Exhuming Dracula
Skeletons with iron rods pierced through their chest were found in Bulgaria recently. No, this isn’t out of Bram Stokers “Dracula,” 
and it isn’t proof of the existence of vampires either. What it appears to be is paranoia, and fear of the unknown, especially the supper natural.
During the plague years in Europe, roughly 1300-1700, it was common to reopen fresh graves to add bodies. When this was done the grave diggers would find freshly decomposing bodies with bloated guts and their teeth piercing through their lips. The lack of germ theory led people to believe that the corpse was eating the other bodies in the grave. I mean it made sense. The corpse had blood dripping down its mouth, and a bulging belly, kind of like me on Thanksgiving but with gravy dripping down my face. When the digger would see this he would drive a steak through the heart of the “undead” creature (probably where the way to kill a vampire comes from), and wedge a stone in its mouth. They would then drive iron rods through the chest to make sure the body stayed in its grave and couldn’t terrorize the people.
So when these graves have been found, as they have been found all over Bulgaria, Serbia, and the Balkans, it may appear to be the skeleton of a vampire, which indeed is what people thought it was at the time, but it is really just a victim of the plague. It is interesting to see things like this and realize where myths and legends come from.
Road Construction Destroys Unique Bulgarian Archeological Site
Last week I reported about the discovery of four new archeological sites in Bulgaria found during the construction of a new highway (see Four Archaeological Sites Revealed During Road Construction in Northeastern Bulgaria). It has now been discovered that the construction company has destroyed one of these sites. Archeological teams have been sent into rescue whatever they can. The Sofia News Agency reports on the incident.
A bulldozer has destroyed a prehistoric settlement and a medieval church near the town of Momchilgrad in southern Bulgaria.
The Bulgarian National Television, BNT, reports that the case is under police investigation with the most likely culprit being a construction company building the new road to Greece through the Makaza mountain pass. A special commission from the Culture Ministry is checking the premises.
8 000 years ago, at the same location, there had been a prehistoric settlement with unique for Europe architecture – it was a craftsman center for making various tools.
Read the rest at Road Construction Destroys Unique Bulgarian Archeological Site: Road Construction Destroys Unique Bulgarian Archeology Site – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency.
Photo by wiangya / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Four Archaeological Sites Revealed During Road Construction in Northeastern Bulgaria
Bulgaria has been a hotspot for archeological discoveries lately. Almost every week, I run across an article about the discovery of another archeological site in Bulgaria. Now the construction of a new highway has unveiled four new sites. The Sofia News Agency reports of fears of losing the sites if highway construction continues before Road Construction Authority investigates them.
Four archaeological sites have been found on the route of a highway section under construction near the
northeastern Bulgarian town of Shumen.
The National Archaeological Institute has already proposed to the Road Infrastructure Agency that urgent rescue excavations be carried out on the terrain, according to reports from private TV channel bTV.
A piece of processed marble led the experts to the conclusion that there were archaeological finds beneath the surface of the future highway stretch.
Under Bulgarian legislation, road construction works may resume only after the rescue excavations have been completed.
Read the rest of the article at Bulgaria: 4 Archaeological Sites Revealed During Road Construction in Northeastern Bulgaria – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency.
Photo by wiangya / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Unique Early Christian Tomb to Be Opened in Bulgaria’s Sofia
The Hagia Sophia church in Sofia, Bulgaria dates back to the 6th Century BC. In the 14th Century BC, the church gave it’s name to the city of Sofia, which was originally called Sredets and Serdika. The Sofia News Agency reports of a Christian tomb now open to the public.
A unique early Christian tomb will be opened for tourists in downtown Sofia by Christmas, it has been
announced.
The tomb is situated in front of the city’s ancient “Saint Sofia” basilica. It has been discovered during repair works in the 80ies and it dates back to the 4th century AD. A total of BGN 140 000 has been spent by the Sofia municipality for restoration works on the tomb, Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova has said, as cited by the 24 chasa daily.
“An inscription found in the tomb suggests it was dedicated to Honorius. We suppose he was a person of gentle birth and probably a clergyman,” Todor Chobanov, Bulgarian Deputy Culture Minister, has revealed.
Read the rest of the article Bulgaria: Unique Early Christian Tomb to Be Opened in Bulgaria’s Sofia – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency.
Photo by Vammpi
Bulgaria’s Museum of Socialist Art Welcomes First Visitors
As was mentioned in the post Bulgaria museum enshrines Soviet era about Bulgaria opening up a museum dedicated to life under socialism and Soviet influence. The museum has now been officially opened by a plethora of the top government officials with a prediction of it to soon become a top tourist attraction in Sofia.
Bulgaria’s Museum of Socialist Art officially opened its doors to visitors Monday.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Defense Minister Anyu Angelov, Environment Minister Nona Karadzhova, Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski, Regional Minister Lilyana Pavlova and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova.
“We have combed through every basement of every town. Socialism is not an invention of artists, but of politics, but the museum shows true mastery”, Minister Rashidov proudly declared.
“A people that does not build museums, churches and roads has no way of going down in history”, he pointed out, adding that “After all, there must be a way leading to the museums and the churches”.
The second to give a speech in the course of the ceremony was Simeon Djankov, who said that he had paid no less than 50 visits to the museum while it was being built.
“I came and watched construction unfold. I took my two boys with me to show them how a museum gets built and to tell them about the people whose sculptures are here”, the Finance Minister announced, predicting that the site would turn into one of the biggest tourist attractions in Sofia.
Read the rest of the article at Bulgaria: Bulgaria’s Museum of Socialist Art Welcomes First Visitors – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency.
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