Thursday, August 7, 2008

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot


Did you see this in the news today? I thought it
was absolutely fascinating!
.....

Archaeologists have unearthed a 1,900-year-old well-preserved
chariot at an ancient Thracian tomb in southeastern Bulgaria, the
head of the excavation said Thursday. Daniela Agre said her team
found the four-wheel chariot during excavations near the village of
Borisovo, around 180 miles east of the capital, Sofia. "This is the first
time that we have found a completely preserved chariot in Bulgaria",
said Agre, a senior archaeologist at the Bulgarian Academy of
Sciences. She said previous excavations had only unearthed single
parts of chariots — often because ancients sites had been looted. At
the funerary mound, the team also discovered table pottery, glass
vessels and other gifts for the funeral of a wealthy Thracian aristocrat.
In a separate pit, they unearthed skeletons of two riding horses
apparently sacrificed during the funeral of the nobleman, along with
well preserved bronze and leather objects, some believed to horse
harnesses. The Thracians were an ancient people that inhabited the
lands of present day Bulgaria and parts of modern Greece, Turkey,
Macedonia and Romania between 4,000 B.C. and the 6th century,
when they were assimilated by the invading Slavs. Some 10,000
Thracian mounds — some of them covering monumental stone
tombs — are scattered across Bulgaria.
By VESELIN TOSHKOV, APS, Reuters Photos

39 comments:

  1. I've thought about being buried with either my bike (Big Buzz) or my woodworking tools. Now I need to find a place archaeologists will be digging in a few thousand years. Maybe Wyoming or Nebraska 'cause the West Coast will either be underwater or ground up via plate tectonics or both.

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  2. I have a good friend who always says..."They tell me I can't take it with me. But, I am taking it with
    me."

    Seems this fellow felt the same way.

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  3. I'll be this is like a modern day rich guy being buried in his Corvet or something!!!!!!

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  4. Bill, your bike is Big Buzz?! That's funny...there's gotta be a story there. Yes, pick a high and dry central spot.

    Pamela and Strider, yep, seems that's the case!! :)

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  5. The little lion or dog is like the hood ornament! LOL!

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  6. I was just going to say that he had a hood ornament! What a cute dog! Who knew they did that so long ago. Kinda reminds you of the pyramids where they were buried with their dishes and everything they would need in the next life. Kinda gross that they killed his horses to go with him! But, what good is the chariot with out the horses!?

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  7. Bill, I thought your bike was already buried in the basement of the Alamo.

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  8. This is really exciting.....though I hate the thought of the horses being sacrificed. If I could do it all over again I would love to be an archeologist.

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  9. Interesting...we all do enjoy these archaeological finds..

    This reminds me of the lst emperor of China..buried with 6000 clay warriors and 3000 wives and concubines. Can you imagine what a dig that was :)

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  10. That is so neat!! Oh how I want to dig things up for a living!!!!!!!
    ~Em~

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  11. Willow is that your mail box on the side for the manor? Does it really have snakes? I don't know why I am so interested your mailbox, I think it might be because having snakes in it cracks me up. I don't know why, but every time their is a comment about your mail box( with snakes), I get this vision of that strange little juice man sticking his hand in there!!!!!!

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  12. Love archeology, just love it. We had a classical studies teacher who made the subject come alive-she was better than a live sports commentator when she was describing things like the Peloponnesian wars.I didn't go down that archeological career path, but in retrospect should have.Funny how we say don't look back, but in archeology that's just what we do!

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  13. Nope. Never been to Texas and it's not on my list to visit.But thanks to Walt Disney I know the story of the Alamo 'cause Davy Crockett was thar.

    Born on a mountain top in Tennessee
    The greenest state in the land of the free
    Raised in the woods so's he knew ev'ry tree
    Kilt him a b'ar when he was only three
    Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier

    Fought single-handed through many a war
    Till the enemy was whipped and peace was in store
    And while he was handlin' this risky chore
    He made himself a legend forever more
    Davy, Davy Crockett, the man who knew no fear

    He went off to Congress and served a spell
    Fixin' up the Government and the laws as well
    Took over Washington, so I heard tell
    And he patched up the crack in the Liberty Bell
    Davy, Davy Crockett, seeing his duty clear

    When he came home his politic'ing was done
    And the western march had just begun
    So he packed his gear and his trusty gun
    And lit out a-grinnin' to follow the sun
    Davy, Davy Crockett, leading the pioneer

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  14. Wow, that is amazing! We have a friend who is an archeologist, but I don't think he's ever found anything like that!

