Rock-Cut Sanctuaries And Cult Complexes

The article discusses the rock topoi of faith as places for profession of a mysterial faith and ritualism, which should not be ethnically defined, because in its core lies the honoring of the stone/rock as a location for divine advent. Initial observations of natural and rockcut topoi of faith in a mountain environment have been done in the Eastern Mediterranean as early as the second half of the XIX c., however it is only recently that their culturalhistorical role and their regional interactions began to be researched without the ritual faith and the cults professed in them to be charged with ethnic definitions. There are a series of examples from the Southeastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor where the stone/rock is identified as a sacred symbol, a place of divine advent and of getting in touch with the divine inception. In the Mediterranean world and in Southeastern Europe in particular, the aniconic period of the thought images - uncultivated or fairly uncultivated stones - is v...

The article presents a critical approach to the archaeological complex at Arbanas quarter in the town of Radomir. Its excavator identified the site as important production and trade centre that was built near a sanctuary of Zeus and Hera. After its destruction ca. middle of 3 rd c. AD, at the beginning of the 4 th c. AD a walled Early Christian martyrial complex was built on the place with two single-apse buildings, subsequently transformed into a monastery. The thorough analysis of the available archaeological information allows to propose a different function of the site. According to it, a sanctuary of Zeus and Hera was established sometimes in the second half of the 1 st c. AD. After its demolition by the raids of the Costobocs (170s AD) or the Goths (the middle of the 3 rd c. AD) the sanctuary was rebuilt with walled temenos and two apse temples placed in a peristyle courtyard. Two votive altars reused as building material in the nearby villa at Bela voda quarter of Pernik most probably originate from the sanctuary in question. Both are dedicated to Zeus Στοβουστορηνος what was probably the local name under which the two deities were worshipped in the sanctuary at Arbanas.

La lectura correcta del símbolo en representaciones histórico-artísticas como la moneda, requieren de un análisis iconográfico de la imagen y de un estudio histórico preciso para su correcta interpretación. Esto no siempre es posible debido a la falta de fuentes coetáneas y a nuestra percepción actual de dicha imagen. Sin embargo, indagando en fuentes documentales y hallazgos arqueológicos podemos acercarnos al significado del símbolo y a su origen, en este caso sobre el llamado lucero de Carmona.

The article presents the achieved level of knowledge about the megalithic
monuments in Thrace. It provides an overview of the state of research on
dolmens and the main hypotheses about their occurrence in the southeastern parts of the Balkans. The dependence on the distribution of the dolmens on the nature of the geological base and the presence of suitable rocks for splitting and forming large stone slabs is substantiated.

There are upwards of sixty different cult epithets for the Phrygian goddess Meter in Central Anatolia alone during the Roman Imperial period. Considering that only three or four of her epithets are known from the Hellenistic period, the contrast is striking. Moreover, many of the epithets tend to be epichoric, so that in essence, her names can change from one valley to the next. In some cases, merely hearing an epithet is enough to bring a certain part of central Anatolia to mind. From this, a natural question arises. Why was there a need for so many local Meter cults in Asia Minor? The goddess Meter, called Magna Mater by the Romans, had been adopted into the Roman Pantheon in 204 BC; but could she, although indigenous to Phrygia, no longer meet the religious needs of her homeland’s people? This thesis approaches these questions by two primary means. By utilizing its own accompanying catalogue of Meter epithets collected from inscriptions, it looks at patterns in the geographic distribution of epithets and in the semantics of recurring epithet types. The spatial distribution of cult epithets reflects the geopolitical situation in Roman Imperial Asia Minor where there appears to have been a lack of strong imperial centers in the uplands, and where local communities could create their own localized, albeit modest, centers at the state’s peripheries. Meanwhile, the semantics of recurring epithet types offer clues regarding the local concerns and core values of those living in these very peripheries.

