Archaeological evidence from urban contexts in central and southern Greece (the Peloponnese, Attica, and Boeotia) and the Aegean Islands (the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, and Crete) makes clear that “public expressions of Christian identity”... more
Archaeological evidence from urban contexts in central and southern Greece (the Peloponnese, Attica, and Boeotia) and the Aegean Islands (the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, and Crete) makes clear that “public expressions of Christian identity” became manifested no earlier than the late fifth century. The Athenians, proud of their “city so full of idols” (Acts 17:16–17), were reluctant to convert to Christianity when, according to Acts 17:19–21, Paul preached on the Areopagus. The conversion of pagan temples into Christian churches and the complete Christianization of the city’s monuments and inhabitants encountered even more resistance. Similarly, at Corinth no identifiably Christian remains predate the fifth. Natural disasters (e.g., the earthquake of 525) may finally have persuaded the Corinthian majority to accept Christianity in the sixth century. The limited textual and extant epigraphic sources seem, nevertheless, to attest an early Christian community at Corinth around 50–51...
Research Interests: Christianity, Ancient History, Balkan Studies, Byzantine Studies, Byzantine Architecture, and 15 moreByzantine Archaeology, Balkan archaeology, Aegean Archaeology, Early Christian Architecture, Christianization and Ancient Christianity, Early Christian Archaeology, Early Byzantine Greece, Cultural Landscape, Byzantine Theology, Byzantine art, Early Byzantine Archaeology, Early Byzantine material culture, Early byzantine architecture, Byzantine history and archaeology, and Christian Basilicas
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Valeva Julia. Les nécropoles paléochrétiennes de Bulgarie et les tombes peintes. In: Actes du XIe congrès international d'archéologie chrétienne. Lyon, Vienne, Grenoble, Genève, Aoste, 21-28 septembre 1986. Rome : École Française de... more
Valeva Julia. Les nécropoles paléochrétiennes de Bulgarie et les tombes peintes. In: Actes du XIe congrès international d'archéologie chrétienne. Lyon, Vienne, Grenoble, Genève, Aoste, 21-28 septembre 1986. Rome : École Française de Rome, 1989. pp. 1243-1258. (Publications de l'École française de Rome, 123
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Les representations des sages paiens dans une eglise et un refectoire monastique du XVII e siecle en Bulgarie ont provoque cette etude des sources de leur iconographie. Les sages sont inclus dans la scene de l'Arbre de Jesse. Ils sont... more
Les representations des sages paiens dans une eglise et un refectoire monastique du XVII e siecle en Bulgarie ont provoque cette etude des sources de leur iconographie. Les sages sont inclus dans la scene de l'Arbre de Jesse. Ils sont douze, philosophes, poetes, savants, et une Sibylle. Les plus anciennes representations des sept sages suggerent que l'oeuvre originale soit apparue a l'epoque de Demetrius Phalereus, c'est-a-dire en 317-307 av. J.-C., refletant l'activite mais aussi le charisme de l'Academie platonicienne et de l'ecole peripateticienne. L'accroissement du nombre des sages de sept a douze se fait dans le cadre de la «culture des citations» qui envahit la vie spirituelle des masses. L'objectif est moral, mais se forme progressivement un personnage qui combine les capacites du philosophe et du prophete: les illustres paiens acquirent ainsi le merite d'avoir prevu la venue du Christ. Cette scene devient populaire a l'epoque des Paleologues, d'ou elle passe dans l'art post-byzantin: les fresques bulgares du XVII e siecle sont parmi ses interpretations les plus belles.