    The Broken man

    http://theblogofabrokenman.blogspot.com/

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  15. Incredible isn't it, would love to see it.
    I'm sure none of the transport today, would stand that test of time..

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  16. I've always thought being an archaeologist would be thrilling. This is an excellent example of why...

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  17. Six horse power with four wheel drive. Not quite up to todays standards but very interesting. Thanks for sharing that info. I hadn't seen anything about it. Pappy

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  18. I didn't see that news bit...Amzaing! Now if they could only make coffee makers to last as long ;o) Happy Days...

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  19. Robyn, Diva, Em and Pam, I would have loved being an archeologist, too! I didn't realize their were so many of us out there!!

    And Em, yes, that's my mailbox with the snakes on my sidebar.

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  20. The images are great, Willow! It's amazing what is still being unearthed and what is waiting to be uncovered...Since Art Historians sometimes work closely with archaeologists, I hope to get to document and research some amazing discoveries...

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  21. Bill, and I thought you didn't have any Disney songs in your head!? I'm glad you knew about the Alamo from Davy Crockett and not Pee Wee Herman.

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  22. It's like magic every time someone discovers a burial site that's been left undisturbed. A look into the past that would never been possible except for the religious/supernatural beliefs of so many cultures.

    I want to be buried with my golf clubs and a box of Oreos, just in case.

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  23. Rebecca, I will be very interested to see what exciting things your future might hold!

    David, golf clubs and Oreos? You'll be set! :)

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  24. It's stories like this that made me want to be an archeologist when I was a young girl. Amazing! I used to read National Geographic, too, to hear about finds in the tundras of Russia where remains had frozen and were preserved for eons. Can you imagine the elation of those working on this site?! Fascinating.

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  25. Brush, I've always been fascinated by the discovery of frozen remains. They are so well preserved; a picture into the details of the past. It's like time travel!

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  26. I didnt see that and now I am off to learn more .. I love archeology .. one of my favorite fiction reads is Mitchners The Source ...

    :-Daryl

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  27. Thanks for sharing this.

    I like Nature, but I love History,
    Troy

    Come and visit anytime.
    Troy and Martha

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  28. that photo is amazing--it really is whole!

    Can you imagine how you'd feel if you knew that one day 1000's of years from now your body would be exhumed by arachaeologists and put on display at some museum somewhere?! That would be just my luck!

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  29. My problem(s) with becoming an archaeologist:

    1. I don't like to get dirty

    2. I don't like being hot

    There's a reason I'm a Diva...

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  30. Diva, I would have to get used to sweat and a little dirt under my nails. Hmmmm...on second thought...

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  31. I'm over to copy down your bread pudding recipe! ...finally...it will be a wonderful weekend treat!

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  32. Willow I just looked at that video!!!!!!! That school looks old as dirt, of course it's haunted!! That was amazing, thank you for sending it to me!! I think that English teacher is probably going to scare the crap out of all her students now though!!
    ~Em~

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  33. Thanks tor sharing the news, I am captivated by things archaeological, that particular snippet unfortunately did not make it to the colonies! Lovely little sculpture too.

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  34. Just amazing when we think of ancient civilization and the ingenuity and aesthetics that accompanied their creations.

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  35. Wow... how amazing!
    I would love to go to Bulgaria... they have the best singing :)

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  36. Fascinating! I did not see this story.

    My dad still insists on a Viking funeral, though. (No, we are not Vikings. He just likes the movie with Kirk Douglas.)

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  37. WT wants a Viking Funeral, too, and I always wondered why. Maybe it's the Kirk Douglas thing?!

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  38. Oh, it's definitely a guy thing. A cleft-chin, square jawed, Kirk Douglas guy thing.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)