An extremely valuable gilded Thracian breastplate dated from the second half of the 4th century BC will be exhibited on 22 February at the National Museum of History in Sofia.

The breastplate is an evidence of the splendor of the wars of antiquity in Bulgaria and it is a magnificent piece of Thracian ceremonial armament. However, the way it was made shows that besides being a parade breastplate it also provided efficient protection.

Its base is a massive moon-shaped iron collar that covers the chest, shoulders and back. At the neck, the base is curved in an "L-shape" to protect the neck from the front and back. An embossed silver plate with solid gilding and exquisite decoration completely covers the iron backing. Twelve forged belts of different widths are running from the neck to the periphery.

The priceless artifact was discovered in 1995 by an archeological team, led by Dr. Georgi Kitov and Gavril Lazov, during the excavations of the "Tsviatkova mound" in the Kazanlak municipality. Numerous arrowheads, a horse skeleton and numerous horse harness appliqués were dug up from the same site.

It is assumed that the breastplate was part of the gifts of a buried horseman.

In 2020, a team from the National History Museum under the direction of Pavlina Devlova carried out the graphic reconstruction and conceptual restoration of the artifact.

Compiled by: Veneta Nikolova

Photos: National Museum of History

English version: Elizabeth Radkova