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L'essentiel de notre connaissance de la peinture antique vient des fresques romaines decouvertes dans les villes ensevelies sous les cendres du Vesuve, alors que l'histoire de la peintue grecque est restee longtemps obscure. Ni... more
L'essentiel de notre connaissance de la peinture antique vient des fresques romaines decouvertes dans les villes ensevelies sous les cendres du Vesuve, alors que l'histoire de la peintue grecque est restee longtemps obscure. Ni les sources ecrites, ni l'observation des peintures murales de Pompei, Herculanum et Rome ou l'imagination des savants voyait des copies de celebres tableaux grecs, ne pouvaient compenser un sentiment d'insatisfaction face a une realite qui nous echappait. En dehors des vases grecs du VI e au IV e s. av. J.-C. et de leur apport a l'histoire de l'image en Grece antique, a son iconographie et a son style, les originaux de la peinture murale grecque manquent.
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... perdrix (monnaie du ve siecle). line telle abondance de decors d'un meme type signifie, comme l'avait deja suggere G. Hanf-mann, qu'il existait a Sardes un atelier actif depuis Ie... more
... perdrix (monnaie du ve siecle). line telle abondance de decors d'un meme type signifie, comme l'avait deja suggere G. Hanf-mann, qu'il existait a Sardes un atelier actif depuis Ie regne de Constantin. Non loin de Sarde~.pn ...
Research Interests: Humanities and Art
Chapter 13 13.1 Introduction although this chapter is dedicated strictly to the decoration of thracian tombs, such decoration should be perceived as part of a sacred unit, the elements of which including tumulus, tomb, structures for... more
Chapter 13 13.1 Introduction although this chapter is dedicated strictly to the decoration of thracian tombs, such decoration should be perceived as part of a sacred unit, the elements of which including tumulus, tomb, structures for commemorative rites, grave goods, and decoration-complement one another. They build a complex, both material and spiritual, that aims, through architectural forms, objects, and effigies, to represent the imaginary passage of the deceased from this world to the next and their glorious existence there. In this sense, our use of the term "decoration" is somewhat inexact and relative: although subject to aesthetic norms and decorative traditions, the paintings and sculptures in the thracian tombs were primarily a symbolic expression of a spiritual reality. For us moderns, these funerary complexes represent some of the most revealing evidence of the religion, mythology, and eschatology of our predecessors, as well as their personal emotions. Thracian chamber tombs can be classified into two basic types, according to the plan and shape of the rooms: tombs with a rectangular funerary chamber and additional rooms; and tombs with a circular funerary chamber and additional rooms. the additional rooms are also either rectangular or circular, with roofing similar to that of the funerary chamber (Valeva 2013). the shape of the rooms was fundamental for the design of the interior decoration. Both types of tomb reached their greatest popularity in the early hellenistic period. Cist tombs had previously been constructed in the second half of the fifth and early fourth century 1 in areas under noticeable Greek influence. Many thracian chamber tomb interiors have some embellishment, usually rather simple. there are, however, several with sophisticated painted decoration and one remarkable tomb, the interior design of which combines sculpture and painting. the presence of such decoration, especially figural, should be regarded as proof of both the prosperity and sophistication of the individual who commissioned the work and was likely to be interred there.
