BALKAN HERITAGE news and publications


Balkan Heritage excavation season is just to start on 3 July, 2010. For the next two months Djanavara Early Christian church in Varna (Bulgaria) and the ancient cities of Heraclea Lyncestis and Stobi (Macedonia) will be revealing their secrets before Balkan Heritage affiliated archaeologists and app. 100 international volunteers from all over the world.


   

 

The Balkan Heritage Workshop for Restoration and Documentation of Roman Pottery took place between 13 and 25 June, 2010 at Stobi, Macedonia. The project was implemented in cooperation with N.I. Stobi (Macedonia). It was attended by 5 international students and volunteers, who learned about the history, technology and typology of Roman pottery and gained a first-hand experience in the processes of its conservation, documentation, study, and restoration. The project participants enjoyed the hospitality of the Macedonian team, the real touch to the pottery-making process in an old workshop in Veles and the scenery of Macedonia. By the end of the workshop they restored 8 ancient vessels, produced high-quality drawings of 20 pottery shards and 10 entire original Roman vessels as well as documented all these processes under professional supervision of professional trainers and instructors.


The first project within the Balkan Heritage Program for exchange of know-how and expertise in the area of field archaeology, restoration and conservation of monuments and artefacts took place in Stobi, Macedonia in May-June, 2010. Thank to the Balkan Heritage recommendations and linkage, NI Stobi, Macedonia hired for a month Nina Turlakova (professional freelance restorer of ancient pottery and glassware from Bulgaria, affiliated with past Balkan Heritage projects there) to process and restore glasswares found during the excavations of Roman Stobi. The result: 5 precious glass vessels from the Roman period were restored.

 

The annual Fresco-Hunting Expedition to Medieval Churches in Western Bulgaria took place between 8 and 22 May, 2010. The project was realized by Balkan Heritage in cooperation with New Bulgarian University (Bulgaria) and Fulbright Commission (USA). Balkan Heritage team, supported by a group of international volunteers and the Fulbrighter Dr. Gene Berryhill (University of Maryland, USA) visited the medieval and late medieval churches in Golesh, Komshtitsa, Zimevitsa, Kalotina, Iskrets Monastery and Malo Malovo Monastery(Western Bulgaria) developing/updating  the fresco documentation of these monuments.The international project participants had an intensive  work schedule, supplemented by lectures and presentations as well as visits to Sofia City landmarks and Rila Monastery (UNESCO World Heritage Site).


Thank to the kind invitation of N.I. Stobi, Macedonia to host the first gathering of Balkan Heritage teams from both Bulgaria and Macedonia, 15 representatives of the Balkan Heritage Foundation and the Balkan Heritage affiliated institutions: N.I. Stobi, Bitola Museum (Macedonia) and Varna Regional Museum of History (Bulgaria) got together on 23 March, 2010  in Stobi, Macedonia. They discussed the technical and organizational agenda concerning the preparation of forthcoming 2010 field school projects and agreed on development of Program for exchange of know-how and expertise in the area of field archaeology, restoration and conservation of monuments and artefacts.


The abandoned building of Maritime School on the island St. Kirik and St. Yulita in Sozopol, Bulgaria will be turned into a museum along with the surrounding archaeological site after Bulgarian Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works donates the property to the Ministry of Culture. It is worthy to remind that in 2009 the Apollonia Pontica Excavation team lead by Dr. Krastina Panayotova unearthed here a temple complex dated in the early 6th century BC (presumably the famous temple of Apollo founded by Greek colonists, who established Apollonia Pontica in 610 BC).


After a long lasting period of fundraising and significantly shorter renovation project the Exhibition Hall (700 sq.m.) of Bitola Museum was reopened in December 2009. Visitors will be able to see impressive prehistoric figurines and house-models found in the Neolithic settlement of Porodin near Bitola, sculptures, ceramic and glass vessels found in the ancient city Heraclea Lyncestis (in Bitola) along with numerous artefacts dating from different time periods (Prehistory, Antiquity, Middle ages, Ottoman period etc.).