Papers (Maritime & Underwater Archaeology) by Dragomir Garbov
Bulletin of the Burgas Museum, Vol. IX, 2024
This text conveys historical and archaeological research to contextualise a glass artefact from t... more This text conveys historical and archaeological research to contextualise a glass artefact from the Saint Nicholas Bay Shipwreck (SNBS), Chernomorets, Bulgaria. The artefact is a fragmented ribbed glass deck prism, an article from a category of relics which has traditionally received little scholarly attention from maritime archaeologists. While no exact
parallels to the SNBS deck prism are known to this author, a review of historical sources and comparative archaeological analysis have assisted in formulating a hypothesis on this object’s key cultural parameters. Further research on the lighting arrangements of Austro-Hungarian
vessels of the Long Nineteenth Century would yield more detailed information and potentially reveal analogues of the SNBS deck prism.
Sailing through History. Reading the Past – Imagining the Future: Proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Boat & Ship Archaeology ISBSA 16, 2024
This paper discusses a shipwreck recorded by the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project. The site... more This paper discusses a shipwreck recorded by the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project. The site lies in 137 m of water on Bulgaria's continental shelf. It represents the remains of a 20-metre-long two-masted wooden sailing ship. Physical evidence was examined against documentary sources in an attempt to contextualise the archaeological site. The vessel is discussed as an early 19 th century bombarde, a light cruiser or armed merchantman typical for the region of Provence, but also built in other parts of the Mediterranean. The shipwreck symbolises the reintegration of the Black Sea in the globalised maritime world of the 'long nineteenth century.'
Archaeologia Bulgarica, 2024
This article reports on the analysis of an archaeological artefact, recovered from the Urdoviza s... more This article reports on the analysis of an archaeological artefact, recovered from the Urdoviza shipwreck, Kiten, Bulgaria, in 2022. The artefact is a 5.4 kg lead sounding weight discovered and recorded in situ on the vessel’s stern cabin floor. Archaeological and multidisciplinary evidence is discussed against comparable cases to assess newly revealed information on the artefact’s biography including its production, use and archaeological deposition within the broader framework of site formation processes of the Urdoviza shipwreck underwater archaeological site. The outcomes of the study reveal the high potential of the mixed methods approach to deliver valuable insights on the variety of events and environmental factors determining the condition of shallow-water shipwrecks and enhance our understanding of the nautical archaeology of the Western Black Sea.
Archaeologia Bulgarica, 2024
This article reports on the archaeological assessment of a shipwreck discovered and recorded by t... more This article reports on the archaeological assessment of a shipwreck discovered and recorded by the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (Black Sea MAP) in 2016. The archaeological site lies in 45 metres of water on the Bulgarian Black Sea continental shelf. It represents the remains of a 19 th-century two-masted wooden sailing merchantman with over 90% of its hull preserved as coherent structure. The analysis is based on non-destructive recording of the underwater archaeological site (acoustic survey and visual inspection). Physical evidence is discussed against archaeological parallels and historical and iconographic sources with the aim to contextualise the shipwreck within Black Sea maritime globalisation of the "Long Nineteenth Century".
With this text I am publishing three identical brass spikes with production stamps, from the hull... more With this text I am publishing three identical brass spikes with production stamps, from the hull of the Saint Nicholas Bay Shipwreck (SNBS). While identical, the stamps were illegible to the naked eye. By deciphering one of them, we were able to establish that they relay the name of the largest Austro-Hungarian private shipyard of the 'Long nineteenth century,' the Technical Establishment of Trieste (Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino, 1857-1929). The production stamps provided the latest terminus post quem for the formation of the archaeological site in Saint Nicholas Bay and a tangible link between the historic ship, as presented in the archaeological record, and the Austro-Hungarian coast of the Adriatic Sea. This paper summarises the archaeology of the SNBS, discusses the fastening system of its wooden hull, analyses the three artefacts and assesses their significance for the interpretation of the underwater archaeological site.
Archaeologia Bulgarica, 2023
We report on the salvage, conservation and archaeological analysis of two cast iron naval guns fr... more We report on the salvage, conservation and archaeological analysis of two cast iron naval guns from the Northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The artefacts were discovered by recreational divers in three metres of water off the beach of Ezerets. They are nearly identical and represent mid-19 th century 12-pounder carronades. The exposed shallow-water nature of the site and the threat of illicit salvage warranted recovery and conservation efforts to ensure their preservation. In December 2022, the guns were salvaged by an archaeological mission of the Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Sozopol, and transported to the Central Laboratory for Conservation of the Bulgarian National Museum of History. After undergoing conservation, the carronades are now displayed in replica carriages as part of the museum's maritime collection.