Keywords: Cult epithets, Graeco-Roman Anatolia, Kybele, Phrygian cults, Roman Phrygia

https://repository.bilkent.edu.tr/items/81728c8e-5a17-43db-b984-fc3089773f43
Collections: Bilkent Dept. of Archaeology - Master's degree

In the autumn of 2020 and spring of 2021, archaeological and geological field surveys were conducted within the Nessebar and Pomorie municipalities, as part of the project “Archaeology of Landscape: Patterns of Reconstruction of the Ancient Environment.” The project aims to reconstruct the landscapes of the Southern slopes of The Emine Stara Planina Mountain during Antiquity, as well as investigate human impact on the environment and archaeological sites. During the surveys, 102 new archaeological sites were discovered (see Fig. 1). Two sites date back to the Late Chalcolithic period, four to the Late Bronze Age, and nine small settlements to the Early Iron Age. These settlements were located along the banks of the Aheloy River and Hadzhiiska River. The majority of the sites (51 settlements) date back to the second half of the 1st millennium BC. Eleven settlements were dated to the Archaic and Classical periods, and ten to the Hellenistic period. Thirty sites did not yield enough di...

The study of high flow characteristics within the Alpine catchments represents one of the most challenging tasks for the modern hydrological science, because of high vulnerability response of these areas to the global and regional climate changes, including to the proven positive air temperature trends. The current picture of the hydro-climatic processes in the Rila Mountain – the highest mount within the Balkan Peninsula, is not exception. Study area covers eight Alpine catchment areas, located above 1600 m sea level in the Rila Mountain. The aim of this research is to perform a spatio-temporal analysis of the extremely high streamflow characteristics within the researched drainage basins. Study period includes six years in the beginning of the XXІ century: there are very dry (2001), very wet (2005) and four normal water years. The analysis is based of Threshold level method (TLM) with fixed constant threshold value: 5th percentile of all discharge daily data for the given term. Re...

In the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula, where Europe almost touches Asia, there is a small group of dolmens. Their geographical context places them between the Western European dolmens and those in the Caucasus. Previous studies place their origin and development at the beginning and in the first half of the first millennium BC, which makes them the latest known European representatives of this type of monuments. This paper is an attempt to present and partially analyse the available data on the dolmens in the Balkans. Such a review of the information collected after more than a hundred years of research concerning the dolmens in Southeast Europe is overdue. Writing the words that follow, we have a clear awareness that we are speaking on behalf of many authors whose opinions on certain issues often differ. We should also emphasize that the various constructions in several geographical areas have been studied to different degrees.

СПРАВОЧНИК на събраните данни за пещерите в Главната картотеката на БФСп в Благоевградска област по азбучен ред, по общини и селища в нея към датата на публикуване.
Предназначен е за улеснение на всички, които се интересуват от спелеология, за да знаят какво има в картотеката и какво още трябва да се добави.
Изследванията и картния материал са многогодишна работа на много пещерняци и спелеолози от цялата страна, отбелязани, доколкото е известно и възможно, на всеки лист.
Материалите в Главната картотека на пещерите на Българска федерация по Спелеология са събирани и подреждани от инж. Радуш Радушев /Чичко Радуш/, Здравко Илиев /Здравеца/ и Иво Тачев. Използвани са данни и от електронната картотеката на Хинко.
Важно е да се знае, че GPS координатите са взимани по различно време и с различна точност. Те са ориентировъчни и могат да дават доста сериозна грешка.
Електронния вариант на картотеката се намира на адрес https://caves.speleo-bg.org/.
PDF формата на този атлас е на адрес https://speleo-bg.org/library/.
Информацията е достъпна под лиценза Creative Commons Признание-Споделяне на споделеното, като се изисква цитирането на авторите, които са я събирали, посочени в края на всеки лист.

This is a DIRECTORY of the collected data on the caves in the Main Card File of the BFSp in the district Blagoewgrad in alphabetical order, by municipalities and settlements in it as of the date of publication.
It is intended to facilitate all those interested in spelunking to know what is in the card file and what more needs to be added.
The research and map material is the work of many years of cavers and spelunkers from all over the country, noted, as far as is known and possible, on each sheet.
The materials in the Main Card File of the caves of the Bulgarian Federation of Speleology were collected and arranged by Eng. Radush Radushev /Chichko Radush/, Zdravko Iliev /Zdravetsa/ and Ivo Tachev. Data from Hinko’s electronic card file were also used.
It is important to know that GPS coordinates are taken at different times and with different accuracy. They are indicative and can give quite a serious error.
The electronic version of the file can be found at https://caves.speleo-bg.org/.
The PDF format of this atlas is available at https://speleo-bg.org/library/.
The information is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, requiring the citation of the authors who collected it listed at the end of each sheet.
Petar Delchev

The main objective of this paper is to present the fieldwork results ofarchaeological and geological investigations in the area of Hadjiyska river and the southern slopesof Eminska Stara Planina in Bulgaria. The area of interest is home to a large number ofarcheological findings dating back from the Late Antiquity (4-6th c.) and the Middle Ages (7-18thc.), and fewer from older periods (prehistorical, Thracian and Roman periods). Geologicalobservations show presence of alluvial, prolluvial-delluvial, and prolluvial hollocen sediments.Combining the results of archaeological and geological research allowed for (i) the verification ofthe hypothesis that older archaeological objects are covered by accumulated sediments, and (ii) anattempt to look into the livelihood in the area.

