The Thracian sanctuary at the village of Tatul

The Thracian sanctuary at the village of Tatul

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The Thracian sanctuary near Tatul, dating back to the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th centuries BC, is unparalleled among the Megaliths around the world . Scientists suggest that it was dedicated to Orpheus. Some even say that the mythical hero himself might be buried here.

The Thracian Sanctuary is located near the village of Tatul, Momchilgrad Municipality. It represents a rock structure with a truncated pyramid on top of it. The complex comprises of two sarcophagi, a rectangular bed for the main altar and a three-meter-deep well. According to historians, the sarcophagus, the truncated pyramid and the side chamber served the funerals of both Orpheus and Rhesus - a Thracian king who, according to myths, reigned in the southern Rhodope Mountains and fought in the legendary Trojan War. The Sanctuary reached its first zenith in the 13-11th centuries BC, when the Rock pyramid and the tombs were built surrounding it. There is a circle of clay altars where sacrifices were performed. Many religious artifacts were found there, including clay human clay idols, bronze items, figures and images of solar deities. Several buildings were discovered inside the sanctuary, including a magnificent temple with preserved six-meter-high walls.

An entire collection of Antiquity bronze seal-rings was found here. In the second quarter of the 3rd century, the place was repopulated by the Romans. Therefore, multiple Roman ceramic artifacts from the period were discovered as well. All evidence concerning the final period when the hill near the village of Tatul was inhabited were derived from the medieval necropolis, as eight of the graves were studied. The necropolis dates back to no later than the mid-13th century and marked the end of centuries of life on the hill near the village of Tatul.

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