The continuous research into the mountain sanctuaries of Southern
Thrace has enabled the elucidat... more The continuous research into the mountain sanctuaries of Southern Thrace has enabled the elucidation of many problems pertaining to their character, but has also posed new questions before the investigators. Among these are the difficulties in defining more precisely their distinctive features, which could permit the establishment of their character and intended functionality. The present paper defines several definite and indefinite criteria for the recognition and differentiation of cult sites from other types of archaeological sites with similar characteristics. The attempt was based on the clear assumption that the mountain sanctuaries in the Rhodope Mountains were not an isolated or indigenous phenomenon characteristic only of this region. Therefore Thracian cult places are compared with characteristic elements of contemporary or diachronic sites from the second and first millennium B.C. in the mountainous areas of the Eastern Mediterranean, keeping in mind however the local peculiarities and distinctions and without attempting any inappropriate direct equalization. The text offered here does not pretend to exhaust once and for all every possible criterion for the identification of an archaeological site as a mountain sanctuary. The proposed attempt at a systematization of the sites and the accompanying methodology for the establishment of the ritual character of the discernible human activities attested on these sites aims at improving the possibility to identify them as specific places for cult practices – or, as mountain sanctuaries.
The present dissertation focuses on the peak sanctuaries in Southern Thrace.
The introduction rev... more The present dissertation focuses on the peak sanctuaries in Southern Thrace. The introduction reviews the geographical characteristics, political and socioeconomic features of south Thracian regions. In the first chapter a methodology for determining the ritual significance of peak sanctuaries is laid down. It is based on ascertaining the so called distinctive and non-distinctive criteria for identifying a site as a place of worship. In the second chapter written records for the peak sanctuaries in South Thrace are examined. They are differentiated into several groups depending on whether they relate directly to the peak sanctuaries, or provide information about other aspects regarding the socio-political, economic, geographical or other characteristics of the issue.
Third chapter points out the archeological data of peak sanctuaries in South Thrace. At the beginning of third chapter the history and current state of the places of worship in South Thrace subject to examination are discussed. Further on in the same chapter the methods of archaeological research of peak sanctuaries in the mountains of South Thrace are presented as well as the methodology for identifying a site as a ritual one or a place of worship. This methodology is based on developing clear and systematic criteria, which are provisionally divided into two types - distinctive and non-distinctive.
The last (fourth) chapter of the dissertation is devoted to the ritualism in peak sanctuaries in the region subject to examination. Two sanctuary types in Thracian mountains are differentiated according to social, economic, ethnic or other principles. The role of folklore references is examined as well, that contributes to the clarification of the ritual practices in peak sanctuaries in South Thrace.
Теренните проучвания и експедиции в планинските региони на древна Тракия продължават вече някол... more Теренните проучвания и експедиции в планинските региони на древна Тракия продължават вече няколко десетилетия. Натрупана е значителна археологическа, епиграфска, нумизматична, етнографска и друга информация. Въпреки това, все още не са установени характерни признаци, според които може да се определи функционалното предназначение на обектите, за които се смята, че имат култово предназначение или потенциално отговарят на представата за свещенна територия – светилище. Причините това да е така са комплексни и могат да бъдат обобщени в следните няколко констатации: първо – малкият брой обекти, които са проучвани в продължителен период от време и трябва да послужат като опорна точка в изготвянето на търсените критерии; второ - трябва да се има предвид разликата в интензивността и качеството на изследванията на различните райони на Южна Тракия; трето - липсата на собствени писмени източници, които биха могли да внесат по-голяма яснота по визираните проблеми; четвърто – спецификата на религиозните практики и на свързаните с тях съоръжения и находки, които само в редки случаи говорят недвусмислено за ритуална употреба, а често могат да бъдат интерпретирани и като елементи с утилитарно предназначение. Въпреки споменатите трудности, които стоят пред изследователите на този тип обекти, в настоящия текст са набелязани няколко определящи критерии за разпознаване и разграничаване на култовите места от другите типове обекти, които имат сходни белези с тях. Това е направено с ясната идея, че планинските светилища в Тракия не са изолиран феномен и автохтонно явление, характерно само за този регион. Без да се слага знак на равенство е потърсен паралел между обекти в различни точки на цялото Източно Средиземноморие от края на ІІ и през цялото І хил. пр. Хр. и известните ни светилищата в планините на Южна Тракия. Отчетени са локалните особености и специфики на местоположението, типовете съоръжения, култовите практики, типовете находки и дарове, откривани по нашите земи, и е потърсено сходство с определени елементи на синхронни (или диахронни) обекти в земите на о. Крит и определени планински райони на Гърция, Македония и Анатолия. Този текст няма претенцията, да изчерпи веднъж за винаги всички критерии, за разпознаване на един обект като планинско светилище. Предложеният вариант на систематизацията им и съпътстващата го методология, за приписване на ритуален характер на дейностите, които са регистрирани тези обекти, би помогнало за по-точната им идентификация.
