31. THE VARNA TREASURE
The treasure was fortuitously found in Varna in 1961, during construction works, at the corner of Knyaz Boris I and Makedonia streets, 1,5 m be-low the today’s walking level. The spot is about 500 m north – east to the Late Antiquity fortress walls of Odessos, near the Roman necropolis of the town (AD 2nd – 3rd centuries). At the area of the find there is evidence of funerals dating from the 4th – 6th centuries.
It has been probably kept within a leather sa-chet and might have been part of a larger treasure
consisting of gold jewelry belonging to ecclesiastical or secular persons. The presence of additional artifacts and fragments suggests the treasure has been divided in two parts at least, and submitted by the Church or by Odessos authorities in the second half of the 6th – early 7th century to Barbarians (probably the Avars who invaded the Balkans in 580 – 582) in return for captives; the local bishop Martin attested to a similar initiative — in 544 he succeeded in receiving from Emperor Justinian a special privilege for the church community in town (Just. Nov. CXX, 4)
The treasure consists of eight objects or frag-ments of 22-carat gold, precious and semi-precious stones: pearls, garnet and malachite of a total weight of 417 g. They were produced in different periods between mid 5th and mid 6th centuries, using various techniques peculiar of the Early Byzantine goldsmith’s art as forging, engraving, chasing, filigree, granulation, incising, intaglio and encrustment. Some of the pieces were prob-ably fashioned in the imperial workshop of Con-stantinople, as the bracelets tour bulgaria, the incised diadem which is the only one known of its kind, and per-haps the necklace. The rest of the jewels were like-ly produced in the workshops of Odessos, which were very active in the course of 4th – 6th centuries.
31.1. DIADEM
Constantinople Second half of the 5th century Gold, pearls, green gems (emeralds?) 32,5 x 1,3 cm; 16,4 g
31.2. DIADEM A fragment Odessos 6th century Gold, opal, pearls, glass 19 x 1,3 cm; 40,8 g Varna, Regional Museum of History, lnv. N III 560
31.3. NECKLACE
Odessos
Late 5th – 6th century Gold, pearls, glass L. 25,6 cm; 25,6 g Varna, Regional Museum of History, lnv. N III 561
31.4. PECTORAL CROSS -ENCOLPION
Odessos 6th century Gold, garnet, malachite 7,3 x 5,2 x 0,75 cm; 37,5 g
Byzantium
Second half of the 6th century Gold, filigree, amethyst 3,9 x 2,5 cm Sadovets, Pleven region, discovered during archaeological research in 1934, in the vicinity of a Late Antiquity fortress together with 54 gold coins and 50 copper coins dating from the reign of Justinian (527 – 565) to Maurice Tiberius (582 – 602)
31.5. BRACELET
(the other one of the pair is now in a process of conservation) Constantinople 6th century Gold, pearls, glass, enamel 6,3 x 3,4 cm; 109,4 and 112,3 g Varna, Regional Museum of History,
Travelling 