site.btaForgotten Deities Exhibition Explores Ancient Beliefs in Bulgarian Lands

The The Forgotten Deities exhibition, which features 213 rare artifacts and traces the development of religious beliefs in Bulgarian lands from the early Neolithic period to Late Antiquity, will open to the public from August 7 to January 17, 2027, at the National Archaeological Museum in Sofia, the National Archaeological Institute with Museum - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NAIM-BAS) reported here on Monday.

The exhibition offers a journey through more than 6,000 years of spiritual history and presents some of the most valuable evidence of the religious world of the ancient societies that inhabited what is now Bulgaria. Visitors will be able to explore images of forgotten deities, cults, and mythological figures - from the Great Mother Goddess of prehistoric agricultural communities to Zeus, Dionysus, Mithras, the Thracian Horseman, and other deities from the Thracian, Greek, and Roman religious traditions, the exhibition team reported.

The collection explores prehistoric fertility cults and natural cycles, religious practices during the Bronze and Early Iron Ages, the interaction between Thracian and Hellenic religions, as well as the diversity of cults prevalent throughout Bulgarian lands during the Roman era. Dozens of artifacts of great scientific and artistic value have been restored specifically for the showcase and will be displayed to the public for the first time.

Some of the artifacts on display were added to the museum's collections as early as the late 19th and early 20th centuries, while others are the result of contemporary archaeological research, donations, and salvaged cultural artifacts.

A special edition featuring popular science articles in Bulgarian and English, accompanied by extensive illustrative material, will also be released to mark the exhibition.