Известия на бургаския музей, т. VIII, 2022
Регионален исторически музей-Бургас редакционна колегия: главен редактор: проф. д.и.н. Светлозар ... more Регионален исторически музей-Бургас редакционна колегия: главен редактор: проф. д.и.н. Светлозар ЕЛДЪРОВ редактори: проф. д-р Иван ХРИСТОВ проф. д-р Николай НЕНОВ доц. д-р Светла ДАЛАКЧИЕВА д-р Милен НИКОЛОВ съставител: д-р Милен НИКОЛОВ художествен редактор: Яна СЛАВЯНСКА предпечатна подготовка: Цветана ИЛЕВА Нели НИКИФОРОВА-ХРИСТОВА превод: Авторите в изданието Мила МИДЕЛИЕВА корица: Рисунка-графит на бойна галера от края на XIII век от крепостта Русокастро Изданието се реализира по проект, финансиран от Министерството на културата на Република България
International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 2022
ABSTRACT
This article presents a correlation of archaeological and archival evidence on the Saint... more ABSTRACT
This article presents a correlation of archaeological and archival evidence on the Saint Nicholas Bay Shipwreck (SNBS), Chernomorets, Bulgaria. While of limited scope, the 2015 underwater rescue excavations produced sufficient conventional data on the vessel’s chronology and sphere of activity, further supplemented by interdisciplinary studies. These data have been correlated with archival sources for ten shipwrecks in the Gulf of Burgas, revealing a close historical parallel of the SNBS to the Italian barquentine Alleanza (ex-Nicolo of Austria-Hungary), built in Fiume in 1865 and driven ashore near Burgas on 8 November, 1875. Deeper investigation provided for a detailed reconstruction of Alleanza’s turbulent career and wrecking, uncovering further analogies and contributing to a hypothesis for identification.
Heritage , 2022
We report on the interpretation of a late medieval Eastern Mediterranean glazed ceramic vessel wi... more We report on the interpretation of a late medieval Eastern Mediterranean glazed ceramic vessel with sgraffito decoration depicting a sailing ship. The artefact represents a chance find that was recovered outside the excavation area of the Ropotamo underwater archaeological excavations on the Southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in 2017. Fragments of late medieval sgraffito-decorated ceramics with depictions of sailing ships are rare. Complete examples can be considered exceptional. The Ropotamo artefact is of particular interest due to the freehand execution of its decoration, which suggests some understanding of contemporary ship proportions and seafaring practices on behalf of the artisan. The specimen is analyzed against similar artefacts and discussed in the context of maritime graffiti from the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean regions. The aim is to establish its potential for studying archaeological ceramics and evaluate the extent to which the decoration reflects aspects of Eastern Mediterranean maritime culture of the late Byzantine and early post-Byzantine periods. More research is required to appreciate the full potential of the Ropotamo artefact. A hypothesis for origin, dating and significance has been proposed. However, due to a shortage of published parallels, it may be subject to further refinements in the future in case more stratified similis are identified.
Proceedings of the National Museum of History, 2021
International Journal of Nautical Archaeolgy, Jul 2021
The Saint Nicholas Bay Shipwreck (SNBS) lies in 4 m of water near Chernomorets, Bulgaria. The wre... more The Saint Nicholas Bay Shipwreck (SNBS) lies in 4 m of water near Chernomorets, Bulgaria. The wreck was studied in a rescue excavation in 2015. Design and construction point to the second half of the 19th century and Mediterranean European provenance. Analysis of fastenings attributes the ship’s origin to the Adriatic coast of the Austro-Hungarian Empire linking its construction with the prominent shipyard Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino. Archival research reveals that the wreck may be one of several vessels, built between 1863 and 1869. The SNBS provides a valuable perspective on the globalization of Black Sea seafaring during the ‘long 19th century’.
