Ancient gold earrings uncovered in Bulgaria

Ancient gold earrings and other funeral gifts have been discovered by archaeologists in Bulgaria, reports ZeeNews.com

The earrings are believed to be around 2,500 years old and were found in a Thracian tomb 280 km away from Sofia.

Archaeologist Georgi Kitov led the team which found the artefacts - according to the website, Mr Kitov uses earthmoving machinery in his digs which has caused some controversy in the past.

Bulgaria has produced some of the oldest artefacts and gold jewellery pieces in the world and its coast along the Black Sea is considered to be the birthplace of metal production.

Thracian culture existed between the fifth century BC and the end of Roman rule.

Exploration of Thracian areas in Bulgaria started in the 20th century and a number of tombs were discovered in the 1960s and 1970s.

These included the tomb of Kazanlak, the tomb of Sveshtari and the tomb of Alekxandrovo.