The Thracian burrow at the village of Mitino (Blagoievgrad district in the south-western Bulgaria)

Abstract

The article presents the results of archaeological research conducted in 1980 in a Thracian tumulus in the village of Mitino in southwestern Bulgaria. The investigated site was located in the Struma valley, an important communication route connecting the Aegean world with Central Europe, which facilitated the interaction of various cultural influences. The central element of the tumulus consisted of two stone rings of layered construction built without mortar, within which three cremation burials were discovered at the same level, indicating their simultaneous origin. Additionally, an earlier grave (no. 1) and a pit of cult character were identified. The grave goods were poor and consisted mainly of ceramic vessels. The analysis of ceramics and finds allows the complex to be dated to the turn of the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, that is, the beginning of the Hellenistic period. The funerary rite included cremation outside the tumulus and the ritual breaking of vessels, the fragments of which were deposited in the mound. Particular attention is given to the interpretation of the stone rings. The author suggests that, in addition to constructional functions, they may have had a symbolic role, marking the boundary between the world of the living and the dead or relating to solar cult. Comparative analysis with other Thracian necropolises confirms the widespread nature of such constructions and their importance in funerary practices.