Dimitar Bayrakov
Summary
The work presents a newly found decorated
fireplace from the region o... more Dimitar Bayrakov
Summary
The work presents a newly found decorated
fireplace from the region of the Western
Rhodopes. It has been discovered in situ
in the course of rescue excavations of the archaeological
site at Gradishteto 2 km east of
Dolno Dryanovo village. The eshara was lying
over one of the numerous rock platforms
on a rocky hill ca. 700 m long, oriented
northwest – southeast. The decorated altar
– fireplace was revealed within a space encircled
by a couple of stone structures various
in type, interpreted by the explorers as foundations
of walls. According to the artifacts
found there, the structures are dating from
the second half of the first millennium BC.
The detailed description of the eshara
from Gradishteto shows it as a low clay platform
in the shape of a truncated pyramid,
with richly decorated surface. It lies upon
clay padding, and the thickness of its upper
part (the daub) is 2 cm made up with
very fine clay. Large cracks cross the eshara
to make it fragmented, and some sectors of
its periphery are missing. The decorated surface
is square in shape measuring 1,15 x 1,15
m. The rich ornamentation is composed of
stylized geometrical patterns arranged within
a central square divided into four sectors,
and a rectangular frame filled with a meander
– like pattern. The ornaments have been
stamped with a cord and incised. Typologically
the fireplace from the site near Dolno
Dryanovo belongs to the Thracian group of
altars dating from the IV – III till the late II
– I c. BC. According to its general decorative
system it is of the type distinctive of concentrated
squares (rectangles) with diagonals
inscribed in them.
The work also goes into some problems
the fireplace in question provokes. The first
one relates to the area of its provenance -
the region of the Western Rhodopes, and
the associations with certain sites of similar
features containing analogous finds. The
author also discusses the questions concerning
the function of the clay altars, the variety
of making and employing them according
to the regions they belong to, and also the
connection with the ornamentation and artifacts
of Tzepina Group.
