Chalcolithic copper mines

Overview

It is the largest ore mining center in Europe, where copper ore was mined in the 5th millennium BC. - Early and late Chalcolithic.

During the archeological excavations in 1971-1974, a Bulgarian-Russian team discovered 11 mines with a length of 10–15 m to 5–80 m, an average width of 3–10 m and 1-2 to 18–20 m. By calculation the researchers of the Chalcolithic copper mines from the excavated ore could obtain 1000 tons of pure metal, a huge amount for antiquity.

It was exported to a large region of Southeastern Europe, with individual items made of copper extracted from the ore in the Mechi Kladenets area reaching the middle reaches of the Volga River.