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Archaeologists often call the region of Nova Zagora "Mecca of archeology." And this statement is not too far-fetched, because the oldest traces of human activity here date back 8000 years ago, and around the city are found 500 tombs and 26 prehistoric mounds, 62 settlements of the Late Iron Age and 74 Roman, 32 medieval villages, 13 castles and 4 monasteries. Enviable wealth of such a small area. This is why scientists from Austria, England, Russia, Japan and the Netherlands participate, some for more than 40 years, in archaeological researches in the area.

At the beginning of every good work always stands one disinterested enthusiast. For Nova Zagora that was the teacher Nikola Koichev, which in 1926 marked the beginning of the historical museum which goal is to search, study and exhibition of artefacts that simply gush in the fruitful field around the city. Today the funds to keep the museum exhibits are nearly 40 000 - an amount which can not boast even some regional museums in Bulgaria.

Of the many mounds, however, only one is called "Bulgarian Troy" (even though it is older than Troy) and this is not accidental. It is a famous hill near the village of Karanovo, which continues to attract the interest of world community with sensational archaeological discoveries.

Karanovska mound is located at the foot of the spurs of Sarnena Sredna Gora at the end of Nova Zagora area. With a height of 13 meters, length 250 and width 150 meters, it is one of the biggest burial mounds in Bulgaria. In the 50s of the XX century here began excavations the scientists Vassil Mihov and Georgi Georgiev. Seven layers of the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and early Bronze Age in southern Bulgaria were revealed.

The mound was inhabited for several thousand years. Some well-preserved foundations of homes were revealed, also rich home inventory, tools made of flint, bone, horns of deer and copper, and clay tiles, with perhaps the oldest characters in Europe. At the same place where these plates were found, in 2005 Bulgarian and Austrian archaeologists uncovered the remains of a huge building for its time - a public building or regal palace. During the Neolithic, the Copper and Bronze Age at Karanovska mound lived 240 generations, and even, according to Professor Vasil Nikolov, the population of these lands has given civilization on the continent.

In 2008 on rescue excavations at the Iztochnta mound the archaeologist Vesselin Ignatov revealed the remains of an antique car with four wheels, which have been harnessing two horses with rich decoration of the harness. In October 2009 at the same place his team found a vaulted tomb of a Thracian aristocrat, full of invaluable artifacts - weapons (swords, dagger and copies), braid armor, pottery, glass and bronze, fibulae, belt applications, silver gilt cups. Among these findings of particular value are the unique glass rhyton with the head of an unknown animal, a golden ring with precious stones and coins, which indicates the possibility of dating the tomb - I century AD.