Support Provadia-Solnitsata Excavation Efforts

We are raising money to support the excavations of the prehistoric urban and salt production center of Provadia-Solnitsata in Bulgaria. Though the site is incredibly important to the history of Bulgaria and our understanding of the development of culture and exchange in Europe, Bulgaria is not a rich country and funding is extremely limited.

Watch the video and read more below to learn about the importance of this amazing site. Details of the use of funding can be found at the bottom of the page.

The prehistoric complex Provadia-Solnitsata is located near the modern city of Provadia in Bulgaria. It represents the remains of one of the oldest known salt production centers in Europe (5600 - 4350 BC), and likely became one of the first prehistoric urban centers on the European continent (4700 - 4350 BC). While the site has gained international renown, including a recent exhibition at the EU parliament, lack of funding only allows us to excavate two months out of the year with limited materials and labor. However, even our partial excavations have yielded fascinating results.

Our team, led by Prof. Vassil Nikolov of the Bulgarian Academy of Science, has discovered multiple ritual burial pits at Provadia-Solnitsata, and the pits that have been fully excavated contain well-preserved skeletal remains that indicate life at this time period was particularly violent, with evidence of human sacrifice and warfare. Donations that you provide will help us purchase the resources we need to excavate other known burial pits that we have not yet been able to explore.

Salt production at Provadia-Solnitsata was at an industrial scale and required significant specialization and knowledge. An incredibly valuable resource during prehistoric times, salt allowed Provadia-Solnitsata to amass inordinate wealth, and likely is connected to the "Varna Gold" of the Varna prehistoric necropolis. Some of our analysis, combined with analysis of other sites of the time period, indicate that the inhabitants of Provadia were actively engaged in long distance trade - possibly up to 1,000 kilometers - with salt acting as money.

Unsurprisingly, Provadia-Solnitsata had complex fortification systems to protect its "white gold", with the technical aspects quite advanced for the time period. There are a series of walls that encircle the site as well as radial walls that both supported the main walls and impeded the movement of potential attackers. Unfortunately, these advanced fortification systems are now fragile, but your donations will held ensure that we can take proper preservation measures.

The excavations at Provadia cross academic and geographic boundaries. Researchers at San Jose State University in California created computer simulations of likely trade routes in prehistoric Bulgaria and analyzed the use of salt as money, and their results have the potential to significantly impact our knowledge of prehistoric markets, trade, and exchange. Scientists in the U.S. are also currently sequencing DNA from the skeletal remains found at Provadia-Solnitsata in order to gain a greater understanding of the social connections and geographic movements of inhabitants of prehistoric Europe.

One of our main goals has always been to actively engage with the public. We give multiple tours daily during excavation season, and during Bulgaria's "Open Doors Day" we provide a range of activities, including an "excavation" for children. Your donations will help us continue and expands these activities.

We hope that you can become part of our project by donating to support our efforts. You can follow us on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Provadia.Solnitsata/ . Of course, you are always welcome to come visit our excavations and learn more about the prehistoric wonders at Provadia-Solnitsata!

Use of Funds

While we are currently asking for $4,000, this is the bare minimum we need to expand our excavation and preservation efforts this year. Your funds will go towards equipment and activities including:

1. Increasing site access to the public for tours and exhibitions, as well as expand the museum (est. $1,500).

2. Equipment to map the site for excavation and display purposes to help uncover new burial pits and structures (est. $1,500).

3. Equipment and labor for material removal from excavation site to find additional burial pits and (est. $1,000).