site.btaExcavation Crew Finds Toy, Clay Lamp, Ceramic Jug in Graves in Heraclea Sintica

A toy, a clay lamp and a ceramic jug were discovered by the team of archeologist prof. Lyudmil Vagalinski during the excavations in the Western Necropolis of Heraclea Sintica. The head of the excavation clarified for BTA on Wednesday that the toy represents a headless horseman.

"The ancient find was found in a child's grave that had been robbed in antiquity. It is missing its ceramide covering, even the bones are missing. They could have rotted away," assumed Prof. Vagalinski. The toy is made of terracotta and represents a horse with a rider holding a shield. The rider's head is missing.

"I assume that the toy was broken during the robbery in antiquity. It had four wheels so it can be pulled by the child. Only two of the wheels are left," the head of the excavation further explained. He added that similar toy wheels are often found mainly on archaeological sites from the Roman era, but the figures of the horses survive less frequently. "Because it is a grave we had a chance to find this toy. It will be a nice future addition to the exposition in the History Museum in Petrich," Vagalinski said. 

He also said that during the exploration of another grave of an elderly man nearby, a clay lamp and a ceramic jug were found. It had also been robbed in antiquity as the tiles that covered it had been displaced. "The strange thing here is that there is no skeleton. The grave in terms of size corresponds to an adult burial and the lack of human bones puzzles us," explained Vagalinski.