The Varna Man

Was This the Grave of a Genesis 10 Patriarch?

In the 1970s, Bulgaria witnessed one of its most significant archaeological discoveries – the unearthing of the Varna Necropolis. This remarkable find, made by excavator operator Raycho Marinov, revealed the oldest known gold artifacts from the Chalcolithic Era, marking it as one of the wealthiest grave sites ever discovered from such an early period.

The Discovery and Its Significance

The Varna Necropolis, a vast Copper Age burial ground, yielded over 22,000 exquisite artifacts, including more than 3,000 gold items weighing a total of 6 kilograms. This discovery not only showcased the advanced metallurgy of the Varna culture but also provided invaluable insights into their social structure and religious beliefs.

To Creationists, however, the site is even more significant. The Varna Cemetary dates to the Chalcolithic Era, which was the two centuries immediately after the Dispersion from Babel. According to the Bible, the first ten generations after the Flood lived very long lives. The younger generations started dying first around 2006 BC and were outlived by the older generations, a phenomenon that is unique in human history.

From Genesis 11, we learn that the first three post-flood generations lived as late as 1820 BC, well into the Early Bronze Age. This means that the Varna Cemetary may contain the graves of one or more of the European patriarchs listed in Genesis 10. One grave, in particular, Grave 43, may be that of a Genesis 10 Patriarch from the line of Japheth.

Unique Burial Practices

The Varna Necropolis revealed diverse burial customs:

• Some graves contained abundant treasures, including gold ornaments, copper axes, and decorated ceramics.

• Others had simple burials with few grave goods.

• Intriguingly, some "symbolic graves" or cenotaphs contained no skeletal remains but were the richest in gold and other treasures.

• These cenotaphs sometimes featured human-sized masks made of unbaked clay, positioned where the deceased's head would have been.

The Varna Man

Among the numerous graves, Grave 43 stood out due to its exceptional wealth. It contained the remains of a high-status male, probably a ruler or leader, buried with a scepter and an unprecedented amount of gold. His skull had a prominent brow ridge, and his height of 5’ 8” was taller than the rest of the burials. His bones indicate that he was athletic and in good physical condition when he died.

The Varna Man - As Found in His Grave

Social Hierarchy and Gender Roles

The Varna Necropolis offers insights into the social structure of this ancient civilization:

• Elite members were buried in shrouds with gold ornaments sewn into the cloth.

• The "Varna man" found in an elite male burial wore a solid gold sheath over his phallus and was buried with a scepter, symbolizing high rank or spiritual power.

• This burial marked the first known elite male burial in Europe, indicating that he was a chieftan or a king.

Gold Jewelry found in the Varna Culture

Religious Beliefs and Funerary Practices

The graves provide valuable information about the Varna culture's religious beliefs:

• Males and females were positioned differently in graves: men on their backs, women in fetal positions.

• Gold amulets shaped like women, associated with pregnancy and childbirth, were found in some graves.

• Cenotaphs contained specific items such as copper pins, flint knives, and spindle whorls, but notably lacked battle axes

Why Varna Was Probably A Patriarchal Settlement

The lack of weapons of war indicates that the Varna settlement was very early in the history of mankind after the Flood before people started to build defensive walls around their cities. While Nimrod began fighting wars immediately after the Dispersion, his area of influence was limited to Turkiye, Mesopotamia, Canaan, and Egypt. The people who established the Varna Culture had escaped from Nimrod’s grasp across the Black Sea into Europe.

We can be reasonably certain that the Varna Culture was founded by one of the sons of Japheth who colonized Europe. Tiras and Riphath were the sons and grandsons of Japheth whose tribes colonized Eastern Europe along the Black Sea. Today the Carpathian Mountains still bear the name of Riphath. The city of Tiraspol, Moldova was named after Tyras, the ancient name of the Dneister River, which probably refers to Tiras, who was also the father of the Etruscans of Italy.

Given the wealth, the age of the settlement, and the fact that the Varna Man was buried with a golden scepter, it is quite possible that the Varna Man was either Tiras or his nephew, Riphath.

The Rise and Fall of Varna

The Varna culture emerged as a powerful civilization in what is now modern-day Bulgaria. Their advanced metallurgy, particularly in gold and copper, allowed them to establish extensive trade networks across the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions.

Despite its eventual decline, the Varna culture left an indelible mark on European civilization:

• They were the first known culture to craft golden artifacts, predating the empires of Mesopotamia and Egypt.

• Their societal structure, featuring centralized authority, laid the groundwork for subsequent European civilizations.

• The Varna culture's metallurgical expertise remained unmatched in Europe for centuries.

The discovery of the Varna Necropolis has provided invaluable insights into one of Europe's earliest advanced civilizations. Its golden treasures and complex burial practices continue to fascinate archaeologists and historians, offering a glimpse into the first permanent settlements in patriarchal Europe after the Tower of Babel.