Varna the Hidden Superculture

Hristo Smolenov Zagora - Varna the Hidden Superculture

Knowledge Encoded in Art 3000 Years before the Pyramids This ceramic Sphinx from Stara Zagora is almost 3000 years older than the pyramids in Egypt. If we measure it from the nose to the back of its human looking head, we'll be able to fix a standard length of about 104 mm. Twice this span, 208 mm equals the height of the masterpiece. Hristo Smolenov Zagora - Varna the Hidden Superculture

Knowledge Encoded in Art 3000 Years before the Pyramids

Institute of Metal Science, Equipment and Technology "Acad. Angel Balevski" This grain container from the region of Stara Zagora (Late Neolithic, 6-th millennium BC) had practical, as well as sacred functions, important for the survival of the community. The future harvest depended on how well grain-seeds would be preserved in the container. No wonder that its measures comply with certain "sacred" standards in use by a mysterious superculture which used to flower on the Balkan peninsula. Proofs of its existence are the magnificent Zagora pottery and the amount of copper produced in the same region. So is the world's oldest gold treasure, found in Varna in 1972. The diameter of the grain container's opening, for instance, equals twice the length of a gold standard plate from Varna Necroplis, (Chalcolithic, middle of the 5-th millennium BC). Is this a kind of paradox, or an evidence of the continuity binding Zagora and Varna in one and the same superculture? Gold and clayware masterpieces unearthed from these two regions of Bulgaria reveal primeval knowledge of unbelievable depth and elegance. I choose to call this superculture the Aurolithic one (namely: a Golden Age Renaissance against the background of Stone Age cultures). Another name is given to it by Maria Gimbutas, who has introduced the term Karanovo civilization. Yet another approach to this prehistoric develop- ment can be sought along the lines of terms like Old Europe, or Danubian civilization, used by Harald Haarmann. There is good reason to believe this was in fact the first European civilization, dawning by the Black Sea some 3000 years before the pyramids. It has fallen into oblivion, following a tremendous catastrophe. But its hidden knowledge goes on... Here are two masterpieces of primeval art. Above is the grain container from Kaloyanovetz tell, Stara Zagora region (Late Neolithic, 6-th millennium BC). On the next page is a mysterious pottery bowl from symbolic grave № 4 of Varna Necropolis, which is some 300 kilometers away from Stara Zagora. How come that we find one and the same standard of length in both of these extraordinary designs? The elaborate design of this pottery bowl, too, is in keeping with the gold plate's dimensions. It comes from Varna Necropolis (middle of 5-th millennium BC). Rather than mere coincidence, it is an evidence of intentional use of standards to highlight a function which in one way or another was considered as sacred. Hence the use of sacred standards of length implemented in gold and clayware artefacts. The size of the gold plate from Varna Necropolis did matter, as far as "sacred" artefacts were concerned. For example, in grave № 43, beside the skull of the King-High priest, a clayware pot was found, its dimensions relating to the length and width of this gold standard plate. (See photos on the next page.)

Mind that the gold standard plate's shorter side equals the diameter of the big vase (above), perfect- ly fitting into the opening. The collection of sacred pottery below is known to be some 500 years older than Varna Necropolis. And yet, it is in a way correlated with the size of gold objects from the Varna treasure. Isn't this an argument to the effect that size had been of specific importance in the making of sacred artefacts long before the Necropolis burials - the time when the world's oldest gold was delivered to the ground? The pottery masterpiece above predates Varna Ne- cropolis by almost half a millennium. It consists of two parts - a vase and a jar that fits precisely into the top opening of the bigger vase, so the two clayware items become as one. In fact, they have been unearthed in this combination: jar fixed in the opening of the bigger vessel, so that the total height of this combination of pottery items roughly equals the sum total of the length and the width of the gold plate. Indeed, it is hard to believe but nevertheless true. This mysterious anthropomorphic vwssel has been unearthed from Stara Zagora Mineral spa tell (Late Chalcolithic, 5-th millennium BC). Its proportions reveal the implementation of sacred standards in the design of this extraordinary sculpture. I have been given the chance to precisely measure its dimensions (courtesy of Dr. Petar Kalchev and the late Mincho Dimitrov). As a result, a synergy of proportions has manifested itself, closely related to standards encoded in the Varna Necropolis gold. h = 41.1 cm ; g = 30.8 cm ; h : g ~ 4 : 3 The height (length) of the gold standard plate from Varna is roughly 17.3 cm. The shortest dimension, which I shall denote as width min., is 13 cm. So the same basic proportion obtaines:

