Tzvetana Popova

The use of plants in variety of rituals is common practice in the Antiquity. Numerous archaeobotanical remains from different archeological sites presented evidences that some plants were particularly introduced to the religious rituals. The goal of the present study is to identify specific plants and food that was subject of ritual practices. The paper will discuss similarities and differences between different plant remains in the archaeological contexts and will identify which plants were in use as a ritual food. The study is based on a comparative archaeobotanical analysis of several Bronze Age-Iron Age sanctuaries in the therritory of Bulgaria and gives a clear indication of certain similarities and differences between the different regions, which will be discussed as well. The current paper attempts to summarize and make a synthesis of archaeobotanical data, provided from 12 sanctuaries. On the basis of the evidence currently available, there are several main differences in re...

This study discusses the results of archaeobotanical studies carried out in Bulgaria over the last five years, with a special focus on the archaeobotanical finds from 36 prehistoric sites from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age. The discussion highlights the great diversity of both cultivated and wild growing and weed plants in the region and provide eveidence for the availability of Mediterannean plants such as cultivated vines, and thus of cultural contacts.

This paper presents new data on the appearance of the olive in the territory of Bulgaria, based on archaeobotanical studies.To date, evidence for the presence of olive findings is still limited and unpublished. This paper will focus on results of olive remains found in 9 archaeological sites in the territory of Bulgaria.The results from the archaeobotanical analysis show that these findings belong to the cultivated form Olea europaea subsp. europaea. The earliest remains from the territory of Bulgaria date back between the 5 th and 3 rd century BCE. During this period olives were not only consumed, but were also transformed into olive oil and other derivative products and this was traded. So far, the presence of olives in the territory of Bulgaria has been very poorly recorded.The material resulting from the ritual hearths in the cemetery at Sozopol (Apollonia Pontica) provides important information about some of the practices of funerary rites associated with the use of plants. In the light of this paucity, the archaeobotanical evidence from these 9 archaeological sites is of particular interest. It is obvious that in the 3 rd century BCE olives were imported together with other species such as stone pine nuts, figs, etc. Its presence shows contacts with the Mediterranean region.The information obtained sheds light on the of significance of Olea europaea subsp. europaea, not only as a nutritional resource, but also as an important component in ritual practices.

ARCHAEOBOTANICAL ANALYSIS
OF THE PLANT REMAINS
Tzvetana Popova
The archaeobotanical samples were collected during several consecutive archaeological
seasons. The samples comprise charred plant remains, such as seeds, grains of cereals and
weeds, as well as charred wood. Most of the plant remains were found in dug-in features,
which were parts of the residential complexes. It has to be pointed out that the discovered
remains comprise huge numbers of various domesticated plants, which in most cases were
stored as supplies.
The following contexts were studied: dug-in features №№ 6, 7, 8, 11, 17, 21 and 24,
30, 33A, 33B, 34B, 36 as well as samples collected from squares F44, G44, M28, M29, T16,
V13 and Q27.
The information from Varhari allows to define two main types of cultivated plants:Bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia) and еinkorn wheat (Triticum monococcum). There are imprints of еinkorn wheat, barley, wild cereals and probably bromes (Bromus) on fragments of clay plaster. The fact that the White goosefoot (Chenopodium album) seeds were found with
other food supplies and were not mixed with vetch suggests that the plant was used for human consumption.
The Bitter vetch was the favourite food despite the toxins in the seeds; however, it had to be soaked in water before consumption. On the other hand, the plant can be grown in dry conditions, and this was clearly an advantage compared to other legumes.

Cicer arietinum (chick pea), is one of the elements of the Neolithic founder crop assemblage. It was spread from the Near East to southeastern Europe during the Neolithic, but until recently it was not thought to have reached further north than the territory of modern Greece. However, the latest finds from the Bulgarian Neolithic (6000-5450 cal B.C.) and late Chalcolithic (4450-3900 cal B.C.) show a distribution of this crop outside the Mediterranean region, to areas with a more temperate climate. It seems, however, that chick pea did not appear in the archaeobotanical record during the first stages of the Bulgarian Neolithic period, but only in its second half, or even later. So far, on the Thracian plain only at one site which from a cultural point of view is strongly related to southwest Bulgaria, have finds of chick pea appeared. These are considered to belong to the second and last third of the early Neolithic and originate from structures dated from 5920-5730 to 5670-5450 cal ...

