Our national holiday started early with outpourings from the Young Balkan Men’s English School of Recitation and Song. Their lengthy performance concluded just in time for the 4:45 AM boarding of the bus. Lacking sleep and coffee, the group took off for Sandanski, 65 km south of Blagoevgrad.
Sandanski, Bulgaria’s sunniest town, is the birthplace of Spartacus. For those that missed the movie, he led slave revolt against the Romans in 74 BC. We met our leaders from Archaeology Fieldwork Programs, Kalin Korchev and Simeon Prokopov. They introduced the group to Dr. Vladimir Petkov, Director of the Archeology Museum and the adjacent dig site, the Bishop’s Basilica in Sandanski.
Once coffee was discovered and enjoyed, a brief tour of the museum gave the group a sense of the importance of the upcoming challenge. The museum collection includes burial marble plates, coins from varied historical periods, inscriptions, jewelry, pottery and other artifacts. Mosaic floors are preserved in their entirety.
We walked to the dig site at the back of the museum. A group of day laborers were rebuilding a stone wall so the location was busy with the activity of restoration and discovery. We were set to work after these instructions – “Dig 10 cm down, brush the dirt off any objects, save those that look like bones or appear human made: glass; fresco pieces; nails. One person digs, one person checks. And, you are lucky because of the Thursday night rain, it is easier to work.”
Ann Marie found a glass base of a goblet. Digging nearby, Kristen Holtschlag found some metal latch pieces. Dr. Pekov was able to identify our finds with ease. Margaret and Shirley carefully brushed off areas in the baptistery revealing frescoes.
Others were given shovels and moved about 10 inches of sand covering a previously discovered mosaic floor with botanical elements and symmetric patterns. It was fun to watch the floor reveal its design. It was an amazing few hours - group participants were finding objects and looking through dirt from the 4th - 6th century. Long before our enthusiasm for what we were discovering peaked, the sun forced an end to the dig.
A brief timeline of the museum and its projects:
1936 – The museum begins with a collection in the First Primary School in Sandanski.
1960 – The first systematic digs begin at the Christian Basilica of Joan
1970 - The current museum opened in tandem with the IV Archeological Conference in Blagoevgrad.
1960-80 Order of excavations near the museum site: Basilica of Joan; Early Christian Complex; Gymnasium; Thermal Baths; civil buildings
Dr. Petkov commented about the difficulty of Bulgarian archeology. There have been renovations throughout the periods and materials have been reused, some not originally created for the basilica. As Evelina states and the archeologists echo, the layers of history stretch from Pre-History, the Bronze Age, Greeks, Thracians, Romans, and Byzantines. Even today, it is a challenge to protect the dig sites from human interference. It is easy to understand why Dr. Petkov, when for a dig completion date, joked about his retirement.
Simeon talked about his and Kalin’s motivation for bringing groups to archeological sites in Bulgaria. “Bulgaria’s best resource is its archeological history. We want to show that Bulgaria has a rich history like Greece and Italy. Bulgaria ranks third in the number of UNESCO sites. We need lots of years to study. For example, we have 2000 tombs – it takes a year to explore just one. Every city, once dug, reveals artifacts.”
He continued to speak about the continuous nature of Bulgarian identity and history. Simeon shared a friend’s theory about the long legacy of Bulgarian history and culture. The friend says that, “being under the Turks united us. This time was difficult because of the religious differences and thus we did not fight among ourselves and fall apart like other countries.”
After lunch and some time to explore the beautiful city park and shopping district, we traveled the 17km to Melnik. The little village is striking because of the soaring sand stone (mel) cliffs as well as the empty homes that are reminders of the 1912-13 Balkan removal of the town’s Greek citizens by the Greek Army.
We checked into our hotel a former Ottoman prison, Usunova Kasta, and met Ivan Usunov and his wife. The rooms, surrounding a small grape-vined courtyard were bright and warm. Once settled we were welcomed at the Folklore Art Center by Jane Kamenarov and Elena Georgieva-Kamenarova. Their endeavor is Leb I Vino, Bread and Wine. Both were shared as they warmly and enthusiastically welcomed us to Melnick. Their studio showed their weavings, paintings, and painted icons. It took only brief observation to understand that they are both talented with multiple performing and visual artistic abilities.
A thunderstorm did not stop this GPA group from enjoying dinner in the multiple outdoor mehanas. The shopping frenzy of knit socks, tablecloths, rugs, paintings, jewelry, aprons, and pottery was a serious boost to the local economy.
Later, transformed by their intricate native costumes, Jane and Elena performed in the courtyard of the Usnova Hotel. Singing and playing what they termed “the songs of our grandparents, they introduced the two voiced principle, the style of all Balkan singing and instruments. They perform in village style, songs of work and celebration, learned from older musicians. This differs from school style, which is formally taught.
Balkan music uses rhythms and harmonies that differ from the western musical style. Elena sang and provided rhythm with the tarambuka, an hourglass shaped drum made of copper. Jane played two different tamburas, string instruments with four strings and a teardrop shaped back typically tuned, D-G-B-E.
Jane also played the dvoyanka, a double block wooden flute, the kaval, a long eight finger- holed flute, the kavalche, a small or piccolo kaval, and the gaida, a bagpipe. They sang, played, danced, and patiently explained their musical craft. The evening ended with admiration for the customs they are preserving and their exceptional ability to communicate the beauty of their heritage.