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Chapter 14 14.1 Use and Deposition The Bronze Age background homeric epic is the earliest written source for the existence, use, and worth of metal vessels in thracian society: Priam, the king of Troy, when preparing gifts to ransom... more
Chapter 14 14.1 Use and Deposition The Bronze Age background homeric epic is the earliest written source for the existence, use, and worth of metal vessels in thracian society: Priam, the king of Troy, when preparing gifts to ransom hector's body from achilles, "weighed out ten talents of gold, and brought moreover two burnished tripods, four cauldrons, and a very beautiful cup which the thracians had given him when he had gone to them on an embassy; it was very precious, but he grudged not even this, so eager was he to ransom the body of his son" (Il. 24.228-234). these vessels enjoyed a long use life as prestigious symbols of power and wealth at elite or sacred feasts before being placed in graves or otherwise deposited in the earth. their fixed presence in any rich burial suggests that thracian elites, like Mycenaean elites, considered feasts to be instrumental in the imposition of dominant status. On the basis of Linear B tablets and Minoan and Mycenaean representations of feasts and related activities dated to LM I (ca. 1600-1450, 1 e.g., tylissos), and Lh III (1400-1060, e.g., pylos), scholars suggest that aegean civilization nurtured the gradual development of elite and communal feasts as models of social identity and interaction (Wright 2004, 16, 36-40); Mycenaean society, war-loving and vertically stratified, disseminated the cultural model of elite feasting to neighboring cultures, including thrace. an eastern impact, however, on ritual feasts of religious, secular, or funerary character in the eastern Mediterranean is suggested by the earliest gold vessels discovered in the royal cemetery at Ur, ca. 2650-2500 (Woolley 1934, 302, pls. 160-165), and by hittite texts describing in detail the rites of the incineration of the deceased royal couple at hattusa (Christmann-Franck 1971), similar to the description of the funerals of patroclus and hector in Iliad 23-24. the splendid golden vessels discovered by chance near Vulchetrun in northern Bulgaria (Venedikov 1988) corroborate both the homeric evidence and modern theories about the role of elite feasting in ancient societies. the Vulchetrun assemblage is among the most remarkable Bronze age sets of precious vessels; the vessels' considerable weight (12.5 kg in its present fragmentary state), the high technological standards employed during their creation, including the combination of gold and electrum and application of inlay of niello
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The text examines the painted decoration of a Thracian tomb, dated to the 6th – 5th century, discovered in the village of Ruzhitsa (Bulgaria). The aniconic type of this decoration gives the opportunity to discuss several important issues... more
The text examines the painted decoration of a Thracian tomb, dated to the 6th – 5th century, discovered in the village of Ruzhitsa (Bulgaria). The aniconic type of this decoration gives the opportunity to discuss several important issues related to the development of wall painting in the Aegean, including the interdependence between vaseand wall painting. Important conclusions are drawn from the analysis of the painted geometric and plant motifs: their potential religious and eschatological significance is here explored. The ideosyncratic decorative system of the Thracian tomb is a local manifestation of the cultural koine in the Aegean Mediterranean during the 6th – 5th centuries BCE.
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Some of the monumental chamber tombs, which are numerous in Thrace, have painted or sculpted decoration. The appearance of these luxurious monuments of funerary art is related to the foundation of the realm of the Odrysae in the early 5th... more
Some of the monumental chamber tombs, which are numerous in Thrace, have painted or sculpted decoration. The appearance of these luxurious monuments of funerary art is related to the foundation of the realm of the Odrysae in the early 5th century BC, however, painted tombs are rare before the Hellenistic period. The participation of Thracian units in the military campaigns of Alexander and his successors provoked an influx both of money and new ideology, the decorated monumental chamber tombs of Thrace becoming perfect illustrations for the Hellenistic cultural koine: Thrace is situated on the crossroad between
Europe and Asia Minor, on a spot, where Greece met Anatolia. Thrace was also the closest neighbour of Macedonia, from where spread new principles and fashion in royal art. Thracian idiosyncrasies were manifested in the adaptation of Greek order ornamentation to the tholos
tomb shape and the interpretation of Greek iconography. The variety in iconography and style in Thracian tombs is impressive. While the Ostrusha paintings can be qualified as the most delicate, the composition of the frieze in the Kazanlak tomb is the most complex and
harmonious. Among the Thracian paintings there are a few of outstanding importance for the history of ancient painting: these are the representation of Thetis in the Ostrusha tomb, the rider from the composition in the lunette in the Sveshtari Tomb with caryatids, the painted coffered ceiling in Ostrusha tomb, the naked hunter from the frieze in Alexandrovo tomb. The decorated monumental tombs are a luxurious funerary art, but they are first and foremost the manifestation of self-representation of the Thracian rulers.
