Early Bronze Age Pamukli bair barrow near Malomirovo and the problem of east-oriented barrow graves in Upper Thrace

In 2021, excavations of a barrow were conducted on the Pamukli Bair hill in Malomirovo, Elhovo municipality, Upper Thrace, Bulgaria. These excavations yielded a remarkable discovery – a sequence of graves dating back to the late fourth and third millennium BC. Notably, these findings prominently featured elements of the early Pit-Grave culture, also known as the Yamna culture. However, the commencement of this burial sequence was marked by graves that diverged from the norms of the Yamna culture. These early graves contained individuals interred in a crouched position, with their heads oriented towards the east. Unlike the prevalent use of ochre in the Yamna culture, this type of funeral ritual exhibited a limited presence of ochre. Comparable central graves of this kind have also been documented in other barrows throughout the Middle Tundzha region and various parts of Upper Thrace, particularly in the “Maritsa-Iztok” area. These burials can be dated to the end of the fourth millennium BC and display similarities to both local funeral traditions (Ezero A1) and graves analogous to the Cernavodă/Nizhna Mikhailivka traditions. The horizon of barrow necropolises featuring these distinctive burials is clearly discernible within the Upper Thrace region and seamlessly connects to the horizon of the early Pit-Grave culture.