Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

"You are beautiful," an antique mirror tells us

The Archaeological Museum in Burgas presents an intriguing exhibition of miniature mirrors

Photo: BTA

A display case with small mirrors is part of an exhibition dedicated to the theme of female beauty in antiquity, presented in the Archaeological Museum in the city of Burgas. The exhibition is entitled "Whims through Antiquity. Look in the mirror" and was created on the occasion of March 8, International Women's Day. In antiquity, there were two types of mirrors - functional and votive. The first were used by high-ranking ladies, and the latter were placed as a gift to the goddess when women asked her to grant a wish. The discovery of similar objects in burials in the region is evidence that there was a shrine to one of the goddesses from the Greco-Roman pantheon nearby.

The mirrors presented in the Burgas museum have been restored and date from the II-IV century. They are made of lead. One will find interesting the inscriptions on them. Some of them read: "You are beautiful", "Nice things belong to beautiful women", "Beauty, take me."


On one of the most interesting mirrors presented in the exhibition, there is no inscription, but there is an image of a goddess, presumably Hera, Aphrodite or one of the three nymphs.

Some of the mirrors were found during archaeological works near the village of Rouen, the village of Yabalchevo, Aquae Calidae, the region of Pomorie, etc.

The exhibition can be seen until the end of March.

See also




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgaria pays tribute to Gotse Delchev - the apostle of freedom for Bulgarians in Macedonia and Adriatic Thrace

On February 4, Blagoevgrad will commemorate the 153rd anniversary of the birth of Bulgarian revolutionary Gotse Delchev with a wreath-laying ceremony. The ceremony will take place at 11am in front of the hero's monument on Macedonia Square. Voivode..

published on 2/4/25 7:10 AM

Ancient finds, new discoveries –2024 in archaeology at the National History Museum

In 2024, the National History Museum sent expeditions to 22 archaeological sites. More than 1,400 artifacts were found during the season spanning the period from prehistoric times down to the Middle Ages. The most significant of these discoveries are..

updated on 1/31/25 3:00 PM

BNR's Radio Bulgaria starts a podcast about our Orthodox communities abroad

From 31 January 2025, the first podcast about Bulgarian Orthodox communities abroad - Bridge of Faith - will be launched. The concept is the brainchild of the team of the Bulgarian National Radio's (BNR) overseas programme - Radio Bulgaria, and is being..

published on 1/31/25 7:15 AM