Europe and Asia Minor, on a spot, where Greece met Anatolia. Thrace was also the closest neighbour of Macedonia, from where spread new principles and fashion in royal art. Thracian idiosyncrasies were manifested in the adaptation of Greek order ornamentation to the tholos
tomb shape and the interpretation of Greek iconography. The variety in iconography and style in Thracian tombs is impressive. While the Ostrusha paintings can be qualified as the most delicate, the composition of the frieze in the Kazanlak tomb is the most complex and
harmonious. Among the Thracian paintings there are a few of outstanding importance for the history of ancient painting: these are the representation of Thetis in the Ostrusha tomb, the rider from the composition in the lunette in the Sveshtari Tomb with caryatids, the painted coffered ceiling in Ostrusha tomb, the naked hunter from the frieze in Alexandrovo tomb. The decorated monumental tombs are a luxurious funerary art, but they are first and foremost the manifestation of self-representation of the Thracian rulers.
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This article discusses the decline of the wall painted decoration from the 3rd to the 5th century in the context of Late Antique spirituality. Marble revetment and textiles filled the surface of the walls, destroying the classical... more
This article discusses the decline of the wall painted decoration from the 3rd to the 5th century in the context of
Late Antique spirituality. Marble revetment and textiles filled the surface of the walls, destroying the classical
decorative system of architectural type as represented by the Pompeian styles, and imposing the image of the
human being as expression of the Late Antique anthropology
Late Antique spirituality. Marble revetment and textiles filled the surface of the walls, destroying the classical
decorative system of architectural type as represented by the Pompeian styles, and imposing the image of the
human being as expression of the Late Antique anthropology
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This article gives a critical review of the studies regarding Saint Sophia church in Sofia. The church has been a subject of interest ever since the Medieval period. Soon after the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878,... more
This article gives a critical review of the studies regarding Saint Sophia church in Sofia. The church has been a subject of interest ever since the Medieval period. Soon after the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878, Bulgarian archaeologists started excavating and studying the church and the surrounding necropolis. Several important publications appeared: the most significant among them was the book of Bogdan Filov, which presented the results of his excavations in 1910-1911. The archaeological research conducted in the church between 1989 and 2001 provided new data, which shifted the previously suggested date of the first single-nave church at that site to fifty years later. Another challenge regarding the present Saint Sophia is a study from 2011, arguing that Saint Sophia was built in the second half of the eighth century. The opinion of the author is that the first building at the site was a single-nave church, begun in between 355 and 360 and finished after Emperor Julian's reign. About the end of the fourth century relics were placed beneath the altar table. The article praises the progress in Saint Sophia's studies but also points to the problems that await to be elucidated, namely the history of the church during the next constructive stages.
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Chapter 14 14.1 Use and Deposition The Bronze Age background homeric epic is the earliest written source for the existence, use, and worth of metal vessels in thracian society: Priam, the king of Troy, when preparing gifts to ransom... more
Chapter 14 14.1 Use and Deposition The Bronze Age background homeric epic is the earliest written source for the existence, use, and worth of metal vessels in thracian society: Priam, the king of Troy, when preparing gifts to ransom hector's body from achilles, "weighed out ten talents of gold, and brought moreover two burnished tripods, four cauldrons, and a very beautiful cup which the thracians had given him when he had gone to them on an embassy; it was very precious, but he grudged not even this, so eager was he to ransom the body of his son" (Il. 24.228-234). these vessels enjoyed a long use life as prestigious symbols of power and wealth at elite or sacred feasts before being placed in graves or otherwise deposited in the earth. their fixed presence in any rich burial suggests that thracian elites, like Mycenaean elites, considered feasts to be instrumental in the imposition of dominant status. On the basis of Linear B tablets and Minoan and Mycenaean representations