Websites:
Simeon and Kalin’s home page and two archeology sites:
http://www.archeobg.org/
http://www.sandanski.archeobg.org/ – Bishop’s Complex
http://www.hisar.archeobg.org/ – Roman Baths and Thracian settlement
Elena and Jane’s website
http://www.lebivino.com/ – Songs, artwork, and video
Sandanski, Bulgaria’s sunniest town, is the birthplace of Spartacus. For those that missed the movie, he led slave revolt against the Romans in 74 BC. We met our leaders from Archaeology Fieldwork Programs, Kalin Korchev and Simeon Prokopov. They introduced the group to Dr. Vladimir Petkov, Director of the Archeology Museum and the adjacent dig site, the Bishop’s Basilica in Sandanski.
Once coffee was discovered and enjoyed, a brief tour of the museum gave the group a sense of the importance of the upcoming challenge. The museum collection includes burial marble plates, coins from varied historical periods, inscriptions, jewelry, pottery and other artifacts. Mosaic floors are preserved in their entirety.
We walked to the dig site at the back of the museum. A group of day laborers were rebuilding a stone wall so the location was busy with the activity of restoration and discovery. We were set to work after these instructions – “Dig 10 cm down, brush the dirt off any objects, save those that look like bones or appear human made: glass; fresco pieces; nails. One person digs, one person checks. And, you are lucky because of the Thursday night rain, it is easier to work.”
Ann Marie found a glass base of a goblet. Digging nearby, Kristen Holtschlag found some metal latch pieces. Dr. Pekov was able to identify our finds with ease. Margaret and Shirley carefully brushed off areas in the baptistery revealing frescoes.
Others were given shovels and moved about 10 inches of sand covering a previously discovered mosaic floor with botanical elements and symmetric patterns. It was fun to watch the floor reveal its design. It was an amazing few hours - group participants were finding objects and looking through dirt from the 4th - 6th century. Long before our enthusiasm for what we were discovering peaked, the sun forced an end to the dig.
A brief timeline of the museum and its projects:
1936 – The museum begins with a collection in the First Primary School in Sandanski.
1960 – The first systematic digs begin at the Christian Basilica of Joan
1970 - The current museum opened in tandem with the IV Archeological Conference in Blagoevgrad.
1960-80 Order of excavations near the museum site: Basilica of Joan; Early Christian Complex; Gymnasium; Thermal Baths; civil buildings
Dr. Petkov commented about the difficulty of Bulgarian archeology. There have been renovations throughout the periods and materials have been reused, some not originally created for the basilica. As Evelina states and the archeologists echo, the layers of history stretch from Pre-History, the Bronze Age, Greeks, Thracians, Romans, and Byzantines. Even today, it is a challenge to protect the dig sites from human interference. It is easy to understand why Dr. Petkov, when for a dig completion date, joked about his retirement.
Simeon talked about his and Kalin’s motivation for bringing groups to archeological sites in Bulgaria. “Bulgaria’s best resource is its archeological history. We want to show that Bulgaria has a rich history like Greece and Italy. Bulgaria ranks third in the number of UNESCO sites. We need lots of years to study. For example, we have 2000 tombs – it takes a year to explore just one. Every city, once dug, reveals artifacts.”
He continued to speak about the continuous nature of Bulgarian identity and history. Simeon shared a friend’s theory about the long legacy of Bulgarian history and culture. The friend says that, “being under the Turks united us. This time was difficult because of the religious differences and thus we did not fight among ourselves and fall apart like other countries.”
After lunch and some time to explore the beautiful city park and shopping district, we traveled the 17km to Melnik. The little village is striking because of the soaring sand stone (mel) cliffs as well as the empty homes that are reminders of the 1912-13 Balkan removal of the town’s Greek citizens by the Greek Army.
We checked into our hotel a former Ottoman prison, Usunova Kasta, and met Ivan Usunov and his wife. The rooms, surrounding a small grape-vined courtyard were bright and warm. Once settled we were welcomed at the Folklore Art Center by Jane Kamenarov and Elena Georgieva-Kamenarova. Their endeavor is Leb I Vino, Bread and Wine. Both were shared as they warmly and enthusiastically welcomed us to Melnick. Their studio showed their weavings, paintings, and painted icons. It took only brief observation to understand that they are both talented with multiple performing and visual artistic abilities.
A thunderstorm did not stop this GPA group from enjoying dinner in the multiple outdoor mehanas. The shopping frenzy of knit socks, tablecloths, rugs, paintings, jewelry, aprons, and pottery was a serious boost to the local economy.
Later, transformed by their intricate native costumes, Jane and Elena performed in the courtyard of the Usnova Hotel. Singing and playing what they termed “the songs of our grandparents, they introduced the two voiced principle, the style of all Balkan singing and instruments. They perform in village style, songs of work and celebration, learned from older musicians. This differs from school style, which is formally taught.
Balkan music uses rhythms and harmonies that differ from the western musical style. Elena sang and provided rhythm with the tarambuka, an hourglass shaped drum made of copper. Jane played two different tamburas, string instruments with four strings and a teardrop shaped back typically tuned, D-G-B-E.
Jane also played the dvoyanka, a double block wooden flute, the kaval, a long eight finger- holed flute, the kavalche, a small or piccolo kaval, and the gaida, a bagpipe. They sang, played, danced, and patiently explained their musical craft. The evening ended with admiration for the customs they are preserving and their exceptional ability to communicate the beauty of their heritage.
Websites:
Simeon and Kalin’s home page and two archeology sites:
http://www.archeobg.org/
http://www.sandanski.archeobg.org/ – Bishop’s Complex
http://www.hisar.archeobg.org/ – Roman Baths and Thracian settlement
Elena and Jane’s website
http://www.lebivino.com/ – Songs, artwork, and video
1 comment:
great pictures. Nice blog
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