Archaeologists Found Close to 3.5 Pounds of Gold Buried in the Varna Necropolis: ‘Oldest Gold of Humanity’

Some things always stand out, no matter the time. Gold seems to be one of those things that has remained esteemed in most historical periods. The legacy of gold has been studied in detail by many experts. In 1972, a discovery regarding this metal shed more light on its history, stated The Archaeologist. The discovery happened in Bulgaria.

Archaeologists found what they believed to be the oldest known gold in history at Varna necropolis. This cemetery is located in the western industrial zone of Varna on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The necropolis was constructed by a community that lived in the region 6,500 to 6,000 years ago. The necropolis contained 294 tombs in total, which contained around 3,000 gold artifacts.

The gold was uncovered by a 22-year-old excavator operator named Raycho Marinov in 1972. He was working in the area, as it was being prepared for the establishment of a tin factory. Marinov unearthed many artifacts from the necropolis and took them to his home. Later, he informed some archaeologists about his findings. Examinations revealed that the necropolis was from the Copper Age, and was built somewhere between 4,560 and 4,450 B.C. This made the gold unearthed from the site the oldest gold archaeologists had ever discovered.

Though gold has been found in multiple tombs, there was one particular burial place that stood out to experts. It was Tomb 43, which appeared to have the remains of a tall man, and was surrounded by gold all over the body. Considering that there was so much gold in his grave, many experts speculated that he must have been a monarch or a leader during his lifetime. 

Tomb 43 was between 5 feet 6 and 8 inches (1.70 and 1.75 meters) tall. The gold found from this grave weighed around 1.5 kg. There were necklaces, several rings, a copper axe with gold applications, chains, necklaces, and several other gold items in this grave. Researchers thought that this man must have been a prominent leader and could have been buried alongside other notable members of his group. 

In Tomb 36, archaeologists found 850 gold artifacts in total. This collection included a gold model, breastplate, belt, bracelet, tiara, necklace, earrings, and a gold scepter with a hammer. All these artifacts were covered up in a gold cloth. Researchers noted that the garment was tracing the contours of a human torso. Further examinations made experts conclude that the tomb must have contained a male burial mound. 

The gold unearthed from the cemetery went on to be known as 'Varna Gold' amongst archeologists, stated Smithsonian Magazine. Archaeologist Marija Gimbutas claims that the gold also provides a lot of insights into the kind of society that inhabited the region during the Copper Age. "Varna shows something completely different," he said. "It’s clear the society here was male-dominated. The richest graves were male; the chiefs were male. The idea of a woman-dominated society is completely false."

Experts found the gold in multiple tombs of the cemetery, but not in all of them. This made researchers think that gold could be a symbol of social status. Hence 'Varna Gold' is not only the earliest known gold in human history but also one of the earliest known evidence of possible social hierarchy in human communities.