Bulgaria: Ancient Thracian Sacrificial Altars Unearthed at Perperikon

Bulgarian archaeologists at Perperikon have uncovered new evidence of ancient life, including a system of blood sacrifice altars used for divination. Two altars were discovered, one for making holy wine and another for blood sacrifices. These altars are reminiscent of those used in the worship of the Thracian horseman and the temple of Mithras, according to Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, who has led excavations at the site for nearly 25 years.

Records from the Roman period describe public animal sacrifices, where a priest dressed in white and wearing a crown would cut open the animal and perform divination on its entrails. This practice took place in the "area sacra," or sacred area, which contained both public altars for communal use and private ones for family sacrifices. The newly discovered altars, which will be presented at Perperikon on September 4, offer further evidence that the great temple of Dionysus was located within the complex.

One of the altars, featuring a large stone tub with a drainage hole, has been studied to determine its stratigraphy, revealing that it was used over a long period, sometimes spanning centuries. The earliest sacrifices on these altars date back 3,000 to 3,200 years, from the end of the Bronze Age to the beginning of the Iron Age. Prof. Ovcharov explained that one of the altars from the Roman era provides an opportunity to reconstruct the sacrificial practices, which likely involved small animals such as goats and sheep.

Prof. Ovcharov plans to demonstrate how the liquid from the sacrifices drained through gutters into special basins, where divination was performed on the animal's blood. He will also review the progress of this year's excavations at Perperikon, which have been extensive due to a 500,000 leva state...