The promontory of Ras il-Wardija, on the northwestern cusp of the island of Gozo, holds one of the most spectacular temples of ancient Mediterranean dedicated to the Phoenician goddess Astarte, the Great Goddess of sailors. The Phoenician-Punic sanctuary of Ras il-Wardija dates to the 4 th century BC and hosts an important cult of Hera/Juno throughout the Roman period (3 rd century BC-2 nd century AD). Since its Phoenician construction, it was one of the main Mediterranean sanctuaries along the ancient sea-route called "Route of the Great Islands" connecting the East and the West of the Mediterranean. The general plan of the sanctuary has been clarified by the excavations of the Italian Expedition that operated in the site between 1963-1967. However, a further investigation of the structures with respect to the territory behind it, a deep analysis of rites and cults worshipped in the sanctuary, and the overall chronology are still missing. Sapienza University, thanks to a new agreement with Heritage Malta and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage of Malta, and with the collaboration of the University of Malta, resumed the research activities at Ras il-Wardija, pursuing the study of the sanctuary and following new research paths, including the environment and the ancient landscape.

This presentation reassesses rock-cut Buddhist monasteries at Bhaja, Bedsa and Karla and several newly discovered hermitages, retreats and dam sites, which together revealed how monastic life  evolved in this area.

Modified caverns show the early stages of rock-cut architecture. Monks started living in natural rock-shelters, which they then modified to make them more habitable, before cutting buildings directly into the cliff face.
 
Monks in this area caught the last trickles of rain water in rock-cut pools cut in watercourses near their dwellings. This search for water when the rains had finished shows the monks wanted to stay here longer than the three months permitted in their vinaya code, a step in the transition from a wandering to a settled monastic life.

At Bhaja, some  single cells were incorporated into cells set around central halls, showing they were earlier. In the early stages, Bhaja’s monastery consisted of single cells, small stūpas and modified natural caverns. Only later did it evolve into its present form of many excavated cells with central halls clustered around a stūpa hall.

At Bedsa, re-examining the unique apsidal dwelling shows it was once a plain vaulted hall, probably a shrine, before cells were cut into it. So, Bedsa  most likely had a shrine hall earlier than has previously been thought.

At Karla, a large cavern was once divided by wooden partitions into a circular stūpa hall with a rectangular antechamber and a large hall with several cells. Thus, Karla also had a monumental shrine hall earlier than has previously been thought.

The nine common Phases at these early monastic sites reveal how these monasteries were transformed from temporary rainy season retreats for wandering monks, into permanent centres of public worship and monastic learning, supported by royal land grants. Inscriptions at the sites can  date the Phases, giving a working chronology of Buddhist history in this area.

Any community traditional foods depend on the physical characteristics of a particular region and therefore, one should not see nothing exceptional in shaping of a Thracian cuisine. Hitherto the sources show that the traditional Thracian diet features cereals, legumes and dairy products. The cuisine founded on that triad raises a question of the role of the meat and the beverages in the menu. Defining the dairy products as one of the three pillars of the diet puts the question of its barbarian nature as well.
The Thracian cuisine owes much of its achievements to the cooking inventions of its neighbours, including raw materials and the introduction of a new fauna species. The main cultural impulses were coming from the South and the Greek world, but the influences from Macedonia, Asia Minor (Phrygia) and the Scythian tribes on the North have also been felt.
Only future interdisciplinary analyses can prove whether we could add to a triad of cereals, pulses and dairies also beverages and meat so it could become a tetrad or even a pentad.