The use of plants in variety of rituals is common practice in the Antiquity. Numerous archaeobotanical remains from different archeological sites presented evidences that some plants were particularly introduced to the religious rituals. The goal of the present study is to identify specific plants and food that was subject of ritual practices. The paper will discuss similarities and differences between different plant remains in the archaeological contexts and will identify which plants were in use as a ritual food. The study is based on a comparative archaeobotanical analysis of several Bronze Age –Iron Age sanctuaries in the therritory of Bulgaria and gives a clear indication of certain similarities and differences between the different regions, which will be discussed as well. The current paper attempts to summarize and make a synthesis of archaeobotanical data, provided from 12 sanctuaries. On the basis of the evidence currently available, there are several main differences in r...

Fonde sur les rives meridionales de la lagune de Goloviţa, l’etablissement grec d’Acic Suat se developpe des le second quart du VIe s. av. J.-C. sur une peninsule disposee a l’entree du golfe de Baia. Distinct des vestiges identifies au XIXe s. par K. F. Peters, ce site peut correspondre, par sa chronologie et sa localisation, a celui designe sous le nom de « Caraburun » dans les etudes consacrees au territoire d’Istros. Depuis 2011, la mission archeologique franco-roumaine a Orgame a deploye autour de cet etablissement un programme de recherche pluridisciplinaire qui permet desormais d’en esquisser la trajectoire historique, tout comme les contours. L’objet de cet article n’est pas tant de detailler l’ensemble des resultats obtenus que de presenter la methodologie employee, laquelle offre une approche globale sur cette communaute coloniale installee a mi-chemin entre Orgame et Istros

The article presents activities and data obtained during the first year of the project. The research area encompasses Southeastern Bulgaria with nine main sites included. Object of instrumental research and archeological characteristic are the samples, which are divided into the following groups: denudated rocks, and used for inorganic temper; clays – tectonic and alluvial; ceramics- pottery fragments and burnt remains of stationary equipment; organic fillers, pigments and substances for painting and incrustation, organic residues and impressions of mats and baskets on the pottery bases. . Different methods and analyzes have been applied to solve the problems posed: cartographic analysis and description of the landscape, morphological and typological analysis, dating, instrumental methods, chemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM ), petrographic analysis etc.

Abstract
Within the archaeological research, archaeobotanical analyses have a well-established role in providing information on both natural and archaeological environments. Plant choice and diversity are defined mainly by the environmental constraints and in the second place, by cultural and economic factors. Macroscopic plant remains found at tell Galabovo and tell Himitliyata represent both cultivated and wild plant taxa. The remains of cultivated plants confirmed that plant resources formed an important part of the past subsistence strategies. During the EBA, barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), four types of wheat (Triticum sp.) and legumes, such as lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) and bitter vetch (Vicia ervilia L.), were the dominant crops. A consistent choice of varied cereal species, along with pulses, may indicate that both winter and summer crops were cultivated and activities dedicated to crop farming were distributed along different periods of the year. Nuts and fruits were an inseparable part of the main food supply. Altogether, macroscopic plant remains are related mainly to synanthropic habitats from fields to ruderal ones. The remains of wood preserved as charcoal represent a separate group of plants and may be used for the reconstruction of local woodlands.

Settlement mound “Himitliyata” is located in Upper Thrace, Southeastern Bulgaria. The available paleobotanical data indicate that during the Early Bronze Age local environmental conditions were favorable
and probably had an impact on subsistence strategies. A reconstruction of these strategies is proposed mainly
on the basis of archaeological evidence and archaeobotanical remains recovered from recent excavations at
the site. The archaeobotanical assemblage is comprised of annual cereal crops and legumes. Several common
ruderal species, widespread in the crop fields, represent the probable agricultural practices during the Early
Bronze Age.

Tzvetana Popova, Hanna Hristova
During the Roman period a few typical Mediterranean plants became part of the common diet in almost every part of the Empire. Though, the distribution of this species varies substantially. The different meanings that accumulate around objects or food within a particular culture have implications for their use, including their potential for distribution. The finds from the territory of Bulgaria indicate common tendencies that present a special treatment of imported plants, used in different rituals, honoring the deceased or deities. In the periphery of the empire they were likely to be imported in small quantities as a privilege of the wealthier. All of the reviewed archaeobotanical data found on the territory of Bulgaria comes from well-developed centers with certain Mediterranean influence.