List of figures
Fig. 1. Graphic of the terrain at Rock Massif II, platform 2 (after Божкова, Тодорова 2012, 148,
fig. 2)
Fig. 2. Graphic of the eshara from Gradishteto site, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 3. Photograph of the eshara from Gradishteto site, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 4. Plan grid-lay-out of the site at Gradishteto, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 5. Ceramic vessel with Tsepina type decoration from Velingrad region (after Шопова 1990,
83, fig. 10)
Fig. 6. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Kaleto Peak, Velingrad region (after Салкин,
Байраков 2010, 20, fig. 12)
Fig. 7. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Imaneto site, Velingrad region (after Салкин,
Байраков 2010, 16, fig. 3)
Fig. 8. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Imaneto site, Velingrad region (Inv. N 378,
Museum of History – Velingrad)
The main idea of the article is to review some problems that the archaeological investigation fac... more The main idea of the article is to review some problems that the archaeological investigation faces in the field of the Thracian mountain sanctuaries in Western Rhodopes. The first point of this summary is a brief representation of the archeological investigations' history of the mountain sanctuaries in the mentioned area - from the very beginning and the first explorers to the modern times. It also regards the archeological investigated mountain sanctuaries divided on a geographical basis. They are distinguished in three groups to facilitate the analysis. The second part consists information about the typology of the cult places in the region. It considers the different types of the mountain cult places, including mountain sanctuaries, tombs, ritual pits and etc. The main problem here is to present the different type of offers in mountain sanctuaries in Western Rhodopes. The article gives an opportunity to make some summarizes and conclusions on the already collected material on the mountain sanctuaries in the Western Rhodopes. Key words: ancient Thrace, mountain sanctuaries, Western Rhodopes, Thracian cult places
The continuous research into the mountain sanctuaries of Southern
Thrace has enabled the elucidat... more The continuous research into the mountain sanctuaries of Southern Thrace has enabled the elucidation of many problems pertaining to their character, but has also posed new questions before the investigators. Among these are the difficulties in defining more precisely their distinctive features, which could permit the establishment of their character and intended functionality. The present paper defines several definite and indefinite criteria for the recognition and differentiation of cult sites from other types of archaeological sites with similar characteristics. The attempt was based on the clear assumption that the mountain sanctuaries in the Rhodope Mountains were not an isolated or indigenous phenomenon characteristic only of this region. Therefore Thracian cult places are compared with characteristic elements of contemporary or diachronic sites from the second and first millennium B.C. in the mountainous areas of the Eastern Mediterranean, keeping in mind however the local peculiarities and distinctions and without attempting any inappropriate direct equalization. The text offered here does not pretend to exhaust once and for all every possible criterion for the identification of an archaeological site as a mountain sanctuary. The proposed attempt at a systematization of the sites and the accompanying methodology for the establishment of the ritual character of the discernible human activities attested on these sites aims at improving the possibility to identify them as specific places for cult practices – or, as mountain sanctuaries.
The present dissertation focuses on the peak sanctuaries in Southern Thrace.
The introduction rev... more The present dissertation focuses on the peak sanctuaries in Southern Thrace. The introduction reviews the geographical characteristics, political and socioeconomic features of south Thracian regions. In the first chapter a methodology for determining the ritual significance of peak sanctuaries is laid down. It is based on ascertaining the so called distinctive and non-distinctive criteria for identifying a site as a place of worship. In the second chapter written records for the peak sanctuaries in South Thrace are examined. They are differentiated into several groups depending on whether they relate directly to the peak sanctuaries, or provide information about other aspects regarding the socio-political, economic, geographical or other characteristics of the issue.
Third chapter points out the archeological data of peak sanctuaries in South Thrace. At the beginning of third chapter the history and current state of the places of worship in South Thrace subject to examination are discussed. Further on in the same chapter the methods of archaeological research of peak sanctuaries in the mountains of South Thrace are presented as well as the methodology for identifying a site as a ritual one or a place of worship. This methodology is based on developing clear and systematic criteria, which are provisionally divided into two types - distinctive and non-distinctive.
The last (fourth) chapter of the dissertation is devoted to the ritualism in peak sanctuaries in the region subject to examination. Two sanctuary types in Thracian mountains are differentiated according to social, economic, ethnic or other principles. The role of folklore references is examined as well, that contributes to the clarification of the ritual practices in peak sanctuaries in South Thrace.