17.3 cm : 13 cm ~ 4 : 3

By means of a cord (a string, a thin rope) one could transfer these standard dimensions from the gold plate to other objects: the clay items, or any artefact which was supposed to have sacred functions. Proportions of the Varna gold plate h : g ~ 4 : 3

Proportions of Khafra’s pyramid: BD : AB ~ 4 : 3

The hands overlap, so the lower one marks a specific proportion (the yellow line) j : k ~ 14 : 11

j Proportions of the Great pyramid (also known as Khufu's pyramid)

FL : FK ~ 14 : 11

So the base-to-height ratio of the Great pyramid is

EK : FL ~ 22 : 14 which is approximately � : 2

Part One: Measuring Harmony 3000 years before the Pyramids 1. The Interplay of Proportions

A constellation of tells is scattered in Stara Zagora region, also known as Zagore. Finds from these tells have inspired generations of archaeologists and other scientists to do interdisciplinary research. The present author, too, has launched a hypothesis grounded in this realm of primeval harmony. It deals with standards and proportions, considered as sacred and materialized in the forms of Zagora clayware masterpieces and Varna Necropolis gold, the world's oldest gold treasure. How do we know that one has in fact uncovered a lost civilization? It certainly takes a conceptual discovery - a new password for us to reveal the logic behind artefacts. It is this sort of archaeo-logic that opens up new prospects for a non-trivial interpretation. By way of decoding the material system of hidden knowledge - the array of objects excavated from the ground, one can convey the meaning of more abstract notions like standard and proportion. Here is but a small part of Varna Necropolis treasure - the most ancient processed gold on Earth. Almost 6 kilograms of precious metal have been found there - 3102 gold items which are not just pieces of art, but information carriers, too. It is not only the quantity of gold that matters; this metal being quite malleable, artefacts have been shaped with unbelievable precision, in keeping with sacred standards and proportions. Even mainstream interpretations consider this find as one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the XX century. It was unearthed in 1972 by the Bulgarian archaeologist Ivan Ivanov. Calibrated radiocarbon dating suggests that the burials took place between 4600 and 4200 BC. Prince Mikasa - a leading Japanese archaeologist, wrote in 1982 that Varna culture was in fact the First European Civilization. Since then, despite all positive developments along the lines of international recognition, the Varna Necropolis issue seems to have fallen into oblivion. Maybe, the cold war hysteria was to blame; maybe the former Soviet Union was too jealous to admit that a small country like Bularia could have such a tremendous civilizational contribution. Anyway, this topic was no longer debated, the excavations stopped at once and have not been continued for four long decades on end. Meanwhile, some 20% of this sensational dig is yet to be carried out. More and more evidence came to the effect that Varna culture might have been much more ancient, its roots being traced into the 6-th millennium BC. But the finds remained fairly unknown, no further interest seemed to be shown in financing further excavations. Dr. Ivan Ivanov unfortunately died in the 90-ies , and Bulgaria having no lobby whatsoever, relatively little public attention could be drawn to this momentous discovery. For all that, Varna Necropolis gold has stirred up emotions and interest not only from archaeologists' point of view. In my opinion, it reveals the logic behind archeological finds. A conceptual discovery follows up, building upon the primary discovery of significant artefacts. My approach combines logical hunches and visual heuristics: photos, diagrams, scans of artefacts... (Courtesy of the Regional Museum of History in Varna and special thanks to Dr. Valentin Pletnyov, Dr. Vladimir Slavchev and Dr. Olga Pelevina.) Summing up, I wish to put the results into a few words. A matrix of knowledge can be decoded by studying the measures and proportions of artefacts. It highlights a cluster of cultures (one might even say - a superculture) which used to flourish on either side of the Balkan mountain during a "Golden age" in prehistoric times: 6-th and 5-th millennia BC. The research confirms: standards and proportions had been in use not only in metal masterpieces, but also in Zagore Neolithic pottery, which predated Varna Necropolis by almost a millennium. This unveils the impact of hidden knowledge on primeval creativity, which was by no means primitive... My hypothesis will probably cause serious debate. I have launched it with the desire to refresh mainstream ideas about the origins of European culture. In so doing I intend to reach as far as the wellsprings of primeval creativity - the knowledge of sacred standards and the interplay of proportions. Great civilizations have sometimes predecessors which often remain unknown or unfairly treated. The remarkable truth about them requires a truly devoted effort to extract it from oblivion and convey it to others. But what if someone may have interest to cover it up? By counter-position, we might con- clude that the greater the efforts to hush or contort a certain fact, the more important and remarkable the truth. If beauty should come up in support of truth, their joint forces can no longer be neglected. Along these lines, it should be noted that Zagora- Varna superculture from VI-th - V-th millennia BC was obviously the first to have discovered the Golden Ratio. This proportion pervades the material life of art and emerging science, synthesized in the structure of artefacts. Their authors remained dedicated to harmony, while seeking for what we now call mathematical concepts and principles. The mysterious culture, now unearthed from the tells of Karanovo, Dyadivo, Kaloyanovetz, Azmash- ka tell, the Mineral spa tell and the Neolithic dwellings in Stara Zagora marks the dawn of European civilization. Some 300 km to the north-east lies yet another centre of this superculture - Varna, and further north - prehistoric Durankulak. The famous Varna Necropolis gold, dated 4600 -4200 years BC, is considered asthe most ancient gold treasure on Earth. Its masterpieces of art and craftsmanship can pass for jewelry - in fact, until recently they were be- lieved to be simply pieces of jewelry. Besides their aesthetical qualities, however, they have scientific and practical value that enabled those people to measure angles and determine positions with amazing precision . The emerging civilization born by the Black Sea has made the first compasses and protractors, geometrical tools and navigation devices which look like pieces of art. The material embodiments of sacred standards and proportions are gold, copper, stone or clayware artefacts of various forms. They are truly amazing, all the more exquisite because of the Golden Ratio encoded in them. Twenty centuries later, the Golden Ratio code dominated artistic and architectural achievements in Ancient Egypt. But the earliest encounter with this divine proportion occurred in the region from Stara Zagora to Varna, Bulgaria, more than 7000 years ago.