The archaeological site Pistiros is localized on the shore of an alluvial ledge in the countryside “Adjiyjska vodenitsa (mill)”, on the left bank of Maritsa River. A large commercial centre was found there - Emporium Pistiros, founded by traders from the island of Thasos. The contacts with the Greek cities were intense (Chiverrell, Archibald, 2009).
According to archaeological data, Pistiros was founded during the time of the first kings of the Odrysian state - Teres and Sitalces. At the time of Amatokos I the emporium maintains very close links with the neighbouring countries.

AbSTRACT The use of plants in variety of rituals is common practice in the Antiquity. Numerous archaeobotanical remains from different archeological sites presented evidences that some plants were particularly introduced to the religious rituals. The goal of the present study is to identify specific plants and food that was subject of ritual practices. The paper will discuss similarities and differences between different plant remains in the archaeological contexts and will identify which plants were in use as a ritual food. The study is based on a comparative archaeobotanical analysis of several Bronze Age –Iron Age sanctuaries in the therritory of Bulgaria and gives a clear indication of certain similarities and differences between the different regions, which will be discussed as well. The current paper attempts to summarize and make a synthesis of archaeobotanical data, provided from 12 sanctuaries. On the basis of the evidence currently available, there are several main differences in regard to the cultivated plants that are established. The recorded variety of plant species used in ritual context – cereals, pulses, fruits, etc., mainly depends on the location of the sacred place and the ecological characteristics of the region. In pit sanctuaries einkorn was more frequently used in rituals, as in mountaintop and rock sanctuaries free threshing wheat is dominant along with barley and millet that also occur in the studied samples. Barley is also recorded in archaeobotanical material, collected at the site of Nessebar " Kindergarten " / site " Detska gradina " , Kabyle and Krepost. Presence of millet in some Late Iron Age sites like Koprivlen and Svilengrad, indicates that it was among the cultivated cereals in the region and was used even in ritual practices. Although most of the botanical remains found in sanctuaries are quite common, they evidence diversity in characteristics of the floristic assemblages. Analyzed material includes numerous findings of four types of wheat: einkorn, emmer, spelt wheat and free threshing wheat. Millet, naked and hulled barley, rye, oat also occur, along with some Leguminous plants presented by: pea, lentil, bitter vetch, chickpea and grass pea (Lathyrus sativus). A wide range of fruits and nuts that grow wild in the vicinity of forest habitats is also represented – such as wild grape, blueberry, raspberry, wild cherry, plums, acorn, walnut, etc. A matter of interest are the plant remains from jujube (Zizyphus vulgaris), pink rockrose (Cistus incanus), European nettle tree or the so called Mediterranean hackberry (Celtis australis), that were recorded for the first time and were probably used with purpose in ritual practices. Some of the studied archaeological structures can be interpreted as special sacred places, while other, according to the analyzed material, cannot be defined with certainty. That means plant remains in these contexts may be used as offerings, other could be part of food storage.

Archaeobotanical remains offer insights into the preparation and composition of bread used in different periods of history, and into the
role it played in various cultural and social contexts. Bread fragments are among the frequent finds in ritual contexts. This tradition
is observed in many areas in Europe, where numerous fragments of bread are found in urns or tombs. As a result of recent archaeobotanical studies in Bulgaria, considerable evidence has been collected. This paper considers two contextual categories, domestic and
ritual, in different periods beginning with the Neolithic. The composition of food developed over a long period of time and differed in
the different phases of human development

