Day 3: Varna, Bulgaria

Black Sea Navigation: BULGARIA: [Nesebar] [Varna] ROMANIA: [Constanţa]
TURKEY: [Sinop] [Bodrum] [Istanbul: Basilica Cistern] [Istanbul: Topkapi] [Istanbul: Haigha Sophia]
GREECE: [Limnos] [Meteora] [Thira] [Athens: Acropolis and Plaka] [Acropolis Museum Highlights]

First, we visited the Dormition of the Mother of God Cathedral.  They were changing light bulbs inside, but I didn't take any pictures of that.  I liked the outside better, in any event:

At the Varna Archaeological Museum, they had an extensive collection of gold objects, apparently the earliest worked gold artifacts ever found (so far), dating from 4500–4000 BC.  We went around clockwise on the first floor - from the gold exhibit, to pre-history, to Roman influence and beyond (with a nice map of trade routes) - then took a quick look on the second floor, though the air was stifling.

It seems from some of the carved stones on display that Varna repeatedly changed hands peaceably, and chose to welcome their new rulers with a sort of declaration.  As I recall, they always took care to say something like: we really look forward to having you in charge and benefiting from your wise and just leadership; we're so glad you're honoring all our property rights (hint, hint); and "Good luck!"

I particularly liked the "Pre-History" exhibit:

"Anthropomorphous cover, ceramics, lake settlement Arsenala, Late Eneolithic Age"

Here, we seem to have a heart-felt welcome:

When I went around to look at the back, this guy was actually
carved wearing a tool belt, with an adze in it!

As compared with the message here, which might seem to be a rather pointed manner of bidding someone farewell:

The notes I took at the museum read:

Tombstone from 3rd millennium BC, early bronze age
Man’s face with holes
goddess of the late 4500-400 BC
submerged settlement, varna lake
Adze in belt (=tool belt!!)
shoulder blades

This reminded me of a grade-school friend's drawing of the Big Blue Ox
(she had co-starred as that character in a two-hander with another friend as Paul Bunyan)

Black Sea Navigation: BULGARIA: [Nesebar] [Varna] ROMANIA: [Constanţa]
TURKEY: [Sinop] [Bodrum] [Istanbul: Basilica Cistern] [Istanbul: Topkapi] [Istanbul: Haigha Sophia]
GREECE: [Limnos] [Meteora] [Thira] [Athens: Acropolis and Plaka] [Acropolis Museum Highlights]