Project type: field school (workshop)
THE PROJECT IS SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS!

Venue: the coastal village of Emona  and the ancient town of Sozopol on the Black Sea, Bulgaria.
Period(s): Ancient Greek and Hellenistic (sixth century BC - first century BC)

The Nearest Air Terminals: Burgas (60 km) and Varna (90 km) airports. Don't forget checking the low cost  flight options!

Travel/access to the venue: The village of Emona (Nesebar Municipality, Bulgaria) is located 20 km away from the small coastal town of Obzor between the major cities: Varna and Burgas (Bulgaria). On the arrival day all participants will be given a lift from the bus station in Obzor. Obzor may be reached by bus/car from the major Bulgarian cities with international airports (Varna, Burgas, Plovdiv and Sofia). A direct pick-up transfer to Emona may be arranged upon request from Varna and Burgas. The transfer's price may vary from 35 to 80 EUR depending on both distance and number of passengers. Ask for details!

Description: The WORKSHOP FOR CONSERVATION, RESTORATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF ANCIENT GREEK POTTERY, 2013 will be hosted as usual by both Balkan Heritage and the Apollonia Pontica Excavation Team, Bulgaria. It will guide the participants through the history of Ancient Greek pottery, its production and consequent stages of archaeological conservation, restoration, documentation and study. Both the theoretical and practical courses will be based on Ancient Greek pottery found in Sozopol (the ancient Greek city of Apollonia Pontica on the Black Sea). During the workshop participants will work with authentic Ancient Greek shards. The project includes three modules: practical work in documentation and restoration of ancient pottery; lectures, trainings and behind-the-scenes study visits and excursions to the ancient coastal towns of Nesebar (UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Sozopol (including the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol) as well as to a traditional pottery workshop.Refer to the Course description and Workshop agenda! By the end of the workshop the participants will:

Archaeological and historical context: Apollonia Pontica is one of the most ancient towns on the Western Black Sea coast. The city, founded by Miletian colonists around 610 BC, was named Apollonia Pontica, in honour of the patron deity of Miletus – Apollo. Chronicles mention the temple of Apollo, decorated with a 13 meter high bronze statue of the deity, which stood on an island next to the city. The Ancient authors identify the philosopher named Anaximander as the founder of the city. It became an autonomous and strong democratic polis and important trade center between Ancient Greece and Thrace. Thanks to its strong navy and naturally protected harbors, Apollonia kept control of the major merchant road Via Pontica for several centuries. The city preserved its independence during the campaigns of Phillip II of Macedon (342-339 BC) and Alexander the Great (335 BC) but in 72 BC it was conquered, pillaged and burned by the Roman legions of Marcus Lucullus. The victors took the most prized trophy to Rome: the statue of Apollo. The city succeeded in restoring its former glory and was known in the Roman World as Apollonia Magna (Great Apollonia). Following the Christian mainstream tradition, its name was changed to Sozopol in the 4^th century AD. Despite the damage, it survived the period of the Great Migration of People (4-7 century AD) and entered the Middle ages as a focal point of long-lasting Byzantine-Bulgarian conflicts.

The large necropolis of Apollonia Pontica, dated to the 6^th – 2^nd century B.C., is Sozopol's most important archaeological site today. It was once outside the ramparts, along the sea coast in what is today the Harmani beach area. Here archaeologists have discovered hundreds of ancient graves. Some of them contained impressive artifacts such as painted pottery, funerary reliefs, jewels and terracotta statuettes. The most representative collection of finds is kept in the Sozopol Archaeological Museum, but some artifacts are now in the Louvre Museum (Paris, France), the Hermitage Museum (St.Petersburg, Russia) and the Pergamon Museum (Berlin, Germany).

Lectures, workshops and study visits:

-Review of Basic Methods for Uncovering, “First aid”, Consolidation in situ, Cleaning, Sorting out and Storing of Ceramic Artifacts;

-Conservation and Restoration of Ancient Greek pottery;

-History of Apollonia Pontica and the Western Black Sea coast in Antiquity (seventh century BC - first century BC);

-Technology, Typology and Chronology of Ancient Greek and Hellenistic pottery with examples from Apollonia Pontica;

-Archaeological Recording and Illustration of Ancient Greek Pottery.

Workshops:

-Technology, Typology and Chronology of Ancient Greek and Hellenistic pottery with examples from Apollonia Pontica;

-Conservation and Restoration of Ancient Greek Pottery (with fragmented original pottery from Apollonia Pontica) – 11 workshops;

-Archaeological Record and Illustration (drawing, graphic reconstruction,  image processing using graphic software, photographing, description etc.) of Ancient Greek Pottery – 6 workshops.

- Sozopol Old Town quarter;

- Sozopol Archaeological Museum;

- Traditional pottery workshop;

- Ancient town of Nesebar (UNESCO World Heritage Site).

APPLY ONLINE FOR ADMISSION TO THE WORKSHOP FOR CONSERVATION, RESTORATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF ANCIENT GREEK POTTERY!