of feasts and related activities dated to LM I (ca. 1600-1450, 1 e.g., tylissos), and Lh III (1400-1060, e.g., pylos), scholars suggest that aegean civilization nurtured the gradual development of elite and communal feasts as models of social identity and interaction (Wright 2004, 16, 36-40); Mycenaean society, war-loving and vertically stratified, disseminated the cultural model of elite feasting to neighboring cultures, including thrace. an eastern impact, however, on ritual feasts of religious, secular, or funerary character in the eastern Mediterranean is suggested by the earliest gold vessels discovered in the royal cemetery at Ur, ca. 2650-2500 (Woolley 1934, 302, pls. 160-165), and by hittite texts describing in detail the rites of the incineration of the deceased royal couple at hattusa (Christmann-Franck 1971), similar to the description of the funerals of patroclus and hector in Iliad 23-24. the splendid golden vessels discovered by chance near Vulchetrun in northern Bulgaria (Venedikov 1988) corroborate both the homeric evidence and modern theories about the role of elite feasting in ancient societies. the Vulchetrun assemblage is among the most remarkable Bronze age sets of precious vessels; the vessels' considerable weight (12.5 kg in its present fragmentary state), the high technological standards employed during their creation, including the combination of gold and electrum and application of inlay of niello
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Chapter 13 13.1 Introduction although this chapter is dedicated strictly to the decoration of thracian tombs, such decoration should be perceived as part of a sacred unit, the elements of which including tumulus, tomb, structures for... more
Chapter 13 13.1 Introduction although this chapter is dedicated strictly to the decoration of thracian tombs, such decoration should be perceived as part of a sacred unit, the elements of which including tumulus, tomb, structures for commemorative rites, grave goods, and decoration-complement one another. They build a complex, both material and spiritual, that aims, through architectural forms, objects, and effigies, to represent the imaginary passage of the deceased from this world to the next and their glorious existence there. In this sense, our use of the term "decoration" is somewhat inexact and relative: although subject to aesthetic norms and decorative traditions, the paintings and sculptures in the thracian tombs were primarily a symbolic expression of a spiritual reality. For us moderns, these funerary complexes represent some of the most revealing evidence of the religion, mythology, and eschatology of our predecessors, as well as their personal emotions. Thracian chamber tombs can be classified into two basic types, according to the plan and shape of the rooms: tombs with a rectangular funerary chamber and additional rooms; and tombs with a circular funerary chamber and additional rooms. the additional rooms are also either rectangular or circular, with roofing similar to that of the funerary chamber (Valeva 2013). the shape of the rooms was fundamental for the design of the interior decoration. Both types of tomb reached their greatest popularity in the early hellenistic period. Cist tombs had previously been constructed in the second half of the fifth and early fourth century 1 in areas under noticeable Greek influence. Many thracian chamber tomb interiors have some embellishment, usually rather simple. there are, however, several with sophisticated painted decoration and one remarkable tomb, the interior design of which combines sculpture and painting. the presence of such decoration, especially figural, should be regarded as proof of both the prosperity and sophistication of the individual who commissioned the work and was likely to be interred there.
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A Roman villa, to which a modern name Armira was given, has been excavated near the town of Ivailovgrad (Bulgaria); in antiquity the villa belonged to the chora of Adrianople (Hadrianopolis). The villa was excavated by the late Dr.... more
A Roman villa, to which a modern name Armira was given, has been excavated near the town of Ivailovgrad (Bulgaria); in antiquity the villa belonged to the chora of Adrianople (Hadrianopolis). The villa was excavated by the late Dr. Yanka Mladenova, who published some of the mosaics, but not all of them. The variety of patterns and motifs applied in these mosaics manifests the influence Roman art exerted on the decor of the elite houses in the territories which became subject of active romanisation by the time of Trajan and Hadrian. Most of the mosaics are in opus tessellatum, although there are some remains of opus sectile as well. The walls were decorated with marble revetment and paintings. The villa was presumably destroyed during the battle of Adrianople (378).