Garbov, D., Georgieva, Z., Levanic, T., McIlfatrick, O., Panayotov, M., Tsavkov, E., Tsvetanov, N., Velkovsky, K., 2021: Unravelling the Saint Nicholas Bay Shipwreck: A Multidisciplinary Approach Archaeologia Bulgarica, 2021
We report on procedures and analyses undertaken in relation to the initial discovery, and the pos... more We report on procedures and analyses undertaken in relation to the initial discovery, and the post-processing of data on the Saint Nicholas Bay Shipwreck, Chernomorets, Bulgaria. The methods applied include geophysical remote sensing, dendrochronological and anatomical analysis of ship’s timbers, RTI imagery for deciphering a series of illegible production stamps, and X-ray fluorescence analysis on non-ferrous fastenings. The above were crucial to the investigation, contributing to the discovery of the archaeological site, the establishing of its chronology and principal materials, and revealing of its association with the private Austro-Hungarian shipyard Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino. Thus a rare opportunity was created for further archival research to identify the Saint Nicholas Bay ship and unravel the history of her career and wrecking.
Papers (Nautical History) by Dragomir Garbov
Bulletin of the Burgas Museum, Vol. IX, 2024
This text discusses newly discovered sources on 14 historic shipwrecks of foreign sailing ships, ... more This text discusses newly discovered sources on 14 historic shipwrecks of foreign sailing ships, which occurred in the Gulf of Burgas marine area during the Long Nineteenth Century. For the purposes of the current study the period under discussion is limited between the “reopening” of the Black Sea for foreign shipping after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774), and the withdrawal of Ottoman administration from the present-day Bulgarian Black Sea coast after the Treaty of San Stefano (1878), and the ensuing decline of merchant sail in the West. A review of the history of seafaring on the Black Sea and the Gulf of Burgas marine area, and a high-level statistical analysis of historic ships and shipwreck events contribute to an improved understanding of our maritime history and the conditions of seafaring in the Gulf of Burgas during the Golden Age of Sail. The technical details of historic ships as published in this study can prove invaluable for historical identification of newly discovered coastal or underwater archaeological sites.
Bulletin of the Burgas Museum, 2024
This short note translates a French epistolographic source containing a description of Burgas dur... more This short note translates a French epistolographic source containing a description of Burgas during the Crimean War (1853 – 1856). The source is a letter from the personal correspondence of the then 32-year-old French cavalryman Lieutenant Isidore Henry Bailloeuil of the 1st Chasseurs d’Afrique colonial regiment, stationed in Burgas from the 3
September to 25 September 1854. The regiment was pulled out of the main allied naval base at Varna due to the 1854 cholera epidemic and spent 22 days in Burgas until it was embarked on transports and landed on the Crimean Peninsula. Lieut. Bailloeuil’s letter provides a lively and humouristic account of his three weeks in Burgas including some remarks on the town, its surroundings and its people. It relays the unbiased view of an European who did not travel to the western coast of the Black Sea for the purpose of writing about it, but arrived there due to circumstance, which underscores its objectivity.
Proceedings of the National Museum of History, Vol 36: National Museum of History 50th Anniversary Collection, 2023
Маргарита Попова, Станимир Първанов зА еДИН тИП СлАбо ПозНАтИ КеРАмИчНИ АНтРоПомоРфНИ фИгУРКИ от ... more Маргарита Попова, Станимир Първанов зА еДИН тИП СлАбо ПозНАтИ КеРАмИчНИ АНтРоПомоРфНИ фИгУРКИ от КъСНИя еНеолИт Мартин Христов еДИН злАтеН НАКРАЙНИК от РАННАтА бРоНзовА еПохА от фоНДА НА НИм Иван Христов, Стефан Велев ПРоУчвАНе НА АНтИчНИ РУДНИцИ зА ДобИв НА злАто в оКолНоСтИте НА АПолоНИя ПоНтИКА Илия Киров СтРоИтелНА КеРАмИКА от АКвАтоРИятА НА меСАмбРИя ПоНтИКА Людмил Вагалински мРАмоРеН жеНСКИ тоРС от АКРоПолА НА хеРАКлея СИНтИКА Ангелос Гугудис КеРАмИчНИ лАмПИ (V-VII в.) от КРеПоСттА хРИСоСотИРА До гР. чеРНомоРец Константин Константинов обеКт № 41 във въНшНИя гРАД НА ПлИСКА-четИРИДеСет гоДИНИ По-КъСНо
Известия на бургаския музей, т. VIII, 2022
