Tell Nenova - Digging in the Time of Troy

The Project and the Course

General Information

Project type: Field school & archaeological excavation. Suitable for both beginner and advanced students as well as those interested in the late prehistory of the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe, bioarchaeology, archaeological theory and methods.

The excavations will  start: 2026; The field school will start: 2026

Site: Prehistoric multi-layered tell-site located to the south of the village Konyovo

Periods in the project's focus: Early Bronze Age (3rd  Millennium BCE)

Project venue: Hotel Rio, Nova Zagora, Bulgaria.

Major field school topics/activities: Archaeology of Eastern Mediterranean and Balkan Bronze Age; Archaeological theory and field methods, Documentation, processing and interpretation of architecture finds; Excursions to significant heritage sites in Bulgaria.

BHF partners in this project:    

• Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany   

• New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria

Field school and archaeological excavations co-directors: Prof. Dr. Philipp W Stockhammer, Professor for Prehistoric Archaeology at the Institute for Prehistory and Early Medieval Archaeology at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany & Co-Director of Max Planck Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean (MHAAM). Assist. Prof. Dr. Bogdan Athanassov, Department of Archaeology, New Bulgarian University, Sofia.

Field school coordinator: Assist. Prof. Dr. Bogdan Athanassov, Department of Archaeology, New Bulgarian University, Sofia.

Dates of Field School Session 1: July 19 - August 02, 2026;

Dates of Field School Session 2: July 19 - August 15, 2026

Minimum length of stay: Two weeks   

Application deadline: Until the places are filled  or until June 19, 2026

Minimum age: 18 (16, if the participant is accompanied by an adult family member)

Number of field school places available: Maximum 12

Project language: English

Academic credits available: Up to 12 ECTS credits are available through New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria. 

Experience required: No previous experience is required. 

Special requirements: Participation in the project is not recommended for individuals with solar allergies or other medical conditions that may be exacerbated by intensive outdoor activities. The average summer temperatures in the area range from 25-40 °C (77 - 100°F) or higher. All participants should bring clothes and toiletries suitable for hot and sunny weather. Participants are also expected to prepare for the dig by reading the recommended readings, which will be sent to them by email before the project begins. Participants will use the tools and equipment available at the site and are not expected to bring any additional equipment. The participants should have medical insurance, including repatriation. The participants should inform the project staff about any health issues, allergies, and food preferences.

The Site and Excavation Project

The archaeological field school at Tell Nenova, located in southern Bulgaria, offers students a unique opportunity to work at one of Europe's largest unexplored tell sites. This large settlement mound, which rises 10 to 12 meters above the modern landscape, preserves an exceptional sequence of human occupation. The current project focuses on the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BCE). Although no specific information about the Early Bronze Age settlement can be provided before the archaeological excavations begin in 2026, the site appears very promising for archaeological fieldwork due to its intact cultural layer.

Excavations of the inner part of the tell are expected to answer questions such as: Were households differentiated? How were private and public spaces used? What was the nature of the ties between households? Did inequality exist? What were the patterns of craft specialization, production, and consumption?

Due to the lack of burial data and scarce published evidence from settlements, crucial information about the nature of EBA societal organization remains elusive. Although prestige goods have been found in tumuli burials, evidence from the plans of a few excavated settlements suggests a largely egalitarian socio-political organization. This is of great importance given the current interest in studying levelling mechanisms and various strategies for social integration. One of the crucial questions at the settlement scale is the possible influence of wheeled transportation on house arrangement and village planning.

The flat surroundings of the tell are also part of the research agenda. Geophysical investigations will reveal whether they are defensive installations, such as ditches, for example. It is unclear if Early Bronze Age (EBA) tell sites in Upper Thrace represented entire villages or central citadels surrounded by lighter auxiliary buildings. While it is highly probable that EBA tells were surrounded by animal pens, workshops and other installations, this remains largely unproven.

