The small sheets contain writing identified as Etruscan, together with images of two people carrying a large vessel; a horned animal; a horse and its helmeted rider; a musical instrument, perhaps a lyre; a siren; and two people carrying shields.
[3] Inscribed leaves of gold known as Totenpässe were associated with the Orphic religion, hence the modern name of the artefact.
[4] A date of 660 BCE has been associated with the artefact, based on the stylistic evidence of the letterforms and images.
If confirmed, this would make it the earliest surviving example of a codex, that is, a bound book; however, some argue that this only applies to folded sheets.
Its subsequent whereabouts are not known, but in 2003, the elderly discoverer donated it anonymously to the National Historical Museum (NIM) in Sofia.