a : b ~ 1.618 ( the Golden ratio)

a b a : b ~ 1.618 (the Golden ratio) The hands of this sculpture overlap at a height ( v ) so the upper hand marks a specific proportion:

h : v ~ 1.618 (the Golden ratio) (v + z) : v = v : z = φ φ ~ 1.618

v : z ~ 1.618 ( the Golden ratio) Having delineated the Golden ratio on this sculpture from Stara Zagora, I could not help asking myself: "Was it merely by intuition or, rather - was it the result of intentional use of standards and proportions? How come that primeval creativity has been able to to convey a touch of harmony by means of so precise measurement?" Sacred measures had been in use by Zagora- Varna superculture long before the time of the pyramids. Earlier than Sumer and Ancient Egypt, a civilization had been born on either side of the Balkan mountain range, bordering on the Black Sea. By that time this sea used to be an enormous fresh water lake. Its waters were good for the sake of irrigating the planes that surrounded it. Drinking water was just overboard for those, who ventured to travel accross the vast lake, so navigation was easier here than in any other ocean or sea...

a : b ~ 1.618 (the Golden ratio)

This artefact from symbolic grave № 4 of the Varna Necropolis is regarded as a "bone idol". It appears to me, however, that it might have specific functions for measuring angles and determining positions. a : b ~ 1.618

b t : z ~ 1.618

To the left (above) is a bone "idol" from Varna culture, (Bulgaria), 5-th millennium BC. Below (to the right) is a an archaic jade artefact from Hongshan culture (China), 4-th millennium BC, that is almost a thousand years after the Varna Necropolis.

It is astonishing how the two artefacts have been shaped in keeping with the Golden ratio. Virtual z lines marking this special proportion can be traced, touching on the central holes in both artefacts. Those were by no means arbitrary positions of central holes on the surface of objects. They have been made by t different cultures, sepa- rated by thousands of kilometers and hundreds, even thousands of years. How come? Was there a