Теренните проучвания и експедиции в планинските региони на древна Тракия продължават вече някол... more Теренните проучвания и експедиции в планинските региони на древна Тракия продължават вече няколко десетилетия. Натрупана е значителна археологическа, епиграфска, нумизматична, етнографска и друга информация. Въпреки това, все още не са установени характерни признаци, според които може да се определи функционалното предназначение на обектите, за които се смята, че имат култово предназначение или потенциално отговарят на представата за свещенна територия – светилище. Причините това да е така са комплексни и могат да бъдат обобщени в следните няколко констатации: първо – малкият брой обекти, които са проучвани в продължителен период от време и трябва да послужат като опорна точка в изготвянето на търсените критерии; второ - трябва да се има предвид разликата в интензивността и качеството на изследванията на различните райони на Южна Тракия; трето - липсата на собствени писмени източници, които биха могли да внесат по-голяма яснота по визираните проблеми; четвърто – спецификата на религиозните практики и на свързаните с тях съоръжения и находки, които само в редки случаи говорят недвусмислено за ритуална употреба, а често могат да бъдат интерпретирани и като елементи с утилитарно предназначение. Въпреки споменатите трудности, които стоят пред изследователите на този тип обекти, в настоящия текст са набелязани няколко определящи критерии за разпознаване и разграничаване на култовите места от другите типове обекти, които имат сходни белези с тях. Това е направено с ясната идея, че планинските светилища в Тракия не са изолиран феномен и автохтонно явление, характерно само за този регион. Без да се слага знак на равенство е потърсен паралел между обекти в различни точки на цялото Източно Средиземноморие от края на ІІ и през цялото І хил. пр. Хр. и известните ни светилищата в планините на Южна Тракия. Отчетени са локалните особености и специфики на местоположението, типовете съоръжения, култовите практики, типовете находки и дарове, откривани по нашите земи, и е потърсено сходство с определени елементи на синхронни (или диахронни) обекти в земите на о. Крит и определени планински райони на Гърция, Македония и Анатолия. Този текст няма претенцията, да изчерпи веднъж за винаги всички критерии, за разпознаване на един обект като планинско светилище. Предложеният вариант на систематизацията им и съпътстващата го методология, за приписване на ритуален характер на дейностите, които са регистрирани тези обекти, би помогнало за по-точната им идентификация.
Dimitar Bayrakov
Summary
The work presents a newly found decorated
fireplace from the region o... more Dimitar Bayrakov
Summary
The work presents a newly found decorated
fireplace from the region of the Western
Rhodopes. It has been discovered in situ
in the course of rescue excavations of the archaeological
site at Gradishteto 2 km east of
Dolno Dryanovo village. The eshara was lying
over one of the numerous rock platforms
on a rocky hill ca. 700 m long, oriented
northwest – southeast. The decorated altar
– fireplace was revealed within a space encircled
by a couple of stone structures various
in type, interpreted by the explorers as foundations
of walls. According to the artifacts
found there, the structures are dating from
the second half of the first millennium BC.
The detailed description of the eshara
from Gradishteto shows it as a low clay platform
in the shape of a truncated pyramid,
with richly decorated surface. It lies upon
clay padding, and the thickness of its upper
part (the daub) is 2 cm made up with
very fine clay. Large cracks cross the eshara
to make it fragmented, and some sectors of
its periphery are missing. The decorated surface
is square in shape measuring 1,15 x 1,15
m. The rich ornamentation is composed of
stylized geometrical patterns arranged within
a central square divided into four sectors,
and a rectangular frame filled with a meander
– like pattern. The ornaments have been
stamped with a cord and incised. Typologically
the fireplace from the site near Dolno
Dryanovo belongs to the Thracian group of
altars dating from the IV – III till the late II
– I c. BC. According to its general decorative
system it is of the type distinctive of concentrated
squares (rectangles) with diagonals
inscribed in them.
The work also goes into some problems
the fireplace in question provokes. The first
one relates to the area of its provenance -
the region of the Western Rhodopes, and
the associations with certain sites of similar
features containing analogous finds. The
author also discusses the questions concerning
the function of the clay altars, the variety
of making and employing them according
to the regions they belong to, and also the
connection with the ornamentation and artifacts
of Tzepina Group.
