Tell Yunatsite Excavations – Seeking Europe's First Civilization

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 archaeology and the history of the eastern Mediterranean and Europe during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods.   

The excavation started: 1939; The field school started: 2013

Site: Prehistoric tell next to the village of Yunatsite, Southern Bulgaria.   

Periods in the project's focus: Final Neolithic/Chalcolithic, Early Bronze Age

Project venue: Hotel Primavera in the district town of Pazardzhik, Bulgaria.

Major field school topics/activities: Archaeology of Neolithic and Chalcolithic Europe;  Excavations of the Final Neolithic/ Chalcolithic (4900 – 4100 BCE) strata of Tell Yunatsite; Prehistoric warfare and ceramics; Archaeological field techniques and methods for excavation and documentation, processing of finds and samples; Excursions to significant heritage sites in Bulgaria.

BHF partners in this project:    

• Tell Yunatsite Excavation Team from the National Archaeological Institute with Museum
• Pazardzhik Regional Museum of History;   
• New Bulgarian University (Bulgaria);   
• Center for Field Sciences

Dig director: Associate Prof. Kamen Boyadzhiev (PhD in Archaeology), National Archaeological Institute with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences   

Dates of Field School Session 1: July 04 - 18, 2026; 

Dates of Field School Session 2: July 18 - August 01, 2026

Dates of Field School Session 3: July 04 - August 01, 2026

Minimum length of stay: Two weeks   

Application deadline: Until the places are filled  or until June 04, 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.    

Visa Note: Citizens of the EU, EEA, UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand do not need entry visas for Bulgaria. Those from countries not specified should check in advance if they require entry visas for either or both countries, and any associated costs will be the responsibility of the participants.

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, at а minimum, the BHFS handbook, 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.

WATCH STUDENT TESTIMONIALS!

The Site and Excavation Project

During the 7th and 6th millennia BCE, the Balkan Peninsula was a gateway through which farming, animal husbandry and Neolithization spread from Anatolia and the Near East to Europe. This new population gradually settled down and became familiar with the surrounding region, suitable agricultural areas, raw materials, etc. In the 6th millennium BCE, their economy, social organization, trade and cultural contacts evolved and reached their peak in the 5th millennium BCE. At the beginning of the 5th millennium BCE, the earliest metallurgy in European and global prehistory (the processing of copper and, soon after, gold) appeared in the Balkans. Thus, this period is known as the Copper Age, Chalcolithic, Eneolithic, or Final Neolithic.

The continuous habitation of the same suitable places during these millennia led to the formation of a settlement phenomenon, characteristic of Near Eastern and Balkan prehistory – the multilayered tell-sites.

Tell Yunatsite is located near the modern village of Yunatsite in Southern Bulgaria. It is among the largest tells in Europe, with a diameter of approximately 110 m / 360 ft and a height of 12 m / 39 ft above the modern surface. Tell Yunatsite was first excavated in 1939 by the Bulgarian archaeologist Vasil Mikov. In 1976, regular excavations were restarted and have continued to the present day. The current field school will be held for the twelfth year in 2026, and it is a cooperation between the Balkan Heritage Foundation (BHF), the Regional Museum of History in Pazardzhik, the Tell Yunatsite Excavation Team from the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Center for Field Sciences.   

To date, approximately one-third of the tell has been excavated, which has yielded a rich collection of archaeological materials. There is a medieval cemetery at the top of the tell, followed by a Roman period level, two Iron Age levels, a thick layer consisting of 17 levels dated to the Early Bronze Age, and finally a Chalcolithic layer with at least 6 levels attested so far. It is unknown if the cultural history of the tell begins in the Chalcolithic/Final Neolithic period or whether older Neolithic occupation layers exist. 

The archaeological field school takes place at Tell Yunatsite's lowest excavated layer, which corresponds to the time of Europe’s first prehistoric civilization in the 5th millennium BCE. The intensive study of these very first complex societies in Europe began 40 years ago with the excavation of the Chalcolithic necropolis in Varna on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It is during this time that metal processing became widespread, and it is also the earliest date for this transformative technological innovation. Data suggests that it is the world’s earliest mass production of both copper and gold (the world’s oldest gold treasure was found in the Chalcolithic necropolis in Varna).

Recent excavations at Tell Yunatsite indicate that the Chalcolithic/Final Neolithic period settlement covered an area far larger than the tell itself and consisted of an upper town (acropolis?) and a downtown district. The uptown section was surrounded by a five-meter-wide clay wall and a broad and deep ditch. Buildings in this part were placed close to each other, creating an almost unbroken urban fabric. The Chalcolithic/Final Neolithic settlement experienced a violent event ca. 4,200-4,100 BCE. There is evidence of a massive massacre and deliberate destruction by outsiders, as many skeletons of children, elderly men, and women were found scattered on building floors. Those who survived returned and resettled at the tell, but soon even they left. At that point, Tell Yunatsite and the area around it were abandoned for more than 1,000 years. 