"bridge" between them? ö c : d ~ 1.618

d x : y ~ 1.618

Another pair of artefacts, one of them (left) belonging to the famous Varna culture from 5-th millennium BC, c and the other (below) to the Hongshan culture from the 4-th millennium BC. Both artefacts are proportioned to comply with the Golden rario, regard- ing the line touching y on the central holes. It is hard to decide whether primeval masters had been following an old tradi- tion, or reinventing the same formula of sacred knowledge. But the fact is that nearly identical struc- x tures have been creat- ed at so remote places, in times called prehistory. It remains to be seen how, on Earth, it did happen... ö There is yet another – even more striking – point about the cultural bridges of mutual influence in times that archaeologists call prehistory. The material evidence of far reaching influence is again clayware – especially corded ware. On the one hand, it is to be found with Zagora - Varna Superculture from the 6-th and 5-th millennia BC. On the other hand, amazing parallels exist between this pottery and the celebrated Jomon pottery in Japan from the same period of prehistory. The word “Jomon” implies corded ware, more precisely “decorated by means of cords, thin ropes, or strings made of twisted threads”. The similarities are all the more astonishing because of fact that Varna is at the Black Sea coast some 8000 km away from the Pacific coasts of Japan. Is it at all possible that such enormous distances could have been covered by prehistoric men? Or is it that human creativity has develop nearly identical patterns of art at the same time, at so remote places? What type of cultural relationships could have existed by that time across the Eurasian space? Was the kinship a matter of chance, or rather - the designers had been following some codes of sacred knowledge? Were the functions of these pieces of art related to sacred rituals? One might argue this was highly probable, in view of the subtle harmony and exquisite forms of objects which seem to have no direct bearing to everyday needs, like the above masterpiece from Stara Zago- ra (courtesy of the Regional History Museum - Dr. Svetla Dimitrova, Dr. Petar Kalchev, and Neolithic Dwellings Museum - Dr. Stoyka Kayrakova. Also, courtesy of Matsudo Museum, Tokyo and thanks to Prof. Diana Gergova and Prof. Hitoshi Kamuro. Yet another proportion can be identified on this clay sculpture, following the blue line:

s : t ~ 5.08 ~~~ (1. 618 x 3.14) The horizontal blue line marks the proportion y : z ~ 5.08 ~~~ (1. 618 x 3.14)

The above artefact is a bone idol from the famous Varna Necropolis (symbolic grave № 4). It comes from a place hundreds of kilometers away from the region of Stara Zagora where the anthropomorphic clay figure (left) has been unearthed. Both artefacts are from the Chalcolithic: 5-th millennium BC. Measuring their heights, one can observe not only similar proportions, (marked by the yellow and the blue lines), but also a certain standard of length. Later on, I shall return to this point in detail. Now I wish to focus on another pair of artefacts - two gold bull figurines shaped in keeping with the mysterious proportion 5.08 ~ (1. 618 x 3.14) ~ (φ x �) n

m : n ~ 5.08 ~~~ (1. 618 x 3.14)

e : f ~ 5.08 ~~~ (1. 618 x 3.14) The horizontal blue line marks a proportion j : k ~ 5.08 ~~~ (1. 618 x 3.14)

Above is another "bone idol" artefact from symbolic grave № 1 of the Varna Necropolis. It looks like the one from symbolic grave № 4; its height differs less than 1 mm from that of the previously shown idol. Their structures are nearly identical. Mind that the proportion in question seems to have been of great importance to those who designed the bull figurines and the "idols". What could possibly be the reason? Is it at all possible for people in the 5-th millennium BC to be aware of the Golden ratio and of 3.14 in their capacity as proportions. If one had the knowledge of these proportions, then their synergy might as well hold good as an approximation of (φ x �) ~ 5.08 2. Revelations in Retrospect

The matrix of prehistoric knowledge can be pieced together with the help of information extracted from artefacts. They are amazingly informative, and yet mysterious, as regards their shape and structure. In fact they implement the hidden sacred knowledge: the conceptual synthesis of art and proto-science. The term “proto” here stands for remote past, not by any means showing disrespect or neglect for primeval creativity. On the contrary – the finds from Stara Zagora and Varna deserve our highest esteem.

