The oldest gold treasure in the world is a Thracian treasure consisting of nine gold vessels (a phiale, an amphora and seven rhytons) with total weight of 6.164 kg of 23-karat gold. All of the objects are richly and skilfully decorated with scenes of Thracian customs and life. Three of the jugs-rhytons are in the shape of the heads of the goddesses Hera, Aphrodite and Athena. Multiple mythological scenes with heroes of the Greek mythology – Dionysus, Apollo, Artemis – are presented on the rhytons.
The treasure is dated to the 4th-3rd centuries BC, and is thought to have been used as a royal ceremonial set, possibly by a Thracian king. As one of the best known surviving artifacts of Thracian culture, the treasure has been found in Bulgaria near the small city of Panagyurishte, displayed at various museums around the world. When not on a tour, the treasure is in the National Museum of History in Sofia, Bulgaria.