Shop Assistant Wore Ancient Necklace

Ananova ^ | 7-31-2007

[blam]

Shop assistant wore ancient necklace

Archaeologists have found a valuable ancient gold necklace being worn by a cashier in a Bulgarian grocery after it was dug up by her husband.

Boris Todorov, 43, from Karlovo in Bulgaria dug up hundreds of fine gold rings from a field on his farm and put them together to make a gift for his wife.

But it was spotted by a group of archaeologists from the Bulgarian National Museum of History who were passing through - and went into her shop to buy provisions.

They immediately identified the necklace as extremely valuable and now say it dates back to 3,000 years BC.

Prof Bozhidar Dimitrov, Director of the Bulgarian National Museum of History, said: "They almost passed out when they saw what the woman was wearing. It is a stunning discovery."

Experts believe a local civilisation buried jewels in fields as part of an elaborate prayer ritual.

[blam]

GGG Ping.

[massgopguy]

That should wow them on the Antiques Roadshow!

[Judith Anne]

Her husband gave her a wonderful gift! Wish there was a photo of the necklace...

[SunkenCiv]

Experts believe a local civilisation buried jewels in fields as part of an elaborate prayer ritual.

They based that on absolutely nothing, but hey, take their words for it, they're experts. I'm sure a group dripping in gold 5000 years ago didn't have to occasionally bury some of their wealth when some plundering horde roared into sight.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

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[Disambiguator]

There is no mention of it, but I’m sure the wife’s name is Natasha.

[bolobaby]

“I’m sure a group dripping in gold 5000 years ago didn’t have to occasionally bury some of their wealth when some plundering horde roared into sight.”

Oh - you mean like successful people and the IRS?

[in hoc signo vinces]

One thing is for sure...the farmer LOVED his wife. This is a good story for something other than the obvious.

[Mopp4]

bling bling ping ping

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

No, I think he was talking about Democrats...

[Still Thinking]

Mooooose und squiiiiirel?

[Emmett McCarthy]

I’m just waiting to hear how they’re going to confiscate items which the guy worked to dig up on his own land and claim that they somehow belong to “all the people”.

[SunkenCiv]

If by success you mean tax evasion, then yes.

[17th Miss Regt]

I hear he found them in a Rocky field and Moosed about what to do with them for quite a while.

[JZelle]

They had democrats back then?

[pepsi_junkie]

Boris Todorov, 43, from Karlovo in Bulgaria dug up hundreds of fine gold rings from a field on his farm and put them together to make a gift for his wife.

But it was spotted by a group of archaeologists from the Bulgarian National Museum of History who were passing through - and went into her shop to buy provisions.

And the odds that Mrs Todorov is still in possession of said necklace once the national museum types saw it and decided it was important to them?

[UnklGene]

5th Century BC Gold Necklace from Eritrea

[driftdiver]

“One thing is for sure...the farmer LOVED his wife. This is a good story for something other than the obvious.”

It also shows that men and women really haven’t changed that much in the last 5 thousand years.

[in hoc signo vinces]

Exactly!

[dead]

I'm pretty sure it was Bulgaria I read about a few years ago in National Geographic. The government believes that all dug up artifacts belong to the state.

In other word, it was not the man's to give and the wife no longer owns it.

[SunkenCiv]

If they did, it’s really unlikely there was a prayer ritual going on.

[AlexW]

It will be interesting to hear “The Rest of the Story”

I was in the National Museum in Sofia back in 2004.

There are so many great things to see in central Europe.
I recommend it to everyone.
I am always in awe when I am in buildings that were built
before Columbus was born.

[Tanniker Smith]

That should wow them on the Antiques Roadshow!

But I cut a watermelon with that thing!

[JimRed]

Experts believe a local civilisation buried jewels in fields as part of an elaborate prayer ritual.

More likely to hide it from an invading force or their own king's tax men.

[Cold Heart]

Looks like their king’s tax men finally found them after all these years.

[mngran]

They based that on absolutely nothing, but hey, take their words for it, they're experts

Oh, well we'll take your word for it then. Care to share your C.V. so we can assess your knowledge of Bulgarian antiquities?

[Brujo]

I wouldn't rule out typically lousy reporting wherein the anonymous experts gave a laundry list of reasons the rings might have been buried and the write picked one he or she liked.

[pabianice]

Let me guess — The State will now take the necklace “for the public good.”

[scan59]

I’m just waiting to hear how they’re going to confiscate items which the guy worked to dig up on his own land and claim that they somehow belong to “all the people”.

My thoughts exactly. Like the way nations tend to confiscate 50% or more of a sunken treasure find.

Belongs to "all the people" usually means it'll go into storage somewhere in the back offices of a museum. I was astounded when I read how much stuff was stored out of sight at the Smithsonian.

[No Truce With Kings]

“That should wow them on the Antiques Roadshow!”

Along with the guy that use to cut watermelons as a kid with a Civil War sword.

[4yearlurker]

Whaaaat??!! Excuse me. How much did you say?? (Eyes opened wide trying to act surprised)Next time use a Confederate sword to cut your melons.

[Ditter]

OMG! what I wouldn’t give for a necklace like that. I wear a silver coin found on the wreck of the Atocha in the Caribbean. It is about 5 hundred years old.

[blam]

I think I was living in Florida when Mel Fisher was excavating the Atocha.

[Proud_texan]

"They based that on absolutely nothing"

Haha, that was my first thought as well.

3,000 years from now some "expert" will uncover a necktie and claim that it had some religious significance.

[The Game Hen]

We took my husband’s family heirloom Confederate cavalry sword to the Antique Road show when it came to Charleston. The twerp sneered at it and told us it was practically worthless. Another moron told us our Charles Schulz (peanuts cartoonist) original sketch was a forgery because he spelled his name Schultz. stupid idiot was WRONG!

[Roscoe Karns]

[Old Student]

“,000 years from now some “expert” will uncover a necktie and claim that it had some religious significance.”

You mean it doesn’t?

[Proud_texan]

Hehe, well Sunday church is the only day I can be forced into one.

[Titan Magroyne]

And the odds that Mrs Todorov is still in possession of said necklace once the national museum types saw it and decided it was important to them?
No kidding. This article ended on a "dot dot dot" for me.

[Ditter]

A documentary about him finding the Atocha comes on one of the cable channels ever so often. We went to see the treasures that were found in the wreck and as luck would have it, some of them were for sale and they were affordable. LOL! I saw some just like ours for sale in a rare coin shop and our have really gone up in value.

[an amused spectator]

So I take it that you're intimately familiar with the C.V.s of the archaeologists from the Bulgarian National Museum of History, and are waiting with bated breath to compare SCs resume with theirs?

Or are you just putting the torch to him, without knowing jack about the Bulgarian dudes?

I think I know the answer to THAT one, so you'd better start digging so you can put the torch to me.

Good luck with that. ;-)

[norton]

"..cashier in a Bulgarian grocery.."

So simple a cave girl can do it!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks. And after they're forgotten, the excavation of millions of toilets will be shown to be either some kind of household shrine, or more evidence of an unexplained societal collapse. :')

[G Larry]

Happened in the British Isles last year!