134 mm 39 mm

173 mm They belong to a race of humans, whom we cannot even think of calling primitive. One might consider those people to have been the legendary race of the Titans. According to myths, Prometheus was the first to have given essential knowledge to the following generations of humans. Maybe, we should take mythology more seriously... Were the "Titans" the most advanced Copper Age people, capable of teaching others? Was their Gold- en civilization terminated by a catastrophic event? The memory of such a catastrphe has persisted in myths as the synonym of a worldwide tragedy - e.g. the Great flood. Has the sacred knowledge of this mysterious superculture given birth to the First European civilization? Are the incredible gold standards and proportions in fact the lessons of a noble mind – truly gigantic in terms of intelligence, not of body size? In order to answer these questions, we should be ready to deepen our intuitive understanding of prehistory. This implies that some facts about artefacts might come as a revelation for us in future. In his book “The roots of civilization” Alexander Marshack has focused on the cognitive beginnings of man’s first art, symbol and notation. Here is what he writes about such moments of revelation: “The best of journeys, those of the mind, do not end. Each step leads to another, and each answer leads to a question. When the postscript of this book was written in 1969 it described a fragment of twined cord discovered in the cave of Lascaux. From that bit of rubbish found in a cave best known for its masterpieces of animal art I wove a fabric of implication and inference. Following the trail of that “conceptual” cord for the next two decades led the inquiry into little known aspects of the Ice Age cultures of Europe… It is these animal paintings in Lascaux and in other caves, not the bit of cord, that scholars have written about, plac- ing them among the high points of human creativity and culture. I have, as part of the ongoing inquiry into early symbol and thought, sought to ascertain some of the “meanings”, not in the images but in the contexts and uses of that “art” including the uses of the images in Lascaux. But it was that dry and blackened fragment of cord that unexpectedly led to deeper insight and to an unexpected widening of the inquiry, a widening inquiry that touched on the nature of the human symboling pro- cess…” [See Related books and articles, 11]

As the Ice Age melted in the twilight of prehistory, cords were widely used to decorate clayware items and pottery vessels. Corded ware was popular from the far East Jomon culture to the Black Sea coast of Old Europe, and further west. Alongside decorative function, cords and ropes became instruments by means of which some geometrical intuitions were being visualized. The notion of a line, for instance, might have occurred to primeval thinkers following their experience in stretching cords. (This could be the reason why heaps of white delicate shells have been found in burials in Varna Necropolis. If attached to thin cords which would otherwise be difficult to observe from a bigger distance, they might help people trace lines of sight and angles. By stretching cords prehistoric people were able to visualize the outcome of their practical experience. So the related abstract thinking could be reinforced to the extent of generating geometrical insight. 4 5

3 6

2 9 1 10

D1 119 mm

D1 is the distance between holes 2 and 9 (resp. holes 3 and 6) of the gold plate. Streching a cord between these holes, then cutting it to fix the distgance, enabled one to convey the standard length from the plate to the diameter of artefact VEN 81 - a biconical bracelet found in the same symbolic grave № 4.

D1 is the distance between holes 2 and 9 of the gold plate. It also equals the diameter of artifact VEN 81 - gold biconical bracelet from the same symbolic grave 4 as the gold plate. Primeval creativity was capable of going beyond mere hunches and into the intentional use of proportions. The fact that most artefacts from symbolic grave № 4 of the Varna Necropolis are metrically coordinated, or correlated implies that standards had been in use by the masters of artefacts. This complies with a certain procedure of measurement, whereby the gold rectangular plate from this grave has been regarded as sacred standard.

134 mm 39 mm

173 mm The difference between the longer and the shorter sides of the gold plate equals exactly the length of the smaller gold bull figurine. Isn't that amazing?! An array of gold, copper, stone, bone and clay objects found in Varna and Stara Zagora, (artefacts that are 7000 - 8000 years old) are surprisingly congruent, or at least coordinated, in measures and proportions. For instance, half of the height (length) of this gold plate equals the vertical concatenation of the two bull figurines. The front hoofs of the smaller bull fit with astonishing precision under the horns of the bigger one, touching upon its back. The bigger gold bull figurine from symbolic grave № 36 fits precisely into the opening of a sacred pot which is 500 years older than Varna Necropolis. Its length 6.5 cm equals the diameter of the pot's opening, obviously made in keeping with this standard. Even the bottom of the same pot matches a certain measure - the smaller gold bull fits there, as one can see on the picture above. Below is the bottom of the gold decorated pottery bowl from symbolic grave № 4. The size of a smaller gold plate from the same symbolic grave fits in this clay circle, well preserved for us to judge how close the match is, indeed. Bulgarian archaeologist Dr. Ivan Ivanov with the pottery bowl he has discovered in a cenotaph (symbolic grave № 4) in Varna Necropolis, alongside the gold standard plate and the bone idol. These three objects are made in keeping with certain standards of length. The bowl, referred to as pottery tray with gold decoration (Inv. № VEN 203) is so beautiful that one cannot help thinking of it merely as a piece of art. But to my mind, it is much more than that. The height of the pottery bowl is roughly equal to the width of the gold standard plate (see the photo below), while its diameter is approximately equal to four times the width of the gold plate. H

