Dolni Glavanak Cromlech

The Dolni Glavanak Cromlech is an oval stone circle located 2 kilometres west of village of Dolni Glavanak, some 12 kilometres from town of Madzharovo, in Bulgaria.[1] The site is referred to as a cromlech by analogy with similar monuments in Western Europe, but it is the only structure of its kind known in the country.[2]

Dolni Glavanak Cromlech
Shown within Bulgaria
LocationRhodope Mountains
RegionBulgaria
Coordinates41.681°N 25.812817°E / 41.681; 25.812817
TypeCromlech
History
PeriodsIron Age

Description

The site is situated on a low ridge-top above the left bank of the Arda river.[2] It is enclosed on all sides and isolated from external influences.[1] The circle consists of vertical, roughly-shaped, blocks of local hard volcanic rock (rhyodacite).[2] The blocks are trapezoidal in shape, and are approximately 1.2 to 1.5 metres tall, and around 0.9 to 1.2 metres wide at the base, and 0.4 to 0.6 metres thick.[2] Nine blocks still stand and three are now fallen. The vertical blocks are spaced at regular intervals, with smaller stones placed horizontally between them.[2] The circle has an internal diameter of about 10 metres. There is an entrance on the southeast side.[2]

There are two smaller structures in the vicinity.[2] One is a 3-metre-wide oval enclosure constructed out of stones located around 15 metres southeast of the cromlech.[2] The other is a slightly larger oval enclosure of the same type, with a diameter of about 6 metres, located around 19 metres south of the cromlech.[2]

Excavations

The site was discovered and excavated by Georgi Nehrizov in around 1998–1999.[1] The excavations uncovered decorated pottery, as well as bronze artefacts (a fibula and a pin).[3] These date the construction of the cromlech to the second phase of the Early Iron Age (8th–6th centuries BC).[3] The two stone enclosures were in use around the same time, and finds of burnt human bone suggest a funereal use.[2] The site continued in use into the late Iron Age.[2]

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References
  1. "Thracian sanctuary Cromlech". guide-bulgaria.com. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  2. Valeva, Julia; Nankov, Emil; Graninger, Denver (2015). A Companion to Ancient Thrace. Wiley & Sons. p. 133. ISBN 1444351044.
  3. Nikolova, Lolita (2000). Technology, style and society: contributions to the innovations between the Alps and the Black Sea in prehistory. Archaeopress. p. 322.

Media related to Cromlech near Dolni Glavanak at Wikimedia Commons

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