РЕЗЮМЕ SUMMARY Целта на настоящото проучване е да се изследва микроелементният състав на бяло саламурено сирене, произведено от краве мляко от породата Българско родопско говедо (порода за мляко) при пасищно хранене през периода май-юли в с. Борино. Сирената са изследвани за микроелементите мед, цинк, желязо и манган. В хода на лактацията концен-трацията на мед (от 0,49 до 0,29 mg/kg), цинк (от 27,98 до 19,08 mg/kg) и манган (от 1,66 до 0,22 mg/kg) намаля-ват в изследваните сирена, докато желязото варира и бележи най-висока концентрация през втория период-5,98 mg/kg. Ключови думи: сирене, Българско родопско говедо, микроелементи The objective of the present investigation was to study the trace element composition of white brine cheese from cow milk from Bulgarian Rhodope cattle breed (dairy breed) on the pasture feeding during the period May-July in village Borino. The cheeses were evaluated for the trace elements copper, zinc, iron and manganese. In the period of lactation the conc...

The article examines the unwavering belief in some of the most famous sacred stones - central objects of belief in famous religious topoi in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and even today. The concept of the role of the “original stone” characteristic of the Semitic religious worldview, is analysed, as well as the issue of when the rock and the stone – separately, or in structures – become an abstraction of the faith in Indo-Iranian and Indo-European cultures, and when commences their usage as a place for communication with the divine energies.

This paper presents different methods for virtual representation of Cultural Heritage with the support of new digital technologies. These methods could be applied on specific objects – rock-cut sanctuaries, which would benefit from the new possibilities and become more attractive for tourists. There are many rock-cut sanctuaries in Bulgaria and most of them are not easily accessible. We propose a suitable method for visualizing a rock-cut sanctuary in Southwestern Bulgaria and discuss the benefits of emerging technologies for this type of heritage sites.

Keywords: Cultural Heritage, Emerging Technologies, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Rock-Cut Sanctuaries

Overview of an emblematic archaeological site in the North-western Hispania known as the rock sanctuary of Panóias (Vila Real, Northern Portugal), exceptional in its physical structure and religious framework. The history of the research associated with this site is briefly covered, its structures are characterized and its epigraphic texts are analysed as a way of approaching spatial interpretation and its protagonists. Its importance is central to understanding religion in a peripheral environment regarding large urban centres at the far-western end of the Roman Empire and the possibilities of integrating religious traditions of different origins, in this case under the intervention of an outsider, although with the high status and financial capacity required for theintervention. The preserved inscriptions appear as part of the monumental whole, acquiring meaning according to the building characteristics of the religious space which, in the current state of knowledge, appears without a unitary structure, but where the cults of Serapis and Isis take on relevance.

---

É apresentado um emblemático arqueossítio do Noroeste hispânico conhecido como santuário rupestre de Panóias (Vila Real, Norte de Portugal), excepcional na sua compleição paisagística e religiosa. Percorre-se brevemente a história da investigação a ele associada,  caraterizam-se as suas estruturas e analisam-se os seus textos epigráficos como via de aproximação à interpretação espacial e aos seus protagonistas. A sua importância é fulcral para a compreensão da religião em ambiente periférico aos grandes centros urbanos no extremo ocidente do Império Romano e das possibilidades de integração de tradições religiosas distintas na origem, neste caso sob a intervenção de um forasteiro, ainda que com o estatuto e a capacidade financeira necessários à intervenção. As inscrições conservadas apresentam-se como parte do todo monumental, ganhando sentido em função das características de natureza edificatória do espaço religioso que, no estado atual dos conhecimentos, se afigura sem leitura espacial unitária, mas onde assumem relevância os cultos de Serápis e Ísis.

Surface and sub-surface research on rock-cut features and related mobile finds at Kastro, a hilly peninsula that delimits the present main port of Myrina (Lemnos Island, North Aegean Sea), has revealed vestiges dating from various phases, at least since the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, in several extended areas.
During these stages, human action has influenced the landscape, which, at the same time, has guided choices of natural forms and spaces and triggered ways of action. A variety of combined artificial rock-cut features and rock-art appear to have both symbolic and utilitarian components, concerns and purposes. They reveal a complex rocky landscape, entailing an elaborate artificial system of space occupation, including intercommunicating carved features.
According to the current stage of ongoing research, besides other aspects, the Kastro rock-cut site would have also implicated intricate maritime facets and connections, as well as a possible female factor, congregating at a transitional place, where sea and rocks meet.