The regional archaeological landscape is extremely important as it will provide the context in which the excavation results from Nenova Tell and the surrounding area will be incorporated and interpreted. Geomagnetic investigations at three additional tell sites in the region were recently conducted. The presence of an Early Bronze Age flat site located approximately two kilometers east of Nenova Tell creates opportunities to study the relationship between tells and flat sites. The factors that led to the choice of one type of settlement over another remain largely unclear. This variability in the Early Bronze Age is another understudied aspect of this period. Taking a broader view, DNA evidence from individuals buried in tumuli east of the Nenova tell indicates steppe ancestry. Further evidence will shed light on the patterns of cohabitation, mixture, and mobility of people with different DNA.

During the 2026 excavation season, students and researchers will explore theoretical questions about the use of space, mobility, and contact studies by combining settlement archaeology, 3D documentation, and various scientific methods.

Studying tell sites is an excellent way to learn about past societies and social thinking in general.

The Field School

During the field school, participants will learn how to excavate, document and interpret a prehistoric (tell) site. Moreover, they will get an overview of the later prehistory of the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean as well as cutting-edge archaeological sciences (archaeogenetics, isotopic analyses, etc.) and basic archaeological theories & methods.

This field school provides a unique glimpse into the first global network spanning from Bulgaria to Egypt and Mesopotamia during this time and connecting this region with even more distant regions like Northern and Western Europe, as well as South Asia. In 2026, field school students will participate in the excavation of the buildings from the last Early Bronze Age layers, dating to the advanced 3rd millennium BCE. Faculty and students will work together and explore why and how the Bulgarian tell sites were part of this early transregional network. Moreover, they will learn how the latest scientific approaches enable us to trace human migration, kin groups, nutrition, infectious diseases and even pandemics during this time.

There are two field school sessions available (one four-week session and one two-week session). Each of them covers the following three modules:   

• Lectures and instructions on prehistoric and field archaeology, finds processing and documentation with an emphasis on the Bronze Age

• Fieldwork and workshops, including excavation of the Bronze Age layers and structures, which features practicing basic excavation techniques as well as screening, sifting and flotation; the development of archaeological field documentation by maintaining a field journal daily, filling context sheets and labels, drawing a ground plan/cross-section, 3D positioning of finds, taking coordinates, as well as taking photographs at the site; 

• Excursions to the ancient town of Philippopolis - present day - Plovdiv, including the Archaeological Museum, Old Town Quarter and major Roman monuments; and Stara Zagora, including the Regional Museum of History, Roman monuments and the Museum of Europe's best-preserved Neolithic dwellings (5600 BCE)

Students who are required to prepare field reports and presentations for their universities will receive additional instruction and assistance.

All participants will receive:

• Project Handbook (in PDF version by email)
• Balkan Heritage Field School Certificate specifying the fieldwork hours, educational modules, and sites visited
• T-shirt.

The Team

Prof. Dr. Philipp W Stockhammer, Professor for Prehistoric Archaeology at the Institute for Prehistory and Early Medieval Archaeology at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, Germany & Co-Director of Max Planck Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean (MHAAM).

Assist. Prof. Dr. Bogdan Athanassov, Department of Archaeology, New Bulgarian University, Sofia.

The Program

Session 1 (two weeks) provides a minimum of 80 hours and Session 2 (four weeks) provides a minimum of 160 hours of lectures/instructions, fieldwork and workshops as follows:

SESSIONS 1 and 2

Lectures/ Instructions   

• Who else came to Bulgaria? The advent of Home Erectus and Homo Sapiens to Europe

• The Beginning of Tell Sites in Europe: The Neolithic in the Balkans

• Becoming Rich: The Copper Age in the Eastern Balkans   

• The Innovative 4th Millennium BCE   

• The Early Bronze Age in Anatolia and the Aegean: A New World of Traders?   

• Archaeological Science - Part 1   

• The Early Bronze Age in the Eastern Balkans. Bridging Worlds?   

