The Discoverer

Tomb of Alexandrovo was discovered in December 2000 by a team of archaeologists led by Dr. Georgi Kitov (1943-2008). Nicknamed the "Bulgarian Indiana Jones", the archaeologist has made some of the most exciting discoveries in Bulgarian archaeology, adding significant data to the scanty scientific knowledge about Thracian culture and history. He was mainly engaged with excavations and study of archaeological sites of Ancient and Thracian times. Some of his findings related to the Thracian culture are the tombs in the Frog’s Mound, near the town of Strelcha, the religious complex (heroon) near Starosel, the discovery of 673-gram golden mask of a Thracian ruler, the tomb of Seuthes III in Kosmatka Mound near Shipka and many others.

Dr. Georgi Kitov graduated in history from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski ", specialized in history of art in Leningrad (nowadays Petersburg, Russia), worked as a curator at the Archaeological Museum and Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS). In 1977, he became Doctor of Historical Sciences. In 1992 he was appointed chairman of the General Meeting of the Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS). He is founder and leader of the archaeological expedition TEMP (Thracian Expedition for Mound Research), established in 1972. He authored over 200 articles and a dozen essays on Thracian history, archaeology and religion. Some of his most popular books are: The Thracian Treasure from Valchitran, published in 1978; The Riches of Thracian Rulers, published in 1992; The Valley of Thracian Kings, published in 2002; The Tomb of Seuthes III, published in 2004; Introduction Thracian archaeology, published in 2002; Tomb of Alexandrovo, published in 2009 (second revised edition).

Dr. Georgi Kitov died suddenly on September 14, 2008 during excavations in Starosel, leaving a treasured memory for his tireless professional devotion and invaluable discoveries.