List of figures
Fig. 1. Graphic of the terrain at Rock Massif II, platform 2 (after Божкова, Тодорова 2012, 148,
fig. 2)
Fig. 2. Graphic of the eshara from Gradishteto site, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 3. Photograph of the eshara from Gradishteto site, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 4. Plan grid-lay-out of the site at Gradishteto, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 5. Ceramic vessel with Tsepina type decoration from Velingrad region (after Шопова 1990,
83, fig. 10)
Fig. 6. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Kaleto Peak, Velingrad region (after Салкин,
Байраков 2010, 20, fig. 12)
Fig. 7. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Imaneto site, Velingrad region (after Салкин,
Байраков 2010, 16, fig. 3)
Fig. 8. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Imaneto site, Velingrad region (Inv. N 378,
Museum of History – Velingrad)
The main idea of the article is to review some problems that the archaeological investigation fac... more The main idea of the article is to review some problems that the archaeological investigation faces in the field of the Thracian mountain sanctuaries in Western Rhodopes. The first point of this summary is a brief representation of the archeological investigations' history of the mountain sanctuaries in the mentioned area - from the very beginning and the first explorers to the modern times. It also regards the archeological investigated mountain sanctuaries divided on a geographical basis. They are distinguished in three groups to facilitate the analysis. The second part consists information about the typology of the cult places in the region. It considers the different types of the mountain cult places, including mountain sanctuaries, tombs, ritual pits and etc. The main problem here is to present the different type of offers in mountain sanctuaries in Western Rhodopes. The article gives an opportunity to make some summarizes and conclusions on the already collected material on the mountain sanctuaries in the Western Rhodopes. Key words: ancient Thrace, mountain sanctuaries, Western Rhodopes, Thracian cult places
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Papers by Dimitar Bayrakov
Thrace has enabled the elucidation of many problems pertaining to their
character, but has also posed new questions before the investigators.
Among these are the difficulties in defining more precisely their distinctive
features, which could permit the establishment of their character and
intended functionality.
The present paper defines several definite and indefinite criteria for
the recognition and differentiation of cult sites from other types of archaeological
sites with similar characteristics. The attempt was based on
the clear assumption that the mountain sanctuaries in the Rhodope
Mountains were not an isolated or indigenous phenomenon characteristic
only of this region. Therefore Thracian cult places are compared with
characteristic elements of contemporary or diachronic sites from the
second and first millennium B.C. in the mountainous areas of the Eastern
Mediterranean, keeping in mind however the local peculiarities and distinctions
and without attempting any inappropriate direct equalization.
The text offered here does not pretend to exhaust once and for all
every possible criterion for the identification of an archaeological site as a
mountain sanctuary. The proposed attempt at a systematization of the
sites and the accompanying methodology for the establishment of the
ritual character of the discernible human activities attested on these sites
aims at improving the possibility to identify them as specific places for
cult practices – or, as mountain sanctuaries.
The introduction reviews the geographical characteristics, political and socioeconomic features of south Thracian regions. In the first chapter a methodology for determining the ritual significance of peak sanctuaries is laid down. It is based on ascertaining the so called distinctive and non-distinctive criteria for identifying a site as a place of worship.
In the second chapter written records for the peak sanctuaries in South Thrace are examined. They are differentiated into several groups depending on whether they relate directly to the peak sanctuaries, or provide information about other aspects regarding the socio-political, economic, geographical or other characteristics of the issue.
Third chapter points out the archeological data of peak sanctuaries in South Thrace.
At the beginning of third chapter the history and current state of the places of worship in South Thrace subject to examination are discussed. Further on in the same chapter the methods of archaeological research of peak sanctuaries in the mountains of South Thrace are presented as well as the methodology for identifying a site as a ritual one or a place of worship. This methodology is based on developing clear and systematic criteria, which are provisionally divided into two types - distinctive and non-distinctive.
The last (fourth) chapter of the dissertation is devoted to the ritualism in peak sanctuaries in the region subject to examination.
