Kirk Kirchev: The Keeper of the Thracian Heritage

The hardcover book contains 300 illustrations and a map of the museums where the treasures can be seen

published on 1/10/24 5:32 PM

Photo: Кърк Кирчев

Who were the world's first goldsmiths? The Thracians, who inhabited Bulgarian lands from the Bronze Age to the time of the Roman emperors, were certainly among them. And did you know that there are more than 80 Thracian treasures in museums and collections all over Europe? According to some sources, the very name of the European continent comes from the Thracian goldsmiths, called "Evros". Kirk Kirchev

A great admirer of Thracian civilisation, a patriot and a cosmopolitan, the Bulgarian Kirk Kirchev, has tried to gather everything known about Thracian culture in one place. He is the author of a brand new collection dedicated to the Thracian civilisation - the first of its kind to offer systematic popular scientific information on the culture and art of the ancient Thracians. Kirk Kirchev's Thrace: The Complete Guide to the Thracian Civilisation was published at the end of December. It has been published in English, but has not yet been translated into Bulgarian.

Kirk, born Kircho, is an artist, designer and photographer, inventor and entrepreneur who has lived in the UK, China and the USA for over 20 years. "History is just a hobby for me, I've been doing it for a long time," he told Radio Bulgaria. He added: "Today almost no one talks about the ancient civilisation of the Thracians, even though they played a key role in the history of Europe, just like the Celts and the Vikings. Their treasures and art are scattered in museums all over the world".

The Complete Guide to the Thracian Civilization consists of illustrations, many of which were taken by him personally during his museum tours. The text contains only historical facts. "There are no opinions, no interpretations, no spin tales. Just the actual facts - this book is a museum of sorts," Kirk Kirchev tells us.

How did he come up with the idea of creating such a book museum of Thracian civilisation?

"When you look back at Bulgaria with the eyes of a person who has lived around the world for so many years, all you see is... nothing. There is nothing that makes Bulgaria remarkable for most outsiders. The way we in Bulgaria look at Uruguay, Uzbekistan or Zaire - we know nothing about these countries. From our point of view they are small, unknown and probably average countries. This is how the rest of the world sees Bulgaria.

But... not everything is average. Something has been created in our countries that is world class - these Thracian treasures. I have noticed that they are scattered in museums all over the world, and they are not well presented - that is, few people have seen them all together, even among Bulgarians. Even if you wanted to, you couldn't see them all in one place.

That's why I did it - I wanted the Thracian culture, one of the oldest and richest, to have at least one book where you can see this wealth - collected and well presented" - explained the author.

In the guide there are over 300 illustrations of ancient cities, sanctuaries, exquisite works, treasures, marble sarcophagi, mosaics and coins. The book also contains a comprehensive list of Thracian kings and their genealogy. The facts are taken from reputable and respected sources, such as the Encyclopaedia Britannica, or from the records of the very museums where Kirk photographed the artefacts.

A glossary of terms, information on the gods, kings and heroes mentioned in this encyclopaedic compendium, and a map of the sites, useful for those interested in cultural tourism, are also included to aid the reader.

(Coming soon Radio Bulgaria's interview with Kirk Kirchev.)

Photo courtesy of Kirk Kirchev

Translated and posted by E. Radkova

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