Archaeologists have discovered a very rare and valuable glass bottle in a 2nd-century tomb in the southern necropolis of the Roman colony Deultum near the village of Debelt (Southeastern Bulgaria). What makes it unique is that it depicts the myth of the monster Chimera, defeated by Bellerophon riding the winged horse Pegasus, reported archaeologia-bulgarica.
The scene was identified by Dobrina Harbalieva from the Municipal History Museum of Sredets, in collaboration with Dr. Arina Korzun from the Institute of Balkan Studies with Centre for Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS).
It is believed that the fire-breathing monster, with a lion’s head, a goat’s body and a dragon’s tail, was first described by Homer in the Iliad. Despite its fierce appearance and its reputation as immortal, the Chimera was ultimately slain by Bellerophon’s arrow, with the help of the goddess Athena. The two victors performed more feats together, but in the end, Bellerophon wished to ascend to the gods on Mount Olympus. However, he fell off Pegasus' back, archaeologists recall.
See also:
On 10 August 1915, the first Bulgarian-built aeroplane took to the skies for a test flight in Bozhurishte. It was designed by inventor Assen Yordanov, whose name still features in the textbooks used to train pilots and engineers today. From an early..
A trilingual exhibition titled “Egyptian Cults around the Black Sea” opens today at 6 PM at the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol , according to BNR – Burgas. Part of an international research project, the exhibition is organized by the Institute of..
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has issued an official statement on “pagan neo-Hindu propaganda with pseudo-Christian elements”. The bishops of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church call for greater vigilance against “touring gurus, self-proclaimed “spiritual..
Partly Cloudy
Clear