• Archaeological Science (Part 2)   

• Making Sense of the Data: The Social Life of Objects and Artifact Biographies   

• Biographies of Prehistoric Objects: Case Studies    

• Cultural Encounters, Part 1 – Theory   

• The Middle Bronze Age in the Aegean and in the Eastern Balkans

     

Field Work

• Labeling and collecting finds. Sampling methods  
• Archaeological Excavations First Steps: Laying out a Site Grid, Leveling and Triangulation   

• Total Station Set up and Three-Dimensional Positioning of Finds, Features and Structures   

• Field Journal: Describing Excavation Process, Features and Their Stratigraphic Position   

• Archaeological Photography of Sites and Structures

• Stratigraphy and Formation Processes of the Archaeological Record   

• How to present the work in my trench to the rest of the team?   

• Drawing of Plans and Sections

Workshops

• Photography for Archaeologists
• Finds Processing
• Flotation of Soil Samples
• Pottery and artifact drawing

Guided Tours

• Tour of the Nova Zagora History Museum
• Tour of Plovdiv (the Ancient City of Philippopolis), including the Archaeological Museum, Old Town Quarter and major Roman monuments    
• Tour of Stara Zagora (Ancient Augusta Traiana), including the Regional Museum of History, Roman monuments and the Museum of Europe's best-preserved Neolithic (5600 BCE) dwellings

Reading Background

Travel & Accommodation & Practicalities

Travel

Project venue: Hotel Rio in the town of Nova Zagora (16000 inhabitants). The city is located in central Bulgaria, 260 km/ 161 mi away from the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. The distance from the town to the site is approximately 10 km/5.5 mi,  approximately a 15-minute drive. A daily BHFS shuttle/car service is arranged for the participants to bring them to the site and back to the hotel. 

The recommended air terminal: Sofia (Bulgaria, 260 km/ 161 mi away)

How to get there: All participants will be transported by bus/shuttle from Sofia to the project hotel in Pazardzhik for an additional fee of approximately 40 EUR. 

Visa Requirements: Citizens of the EU, EEA, UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, and New Zealand do not need a visa to visit Bulgaria. Citizens of all other countries may need a visa. The Balkan Heritage Foundation can provide an official invitation letter to facilitate the visa application process at the relevant embassy. For further details, please visit our visa information page. Bulgaria is a full member of the Schengen Area and part of this borderless zone, allowing people to travel between Bulgaria and other Schengen countries without passport checks at land borders. Holders of a valid Schengen visa issued by another Schengen country can enter Bulgaria using that visa

Accommodation & Meals

Accommodation*: In comfortable rooms with two to three beds (bathrooms with shower and WC, TV, A/C and free Wi-Fi) at Hotel Rio. The hotel is located in the central pedestrian and shopping area of Nova Zagora, very close to everything that the town can offer (shops, pharmacies, banks, restaurants, bars, hospitals, cafes, parks, etc.). Single rooms are available upon request for an additional 175 EUR per week. Staying an extra day at the hotel costs 50 EUR (per night per person).

*Subject to change. May be substituted with similar level accommodation.

Meals: Three meals per day are covered by the reimbursement payment. This field school can accommodate vegetarians, but vegan and lactose-free diets are harder to maintain. Kosher and gluten-free diets are impossible to accommodate in this location.

Participants must pay additionally for extra days and single room accommodation, as well as for extra meals, beverages, services and products.

Free Time & Trips

Free time: Possible leisure activities during the siesta and days off in and around Nova Zagora

Technicalities & Practicalities   

Insurance: The reimbursement payment does not cover insurance. Participants must arrange their own health insurance before their trip to Bulgaria. The insurance must cover, as a minimum, the following risks: medical treatment in case of an accident or disease, as well as costs related to evacuation and repatriation. All EU citizens can use Bulgarian medical services, as long as they can provide evidence of their home-country health insurance with a card/certificate, etc.

Weather: South-European (Transitional Mediterranean to Continental) climate with hot summers (30-40° C, 86-104° F) dominates in the region. Rainy and chillier days in this season are rare but not unheard of.

What to bring?

