Valuable exhibit of Burgas museum will be part of a major exhibition in Vienna

One of the most valuable exhibits from the collection of the Archaeological museum in Burgas - a copper ingot, will be part of an elite exhibition in the Austrian capital Vienna. The exhibition is dedicated to metals and resources in the Bronze Age from the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula and will be opened in March. It is organized by the Bulgarian National Archaeological Institute with Museum and Museum of Art History Vienna (Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien).

The copper ingot was a pre-coin means of exchange from the Bronze Age /1400-1200 BC/. It was found at the village of Cherkovo, near Rusokastro river. The ingot is shaped as stretched cowhide and is marked with the sign '+' which occurs in both Minoan scripts that scientists mark as linear A and B. The exhibit is of particular interest because there are absolute analogies of it from the islands Cyprus, Crete and elsewhere in the Mediterranean, indicating the European trade routes during the Bronze Age.

This is not the first participation of the copper ingot from the Burgas archaeological museum in big international exhibitions. In 2001-2002 the exhibit was part of the largest exhibition "Troy - Myth and Reality". Back then the value of the exhibit was estimated at 600 000 German Marks and toured three museums in Germany.

Tags:ingot, Bronze age, exhibition