Monday, March 12, 2018

PAVLIKENI, BULGARIA—According to an Archaeology in Bulgaria report, five small lead frames that once held glass mirrors have been discovered in a building at a Roman villa and ceramic factory in northern Bulgaria. Archaeologist Kalin Chakarov of the Pavlikeni Museum of History said three of the mirrors had been decorated with an image of a krater, or large wine vessel, and leafy vines. They also were inscribed with the words “a good soul” in Greek. Mirrors are usually found in temples, but this building is thought to have been residential quarters for people who worked in the villa on the estate, thought to have been owned by a military veteran between the second and third centuries A.D. The site was abandoned after A.D. 235, perhaps due to barbarian invasion. For more on archaeology in Bulgaria, go to “Thracian Treasure Chest.”