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

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Heros was found; unpublished data of the author.
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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