Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

A Hobbiton discovered by archaeologists in Perperikon

Prof Ovcharov said the tiny houses resembling Hobbit dwellings were homes for the poor

Perperikon
Photo: Facebook /Vladislav Terziiski Photography

A village of small houses dating from the 13th-15th cent. AD, very similar to the dwellings of the Hobbits, has been excavated by archaeologist Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov and his team. It is a complex of a dozen small houses located in the southern part of the rock city of Perperikon. Prof Ovcharov told BNR-Kardzhali that the complex bears a strong resemblance to the city of the Hobbits in 'The Lord of the Rings'. 

Whole families lived in houses no larger than 20 square metres. Cooking utensils, chrome pots and tools have been found. There are narrow streets between the houses.

According to the archaeologists, the houses were inhabited by the poorer part of Perperikon's population, which numbered around 5,000 people at the time. "This is not a small number, as it was the population of Vienna at the same time," says Professor Nikolai Ovcharov.

At the end of the 14th century, burials took place there. The data show that the population declined sharply. This was probably due to the plague that hit Europe at that time, the archaeologists believe.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Good weather for sunbathing and hiking expected on Thursday

On Thursday the weather will be sunny. There will be light wind in the Danube Plain and Eastern Bulgaria to a moderate wind from the eastern quarter.  Daytime highs will be between 28°C and 33°C , in Sofia – around 29°C. Along the..

published on 8/27/25 7:35 PM

President Radev participates in opening of high-tech defense plant in Germany

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev was present at the opening of a new high-tech plant of the German concern Rheinmetall at the invitation of the company's CEO Armin Papperger. The plant, located in Unterlüß, Lower Saxony, will produce 155-millimeter..

published on 8/27/25 6:13 PM

The government increases the capital of the Bulgarian Development Bank

The government has decided to increase the capital of the Bulgarian Development Bank by 4 billion levs (over 2 billion euros). The money will be invested in new industrial zones, in the construction of new water supply networks, as well as in the..

published on 8/27/25 6:03 PM