Excavations in the last years have shed new light on the stratigraphy and development of the Chalcolithic/Final Neolithic and brought new interesting discoveries, such as architecture techniques, subsistence practices (including large amounts of charred grains and even fruits), trade connections, and various crafts. Among the most spectacular finds are a golden bead, predating the Varna I cemetery, and a couple of golden amulets, which are among the earliest golden artifacts in the world.

The Field School

The project aims to provide participants with a theoretical background on the development of Neolithic cultures in Southeastern Europe, with a focus on the Final Neolithic/Chalcolithic periods, and with practical experience in excavating a complex prehistoric tell-site.

This field school provides a unique glimpse into the rise and fall of arguably the earliest European civilization. In 2026, field school students will participate in further excavation of the buildings from the burned Final Neolithic/Chalcolithic layer. Faculty and students will work together and explore why and how one of the earliest proto-urban centers in Europe emerged at the beginning of the 5th millennium BCE, and what the reasons were that caused its collapse 800 years later.

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 Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods
• Fieldwork and workshops, including excavation of the Final Neolithic/Chalcolithic 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 Pazardzhik Regional Museum of History; 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

Associate Prof. Kamen Boyadzhiev (PhD in Archaeology), National Archaeological Institute with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences  

Valeri Petrov (M.A. in Archaeology). Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Viktoria Haleva, PhD student in Archaeology at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

Nikolay Alexandrov, PhD student in Archaeology at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.  

Brent Whitford, PhD student in Anthropology, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, USA.   

Orlene McIlfatric (PhD), Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, British Institute at Ankara

The Program

Session 1&2 (two weeks) provide a minimum of 80 hours and Session 3 (four weeks) provides a minimum of 160 hours of lectures/instructions, fieldwork and workshops as follows:

SESSIONS 1, 2 and 3 

Lectures/ Instructions

• Rise and Fall of Europe's Earliest Civilization in the Fifth Millennium BCE
• Tell Yunatsite: Environment, History and Excavations   

• Emergence of Early Farming in the Near East and Europe: Causes and Consequences   

• Warfare in Prehistory

• Basic Field Methods and Practices for Excavation and Documentation at Tell Yunatsite   
• From Field to Storage: Review of Basic Methods for Uncovering, "First Aid", Consolidation in Situ, Cleaning, Sorting, Labeling, Documenting and Storing of Ceramic Artifacts
• Introduction to the Field Journal; Contextual Sheets, Log Book and Other Record Forms

Field Work

• Use of Excavation Tools
• Practice of Basic Excavation Techniques
• Identification of Archaeological Contexts
• Creation of Field Documentation - Field Journal, Context Sheets and Labels, Ground Plans and Cross-sections, Photographs, etc.

Workshops

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

Guided Tours

• Tour of the Pazardzhik Regional Museum of History
• 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   

REQUIRED READINGS

Anthony D. (ed.). The Lost World of Old Europe. The Danube Valley, 5000 - 3500 BC. New York University and Princeton University Press, 2010.

Aslanis, I. Settlement Patterns in the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age: the Case of the Prehistoric Settlement of Yunatsite, Bulgaria. – In: Neolithic and Copper Age between the Carpathians and the Aegean Sea. S. Hansen, P. Raczky, A. Anders, A. Reingruber (eds.). DAI, 2015, 395-402 (Archäologie in Eurasien, 31).

Balabina, V., T. Mishina. Considering the Destruction of the Latest Eneolithic Village at Tell Yunatsite – In: Boyadzhiev, Y., S. Terzijska-Ignatova (eds.) - The Golden Fifth Millennium. Thrace and Its Neighbour Areas in the Chalcolithic, Sofia 2011, 39-47.

Boyadziev, Y. Chronology of Prehistoric Cultures in Bulgaria. – In: Bailey D. and I. Panayotov (eds.). Prehistoric Bulgaria. Monographs in World Archaeology № 22, Madison, Wisconsin 1995, 149-191.

Boyadziev Y. Chalcolithic Stone Architecture from Bulgaria - Archaeologia Bulgarica VIII, Sofia 2004, 1-12.

Boyadzhiev, Y. Tell Yunatsite: Development and Absolute Chronology of the Settlements from the Beginning of the Chalcolithic to the Early Bronze Age. – In: Neolithic and Copper Age between the Carpathians and the Aegean Sea. S. Hansen, P. Raczky, A. Anders, A. Reingruber (eds.). DAI, 2015, 381-394 (Archäologie in Eurasien, 31).