Регионален исторически музей-Бургас редакционна колегия: главен редактор: проф. д.и.н. Светлозар ... more Регионален исторически музей-Бургас редакционна колегия: главен редактор: проф. д.и.н. Светлозар ЕЛДЪРОВ редактори: проф. д-р Иван ХРИСТОВ проф. д-р Николай НЕНОВ доц. д-р Светла ДАЛАКЧИЕВА д-р Милен НИКОЛОВ съставител: д-р Милен НИКОЛОВ художествен редактор: Яна СЛАВЯНСКА предпечатна подготовка: Цветана ИЛЕВА Нели НИКИФОРОВА-ХРИСТОВА превод: Авторите в изданието Мила МИДЕЛИЕВА корица: Рисунка-графит на бойна галера от края на XIII век от крепостта Русокастро Изданието се реализира по проект, финансиран от Министерството на културата на Република България
Известия на Бургаския музей, 2021
Регионален исторически музей-Бургас редакционна колегия: проф. д.и.н. Светлозар ЕЛДЪРОВ-главен ре... more Регионален исторически музей-Бургас редакционна колегия: проф. д.и.н. Светлозар ЕЛДЪРОВ-главен редактор; проф. д-р Иван ХРИСТОВ; проф. д-р Николай НЕНОВ; доц. д-р Светла ДАЛАКЧИЕВА; д-р Милен НИКОЛОВ съставител: д-р Милен НИКОЛОВ, РИМ-Бургас художествен редактор: Яна СЛАВЯНСКА корица: Хипотетична реконструкция на английския барк Хелпмийт, претърпял корабокрушение през м. ноември 1875 г. при н. Зунарита (Кюприя), дн. гр. Приморско.
Short Papers (Field Research - Maritime) by Dragomir Garbov
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Papers (Maritime & Underwater Archaeology) by Dragomir Garbov
parallels to the SNBS deck prism are known to this author, a review of historical sources and comparative archaeological analysis have assisted in formulating a hypothesis on this object’s key cultural parameters. Further research on the lighting arrangements of Austro-Hungarian
vessels of the Long Nineteenth Century would yield more detailed information and potentially reveal analogues of the SNBS deck prism.
This article presents a correlation of archaeological and archival evidence on the Saint Nicholas Bay Shipwreck (SNBS), Chernomorets, Bulgaria. While of limited scope, the 2015 underwater rescue excavations produced sufficient conventional data on the vessel’s chronology and sphere of activity, further supplemented by interdisciplinary studies. These data have been correlated with archival sources for ten shipwrecks in the Gulf of Burgas, revealing a close historical parallel of the SNBS to the Italian barquentine Alleanza (ex-Nicolo of Austria-Hungary), built in Fiume in 1865 and driven ashore near Burgas on 8 November, 1875. Deeper investigation provided for a detailed reconstruction of Alleanza’s turbulent career and wrecking, uncovering further analogies and contributing to a hypothesis for identification.
Papers (Nautical History) by Dragomir Garbov
September to 25 September 1854. The regiment was pulled out of the main allied naval base at Varna due to the 1854 cholera epidemic and spent 22 days in Burgas until it was embarked on transports and landed on the Crimean Peninsula. Lieut. Bailloeuil’s letter provides a lively and humouristic account of his three weeks in Burgas including some remarks on the town, its surroundings and its people. It relays the unbiased view of an European who did not travel to the western coast of the Black Sea for the purpose of writing about it, but arrived there due to circumstance, which underscores its objectivity.
Short Papers (Field Research - Maritime) by Dragomir Garbov
parallels to the SNBS deck prism are known to this author, a review of historical sources and comparative archaeological analysis have assisted in formulating a hypothesis on this object’s key cultural parameters. Further research on the lighting arrangements of Austro-Hungarian
vessels of the Long Nineteenth Century would yield more detailed information and potentially reveal analogues of the SNBS deck prism.
This article presents a correlation of archaeological and archival evidence on the Saint Nicholas Bay Shipwreck (SNBS), Chernomorets, Bulgaria. While of limited scope, the 2015 underwater rescue excavations produced sufficient conventional data on the vessel’s chronology and sphere of activity, further supplemented by interdisciplinary studies. These data have been correlated with archival sources for ten shipwrecks in the Gulf of Burgas, revealing a close historical parallel of the SNBS to the Italian barquentine Alleanza (ex-Nicolo of Austria-Hungary), built in Fiume in 1865 and driven ashore near Burgas on 8 November, 1875. Deeper investigation provided for a detailed reconstruction of Alleanza’s turbulent career and wrecking, uncovering further analogies and contributing to a hypothesis for identification.