Two sanctuary types in Thracian mountains are differentiated according to social, economic, ethnic or other principles.
The role of folklore references is examined as well, that contributes to the clarification of the ritual practices in peak sanctuaries in South Thrace.
Въпреки споменатите трудности, които стоят пред изследователите на този тип обекти, в настоящия текст са набелязани няколко определящи критерии за разпознаване и разграничаване на култовите места от другите типове обекти, които имат сходни белези с тях. Това е направено с ясната идея, че планинските светилища в Тракия не са изолиран феномен и автохтонно явление, характерно само за този регион. Без да се слага знак на равенство е потърсен паралел между обекти в различни точки на цялото Източно Средиземноморие от края на ІІ и през цялото І хил. пр. Хр. и известните ни светилищата в планините на Южна Тракия. Отчетени са локалните особености и специфики на местоположението, типовете съоръжения, култовите практики, типовете находки и дарове, откривани по нашите земи, и е потърсено сходство с определени елементи на синхронни (или диахронни) обекти в земите на о. Крит и определени планински райони на Гърция, Македония и Анатолия.
Този текст няма претенцията, да изчерпи веднъж за винаги всички критерии, за разпознаване на един обект като планинско светилище. Предложеният вариант на систематизацията им и съпътстващата го методология, за приписване на ритуален характер на дейностите, които са регистрирани тези обекти, би помогнало за по-точната им идентификация.
Summary
The work presents a newly found decorated
fireplace from the region of the Western
Rhodopes. It has been discovered in situ
in the course of rescue excavations of the archaeological
site at Gradishteto 2 km east of
Dolno Dryanovo village. The eshara was lying
over one of the numerous rock platforms
on a rocky hill ca. 700 m long, oriented
northwest – southeast. The decorated altar
– fireplace was revealed within a space encircled
by a couple of stone structures various
in type, interpreted by the explorers as foundations
of walls. According to the artifacts
found there, the structures are dating from
the second half of the first millennium BC.
The detailed description of the eshara
from Gradishteto shows it as a low clay platform
in the shape of a truncated pyramid,
with richly decorated surface. It lies upon
clay padding, and the thickness of its upper
part (the daub) is 2 cm made up with
very fine clay. Large cracks cross the eshara
to make it fragmented, and some sectors of
its periphery are missing. The decorated surface
is square in shape measuring 1,15 x 1,15
m. The rich ornamentation is composed of
stylized geometrical patterns arranged within
a central square divided into four sectors,
and a rectangular frame filled with a meander
– like pattern. The ornaments have been
stamped with a cord and incised. Typologically
the fireplace from the site near Dolno
Dryanovo belongs to the Thracian group of
altars dating from the IV – III till the late II
– I c. BC. According to its general decorative
system it is of the type distinctive of concentrated
squares (rectangles) with diagonals
inscribed in them.
The work also goes into some problems
the fireplace in question provokes. The first
one relates to the area of its provenance -
the region of the Western Rhodopes, and
the associations with certain sites of similar
features containing analogous finds. The
author also discusses the questions concerning
the function of the clay altars, the variety
of making and employing them according
to the regions they belong to, and also the
connection with the ornamentation and artifacts
of Tzepina Group.
List of figures
Fig. 1. Graphic of the terrain at Rock Massif II, platform 2 (after Божкова, Тодорова 2012, 148,
fig. 2)
Fig. 2. Graphic of the eshara from Gradishteto site, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 3. Photograph of the eshara from Gradishteto site, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 4. Plan grid-lay-out of the site at Gradishteto, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 5. Ceramic vessel with Tsepina type decoration from Velingrad region (after Шопова 1990,
83, fig. 10)
Fig. 6. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Kaleto Peak, Velingrad region (after Салкин,
Байраков 2010, 20, fig. 12)
Fig. 7. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Imaneto site, Velingrad region (after Салкин,
Байраков 2010, 16, fig. 3)
Fig. 8. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Imaneto site, Velingrad region (Inv. N 378,
Museum of History – Velingrad)
The first point of this summary is a brief representation of the archeological investigations' history of the mountain sanctuaries in the mentioned area - from the very beginning and the first explorers to the modern times. It also regards the archeological investigated mountain sanctuaries divided on a geographical basis. They are distinguished in three groups to facilitate the analysis.