Boyadzhiev Y.,  Boyadzhiev K. Tell Yunatsite: Archaeological studies and perspectives. Balkan Heritage Studies, 2, 2022.

Boyadzhiev, K. et al. The Late Copper Age building BII-21B at Tell Yunatsite, south central Bulgaria. – Studia Praehistorica, 17, 2023, 133-216. ISSN 0204-9880 (Print), ISSN 2815-2697 (Online)

Boyadzhiev K. et al. New data on the earliest metallurgy of gold: gold artifacts from tell Yunatsite, Southern Bulgaria. – Archaeologia Bulgarica, XXIX, 1 (2025), 1-23.

Deopik O.D. Tell Yunatsite. The Bronze Age, Vol. 2, Part 1 (Moscow, 2007). (In Russian; a summary in English is available after each chapter.)

Merpert N. J. The Problem of Transition from the North Balkan Aeneolithic to the Early Bronze Age in the Upper Thracian Valley – In: Europa Indo-Europea, Roma 1994, 41-50.

Todorova N., Mazanova V. Late Chalcolithic Ceramic Style at Yunatsite Tell (Approach to the Systematization of the Ceramics from the Newly Excavated Levels) – In: Nikolova L. (ed.) - Technology, Style and Society. BAR International Series 854, Oxford 2000, 331-361.

Zäuner, S. The Dark Side of the Chalcolithic. Evidence for Warfare at Tell Yunatsite? An Anthropological Approach – Boyadzhiev, Y., S. Terzijska-Ignatova (eds.) - The Golden Fifth Millennium. Thrace and Its Neighbor Areas in the Chalcolithic, Sofia 2011, 49-56.

RECOMMENDED READINGS

Boyadzhiev K. Development and Distribution of Close Combat Weapons in Bulgarian Chalcolithic - Studia Praehistorica 14, Sofia 2011, 265 – 281.

Boyadzhiev Y. Ethnocultural Interrelationships in the Lower Danube Area during the Second Half of the Sixth and the First Half of the Fifth Millennium BC (According to Evidence from Cemeteries) - Studia Praehistorica 14, Sofia 2011, 205 – 223.   

Boyadzhiev Y., Boyadzhiev K., Brandtstätter L., Krauß R. Chronological modelling of the Chalcolithic settlement layers at Tell Yunatsite, Southern Bulgaria. – Documenta Praehistorica, XLVIII, 2021, 2 – 25, DOI> 10.4312\dp.48.5

Grant J., Sam Gorin and Neil Fleming. The Archaeology Coursebook: an Introduction to Themes, Sites, Methods and Skills. Routledge, 2008.

McIntosh, J. Handbook to Life in Prehistoric Europe. New York, 2006.

Merpert N. J. Bulgaro-Russian Archeological Investigations in the Balkans. Ancient Civilisations from Scythia to Siberia – In: International Journal of Comparative Studies in History and Archeology, Vol. 2, N 3, Leiden 1995, 364-383.

Todorova N. The Ornamentation of Late Chalcolithic Pottery from Yunatsite Tell, Pazardzhik District - – In: Nikolova L. (ed.) Early Symbolic Systems for Communication in Southeast Europe.BAR International Series 1139, Oxford 2003, 291-311.

Travel & Accommodation & Practicalities

Travel

Project venue: Hotel Primavera in the district town of Pazardzhik (45000 inhabitants). The city is located in Thrace, southern Bulgaria, 100 km/ 62 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, 100 km/ 62 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 Primavera. The hotel is located in the central pedestrian and shopping area of Pazardzhik, 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 (organic Bulgarian homemade food) per day are covered by the reimbursement payment. During the workdays, all meals usually take place at the site. The meals during the weekends (except the brown-bag lunches during the excursions) take place at the hotel’s restaurant. 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 Pazardzhik are: swimming in the public swimming pools, hiking in the Rhodopi Mountains, wine-tasting, visiting local tourist sites, traveling by the narrow gauge train to Velingrad (popular spa and wellness town) or shopping and sightseeing in the neighboring city of Plovdiv.

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 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 2299 EUR/ approx. 2660 USD

Early Bird Cost for a four-week project session is 3299 EUR/ approx. 3820 USD

Regular Cost  -  after January 31, 2026:

The Regular Cost for a two-week project session is 2599 EUR / approx. 3010 USD

The Regular Cost for a four-week project session is 3599 EUR/ approx. 4170 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 return 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. please feel free to contact us or look at 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. 

To obtain US credits for the four-week session, apply and enroll directly through the Center for Field Sciences (CFS), USA. 

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