Archaeology: Gold ring, golden leaf from tsar's wreath found in Bulgaria's Sozopol

Photo: Julia Lazarova
Archeologists have unearthed a solid golden ring and golden leaf from a tsar’s wreath, while carrying out excavations financed by the National Museum of History, museum director Bozhidar Dimitrov was quoted as saying on April 2 2012 by local news agency Focus.

Tsonya Drazheva and Dimitar Nedev discovered the items last week outside the fortress gate of Sozopol on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.

The ring has a semi-precious stone and most probably dates back to the Roman era (first to the fourth century CE). The golden leaf from a wreath dates back to the fourth to the third centuries BCE.

At the time Sozopol’s name was Apollonia and it was an independent and democratic state and it was not possible for state leaders to wear golden wreaths, the report said. Still it is known that the Greek poleis were working golden wreaths for Thracian tsars with whom the Black Sea Greeks had beneficial political and economic contacts, according to the report.
http://www.sofiaecho.com/2012/04/02/1800072_archaeology-gold-ring-golden-leaf-from-tsars-wreath-found-in-bulgarias-sozopol