– A new pile-dwelling settlement has been discovered during coring investigations on the shores of the Alepu lagoon (municipality of Sozopol, department of Burgas), on the western Black Sea coast, in Bulgaria. A multidisciplinary methodology was applied to analyze the archaeological dataset, composed of wood piles, abundant charcoals and wood fragments, seeds, fish and shell remains, a few small bone fragments, some lithic fragments and potsherds. The piles were trimmed from oak trees and sunk into lagoonal muds, and currently lie 5.8 to 6.8 m below mean sea level. It highlights a wooden building at the edge of Alepu palaeo-lagoon. Charcoal remains confirm the use of oak tree as a dominant timber resource, consistent with pollen data for this period. Palaeo-botanic remains highlight gathering activities and the consumption of wild grapes, raspberries and figs. The herbaceous assemblage evokes deforestation activities. Exploitation of coastal resources is well attested by the great density of fish remains, dominated by anchovy (61%), highlighting possible preservation of fish products. Five radiocarbon dates constrain the age of the site to between 3350 and 3000 cal. BC. The Alepu piles-dwelling settlement sheds new light on the very beginning of the Early Bronze Age in coastal Bulgaria. Adding fresh information to the local archaeological record, it completes the well-discussed issue of the protohistoric submerged settlements, revealing in turn the economic strategies of the societies at the end of the transitional period. Considerations about geomorphological settings of these sites underline the evolution of the regional settlement patterns, as well as the importance of lagoonal locations. Lagoon contexts not only offer abundant fish resources, as attested by our data from Alepu, but also good conditions for anchorage. These sites were later drowned, preserved and buried following the relative rise of the Black Sea level. Résumé – Un nouveau site d'occupation palafitte a été découvert durant une campagne de carottages effectuée sur les rivages de la lagune d'Alepou (municipalité de Sozopol, département de Burgas), située sur le littoral occidental de mer Noire en Bulgarie. Le contexte géomorphologique et le matériel archéologique, composé de pieux en bois, d'abondants charbons et fragments de bois, de graines, coquilles et abondants restes de poissons, de quelques microfragments d'os et de fragments de céramique, ont fait l'objet d'une analyse pluri-disciplinaire. Les pieux ont été taillés dans du chêne et fishés dans des vases lagunaires, et se trouvent aujourd'hui entre 5,8 et 6,8 m sous le niveau marin moyen. Les restes de charbons confirment l'utilisation du chêne comme principale ressource en bois, en cohérence avec les données palynologiques contemporaines de l'occupation du site. Les vestiges paléobotaniques mettent en évidence l'activité de cueillette et la consommation de raisins, framboises et figues sauvages. L'assemblage d'herbacées permet de supposer des activités de déforestation. L'exploitation des ressources côtières locales est bien attestée par la forte densité de restes de poissons, dominés par l'anchois (61%), caractérisant une possible activité de conservation des produits de la pêche. Cinq datations au radiocarbone datent le site entre 3350 et 3000 cal. BC. Le site palafitte d'Alepou enrichit donc la carte archéologique du littoral bulgare au tout début de l'âge du bronze, complète la série des sites proto-historiques littoraux submergés et éclaire les stratégies économiques des sociétés à la fin de la période de transition. Le contexte géomorphologique de ces sites montre que les rivages lagunaires ont été préférentiellement occupés, non seulement pour leurs ressources halieutiques mais peut-être également pour leur potentialité portuaire. Ces sites ont été immergés, préservés et enterrés du fait de la remontée du niveau marin moyen de la mer Noire.

This study investigates fenugreek and black mustard seed storages, discovered for the first time in an archaeological context in the territory of Bulgaria. A large quantity of charred fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenum-graecum) and black mustard seeds (Brassica nigra) was found in room N 12 of building A 2 in a layer related to the final quarter of the 2nd century AD. The archaeobotanical samples were collected during rescue excavations carried out in Sofia in advance of the construction of the subway station No 8 in 2012e2013. The stores of Trigonellа foenum-graecum and Brassica nigra unambiguously indicate that these plants had economic value and, considering their properties, also possible medical application. The archaeobotanical evidence of fenugreek in Europe and particularly in the Balkan Peninsula is quite rare, making its discovery in the territory of Bulgaria very important for studying its cultivation history. The plant findings from " Subway station 8 " , i.е. the Serdica station also provide important information on the diversity of crop plants used in this period. Their discovery at this site contributes to the archaeobotanical knowledge of the period and provides further insights into the wide cultural and economic interactions within the ancient Graeco-Roman world and within the Mediterranean.

Various complex interdisciplinary approaches have been used in current archaeological investigations that allow more complete knowledge about the palaeoenvironment than has been available hitherto. Archaeobotany provides information about crop plants, development of ancient crop husbandry, and routes of crop migration under human influence. Wild flora and weeds found in the archaeological sites contribute to the understanding of stages in crop husbandry, plant domestication, and agriculture ...