The second part consists information about the typology of the cult places in the region. It considers the different types of the mountain cult places, including mountain sanctuaries, tombs, ritual pits and etc. The main problem here is to present the different type of offers in mountain sanctuaries in Western Rhodopes.
The article gives an opportunity to make some summarizes and conclusions on the already collected material on the mountain sanctuaries in the Western Rhodopes.
Key words: ancient Thrace, mountain sanctuaries, Western Rhodopes, Thracian cult places
Thrace has enabled the elucidation of many problems pertaining to their
character, but has also posed new questions before the investigators.
Among these are the difficulties in defining more precisely their distinctive
features, which could permit the establishment of their character and
intended functionality.
The present paper defines several definite and indefinite criteria for
the recognition and differentiation of cult sites from other types of archaeological
sites with similar characteristics. The attempt was based on
the clear assumption that the mountain sanctuaries in the Rhodope
Mountains were not an isolated or indigenous phenomenon characteristic
only of this region. Therefore Thracian cult places are compared with
characteristic elements of contemporary or diachronic sites from the
second and first millennium B.C. in the mountainous areas of the Eastern
Mediterranean, keeping in mind however the local peculiarities and distinctions
and without attempting any inappropriate direct equalization.
The text offered here does not pretend to exhaust once and for all
every possible criterion for the identification of an archaeological site as a
mountain sanctuary. The proposed attempt at a systematization of the
sites and the accompanying methodology for the establishment of the
ritual character of the discernible human activities attested on these sites
aims at improving the possibility to identify them as specific places for
cult practices – or, as mountain sanctuaries.
The introduction reviews the geographical characteristics, political and socioeconomic features of south Thracian regions. In the first chapter a methodology for determining the ritual significance of peak sanctuaries is laid down. It is based on ascertaining the so called distinctive and non-distinctive criteria for identifying a site as a place of worship.
In the second chapter written records for the peak sanctuaries in South Thrace are examined. They are differentiated into several groups depending on whether they relate directly to the peak sanctuaries, or provide information about other aspects regarding the socio-political, economic, geographical or other characteristics of the issue.
Third chapter points out the archeological data of peak sanctuaries in South Thrace.
At the beginning of third chapter the history and current state of the places of worship in South Thrace subject to examination are discussed. Further on in the same chapter the methods of archaeological research of peak sanctuaries in the mountains of South Thrace are presented as well as the methodology for identifying a site as a ritual one or a place of worship. This methodology is based on developing clear and systematic criteria, which are provisionally divided into two types - distinctive and non-distinctive.
The last (fourth) chapter of the dissertation is devoted to the ritualism in peak sanctuaries in the region subject to examination.
Two sanctuary types in Thracian mountains are differentiated according to social, economic, ethnic or other principles.
The role of folklore references is examined as well, that contributes to the clarification of the ritual practices in peak sanctuaries in South Thrace.
Въпреки споменатите трудности, които стоят пред изследователите на този тип обекти, в настоящия текст са набелязани няколко определящи критерии за разпознаване и разграничаване на култовите места от другите типове обекти, които имат сходни белези с тях. Това е направено с ясната идея, че планинските светилища в Тракия не са изолиран феномен и автохтонно явление, характерно само за този регион. Без да се слага знак на равенство е потърсен паралел между обекти в различни точки на цялото Източно Средиземноморие от края на ІІ и през цялото І хил. пр. Хр. и известните ни светилищата в планините на Южна Тракия. Отчетени са локалните особености и специфики на местоположението, типовете съоръжения, култовите практики, типовете находки и дарове, откривани по нашите земи, и е потърсено сходство с определени елементи на синхронни (или диахронни) обекти в земите на о. Крит и определени планински райони на Гърция, Македония и Анатолия.
