The sky over Bulgaria

Perperikon and the Sun: what archaeologists say

Perperikon in the Eastern Rhodopes is a rock sanctuary that later became a city. Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov believes the Sun was worshipped there, but that is his hypothesis. We found no published, verifiable study of the site’s astronomical alignment, so we do not claim one.

Where Perperikon is

Perperikon is an archaeological complex in the Eastern Rhodopes, near Kardzhali. <cite index="18-5">It lies at about 470 metres above sea level and is considered one of the oldest megalithic monuments. <cite index="16-1">Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov began large-scale excavations in 2000.</cite> So most public information about the Sun at Perperikon comes from his team. In this article we keep the finds separate from the interpretations.

What has been found

The finds include rock-cut altars. <cite index="13-6,13-7">The first were cut in the Bronze Age, and one of them is about 3 metres high</cite>. There is also a round altar almost 2 metres across. Ovcharov also describes other finds: <cite index="10-17">a bronze statuette of Apollo, votive tablets showing the Thracian horseman, and many coins from different epochs</cite>.

The most often cited discovery is a round Roman-period building. <cite index="9-5">It consists of two concentric circles, an inner one about 7.5 m across and an outer one of nearly 15 m</cite>. <cite index="9-9,9-10">In the centre there is a pit cut into the rock and filled with ash, with a stone cube and a small basin where incense was burned. According to Ovcharov, an “eternal fire” was kept there</cite>. <cite index="3-5">He dates the building to the 3rd–4th century</cite>.

The interpretation: a hypothesis of a Sun temple

The link to the Sun is an archaeologist’s interpretation, not a measured fact. <cite index="9-12">Ovcharov himself says there are still no final conclusions, but he believes the building was a temple dedicated to the sun cult</cite>. He ties the building to the Roman period. <cite index="9-13">In his words, in the second half of the 3rd century Emperor Aurelian imposed the cult of the Unconquered Sun (in Latin, Sol Invictus) across the Roman Empire</cite>.

Ovcharov also sees an older continuity. <cite index="5-1,5-2">He points to a link with the old temple of the Thracian Horseman, about 200 metres away, which is also a round building with an altar in the centre, but much earlier</cite>.

For the earliest times there is an even bolder hypothesis. <cite index="13-4,13-5">Ovcharov speculates that the earliest activity centred on a “high place” sanctuary of the sun cult, and cites images on ceramics from the Chalcolithic (Copper Age) as evidence</cite>. This is one researcher’s hypothesis. We do not present it here as established.

The dispute about Dionysus

Ovcharov also links the site to Dionysus. <cite index="2-1">In his view, Perperikon is the sanctuary of Dionysus of the Thracian tribe of the Satrae</cite>. <cite index="2-2,2-3">Leading Thracologists, among them Prof. Valeria Fol, strongly disagree</cite>. So Dionysus and the Sun at Perperikon are both questions on which specialists still disagree.

And the alignment to the Sun?

This is the most interesting question for sky-watchers, and the honest answer is short. In the sources we checked, no astronomical measurement has been published. We found no analysis showing that the sanctuary or any altar is aligned with sunrise or sunset at a solstice or equinox. So we do not claim such an alignment. Some popular texts mention that the sunrise can be watched from the hill. That describes a view, not proof of deliberate alignment.

To be verifiable, a claim about alignment would need several things:

• a measured azimuth (compass direction along the horizon) of a specific structure;
• data on the horizon profile;
• a dating of the structure;
• a publication that another researcher can check.

Astronomy does provide a framework for such checks. The point where the Sun rises moves along the horizon through the year, between two extremes at the solstices. At the equinox it rises roughly in the east. That is why researchers of ancient sites compare the directions of buildings with these points. Without a measurement for Perperikon, though, this remains a method, not a result.

How to read all this

The Sun has been an important symbol in many ancient cultures. For Perperikon, what is verifiable is this: the rock altars, the round buildings and the finds from different epochs. The interpretations of the cult are hypotheses, and each has an author. When a headline says archaeologists “proved” a solar calendar or an exact alignment, look for the publication behind it. If there is none, the most honest answer is “not yet known”, and that is not a weakness of science.

If you visit Perperikon, watch how the light falls on the rocks in the morning and at dusk. You will see why the place inspires, without needing proof. If you want to plan an observation, get the directions clear first and see how to watch the sky.

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