The oldest town of the Odrysses discovered in Bulgaria

By: Svetlana Dicheva, Bulgarian National Radio

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A team of archaeologists from the Plovdiv Museum of Archaeology lead by the director of the museum, Kostadin Kissiov, discovered an ancient Thracian town close to Vassil Levski village, near the town of Karlovo. The work hypothesis is that this is the oldest town of the tribe called Odrysses which laid the foundation for the Thracion state about 300 BC. Research is only in its initial stages so it is too early to indicate the name of the king under whose rule the town had thrived. The excavations are financed by the Plovdiv Municipality. The Municipality finances also the construction of a new museum building. The Archaeological museum in Plovdiv is one of the first Bulgarian cultural institutions, officially opened in 1882 and possesses one of the richest collections of 100.000 exhibits of artifacts related to the history of Plovdiv and its region. Housed in a building designed for a Tax agency and constructed in 1930, the museum didn't have enough space to display it's numerous treasures. According to the plans the new building of the museum will be finished in two years. Svetlana Dicheva from the Bulgarian National Radio asked Kostadin Kissiov, director of the museum, to tell more details about the finds.