• A pair of working shoes (sneakers, running shoes) and a pair of comfortable shoes for walking/hiking;   
• Clothing suitable for an outdoor working environment: sun-hat and light clothes with long sleeves and legs (protecting from the sun and insects), including a light raincoat (consider weather conditions - hot and sunny, but rain may fall as well);     
• Wide-brim hat;   
• Small backpack (for your water bottle, snacks, camera, etc.)  
  
• Medication - only prescription medication you may need, since you can buy all basic non-prescription drugs in Bulgaria. Make sure to have all your medication in your carry-on luggage while traveling.     
• A converter to an EU-type electricity wall plug if needed.
• A good attitude for work, fun, study and discoveries ;)      
• E-SIM or Data Roaming: We strongly recommend that participants purchase an e-SIM card with mobile internet tailored to their personal needs while in Bulgaria, unless they have coverage through their data roaming plan. While the hotels provide internet access, we cannot guarantee its quality or reliability, which may include interruptions, excessive network load, or potential server issues.

Excavation & documentation tools and materials, as well as working gloves are available at the site!

The Cost  

All field schools are organized as non-profit initiatives by the Balkan Heritage Foundation. The expenses related to participation in the field school, including costs incurred by participants, are financed through reimbursement payments made by the participants themselves.

BHFS project reimbursement payment includes coverage for: educational and fieldwork activities, accommodation and meals, tools and materials, access to project readings, issuance of a Certificate of Attendance, administrative costs, and travel related to fieldwork and excursions included in the program, along with relevant entrance fees.

BHFS project reimbursement payment does not cover: travel expenses to and from Sofia, nor any costs associated with activities not included in the field school program. Additionally, it does not include medical products and services or any expenses related to medical quarantine (such as food delivery or accommodation).

The costs in USD are approximate. Please check current exchange rates!

Early Bird Cost - until January 31, 2026:

Early Bird Cost for a two-week project session is 2399 EUR/ approx. 2800 USD

Early Bird Cost for a four-week project session is 3399 EUR/ approx. 3900 USD

Regular Cost  -  after January 31, 2026:

The Regular Cost for a two-week project session is 2699 EUR / approx. 3100 USD

The Regular Cost for a four-week project session is 3699 EUR/ approx. 4300 USD   

Reimbursement Transfer Options:

- Bank transfer
- Online transfers via the Balkan Heritage virtual POS Terminal. VISA, MASTERCARD & MAESTRO cards are accepted.      
- Wise money transfer

For further information, contact the Admissions Office at: [email protected]!

 Discounts off the regular cost:

* 5% DISCOUNT OFF the regular cost available for:

1. Participation in more than one BHFS project in 2026 (discount applies to the second, third, etc. project).
2. Membership in the Archaeological Institute of America.

* 10% DISCOUNT OFF the regular cost available for:

1. Participation in any BHFS project/s in the past.

* 12% DISCOUNT OFF the regular cost available for:

1. Group Participation (three or more people who participate together in one BHFS project in 2026). The discount is valid for each participant.

* 15% DISCOUNT OFF the regular cost is available for:

1. Group Participation (three or more people, who participate in more than one BHFS project in 2026 (the discount is valid for each participant).
2. BHFS alumni who participate in more than one BHFS project in 2026. (discount applies to the second, third, etc. project).
3. BHFS alumni who attended a full project in the past and returned to the same project.

NOTE: 5% OF EVERY COST FOR THIS PROJECT DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THE BALKAN HERITAGE PROTECTION FUND'S ACTIVITIES!

For more information about scholarships, low-cost flights, hotels, etc., contact us or visit our recommended links.

Academic Credits   

ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credit units are available to students attending European universities or a field school session shorter than 3 weeks. They shall enroll directly through the Balkan Heritage Field School. New Bulgarian University awards 6 ECTS credits for participating in the first two-week session and 12 ECTS credits for attending the four-week session. Transcripts of Records (ToR) are available upon request for an additional tuition fee. For details: Regulations for Obtaining Transcripts of Records. 

Participants in the field school who do not need academic credit units are not expected to pay for them.