Varna Necropolis

The Varna Necropolis is a Chalcolithic burial site accidentally discovered in 1972 by excavator operator Raycho Marinov during construction work. Radiocarbon dating places the cemetery between 4660-4450 BC. Of 294 graves excavated, Grave 43 alone contained over 1.5 kg of gold, more than all other sites worldwide from that epoch combined. Over 3,000 gold artifacts weighing approximately 6.5 kg have been recovered, classified into 28 types. Only about 30% of the site has been excavated, yet it represents the oldest and largest collection of processed gold in the world.