Stolovatets Slabs

The sanctuary in the Stolovatets locality is an important archaeological site in Bulgaria containing marble stelae with interesting relief decorations. Discovered by chance in 1953, the site is associated with a sanctuary probably dedicated to the sun. The stelae date from the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age. Their imagery includes geometric ornamentation such as linked triskeles and double spirals, interpreted as solar symbols. The largest stele depicts a radiant sun in the middle of a two-headed dragon shown in the shape of a boat. A male figure stands before the dragon, possibly representing a religious or mythological episode. The interpretation of the stelae is the subject of various scholarly views. Professor Vasil Markov proposes that the image on the large stele represents an attribute of the sun similar to that found in Bulgarian folklore. He associates the scene with a stage in Thracian religious thought and interprets it as the transmission of secret knowledge from the Thracians' solar-chthonic deity—the Thracian Dionysus—to the forefather, the first Thracian king and priest.

Despite these differences in interpretation, the sanctuary at Stolovatets remains an important archaeological monument illuminating the ancient history and religious practices of this region.