Silver Treasure of Borovo

If you have the chance to visit Borovo, a small town situated in Northern Bulgaria, you may as well make a trip to the Historical Museum where you will have the chance to look at one of the most spectacular silver treasures ever found. Also known as the Rousse Treasure, the Borovo Treasure is comprised of five finely crafted vessels believed to be used for ritual drinking.

Sometime in December 1974, a farmer was ploughing the land in a tractor, near the village of Borovo. By a stroke of luck, the tractor hit upon some silver objects and thus, the Borovo Silver Treasure was discovered. Although the objects were slightly damaged by the tractor, they were subsequently restored to reflect the glory of their workmanship. The treasure can be traced back to around 400 BC and it must have belonged to the Odrysian King Cotys I who reigned from 383 to 359 BC. Judging from the design and make of the vessels, it's believed that they were used for initiation rituals into the spiritual world. Nobody had any idea how or why the treasure was buried in that obscure place.

The bulk of the treasure is made up of three rhytons. The drinking part of a rhyton is somewhat shaped like the funnel of a saxophone. The three rhytons end with the front half of a horse, a bull, and a sphinx. In concept and execution, these are truly unique looking drinking vessels. Then, there is a silver amphora with lavish scenes derived from the legend of Dionysus. In various poses, these figures of humans and gods are depicted in the language of poetry. One of the gods is either running away from some satyrs or running after them. There's music and dancing. The story ends with the marriage of Dionysus and Ariadne. Interestingly, the hair, clothes and wings of the characters are embellished with gold.

The final item of the Borovo Silver Treasure is a large bowl of silver with two handles. The handles are enhanced by heads of mythical creatures connected to the Dionysus myth. In the center of the bowl is a scene of a deer being hunted by a griffin. Like the amphora, some parts of the bowl are gold-plated for extra effects.

If you have the opportunity, take some time to enjoy the Borovo Silver Treasure. Otherwise, you can consider selling your silver. This is a good opportunity to go to a good silver buyer and get the best rates for silver.