AD HL diameter 4g

If we measure the width of the gold plate right in the middle, then the sacred bowl's diameter equals four times the width of the gold plate. The diameter itself is a span of approximately 52 cm = 4 x 13 cm.

Numerous artefacts have been shaped in keeping with the gold plate, e.g. the copper needle above. It was excavated from Kokodiva site to the north of Varna and belongs to the same time, resp. the same "cluster" of cultures; so I might as well use the term "superculture" to show the kinship between them... The measuring experience of those tallented people was closely related to the use of cords. For example, if a cord should be wound twice arround the middle of this gold plate (as indicated by the copper needle) this length would amount to 4 times the width of the gold plate, i.e. 4 x 13 cm = 52 cm. What I have outlined here is not just a single-case study. It is the delineation of a method involving the use of standards and proportions. This method has obviously been in use by the Zagora - Varna superculture. We could judge about it by the size and proportions of finds made of copper, clay, stone or bone which have been “calibrated” with the help of gold standards. This explains the striking loyalty to proportions shown by primeval master-craftsmen. Their genius was fueled by inspiration and the intentional use of standards which contributed to the synthesis of art and emerging science. In the course of millennia, using cords for the sake of decoration and measurement, a revelation - a bright idea, could have occurred to prehistoric masters. Having stretched cords to calibrate the diameters of pottery vessels, one had meanwhile decorated their perimeters again with the help of cords. Repeated experience has finally led creative thinking to the insight of correlating the length of these cords. As a result, the hunch about a famous proportion might have come into being: the constant ratio between circumference and diameter in any circle. In this way, a prototype of the notion of � has been arrived at, probably much earlier than we are used to think. Of course, at first is appears to have been a simple proportion, roughly expressing this ratio. David Fowler remarks that Archimedes did not consider the ratio of circumference to diameter as a numerical quantity, but as a proportion of lines. As Corrina Rossi has written in her book, dedicated to architecture and mathematics in Ancient Egypt “In modern mathematics, lines are identified by means of their length, figures by means of their area, and ratios between quantities by means of quotients of the two num- bers that represent them… It may be worth remembering that � was proved to be irrational only in 1768, and to be transcendental in 1882, and that therefore Archimedes himself did not think in terms of p as we do today.” [9] Quite obviously, emerging science from prehistory did not think in present-day terms, either. But even at that time, people had a keen sense of proportions and a method to properly represent them. As time went on, this simple method evolved into a sacred ritual. Ceremonies of “stretching the cord” are ac- counted for in Egytian texts, as well as in ancient India’s Vedic literature. “There is ample evidence of the use of 3-4-5 triangle and other Pythagorean triplets in several ancient mathematical systems, often in clear connection with the use of cords. For instance, first millennium Indian texts de- scribe ritual rules achieved by means of cords… called Sulbasutra , i.e. texts, regulated by the cords.”[9] More than three thousand years earlier, the use of cords, as well as the 3-4-5 triangle was a matter of fact, based on sacred standards. That was among the major contributions made by the Zagora - Varna superculture. Later, the very foundation of temples was based on the use standards and proportions. I might add that even to the present day founding ceremonies begin with the ritual cutting of a cord. Is it not a reminiscence of primeval rituals? Maybe their sacred energy is still to be felt in modern times, whereas the initial meaning has been forgotten. This happens to innovations with the elapsing of ages. Essence is often “lost in the translation” from one culture into another. Meaning and sense diverge, but past inspirations can still be recollected. They can be conceived of as revelations in retrospect. It is high time we got rid of condescending attitudes in regard to primeval creativity. 8000 ago people managed to survive in a rogue world, with limited resources, as always. But even at that time there was a self-reproductive resource - knowledge, available to them. And the power of intuition was there for them, too. Prehistoric people made proper use of both factors to cope with difficulties. Now, their lost knowledge can be extracted from oblivion. Its invariant wisdom can be resurrected – in fact this seems to be the most convincing type of rebirth. Knowledge revival is not confined only to information. It is the energy of primeval intelligence that lives again, the circle of life going back to the roots of civilization for the sake of accelerating the evolution of thought and creativity. In times of crises, when society badly needs harmony and the knowledge of proportions, this might be useful... Part Two: Decoding the Varna Necropolis Gold