Research on the Kastro peninsula, at the western edge of the town of Myrina, Lemnos island, has focused on the study of rock-cut features, omnipresent in the area of the rocky peninsula. Such carved features had already been noticed by various travellers in the 19th century, while a number of ancient structures were noted on the spot at least since the 16th century. Study is ongoing and includes mobile material found in connection with rock-cut structures, on or under the present surface. The carved rocks (dacites) are identified mostly in areas that have not been covered by later structures, that is, mainly by the Medieval, Venetian and Ottoman castle at its northern and highest part, but also by more recent buildings towards the eastern edge of the peninsula. The structures are complex and may be isolated or combined in smaller or larger ensembles. They are visible on the surface, when not covered by earth, depending on their state of conservation, as they are heavily eroded and/or partly destroyed by man. Carved features include platforms, walls, cavities, steps, channels and niches; flattened surfaces may sometimes be covered by rock art (petroglyphs, engravings). Current research showed that possible functions might be varied, either concrete and practical, or symbolic, or both. Symbolic meanings may be proposed particularly concerning elements, which are not understandable, since too small, too inaccessible, or too invisible. There are, however, structures, which may have been used for habitation, others for liquid/water management or technological activities and still others for inter-communication among different sectors of the site or between the slopes and the sea. Although most features have been noticed at mid-height of the Kastro hill, they also occur at lower, as well as higher, altitudes, including traces that survived inside the castle walls. There are strong trends permitting interpretation hypotheses, to be proved by further study, that include relations of the features with the sea, navigation and pilotage, but also overseas trade, as well as cult, ritual, symbolic and industrial activities. According to the mobile finds, dating should extend from at least the Bronze Age (if not earlier) and the Iron Age to the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic, probably also Roman, periods. Similar rock-cut structures from neighbouring areas also point to dates from at least late prehistory to late antiquity.

This text briefly presents suggested by us rock sanctuary at the neck of the cape near Ordu, associated with ancient Kotyora. This sanctuary has steps, a sacred spring and it is connected to the Thracian beliefs, which were spread among the local population of Tibareni and Paphlagonians.

The book presents the prehistoric investigations conducted by the Associate Prof. Stefanka Ivanova for more than 12 years in the Eastern Rhodopes, Bulgaria. Hard cover, 144 pages, with 458 color illustrations and 42 black and white graphics, Bulgarian, English.

Physical environment and landscape are instrumental for the selection of a place, both for human practical needs and symbolic behaviors. Coastal features, important for early seafaring, are also symbolically charged. At Myrina Kastro, artificial, carved complexes are combined to natural rock formations diachronically (late prehistory – antiquity). Besides having obvious maritime associations, its rocky coasts are transition zones, which also constitute a component of the uncommonly rugged topography and a facet of the anthropogenic seascape, integrating both material and intangible inferences.

Un héroe o un dios, con atuendo oriental y gorro frigio, apoya su cuerpo sobre el de un toro para someterlo. Con su rodilla flexionada presiona el lomo del animal y sujeta con la mano izquierda su cabeza a la vez que con su diestra clava un puñal en el cuello de la bestia. Refiriéndose a esta representación del sacrificio del toro, o tauroctonía, Fritz Saxl escribió una vez que no imaginaba otro caso en el que se pudiese observar con tal precisión el nacimiento de una imagen. Aunque la iconografía completa del culto a Mitra varía substancialmente de un santuario a otro, la tauroctonía, elemento siempre presente en todos los templos, se considera clave para su ideología. Aby Warburg no dejó de lado esta imagen, y la reprodujo en abundancia en el Panel 8 sobre la Ascensión hacia el Sol de su Bilderatlas Mnemosyne. En este trabajo proponemos realizar un recorrido por la vida de esta imagen que, muy tempranamente, fue relacionada con las constelaciones, con los grandes círculos de la esfera celeste y con ciertos momentos singulares del ciclo estacional. Concluiremos con un análisis crítico de recientes especulaciones que ponen en juego aspectos sutiles del movimiento del cielo, impulsado por un dios poderoso que residía más allá de las estrellas, y los relacionan con la muerte simbólica del toro.
||
A hero or a god, wearing an oriental garb and a Phrygian cap, presses his body on that of a bull to subdue it. With his flexed knee he presses the back of the animal and holds its head with his left hand, while with his right hand he stabs a dagger into the neck of the beast. Referring to this representation of the sacrifice of the bull, or tauroctony, Fritz Saxl once wrote that he could not imagine another case in which the birth of an image could be observed with such precision. Although the complete iconography of the Mithras cult varies substantially from one sanctuary to another, the tauroctony, an element always present in all temples, is considered key to its ideology. This image was not neglected by Aby Warburg and was reproduced in abundance in Panel 8 on the Ascension towards the Sun in his Bilderatlas Mnemosyne. In this work we propose to make a journey through the life of this image that, very early on, was related to the constellations, to the great circles of the celestial sphere and to certain singular moments of the seasonal cycle. We will conclude with a critical analysis of recent speculations that bring into play subtle aspects of the movement of the sky, driven by a powerful god who resided beyond the stars, and relate them to the symbolic death of the bull.

