Archeologists find what may be world's oldest gold artifact

It may be just atiny gold bead 4 millimetres(1/8 inch) in diameter but it is anenormous discovery for Bulgarian archaeologists who say theyhave found Europe's and probably the world's oldest goldartifact.

The bead, found at a pre-historic settlement in southernBulgaria, dates back to 4,500-4,600 B.C., the archaeologistssay, making it some 200 years older than jewellery from a CopperAge necropolis in the Bulgarian Black Sea city of Varna, theoldest processed gold previously unearthed, in 1972.

"I have no doubt that it is older than the Varna gold,"Yavor Boyadzhiev, associated professor at the Bulgarian Academyof Science, said.

"It's a really important discovery. It is a tiny piece ofgold but big enough to find its place in history."

1st urban settlement in Europe

Boyadzhiev, believes the bead was made at the site, justoutside the modern town of Pazardzhik, which he says was thefirst "urban" settlement in Europe, peopled by "ahighly-cultured society" which moved there from Anatolia, intoday's Turkey, around 6,000 B.C.

"I would say it is a prototype of a modern town, though wecan say what we have here is an ancient town, judged byMesopotamian standards," Boyadzhiev said.

"But we are talking about a place which preceded Sumer bymore than 1,000 years," he added, referring to what is usuallyconsidered the first urban civilization, based insouthern Mesopotamia, modern day Iraq.

The gold bead, weighing 15 centigrams (0.005 ounce), was dugup two weeks ago in the remains of a small house that would havestood at a time when metals such as copper and gold were beingused for a first time.

The settlement unearthed so far is between 10 and 12hectares (25-30 acres) and would have had a 2.8-metre-high(9-foot) fortress wall. Anything over 0.7-0.8 hectares isregarded as a town by researchers working in Mesopotamia,Boyadzhiev said.

More than 150 ceramic figures of birds have been found atthe site, indicating the animal was probably worshipped by thetown's people. The settlement was destroyed by hostile tribeswho invaded from the north-east around 4,100 B.C.

The bead will be exhibited in the historical museum inPazardzhik once it has been thoroughly analyzed and its age
confirmed, a museum worker said.

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