Excavations at the the Copper Age settlement near the village Pazardzhik, southern Bulgaria, dated back to  the circa 4500-4600 BC revealed a golden bead. The find is believed to be one of the oldest if not the oldest golden jewellery ever found in Europe. The tiny golden bead measures only 4 mm in diameter and weights 0.15 of a gram.

The bead is believed to have been made at the currently excavated site, located on the outskirts of the modern Pazardzhik village. The site was occupied by people that moved from Anatolia in the Neolithic, around 6000 BC. The settlement was destroyed by hostile tribes who invaded from the north-east around 4,100 B.C. The artefact was dug up in the remains of a small house that would have stood at a time when metals such as copper and gold were being used for a first time. Among other artefacts, more than 150 ceramic figures of birds have been found.

(after CBC News)