Ритуалното преминаване през отвор в скалата е част от традиционни лечителски практики в различни части на света. Провирането през камък се разглежда, като акт на преминаване от едно измерение в друго и опит на човек да се отърве от заболяванията. Символиката на провирането е отъждествявана и с обред на повторно раждане или промяна в социалния и жизнен статус. До неотдавна тези лечебни камъни, са съхранявали статута си, като места на почит сред местните общности, от които са почитани и поддържани. Сблъсъка с новото време се отразява на тази паметници събрали в себе си комбинацията от природен феномен, материални артефакти и нематериално културно наследство. Както може да се очаква, най-застрашено от сблъсъка с модерното е именно нематериалното културно наследство, в случая лечебната обредност.

Chichkhituri is one of the rock-cut monasteries of Gareji wildeness, Georgia. The Chichkhituri hermitage is a three-room complex. Graffito of a monk who dwelt in the hermitage in the 13th century is found on the east wall. It is executed in Georgian Mkhedruli script and reads the following: “With Lord's grace, this cave belongs to Zosime-Pimen”.
East and north walls of the main room are decorated with murals on Christological themes. They date to the 12th century. Of special note is the scene of St. Jacob the Persian’s (St. James the Intercisus’) martyrdom on the south portion of the east wall of the room. It is a unique theme for Georgian monumental painting. The mural dates to the first half of the 13th century.

At Myrina Kastro, natural rock formations are combined to artificial, carved complexes diachronically (late prehistory – antiquity). Physical environment and landscape are instrumental in selecting a place, both for human practical needs and symbolic behaviours. Besides having obvious maritime associations, coasts are transition zones, which may also constitute a feature of uncommonly rugged topography, both then merging material and intangible inferences.

TÜBA-AR, Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi (TÜBA) tarafından yıllık olarak yayınlanan uluslararası hakemli bir dergidir. Derginin yayın politikası, kapsamı ve içeriği ile ilgili kararlar, Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Konseyi tarafından belirlenen Yayın Kurulu tarafından alınır. DERGİNİN KAPSAMI VE YAYIN İLKELERİ TÜBA-AR dergisi ilke olarak, dönem ve coğrafi bölge sınırlaması olmadan arkeoloji ve arkeoloji ile bağlantılı tüm alanlarda yapılan yeni araştırma, yorum, değerlendirme ve yöntemleri kapsamaktadır. Dergi arkeoloji alanında yeni yapılan çalışmalara yer vermenin yanı sıra, bir bilim akademisi yayın organı olarak, arkeoloji ile bağlantılı olmak koşuluyla, sosyal bilimlerin tüm uzmanlık alanlarına açıktır; bu alanlarda gelişen yeni yorum, yaklaşım, analizlere yer veren bir forum oluşturma işlevini de yüklenmiştir. Dergi, arkeoloji ile ilgili yeni açılımları kapsamlı olarak ele almak için belirli bir konuya odaklanmış yazıları "dosya" şeklinde kapsamına alabilir; bu amaçla çağrılı yazarların katkısının istenmesi ya da bu bağlamda gelen istekler Yayın Kurulu tarafından değerlendirir. Kazı ve yüzey araştırmaları da dahil olmak üzere, yeni yorum ve açılım getirmeyen, yalnızca malzeme tanıtımı içeren, ön rapor niteliğindeki yazılar dergi kapsamının dışındadır. Kültür tarihi açısından önemli bir yenilik getiren önemli buluntular "haber" olarak dergiye kabul edilebilir. Yazarlar dergiye makale gönderdiklerinde, söz konusu yazının daha önce, çeviri olarak bile başka bir yerde yayımlanmadığını ya da yayımlanmak üzere bir başka dergiye gönderilmemiş olduğunu kabul etmiş sayılırlar.

