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

A Hobbiton discovered by archaeologists in Perperikon

Prof Ovcharov said the tiny houses resembling Hobbit dwellings were homes for the poor

Perperikon
Photo: Facebook /Vladislav Terziiski Photography

A village of small houses dating from the 13th-15th cent. AD, very similar to the dwellings of the Hobbits, has been excavated by archaeologist Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov and his team. It is a complex of a dozen small houses located in the southern part of the rock city of Perperikon. Prof Ovcharov told BNR-Kardzhali that the complex bears a strong resemblance to the city of the Hobbits in 'The Lord of the Rings'. 

Whole families lived in houses no larger than 20 square metres. Cooking utensils, chrome pots and tools have been found. There are narrow streets between the houses.

According to the archaeologists, the houses were inhabited by the poorer part of Perperikon's population, which numbered around 5,000 people at the time. "This is not a small number, as it was the population of Vienna at the same time," says Professor Nikolai Ovcharov.

At the end of the 14th century, burials took place there. The data show that the population declined sharply. This was probably due to the plague that hit Europe at that time, the archaeologists believe.



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

International conference on Bulgarians in the Northern Black Sea Region brings together scientists from Bulgaria, Ukraine and Moldova

The international scientific conference “Bulgarians in the Northern Black Sea Region” will be held in Sofia on October 27 and 28, 2025 in the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore with Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Prof...

published on 10/25/25 5:00 AM

Kozloduy NPP Unit 6 shuts down for annual maintenance

The annual planned maintenance of Kozloduy NPP Unit 6 starts today and is expected to last until early December, the nuclear power plant has announced. During the shutdown, technical maintenance of the systems and facilities will be carried out,..

published on 10/24/25 7:45 PM

Rain by the evening, temperatures remain warm for the season

Saturday will start off with lows between 6°C and 11°C, dropping to around 6°C in Sofia. Skies will brighten for a time over northern Bulgaria before turning cloudy again later, with rain moving in by evening and overnight. Cloudy spells are also..

published on 10/24/25 7:05 PM