In August 2000, a sensational discovery occurred near the village of Starosel, in central Bulgaria.  Archaeologists found the enormous temple/grave of what is believed to be a Thracian ruler, possibly Sitakes I, the first king of a combined Thracian empire. Sitalkes had an annual income of 800 talents and ruled from the Danube to the Aegean. He invaded Macedonia with a supposedly 150,000 strong army. He died in battle in 424 BC. The site, 100 miles east of Sofia, has been dated as from the fourth or fifth century BC. The grave and its surroundings are thought by archaeologists to have been an important religious site for Thracians dating from the stone age. The two-chamber tomb is approached by stairs and a corridor. It is surrounded by a 263-yard long wall made out of some 4,000 stone blocks and was hidden under a 20-meter high mound of earth. The stone blocks of the surrounding wall/facade were largely undisturbed because they were fastened on the other side with iron clamps, which had lead poured over them.  To the south it is crossed by a parade staircase flanked by two smaller staircases, climbing to an 11-yard roofless doorway with 5.5-yard high walls leading to the facade. The round stone wall symbolises the Sun, while the temple itself stands for the goddess of Earth who lived in a cave, according to Thracian beliefs. The interior consists of a rectangular entrance and a round vaulted main hall, whose ceiling is supported by 10 Doric semi-pillars, each carved with 10 vertical flutes. The inner walls are covered by ornate stone plates. The dome is decorated with a stone frieze in red, black, green and blue colours.

In a neighbouring mound, archaeologists found a magnificent trove of relics, including a large gold funerary wreath, other gold jewellery (including a 1-ounce gold ring depicting a Thracian horseman spearing a wild boar), bronze shields, helmets and swords, four silver and eight bronze vessels, ancient Greek ceramics, greaves (decorated with the royal double-edged axe symbol), scale armor, a bronze javelin tips, a quiver full of arrows with bronze tips and two sets of silver decorations for horses. A large silver applique was found in the entrance depicting a fully armed Thracian king with a beard but with no moustaches, riding a horse, and raising a rhyton in one hand. These were dated to the fifth century, B.C. Other tombs were found in the vicinity, thought to be Sitalkes’ brother and cousins. One had a golden sarcophagus cover. Among the grave goods of a Thracian aristocrat in the second necropolis were 5 silver horse appliqués (around 5 cm wide and 4 cm high) depicting griffins.

In 2001, no further work was conducted on the site, but we hope to make further interesting discoveries next year.

This is how it was reported at the time:

Bulgaria Uncovers Largest Ancient Thracian Temple SOFIA, Aug 12 (Reuters) - A team of Bulgarian archaeologists has unearthed a Thracian sanctuary, believed to be the largest yet found in the area of the Balkan peninsula inhabited by ancient Thracians, state news agency BTA said on Saturday.

The find, dated back to the fifth century B.C., is located near the village of Starosel in the Plovdiv region in central Bulgaria. "The ancient sanctuary is the most impressive monument of Thracian cult architecture found so far," BTA quoted head of the archeological team Georgi Kitov as saying.

The mound is some 20 metres (66 feet) high and has a diameter of 90 metres (295 feet). It is surrounded by a 240 metre (785 feet)-long stone wall.

According to Kitov at least one powerful Thracian king may be buried there.   It is thought that this might be Sitalkes I, the great Thracian king who united Thrace and invaded Macedon with an army of 150,000 men in 429BC.

The team has so far uncovered a stone staircase and a 15 m (50 feet)-long corridor leading to an impressive facade decorated with relief ornaments. The team also found earthenware, coins, arrowheads and cult objects.

The monument was discovered in 2000. It has been investigated by Dr. Georgi Kitov in the last summer of that century. The temple-tomb of Starosel is the biggest one in the Balkans dated according to the excavator from the later 5th century BC. It is a magnificent monument of powerful ruler of Thrace, possibly Sitalk, c. 445/440-424 BC (?), comparable with his politics towards establishment of Thracian hegemony in the Balkans.