Almost 600 gold pieces and a sensational, perfectly-preserved dagger, were discovered by archeologists in central Bulgaria.

Martin Hristov's team unearthed the Thracian items at a previously discovered hotspot near Dabene, they announced on Sunday.

Among the freshly-discovered 545 pieces, the beautiful dagger is the most impressive, the team revealed.

The exclusive item, dated to the 3rd Century BC, is in very good condition and with no patina, which demonstrates the high gold content in the alloy, out of which the dagger was made.

Bulgarian scientists say that the nature of the Dabene gold site still remains a secret, two years after they first discovered the ancient place.

Despite the tremendous number of the gold objects found there already (16,000 in total), archeologists saw no trace of a temple or settlement.

They suggest that Thracians had laid the gold in the ground as a tribute to an ancient god or goddess, maybe Gea.

Conservation will allow to display the new discoveries as of August 9, at the National Museum of History.