Surface and sub-surface research in extended areas of the hilly peninsula of Myrina Kastro focuses on rock-cut and rock-carved features and related mobile finds. Till now, the attested occupation periods include phases from late prehistory to antiquity. Natural rocks and artificial features, including rock-art, would have had both symbolic and practical elements, purposes and functions and constitute a composite rocky landscape. This involves complex maritime associations and facets, including nautical representations, as well as a female bias, located in a place of transition between sea and land. The paper focuses on Iron- and Bronze Age rock-cut features.

Cuevas, información general No todas las cuevas son accesibles en la actualidad, pues algunas se encuentran derrumbadas, tapiadas o llenas de escombros, a parte de las que no se tiene permiso de acceso por parte de los propietarios. Las cuevas se excavaron todas en el nivel de arcillas, profundizando en él de 2 a 3 metros bajo la cota de la calle. Sus dimensiones coinciden estrictamente con las dimensiones del solar original de la casa a la que pertenecieron. Al dividirse la casa por cuestiones de herencia o de compraventa, también se dividiría la cueva subyacente, en algunos casos cambiando la entrada a la cueva. La estructura básica de la cueva consiste en una escalera de acceso, bien recta o en ángulo, que parte de una trampilla en el suelo o una puerta vertical convencional, tras la cual se disponía una bajada. Tras ello, se dispone una galería de varios metros a cuyos lados se disponían huecos un poco menos altos que la galería, donde se depositaban las tinajas. En las cuevas más grandes había una galería principal que conectaba con otras secundarias. Las galerías nunca son rectas, sino irregulares, y las paredes pueden estar reforzadas mediante tabiques y, en los casos más elaborados, toda la cueva puede estar revestida. Están construidas de mampostería y enlucidas con cal y yeso. Otro elemento básico sería el respiradero, unos pequeños vanos en el techo cuya función sería la de ventilar el espacio y evitar la acumulación de excesos de humedad. Las cuevas se utilizaban a modo de despensas para conservar frescos los alimentos y para terminar de curarlos. En algunos casos se ha constatado la producción de vino a muy pequeña escala. Excavación y estructura El proceso de excavación y rehabilitación de la cueva lo realizamos sacando todos los escombros y la tierra de la propia cueva. La mayor parte de la cueva se encuentra revestida de yeso de albariza, aunque podemos ver algunas zonas, como las paredes y techo enlucidas con cal, posiblemente de su última restauración en 1957. Al igual de lo que ocurre en otras cuevas, esta se encuentra construida por mampostería, aunque también se da la presencia de la reutilización de la tierra con las que se excavo como un elemento destacado en su construcción, apreciándose claramente la tierra propia del subsuelo en las mismas paredes, donde se había perdido el revestimiento.

The rocky coasts of the Aegean include remains of human activities, often concrete and utilitarian, but also traces that cannot only have a rational interpretation. The zones between different geological regions, such as meeting points between sea and land, or zones between rocky heights and more regular expanses, constitute liminal spaces, that mark the passage between different worlds, both in reality and in imagination, already since prehistory. At the same time, in such regions one may observe unusual features of the environment, such as rocks with a particular morphology, while sometimes selected natural elements are enhanced with deliberate interventions and/or combined with artificially modified structures. Dating difficulties are inherent in similar megalithic formations, within a natural and at the same time transformed landscape.
In the framework of an anthropological approach, the study of such archaeological sites belongs to the so-called archaeology of natural places, focusing on symbolic human behaviours. Symbolic behaviours connected to rocky landscapes, sometimes also maritime, in the larger Aegean region, remain difficult to interpret. However, they indicate the variety of ritual and more generally symbolic human practices, with configurations that cannot yet be completely explored and even less incontestably interpreted.
Long-standing research, with the permit of the Archaeological Service and the Local Council for the Monuments of the Islands, on the Myrina Kastro, a rocky hill within an omnipresent sea, offers diachronic evidence about human presence in prehistory and antiquity and shows the multifaceted connections of such evidence and symbolic behaviours with other sites and cultures of the Aegean.

A first attempt is made to provide a global picture of the megaliths in Thrace (South East Europe); also the problems related to their dating are explicated. The location and the conventional (indirect) dating of the menhirs and dolmens mainly in Bulgaria, but partially also in Greece and Turkey are summarized. The necessity of direct dating-preferably by luminescence means-is discussed. International collaboration is proposed for creating a full and precise picture of the Thracian megaliths within the chronological framework of the pan-European (Mediterranean) megalithic region.