AD HL diameter 3h h

3. Sacred Standards of Length

Numerous artefacts from Stara Zagora reveal the intentional use of sacred standards, like the above ceramic drum with graphite ornaments from the Early Chalcolithic - 5-th millennium BC. The diameter of its top opening equals 104 mm, a span which in my opinion was considered as one of the sacred measures of length. This artefact has been excavated from the Azmashka tell - the first to be entirely unearthed in Bulgaria. The enormous tell was situated to the east of Stara Zagora city, not far from another major archaeological sensation - the Karanovo tell. Yet another superimportant find - the Kaloyanovetz tell has contributed astonishing masterpieces to collection of Stara Zagora wonders from the 6-th and the 5-th millennia Before Christ. Above is a mysterious masterpiece from the region of Stara Zagora - a Sphinx, which is 3000 years older than the Egyptian pyramids. By far more interesting than the age and the form of this artefact are the measures, implemented in it. They relate to the size (the length) of the gold bull figurines from the Varna Necropolis. But the Varna gold is known to have been delivered to the ground later than the Zagora Sphinx. As for theis Late Neolithic pottery plate from Kaloyanovetz tell, (below), its height equals the length of the bigger gold bull figurine from Varna, which is 6.5 cm.

The combined length of the two gold bull figurines is 104 mm = 65 mm + 39 mm. Here is how the span of 104 mm fits into the opening of the ceramic drum (above and on the next page).The computer delineated models of the bull figurines areisomorphic with the original gold objects. This can be seen from the photo below. Using the computer delineated models of the gold bulls and the gold standard plate, one can compare the size of various artefacts, without moving the originals from museums, where they are permanently stationed. Тhe height of the Sphinx (the anthropo-zoomorphic figure) from Stara Zagora is 208 mm = 2 x 104 mm This span of 208 mm is equivalent to twice the sum of the lengths of the two gold bulls from Varna... This bowl's diameter ranges from 51.5 cm to 52 cm. Following Ivan Ivanov's measurement, the span of 52 cm has been registered in the archives of Varna Regional Museum of History. In my opinion, this length of approximately 52 cm can be viewed as a sacred standard, the Varna cubit. It is the measure that provides a code of harmony for masterpieces from Varna, as well as Azmashka tell, Kaloyanovetz tell, and the Neolithic dwellings in Stara Zagora. The sacred measures of Sumer and Egypt are almost equal to the Varna cubit, which is 2000 years older. Varna Necropolis treasure comprises thousands of gold artefacts, which are amazingly coordinated in measures and proportions. Studying their dimensions makes it possible for us try and decode a subtle message left by the oldest European Civilization. One can identify standards of length, relating to the span of approximately 52 cm, which I choose to call the Varna cubit. This span appears to be the core of an elaborate system of standard measures in use by the superculture, which used to flourish along the Black Sea west coast, on either side of the Balkan mountains in the 6-th and 5-th millennium BC. The Varna cubit can be regarded as the prototype of ancient measures, identified much later (by the middle of the 3-rd millennium BC). These are the so called Nippur cubit of Sumer (the raw Nippur cubit being a length of 51.84 cm) and - on the other hand - the royal cubit of Ancient Egypt. It ranges from 52.3 to 52.5 cm, having been embodied in the construction of the Great pyramid at Giza and many other buildings of the Old Kingdom in Egypt. The diagram below shows yet another aspect of the Varna gold standard. If a cord (marked in blue) is stretched along the diagonal of the gold plate = a, then along its shorter side = b, and then the longer side = c, then a + b + c is approximately equal to the value of one royal cubit. The latter is well known as the sacred standard of lenght which 2000 years after Varna Necropolis would be used in Ancient Egypt in the construction of the Great pyramid.