Този текст няма претенцията, да изчерпи веднъж за винаги всички критерии, за разпознаване на един обект като планинско светилище. Предложеният вариант на систематизацията им и съпътстващата го методология, за приписване на ритуален характер на дейностите, които са регистрирани тези обекти, би помогнало за по-точната им идентификация.
Summary
The work presents a newly found decorated
fireplace from the region of the Western
Rhodopes. It has been discovered in situ
in the course of rescue excavations of the archaeological
site at Gradishteto 2 km east of
Dolno Dryanovo village. The eshara was lying
over one of the numerous rock platforms
on a rocky hill ca. 700 m long, oriented
northwest – southeast. The decorated altar
– fireplace was revealed within a space encircled
by a couple of stone structures various
in type, interpreted by the explorers as foundations
of walls. According to the artifacts
found there, the structures are dating from
the second half of the first millennium BC.
The detailed description of the eshara
from Gradishteto shows it as a low clay platform
in the shape of a truncated pyramid,
with richly decorated surface. It lies upon
clay padding, and the thickness of its upper
part (the daub) is 2 cm made up with
very fine clay. Large cracks cross the eshara
to make it fragmented, and some sectors of
its periphery are missing. The decorated surface
is square in shape measuring 1,15 x 1,15
m. The rich ornamentation is composed of
stylized geometrical patterns arranged within
a central square divided into four sectors,
and a rectangular frame filled with a meander
– like pattern. The ornaments have been
stamped with a cord and incised. Typologically
the fireplace from the site near Dolno
Dryanovo belongs to the Thracian group of
altars dating from the IV – III till the late II
– I c. BC. According to its general decorative
system it is of the type distinctive of concentrated
squares (rectangles) with diagonals
inscribed in them.
The work also goes into some problems
the fireplace in question provokes. The first
one relates to the area of its provenance -
the region of the Western Rhodopes, and
the associations with certain sites of similar
features containing analogous finds. The
author also discusses the questions concerning
the function of the clay altars, the variety
of making and employing them according
to the regions they belong to, and also the
connection with the ornamentation and artifacts
of Tzepina Group.
List of figures
Fig. 1. Graphic of the terrain at Rock Massif II, platform 2 (after Божкова, Тодорова 2012, 148,
fig. 2)
Fig. 2. Graphic of the eshara from Gradishteto site, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 3. Photograph of the eshara from Gradishteto site, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 4. Plan grid-lay-out of the site at Gradishteto, Dolno Dryanovo village
Fig. 5. Ceramic vessel with Tsepina type decoration from Velingrad region (after Шопова 1990,
83, fig. 10)
Fig. 6. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Kaleto Peak, Velingrad region (after Салкин,
Байраков 2010, 20, fig. 12)
Fig. 7. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Imaneto site, Velingrad region (after Салкин,
Байраков 2010, 16, fig. 3)
Fig. 8. Fragment from a ceramic altar – fireplace from Imaneto site, Velingrad region (Inv. N 378,
Museum of History – Velingrad)
The first point of this summary is a brief representation of the archeological investigations' history of the mountain sanctuaries in the mentioned area - from the very beginning and the first explorers to the modern times. It also regards the archeological investigated mountain sanctuaries divided on a geographical basis. They are distinguished in three groups to facilitate the analysis.
The second part consists information about the typology of the cult places in the region. It considers the different types of the mountain cult places, including mountain sanctuaries, tombs, ritual pits and etc. The main problem here is to present the different type of offers in mountain sanctuaries in Western Rhodopes.
The article gives an opportunity to make some summarizes and conclusions on the already collected material on the mountain sanctuaries in the Western Rhodopes.
Key words: ancient Thrace, mountain sanctuaries, Western Rhodopes, Thracian cult places