– A new pile-dwelling settlement has been discovered during coring investigations on the shores of the Alepu lagoon (municipality of Sozopol, department of Burgas), on the western Black Sea coast, in Bulgaria. A multidisciplinary methodology was applied to analyze the archaeological dataset, composed of wood piles, abundant charcoals and wood fragments, seeds, fish and shell remains, a few small bone fragments, some lithic fragments and potsherds. The piles were trimmed from oak trees and sunk into lagoonal muds, and currently lie 5.8 to 6.8 m below mean sea level. It highlights a wooden building at the edge of Alepu palaeo-lagoon. Charcoal remains confirm the use of oak tree as a dominant timber resource, consistent with pollen data for this period. Palaeo-botanic remains highlight gathering activities and the consumption of wild grapes, raspberries and figs. The herbaceous assemblage evokes deforestation activities. Exploitation of coastal resources is well attested by the great density of fish remains, dominated by anchovy (61%), highlighting possible preservation of fish products. Five radiocarbon dates constrain the age of the site to between 3350 and 3000 cal. BC. The Alepu piles-dwelling settlement sheds new light on the very beginning of the Early Bronze Age in coastal Bulgaria. Adding fresh information to the local archaeological record, it completes the well-discussed issue of the protohistoric submerged settlements, revealing in turn the economic strategies of the societies at the end of the transitional period. Considerations about geomorphological settings of these sites underline the evolution of the regional settlement patterns, as well as the importance of lagoonal locations. Lagoon contexts not only offer abundant fish resources, as attested by our data from Alepu, but also good conditions for anchorage. These sites were later drowned, preserved and buried following the relative rise of the Black Sea level. Résumé – Un nouveau site d'occupation palafitte a été découvert durant une campagne de carottages effectuée sur les rivages de la lagune d'Alepou (municipalité de Sozopol, département de Burgas), située sur le littoral occidental de mer Noire en Bulgarie. Le contexte géomorphologique et le matériel archéologique, composé de pieux en bois, d'abondants charbons et fragments de bois, de graines, coquilles et abondants restes de poissons, de quelques microfragments d'os et de fragments de céramique, ont fait l'objet d'une analyse pluri-disciplinaire. Les pieux ont été taillés dans du chêne et fishés dans des vases lagunaires, et se trouvent aujourd'hui entre 5,8 et 6,8 m sous le niveau marin moyen. Les restes de charbons confirment l'utilisation du chêne comme principale ressource en bois, en cohérence avec les données palynologiques contemporaines de l'occupation du site. Les vestiges paléobotaniques mettent en évidence l'activité de cueillette et la consommation de raisins, framboises et figues sauvages. L'assemblage d'herbacées permet de supposer des activités de déforestation. L'exploitation des ressources côtières locales est bien attestée par la forte densité de restes de poissons, dominés par l'anchois (61%), caractérisant une possible activité de conservation des produits de la pêche. Cinq datations au radiocarbone datent le site entre 3350 et 3000 cal. BC. Le site palafitte d'Alepou enrichit donc la carte archéologique du littoral bulgare au tout début de l'âge du bronze, complète la série des sites proto-historiques littoraux submergés et éclaire les stratégies économiques des sociétés à la fin de la période de transition. Le contexte géomorphologique de ces sites montre que les rivages lagunaires ont été préférentiellement occupés, non seulement pour leurs ressources halieutiques mais peut-être également pour leur potentialité portuaire. Ces sites ont été immergés, préservés et enterrés du fait de la remontée du niveau marin moyen de la mer Noire.

Archaeobotanical research in ancient plant remains is of great importance for revealing and understanding different social, cultural and religious aspects of everyday life in the past. The increasing data and numerous publications that concern the potential of interdisciplinary methods in studying plant remains allow archaeologists and archaeobotanists to develop more precise and detailed interpretations. There is a large amount of publications discussing plants as a medium of communication in the ritual contexts, as sacrificial offerings in honor of the deities or in the funerary rituals as offerings to the deceased during the funeral feast. The aim of this study is to review the available archaeobotanical data of the stone pine (Pinus pineaL.) from the territory of Bulgaria. Also the archaeobotanical analysis of macro remains of this imported species provide with valuable information about the common tendencies in religious and funeral practice during the Hellenistic and Roman period.