Game – Puzzle Horseman’s Sarcophagus

The Historical Museum in Belitsa preserves a unique find in its archeological hall. The main place in it is occupied by the "Horseman's Sarcophagus" - a Thracian sarcophagus, which is the only one of its kind in the Balkans. This is the most valuable exhibit in the historical museum collection in the mountain town, which was founded in 1968 by the local historian, local historian and Chitalishte activist Stoil Koshov. It was found in the burial mound in the area of ​​Belishka Chuka near the town of Belitsa during excavations in 1995 together with other remains of an ancient and magnificent Thracian burial. The coffin was placed in a complex structure of stone slabs, covered with a stone mound and earthen embankment. The sarcophagus dates from the 5th century BC. Hr. And testifies to the burial customs of the Thracians from the region. The artifacts found in the sarcophagus show that an Orphic burial was performed by the Thracians, which is influenced by Hellenistic traditions. A shin human bone and two legs of a wooden chair were found. The chair is wrapped in fabric, and most of the fragments are preserved. Bones cremated at high temperatures were found in the central part of the sarcophagus. An iron fibula of the "Thracian" type with remnants of cloth and an iron knife with traces of a bone handle was also found. In the hall, in addition to the restored sarcophagus with its lid, you can also see a scale model of it. Some of the bones, tools and cloth from the wooden chair were also exhibited. The sarcophagus is thought to be approximately 2,500 years old.