February 07, 2021

The Story of Kiril the Blahgur: A Flash Fiction Feb Tale

Good morning, the Mad Houstonian, here.

The Day 7 Flash Fiction February Prompt at Writer's Digest? ( Miss the start of this series? #1 )

Write about a discovery.

On short notice I simply can't top something I wrote, and posted, for April Fools Day 2009, and the "What If" (69th) edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.

Ancestor of Mine Dug Up by Greek Archaeologists! by Kiril Kundurazieff

I get E-Mails:

Dear Sir,

I am Chief Archaeologist on a very important dig in Greece, and it has come to my attention that your Genealogical Research involved an ancestral line of your Fathers side of the family, and that this has led you to an individual who is the stuff of legend in our country.

Our dig, in a little known Macedonian region of our little corner of Europe, has turned up something that will interest you very much, and I have included an article in the major newspaper of Athens, translated into English for your convenience.

Sincerely yours, this March 31st, 2009.

Needless to say I was curious, indeed, and found the story fascinating:

Greeks find Largest Tomb of Rich Macedonians

Greek archaeologists said on March 5th they had stumbled upon the largest underground tomb in Macedonian antiquity in the ancient city of Peeyou in northern Greece, birthplace of Kiril the Blahgur.

The eighteen-chamber tomb stuffed full of painted sculpture dates to the late, to middle, 2nd century BC and offers researchers their 1st glimpse into the life of a certain class of nobles around, and after, the time of the death of the man legend calls "The Ancient Blahgur"( A Macedonian word for Scribe, or Writer ).

"This is the largest, sculptured, multi-chambered tomb found in the Macedonian region, and is important in that it is a bizarre architectural style -- there are far more chambers than ever found before and a very, very, long entrance arcade," the chief archaeologist at Peeyou, May B. Kyding, told Fox News.

Kyding said that the tomb, accessible through a 32-meter long entrance, was uncovered in a farm plot bordering the ancient cemetery of the capital city of this little known Macedonian region.

Until now, the largest chambered funeral tomb found in Greece, much less its Macedonian region, contained up to 8 chambers.

Intact, inscribed tombstones, with the names of the owners still visible, and a vast stash of rich doohickies including jewelry, copper coins and earthen vases, led archaeologists to the conclusion that the tomb belonged to the noble family of Kiril the Blahgur.

"His was a very rich, and well respected, family. This find is rare as the cemetery is also full of commoners," said Kyding. "We actually learned the names of the owners from the tombstones."

Kyding said at least 15 family members had been buried in the chambers, and the tomb had stacks of scrolls, many of which most likely were the writings of Kiril, written by him, and/or transcribed by his workers.

The painted plaster of the chambers, with red, blue and white dyes, was still evident on the walls, said Kyding, and told the story of Kiril, who was a well known ( and hated in some circles ) scribe, observer, and commentator, of his times whose writings were widely distributed in Greece, and Macedonian conquered lands.

The ancient city of Peeyou was part of the Macedonian kingdom, ruled by Phillip of Macedonia, and later by his son Alexander the Great, where Kiril was born in 370 BC and spent his childhood, before being sent off to study under the patronage of the great King.

He later returned to the city of his birth to begin his career as a scribe, but was also known to have accompanied Alexander on his conquests, sending dispatches back home for disimination to an audience eager for news from the field.

The tomb dates to the period between 300 to 200 BC, when Kiril died ( Legend has it that he died of a heart attack after his 4th wife gave birth to triplet boys, in 270 BC ) and his descendants later squandered their inheritance, Kyding said.

This period was marked by the continuing power struggles and intrigues by those who followed Alexander and were still battling for control of his empire, and Kiril's 7 sons ( all born between 310 and 270 BC ), all Blahgurs like their Father, took different sides in the conflicts, Kyding said.

Very few examples of the writings of Kiril, and none of his sons, were, until now, known to exist, and only in 2 Greek museums, and it is expected that this find will shed much light on a great period in the history of the Ancient World.

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My Father, who died in 1988, used to always claim that he was descended from Alexander the Great, but I had my doubts, and my research, in the last decade, bore out my suspicions.

This story confirms what I thought: My ancient ancestor was not Ol' Alex, but a close associate.