The period 4600–4200 BC marks a fascinating chapter in prehistory when early civilizations across the globe were emerging and evolving in parallel. In Europe, the Varna culture of present-day Bulgaria astonished archaeologists with the world’s oldest processed gold treasure and evidence of the first social elites.

The Varna Gold, discovered in Bulgaria, is the world’s oldest processed gold treasure, dating back nearly 7,000 years.

Explore the Vinča–Karanovo interface: how Neolithic Bulgaria connected to the Vinča sphere through pottery styles, exchange networks, and chronology.

Explore the Cucuteni–Trypillia Culture (c. 4800–3000 BCE): painted pottery, huge “mega-sites,” farming economies, and its links to the wider Balkan Copper Age world.

Explore the Varna Culture and Varna Necropolis: Europe’s oldest gold, elite burials, trade routes, and its place in the KGK VI Late Chalcolithic world.