Bronze vessels from the Chadar mound near the village of Iskritsa, Galabovo municipality, Stara Zagora district

Abstract

This article presents the Chadar burial mound near the village of Iskritsa, Stara Zagora district. It is situated on a hill to the northeast of the village in the Kashlaka locality. The mound measures 25.50 m in diameter and is 3.15 m high. During its excavation, several round pits were documented. They should probably be associated with specific funerary and post-funeral practices. A single grave was recorded at Chadar mound. The burial pit is dug into a grey layer comprising soil mixed with sand. The boundaries of the pit cannot be determined since the surrounding terrain has the same characteristics as the grave fill. The funeral rite was inhumation. The burial inventory consisted of a bronze lekane with two wishbone-shaped handles, an aryballoid bronze vessel and an iron spearhead. In addition to introducing this mound in a scientific context, the article pays particular attention to the bronze vessels found in the grave. An attempt is made to attribute them to a specific production centre or workshop using the comparable characteristics of well-known finds, including those fashioned from other materials. The analysis of the bronze vessels suggests a narrow chronological framework. The opinions of other scholars currently dealing with this issue have also been considered.

Keywords

• Chadar burial mound
• bronze vessels
• aryballoid bronze vessel
• lekane with wishbone handles