reveals encompasses the valley of Razlog, Predela,
Pirin, Rila, and the spectacular landscape of the Rhodopes.
The remains of the cult activities that had taken place there
have formed cultural layers thick up to 3 meters in some
places. Abundant with archaeological materials, this area
covers over 6-7 decares. The stratigraphic examinations
showed that the sanctuary had been in exploitation for more
than 14 centuries in the period between I mill. BC – V c. AD. It
existed during four chronological periods – Late Bronze, Early
Iron, Late Iron and Roman Age.
The first ascertained period of zenith for the sanctuary is
assigned to the second half of the Early Iron Age (VIII-VI c.
BC). To that period can be assigned the earliest fortification
walls. Other representatives of the period are also the first
structures related to the offering of gifts: clay altars different in
size and shape, stone heaps and ritual pits. The gifts represent
mostly fragments of pottery with characteristic of this period
ornaments.
The second period of existence for the sanctuary refers to
the Late Iron Age (V-I c. BC). Particularly distinctive is the
growth of the sanctuary between the end of the III c. BC until I
c. BC. In this period the cult area (temenos) is enclosed by
light stone wall (peribol). The cult practices during that period
are organized around altars and in gift depots, representing
clay altars with different shape, ritual pits, stone heaps in lines,
alternating platforms and clefts, rock niches filled with gifts and
“sealed” with arranged little stones. The sanctuary flourished
also during the Roman Period. The most significant traces of
this time are explored in the High Pinnacle. There were found
roughly processed stone column and ceramic building material
which presumes the presence of a temple dating from that
period. In that sector are found fragments of a monumental
marble statue of a Thracian goddess of fertility, as well as
votive tablets of Hera and Zeus. The various gifts of metal and
clay also certify for diverse manifestations of the cult from that
time. The large amount of silver and bronze coins (over 200)
found in the sanctuary refers mostly to the Late Roman Age
and Late Antiquity.
269
There have been clarified some very important aspects of the
cult – chthonic and also the solar aspects. In the time of
ancient Thrace these comprehensive powers are possessed
by the highest Thracian deity – the Great Thracian Goddess.
Along with Her most probably a male deity had been
worshipped as well, if we are to judge by the presented as gifts
mining tools and weapons. During the Roman Age those gods
were personified as Hera and Zeus, according to the votive
tablets found here.
Among the gifts for the gods offered at the sanctuary most
common are fragments of pottery and means of labor (large
amount of loom weights and spindle whorls, sickles, knives,
miners’ and jewelers’ tools), lots of personal objects related to
decoration of the body and clothes (ornaments and fibulas
made of silver and bronze), silver coins and trade stamps from
II-I c. BC. Some of the gifts are objects which had been crafted
particularly for the cult, but there are also objects which had
been used in everyday life. Among them – with a great
importance for our investigation are those found in a stone
heap dated from ІІІ-ІІ c. BC: two mining tools – an iron axe and
an axe-mattock (Fig. 5-6), found on a tray.
Fig. 5. An iron axe from the sanctuary at the village of Babyak
Fig. 6. An axe-mattock from the sanctuary at the village of Babyak
Parts of stone pans and hand grinding mills with sluices were
also found at the sanctuary (Fig. 7) (Tonkova, 2005, 173, T.II,
12,13, 18; 2007, 59, s. 10, 23, Table ІІ, 12, 13). According to
Domaradski they are designed for grinding of the ore
(Domaradski et al., 1999, 31, 39). Mining instruments are also
of a great interest in this aspect. With the chisels and the
jewels that were found, the cycle of extraction and fine
treatment of the metal is evident. Chisels could be related to
the activity of jewellery workshops for which there are
evidences near the sanctuary during the Pre-Roman period: ІІІ-
І c.BC.

Fig. 7. Hand grinding mills from the sanctuary at the village of Babyak
Mining instruments represent the activity typical of martial
Bessoi, local Thracian population which is known for their
exceptional skills in mining. Discovering of the sanctuary is of a
great importance, because its existence is probably connected
with mining of gold. Today in the immediate proximity of the
sanctuary entrances of the galleries that were used during the
antique times are visible. “Babyak” is ore mining field which is
proved to be used for mining gold and lead (Fig. 1, 2). Several
years ago, during geological researches on this field on several
places was gathered documentary evidence of galleries and
large mining shafts where mining tools such as hammers,
arrows, water pump made by wood and etc. were found).
(Georgiev, 1987, 99-100). These remains are dated to the
Middle Ages, but taking into account the materials related to
mining from ІІІ-І c. BC that were found in the sanctuary could
be assumed that the mine was used by the Thracian people in
Pre-Roman times as well.
According to archaeological researches made at the region
of the ancient mines in the area of the village of Kolio Marinovo
(Sarnena Gora Mountain) and near the sanctuary at the village
of Babyak (Western Rhodopes) there are many evidences that
gold deposits were also exploited during the Pre-Roman and
Roman period.
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