There exists an established public agreement about the concept of archaeology, which mostly revolves around excavations and mysterious treasure hunts. However, in the eyes of archaeologists, the real treasures are the unearthed artefacts – tiny fractions of the puzzle of history, which unveil unsolved secrets and mysteries around our ancestors.

Albeit their scarce financing, each year the Bulgarian archaeological projects progress to shed new light on yet undiscovered and exciting pages of the past world. This year, with a certain delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic, research will continue on the biggest basilica from the early Christian period in the Rhodope Mountains located in the ancient Thracian city of Perperikon (5^th to 6^th century).

“We will work on Perperikon from the last week of June until mid-September,” Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, a prominent Bulgarian thracologist, explains. “When it comes to our other excavations, there are changes. Last year, we were exploring the Citadel near the town of Svishtov – one of the most well-preserved medieval fortresses in Bulgaria. This year, our work on it will proceed in October. These findings have given me the idea for a book on history and archaeology entitled “Dracula – the Bulgarian Version”, related to the Svishtov fortress.

Few know that Wallachian and Moldovan voivodes, and particularly Vlad the Impaler or Dracula, spoke pure Bulgarian as their mother tongue up until the 17^th century. I am not saying this to oppose our neighbours, but because Bulgarians need to know the truth. It is of crucial importance for an archaeologist to be a well-trained historian as well, so as to be able to explain whatever he or she has found underneath the history-keeping layers of earth. Purely archaeological methods are not enough for this.”

Assoc. Prof. Bonnie Petrunova, director of the National Museum of History in Sofia, has the same opinion as Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov. She hopes to receive financing for her project near Kaliakra cape this year as well, owing to the rare success of the excavation site. The research is about the former capital of the Despotate of Dobruja (a Bulgarian state along the northern Black Sea coast dating to the late 14^th century).

“Throughout the last three years, an exceptionally rich treasure has been uncovered there containing more than a thousand items, including golden and silver jewelry, coins, fragments of garments, etc,” Assoc. Prof. Petruva explains in an interview with the BNR. “Prior to this, we found a unique Chinese nephrite clasp – quite untypical for Bulgarian lands. Last year, one of the excavated  graves in the necropolis turned out to be especially rich. A young man with some very beautiful burial gifts was buried there. Among the gifts was a golden ring of better workmanship quality than the famous ring of Kaloyan of Bulgaria (Bulgarian tsar from 1196 to 1207). The ring found had an inscription saying “Georgi Golemiya” (Georgi the Big), and a monogram of the Palaiologos dynasty. This finding has given rise to many questions into this man’s origin, potentially related to Dobrotitsa, a despot of Dobruja. We work with many researchers to get to the historical facts. These experts read inscriptions, analyze objects, fabrics and bones. Actually, the clothes with which “Georgi Golemiya” had been  buried testify to his high social status – a rich aristocrat, at the least.”

Here comes the trickiest moment – ordering the artifacts in a reliable picture which can truthfully depict the past glory of one of the last surviving medieval Bulgarian kingdoms.

Edited by Darina Grigorova (based on interviews on Hristo Botev channel of the Bulgarian National Radio)

English version Boris Tatchev

Photos: Zdravka Maslyankova, BGNES