Cult Pit with Horse Skull from Nearly 8 Centuries Ago Found at Archaeological Dig in NC Bulgaria

Jerusalem, 20 August, 2023 (TPS) -- GORNA ORYAHOVITSA, NORTH-CENTRAL BULGARIA, 20.08.2023 (BTA)
A cult pit with an animal skull dating back nearly eight centuries was discovered at an archaeological site close to Ryahovets Fortress near Gorna Oryahovitsa (North-Central Bulgaria). The archaeologists found a 50 cm horse skull ritually facing south, the third such find after that of a cow skull and another horse skull, expedition head Iliyan Petrakiev told BTA.

The excavations near Gorna Oryahovitsa have been on for three years now and cover an area where a necropolis, a residential district, and ritual pits from the 13th century have been found. According to Petrakiev, this year’s finds support the scientific hypothesis that the area was inhabited by a late nomadic population in the process of Christianization.

The graves discovered are unusual, he said. They face southwest-northeast, the upper limbs of the deceased are in various poses untypical of the Christian burial rituals, and close to them are ritual pits with animal remains.

According to one hypothesis, the area was inhabited by the Kumans, whose tribe in the late 12th and early 13th century was an ally of the Bulgarian rulers of the time. The finds will be subjected to another type of analysis in addition to the archaeological one to prove the hypothesis.

The horse skull was removed from the pit by restorer Rouen Hadzhinikolov from the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Museum of History using a special technology to preserve its integrity. The find will be studied at the National Museum of Natural History and exhibited, if possible, at the History Museum of Gorna Oryahovitsa.

Another find from this year’s excavation works at the site are burnt house beams, which are valuable in that an analysis of the wood can help date it.

Participating in the excavation are archaeology students from the University of Veliko Tarnovo. Funding to the amount of BGN 20,000 is provided by Gorna Oryahovitsa Municipality.