2 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Medallion of Emperor Caracalla Minted in Pergamon Found in Roman Tombs in Bulgaria

One of the valuable discoveries from the Roman tombs discovered near the village of Nova Varbovka in Strazhitsa municipality in the Veliko Turnovo region of Bulgaria in late 2023 was a medallion of the Roman emperor Caracalla (198 to 217 CE).

The valuable finds were recently shown by the Veliko Turnovo Regional History Museum.

The Caracalla medallion, made of bronze, was struck in the city of Pergamon in Asia Minor (modern-day Türkiye ). On one side is a scene from the emperor’s visit in 214 to  Pergamon, where he sought healing from the god of medicine Asclepius.

The museum said that the medallion has a high financial value, but given its size, was not used in everyday trade. The inscriptions are in ancient Greek.

The Roman graves were accidentally found in autumn by a tractor driver who, while plowing a field near the village of Nova Varbovka, hit a limestone slab. The funerary objects – jewelry, coins, and vessels – found date back to the first half of the 3rd century AD.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Archaeologists Kalin Chakarov and Nedko Elenski, along with museum specialist Michaela Tomanova, conducted fieldwork in December.

Other objects found in Roman tombs in Bulgaria. Image Credit: Museum Veliko Tarnovo
Other objects found in Roman tombs in Bulgaria. Image Credit: Museum Veliko Tarnovo

The tombs’ walls are covered in fine porcelain plaster, and one of them is shaped like an unusual brick pillow on the floor. A ceremonial ceramic amphora filled with wine is located above one of the tombs.

Two adults were interred in one tomb: a man between the ages of 50 and 60 and a woman between the ages of 45 and 49. The remains of a child between the ages of one and two were discovered in the other tomb. The genders and ages of the buried were determined by Nadezhda Atanassova from the National Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology, and Anthropology at the Bulgarian Academy of Science.

In the grave of the man and woman were found exquisite gold women’s earrings, a gilt pendant with a bead, and a silver-plated fibula of several types of metal. Also, on the man’s chest, there was a silver coin (denarius) minted in the city of Laodicea.

It is believed that the deceased were wealthy landowners with properties in the territory administered by the ancient city of Nicopolis ad Istrum.

Gifts were found with the child, including a pair of small gold earrings, children’s glass bead jewelry, a ceramic amphora for wine, and two glass lacrimaria – exquisite vessels used to collect mourners’ tears and later used for fragrant oils.

Cover Photo: Museum Veliko Tarnovo

Related Articles

New Findings from 3,000-year-old Uluburun shipwreck: Uzbekistan Nomads Supplied a Third of the Bronze Used Across Ancient Mediterranean

5 December 2022

5 December 2022

A new study of the 3,o00 years old Uluburun shipwreck revealed a complex ancient trading network during the late bronze...

Who will solve the puzzle of Bronze Age tin? Origin of tin ingots from Uluburun shipwreck disputed – the metal may have come from Cornwall

3 October 2023

3 October 2023

The exact origin of tin in the Bronze Age is the Holy Grail of archaeometallurgists: For 150 years, experts have...

Builders of Massive 6000-year-old Menga Dolmen Likely Understood Geometry and other “Early Science” Concepts

25 August 2024

25 August 2024

Researchers say that a new analysis of the 6000-year-old stone Menga (also known as the Dolmen of Menga), supported by...

8,200-year-old lacquerware found in China

9 July 2021

9 July 2021

Archaeologists in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province have identified two items of lacquerware at the Jingtoushan ruins, the oldest ever found...

2000-years-old Hercules Rock Relief is being Vandalized

17 February 2024

17 February 2024

The 2000-year-old Hercules Rock Relief, located in Deliktaş, approximately 2.5 kilometers northeast of the Iznik district center of Bursa, is...

A woman who had brain surgery 9500 years ago will be brought revived

12 September 2021

12 September 2021

A “revival” effort is underway on a woman’s skull unearthed in 1989 during archaeological digs at the Aşıklı Mound in...

Ancient Elegance Revealed: Exquisite Jewelry and Amulets from the 26th Dynasty Discovered at Karnak

4 March 2025

4 March 2025

In a remarkable revelation that sheds light on ancient Egyptian craftsmanship, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, alongside the...

Lovingly gazing mosaics restored in Turkey’s Metropolis

16 October 2021

16 October 2021

In the ancient city of Metropolis in the Torbali district of the western Izmir province, mosaics portraying Eros, the Greek...

Norwegian Boy in Search of Granddad’s Wedding Ring Finds 1500-year-old Roman Jewellery

11 August 2021

11 August 2021

Sander Magnus Vang (12) needed to find his grandfather’s lost wedding ring. Instead, he found a 1500-year-old ring. The golden...

A Neolithic Ornate Necklace with Over 2,500 Stones found in a Child’s Grave

3 August 2023

3 August 2023

An ornate necklace found in a child’s grave in ancient Jordan about 9,000 years ago provides new insights into the...

1000-Year-Old Tomb Found in Perre Ancient City in southeast Turkey

1 July 2021

1 July 2021

A 1,000-year-old tomb was unearthed in the ancient city of Perre in Adiyaman province. Perre is one of the five...

Archaeologists Discovered a New Pyramid Resembling Teotihuacán in Tikal

17 April 2021

17 April 2021

Researchers discovered a new pyramid complex in the Tikal in Guatemala. About 65 km south of El Mirador in the...

Archaeologists unearthed fresh evidence that bedbugs came to Britain with the Romans

3 February 2024

3 February 2024

Archaeologists working the Roman garrison site of Vindolanda in Northumberland, south of Hadrian’s Wall, have discovered new proof that the...

A Sunken Land of Life and Intelligence: The Lost World of Homo Erectus Resurfaces After 140,000 Years

25 May 2025

25 May 2025

Archaeologists discover ancient human fossils and extinct megafauna on the seafloor of the Madura Strait, revealing that Homo erectus once...

Genetic Analysis Reveals A Woman As The Highest-Ranking Individual In Copper Age Spain: ‘Ivory Lady’

6 July 2023

6 July 2023

According to a study published Thursday (July 6) in the journal Scientific Reports, the highest-status individual in ancient Copper Age...