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Der Beginn der bulgarischen Archäologie geht auf das Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts zurück, also auf die Zeit nach der Befreiung von der osmanischen Herrschaft und der Gründung des neuen bulgarischen Staates. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt benötigte... more
Der Beginn der bulgarischen Archäologie geht auf das Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts zurück, also auf die Zeit nach der Befreiung von der osmanischen Herrschaft und der Gründung des neuen bulgarischen Staates. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt benötigte Bulgarien Spezialisten in allen Bereichen, auch in den Wissenschaften. So kamen damals diverse Ausländer nach Bulgarien, um dem jungen Staat bei der Einrichtung der grundlegenden kulturellen Institutionen wie Museen zu helfen, aber auch beim Start der wissenschaftlichen Forschung und Lehre, besonders im historischen Bereich. Junge Bulgaren, die eine wissenschaftliche Karriere anstrebten, mussten im Ausland studieren, d.h. vor allem Deutschland, Frankreich und Russland. Die prominentesten unter den ersten bulgarischen Archäologen und Historikern waren Gavril Katsarov (1874-1958), Andrei Protitch (1875-1959), Krsto Miateff (1892-1966), Ivan Welkov (1891-1958) und Bogdan Filov (1883-1945). Ihr Beitrag bei der Erforschung der antiken Wandmalereien in Bulgarien konzentrierte sich vor allem auf die Malereien in den frühchristlichen Gräbern, die besonders in Sofia zu den archäologischen Hauptentdeckungen vor dem zweiten Weltkrieg gehörten. Diese in der besten Tradition der deutschen historischen Wissenschaft ausgebildeten Forscher wendeten in brillianter Weise die Methoden dieser Schule an, sowohl bei der Dokumentierung als auch bei der Interpretation der Fakten. Die grundlegenden Kenntnisse der alten Geschichte und klassischen Kunst, die sie im Laufe ihrer Studien gewonnen hatten, gaben ihren späteren wissenschaftlichen Aktivitäten und Publikationen einen bleibenden Wert.
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A rich domus has been discovered in 1983 in the southeastern part of Augusta Trajana, one of the major cities in the province of Thrace. The excavated part covers 1200 sq.m, which is approximately one third of the estimated total surface... more
A rich domus has been discovered in 1983 in the southeastern part of Augusta Trajana, one of the major cities in
the province of Thrace. The excavated part covers 1200 sq.m, which is approximately one third of the estimated
total surface of the house. Fortunately, this is the area which includes the representative apsidal hall with the adjacent
room with two apses, part of the peristyle and several other rooms. These parts are richly decorated with
marble revetments and mosaics in opus tessellatum and opus sectile. The domus was built at the beginning of the
4th century and destroyed at the end of the 5th century. One of the goals of the publication is to discuss whether the
residence belonged to a private citizen or to the local bishop. Both the plan and decoration of the Augusta Trajana
residence show significant similarities with rich residences discovered in Turkey and Syria: by way of examples
we could point to the plan and opus sectile mosaic of the so-called Bishop’s Palace in Aphrodisias and to the opus
tessellatum mosaic in the basilica of Xanthus.
the province of Thrace. The excavated part covers 1200 sq.m, which is approximately one third of the estimated
total surface of the house. Fortunately, this is the area which includes the representative apsidal hall with the adjacent
room with two apses, part of the peristyle and several other rooms. These parts are richly decorated with
marble revetments and mosaics in opus tessellatum and opus sectile. The domus was built at the beginning of the
4th century and destroyed at the end of the 5th century. One of the goals of the publication is to discuss whether the
residence belonged to a private citizen or to the local bishop. Both the plan and decoration of the Augusta Trajana
residence show significant similarities with rich residences discovered in Turkey and Syria: by way of examples
we could point to the plan and opus sectile mosaic of the so-called Bishop’s Palace in Aphrodisias and to the opus
tessellatum mosaic in the basilica of Xanthus.
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This is the third text of a series of three articles dedicated to the vessels of precious metals found in Thracian elite burials. In the two previous articles phialae and rhyta were discussed