a + b + c ~ 52.3 cm

c a A striking fact about the size of the Varna gold: precise measurement of the gold plate shows that the sum of its length, width and diagonal equals the standard span approximately 52 cm, more precisely 52.3+ cm, which is in fact the standard of lenght, called royal cubit . How come that primeval creativity could reach so high levels of abstract thinking? Higher intelligence was obviously a matter of fact even in the 6-th and 5-th millennium Before Christ. And so was the first system of coherent knowledge hidden (I had better say - encoded) in the astonishing artefacts from Varna. Within the framework of this Matrix of primeval measures, the Varna cubit (the sacred standard of almost 52 cm) can be subdivided into 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 equal parts. Each of the portions: 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6, 1/7, 1/8 corresponds to the dimension (length or width) of certain gold artefacts, or the concatenation of these artefacts. Let us take, for example, the vertical concatenation of the two gold bull figurines in the pattern, shown on the photo below: The height of the two concatenated figurines turns out to be almost 8.64 cm. For the purpose of very precise measurement, I have scanned the original gold figurines, leaving it to a computer program to carry out the measuring. Hereafter, the values will be given with an accuracy of 0.5 mm.

A span of 8.64 cm is in fact 1/6 of the raw Nippur cubit, that is 51.84 cm : 6 = 8.64 cm Is this just a coincidence? Or, rather, it implies that there is a ralationship between the Varna cubit and the Nippur one? Bearing in mind that Varna Necropolis gold is two millennia older than Sumer, this is a challenging hypothesis, which should be tested further on... Yet another argument in support of this hypothesis: the length of the bigger gold bull is 1/8 of the raw Nippur cubit, that is

51.84 cm : 8 = 6.48 cm

Measuring the scanned bull figurine with very high precision yields a value which differs insignificantly (less than a quarter of a millimeter from 6.48). On the other hand, it differs less than 0.5 mm from the value of 6.5 cm, registered as the bigger bull's length in the archives of Varna Museum of History. j 37.2 mm

s 39 mm

k 58.7 mm

p 65 mm

Dimensions of the two gold bull figurines from symbolic grave ¹ 36 of the Varna Necropolis,

(measured with an accuracy of +- 0,5 mm.) h 173 mm

The height (length) of the gold plate h 173 mm h 1/3 of the Varna gold standard (Varna cubit) g 130 mm

The width of the Varna gold plate g 130 mm g 1/4 of the Varna gold standard (cubit) n = 104 mm = 65 mm + 39 mm

p = 65 mm s = 39 mm

(Measured with an accuracy of +- 0,5 mm.)

The lengths of the bigger and smaller gold bulls combined together are one fifth part of the sacred bowl’s diameter (Varna cubit)

104 mm 1/5 of the Varna gold standard. 86.4 mm 86.4 mm

(Measured with an accuracy of +- 0,5 mm )

Mind(Measured that the with hoofs an accuracy of the smaller of +- 0,5 gold mm bull ) fitMind precisely that the into hoofs the ofspace the betweensmaller gold the backbull andfit precisely the curved into horn the spaceof the between bigger bull. the backThus theand height the curved of this horn combination of the bigger of figurines bull. Thus is

1/6the height-th part of ofthis Varna combination cubit as a ofgold figurines standard is.

1/6 -th part of Varna cubit as a gold standard. l 74.4 mm

(Measured with an accuracy of +- 0,5 mm.)

Twice the height of the smaller gold bull is in fact a golden standard in itself, equal to one seventh part of the Varna cubit. Thus, the vertical concatenation shown above is a measure 1/7 of the bowl’s diameter. The length p 65 mm of the bigger gold bull equals 1/8 of the diameter (the Varna cubit) The firstcompas has been devised by the mysterious culture born in the Balkan-Black Sea region during the Neolithic. It probably looked like this: a cord, by means of which circles of various radius could be delineated (diagram 1). The longer the radius, the greater the precision with which angles could be measured, reaching to tenth parts of one degree. Of particular importance were angles of 30o, 60o as well as right angles (90o ) which could be drawn, as it is shown on diagram 2. Î÷åðòàâàíå íà îêðúæíîñò

Ïðîêàðâàíå íà ïåðïåíäèêóëÿð

Diagram 1

àáñòðàêòíà åäèíèöà çà äúëæèíà

Diagram 2

àáñòðàêòíà åäèíèöà çà äúëæèíà 90o o 90

Could it be that prehistoric people made use of some kind of protractor? Or maybe some standard angles had been in use, for the sake of orientation, following a certain route, or some measurement in the course of navigation...