Bulgaria - 13 Centuries of Existence [antikvár]

Bulgaria occupies a territory of 111,000 square kilometres, has a population of 9 million and is situated in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula. It is a country of roses, " staunch revolutionaries, famous singers and dancers. Its people are famous for their industriousness and hospitali- ty- A LAND OF ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS The Bulgarian state was founded in the year 68 L Bulgaria is not only one of the oldest European states, but also a land in which man has appeared very early - some 150,000 years ago. Not far from the city of Stara Zagora, Central Bulgaria, the world's oldest and biggest copper mines have been discovered. They were exploited in the late 5th and early 4th millennium B. C. Metal tools en» sured a labour productivity which was 30 times higher than that of stone tools, and their appearance brought about a veritable revolution in the development of human society. Besides, favourable climatic conditions made possible the comparatively early appearance of animal husbandry and plant-growing, which enriched the diet and made surer the existence of primitive man. Wheat was grown in the Balkans as early as the end of the 7th millen- nium B. C. and it was from here that it was spread to the rest of Europe.