Bronze Age Gold Road of the Balkans. Ada Tepe Mining

Bulgaria as part of the ancient province Thracia has been in international scientific focus from the beginning of archaeology onwards, for two main reasons: first, the area is predestined as cultural cross-over between different cultural worlds of the Danube and continental Europe with the Black Sea and Marmara Sea and with the Aegean and Mediterranean world to the south. The second reason is to be found in the immense and famous gold treasures found there. The sensational discovery of the first and so far only excavated prehistoric goldmine in Europe at Ada Tepe/Bulgaria is offering a wide range of scientific opportunities for basic research. Along with essential studies in archaeology and prehistory, geological, mineralogical and geochemical research will be conducted in these first systematic analyses of this unique gold source. The highly professionally excavated and documented gold mine and its attendant settlements, as well as the archaeological assemblages, are now awaiting systematic scientific examination. Archaeological research requires the involvement of many interdisciplinary methods, and many of the scientific research methods used at Ada Tepe were applied for the first time in Bulgaria, thus making this a pioneering project in Bulgaria. The entire assemblage from the excavations is stored on site and can now be studied by an international and interdisciplinary team in the framework of a co-operation agreement established between the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the National Institute of Archaeology and Museum with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The project is designed as an interdisciplinary pilot study to create primary scientific data for further and broader international follow-up research to understand the socio-cultural impact of this particular gold mine for the Balkans, the Aegean and all neighbouring regions.

Bulgaria, as part of the ancient province of Thrace, has been in the international scientific focus since the beginning of archaeological research for two reasons. On the one hand, the area forms a cultural cross-over between different cultural worlds of the Danube region and Central Europe with the Black Sea, the Marmara Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean world. On the other hand immense and famous gold treasures were discovered there. The sensational discovery of the first and so far only excavated gold mine on European territory in Ada Tepe / Bulgaria opened up a whole range of possibilities for basic scientific research. Along with archaeological prehistoric research, geological, mineralogical and geochemical studies were carried out on this unique gold source. The already highly professional excavated and documented gold mine and the connected settlements were systematically examined and evaluated scientifically. Contemporary archaeological research requires the use of interdisciplinary methods and many of the scientific research methods in Ada Tepe were for the first time applied in Bulgaria. The excavation results were evaluated by an international and interdisciplinary team. The basis for this is a cooperation agreement between the Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Institute for Archaeology with Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. In the framework of two very successful exhibitions (Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien 2017 and National Archaeological Institute with Museum - BAS Sofia 2018),3 workshops and an international scientific conference the results were presented to both the professional world and the interested public. The aim of the project to get information about the socio-cultural influences of this gold mine on the Balkans, the Aegean Sea and all neighboring areas was achieved.