A Thracian palace unearthed near the town of Karlovo is more ancient than Seutopolis, now lying at the bottom of Koprinka damA palace that shines like gold on sunny days. That's how an ancient Thracian palace discovered near Karlovo (Plovdiv region), looks like. Archaeologists think it was built 2500 years ago. The dazzling effect comes from the unique and perfectly preserved roofing tiles, told Standart discoverer of the palace Kostadin Kisiov (on the picture). In the opinion of experts, this is the most ancient Thracian settlement ever discovered in Bulgaria. Archaeologists have confirmed that it dates back from the end of 6th beginning of 5th century B.C. So far archeologists have unearthed about 0.15 ha. To their luck it was exactly there - in the northeastern periphery of the settlement - that a so-called "citadel" was located. According to experts, this was the ruler's palace, reinforced with a rampart wall. We have excavated and cleared 15 meters of the wall. The preserved height is about 1.8 m, it is 2-m thick. It is built of perfectly hewn stone blocks and surrounds the palace. Behind the wall there was a king's palace roofed with tiles. As the Thracians were not among the most developed ancient tribes, they built their houses predominantly of adobe and roofs were thatched. In contrast, the palace boasts monumental architecture and a solid roof. The roofing tiles are perfectly done with lacquered covering of black, red and silver, the so-gold "cat gold." When sunrays fall over it the effect is marvelous - the roof looks like pure shining gold. Besides, this technique prevents corrosion. Even today, 2500 years later, the tiles are perfectly preserved. Now archaeologist have concentrated their efforts on the palace, which may become an unprecedented tourist attraction after the restoration, Kostadin Kisiov says.
Kostadin Arshinkov, StandrtNews