Cromleh 6th cnetury BC in village Staro Zhelezare

Overview

The cromlech in the village of Staro Zhelezare was opened in 2002 by Georgi Kitov. It is unique in that it was buried under a mound. Kitov nowhere reports any find in the center of the circle. The discoverer called the find an astronomical observatory, although the facility is undoubtedly a classic, exemplary cromlech. Disturbing in such an interpretation is the fact that it was completely buried under a mound. Until its discovery, it had not been damaged by erosion at all, just as the mounds above the temples and tombs of the Thracian flourishing, discovered by Georgi Kitov around Starosel, Strelcha, Kazanlak, etc., had not been damaged. The mounds in general became typical for our lands only during the classical Thracian time VI-II century BC, and the cromlechs are at least 5-10 centuries earlier sites. Thus, it is not excluded that the cromlech near Staro Zelezare was built as an open facility with an unknown purpose much earlier, and in the mentioned period it was only buried for equally unknown reasons.

In dolmens, which are probably younger sites than menhirs, complete mounding is also extremely rare.

The cromlech near the village of Staro Zhelezare consists of 24 stone pillars with a height of 0.5 to 2 m and has a diameter of 6.5 - 7 m. The menhir blocks are of rather brittle and impermanent rock. In the northern hemisphere they are higher than in the southern hemisphere. It is debatable in its correctness to remove the soil inside the circle to the bottom, to the very base, so that today the menhirs are practically not driven into the ground and cannot stand upright on their own. They are supported only by the outer ring of the original mound, which has survived, at least for now. But it is not known for how long.

Excavated and abandoned, the site collapsed too quickly from erosion - in 2009 all the stone pillars fell, most of them broken. The object is doomed because no one is interested in it.