August 08, 2008	Friday	Sha’aban 5, 1429

SOFIA: Archaeologists have unearthed a 1,900-year-old well-preserved chariot at an ancient Thracian tomb in south-eastern Bulgaria, the head of the excavation said on Thursday.

Daniela Agre said her team found the four-wheel chariot during excavations near the village of Borisovo, some 290 kilometers east of the capital, Sofia.

“This is the first time that we have found a completely preserved chariot in Bulgaria,” said Agre, a senior archaeologist at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

She said previous excavations had only unearthed single parts of chariots often because ancients sites had been looted.

At the funerary mound, the team also discovered table pottery, glass vessels and other gifts for the funeral of a wealthy Thracian aristocrat.

In a separate pit, they unearthed skeletons of two riding horses apparently sacrificed during the funeral of the nobleman, along with well-preserved bronze and leather objects, some believed to horse harnesses.—AP