September to 25 September 1854. The regiment was pulled out of the main allied naval base at Varna due to the 1854 cholera epidemic and spent 22 days in Burgas until it was embarked on transports and landed on the Crimean Peninsula. Lieut. Bailloeuil’s letter provides a lively and humouristic account of his three weeks in Burgas including some remarks on the town, its surroundings and its people. It relays the unbiased view of an European who did not travel to the western coast of the Black Sea for the purpose of writing about it, but arrived there due to circumstance, which underscores its objectivity.
Awarded 2nd place in the Young Scientist Awards for best poster presentation.
Volume 1 of PARCS opens with an article by the 2013 Eugene Schuyler Lecturer, Prof. Dennis Hupchick. Th e article, entitled "James F. Clarke: Pioneer of Bulgarian Historical Studies in the United States," was presented in the aula magna of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in March 2013 and is most suitable for the inaugural volume of
PARCS. Prof. Clarke was an American pioneer in Balkan studies; his family was involved in missionary and diplomatic service in the region since the later 19th century.
All other papers in this volume spring from a two-day conference organized by ARCS, October 25–26, 2012, Communications and Commerce in the Balkans from Alexander
the Great to Alexander Battenberg. The papers present case studies of issues concerning the agents and organization of communication and commerce (private, State/military), the mechanisms of communication and commerce (e.g., rivers and ports, roads and highway stops, vehicles, marketplaces, information media, travel times), and the objects of exchange (e.g, agricultural goods and raw materials, finished goods, information and practices). The work of thirteen scholars are presented here; the chronological range begins in the classical period and ends in the late Ottoman period.
Thanks to the America for Bulgaria Foundation for the funding of the conference and volume.
CONTENTS
Preface to Volume by Eric C. De Sena
JAMES F. CLARKE, PIONEER OF BULGARIAN HISTORICAL STUDIES IN THE UNITED STATES by Dennis P. Hupchick (2013 Eugene Schuyler Lecture) 7
Communications and Commerce in the Balkans from Alexander the Great to Alexander Battenberg. Proceedings of Conference at ARCS, October 2012
PLACES, INSTRUMENTS AND ARTIFACTS OF EXCHANGE ALONG THE SOUTHWESTERN BLACK SEA COAST IN THE ROMAN PERIOD by Hristo Preshlenov, National Institute of Archaeology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 22
BARBARIANS AND THE BLACK SEA IN THE ROMAN PERIOD: A BRIEF HISTORY by Artur Błażejewski, University of Wroclaw 34
THE DANUBIAN DILEMMA: CONDUITS AND OBSTACLES IN UPPER AND LOWER MOESIA by Daniel Weiss, University of Virginia 42
NORTH TO SOUTH ALONG THE DANUBE: COMMERCE BETWEEN BRAŞOV AND VIDIN IN THE 15TH CENTURY by Snezhana Rakova, South-West University of Blagoevgrad 54
THE TABULA PEUTINGERIANA: A CHANGING VALUE FOR THE INTERPRETATION
OF ROMAN ROAD NETWORKS AND ANCIENT TOPOGRAPHIES ALONG THE MIDDLE AND LOWER STRYMON by Dragomir Garbov, New Bulgarian University 59
THE VIA EGNATIA – THE MOST ACTIVELY USED OVERLAND ROUTE IN THE BALKANS by Liliana Simeonova, Institute of Balkan Studies & Center of Thracology – BAS 73
ACCESS OF HEAVY-LOAD VEHICLES IN PAUTALIA, SERDICA, PHILIPPOLIS AND NICOPOLIS AD ISTRUM by Dimitrina Popova, Institute of Art Studies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 78
ARCHAEOLOGICAL COMPLEXES NEAR PCHELAROVO VILLAGE, KARDZHALI REGION: AN EMPORIUM FROM THE HELLENISTIC AND ROMAN ERAS? by Zdravko Dimitrov, National Institute of Archaeology with Museum, BAS 88
THE SILK ROAD: RELIGION, WAR AND TRADE by Ivan Stancioff , Karin Dom Foundation and Albina Valieva-Khairullina, Independent Scholar 97
THE ARMENIANS. TRADERS AND FRIENDS OF FREDERICK BARBAROSSA IN THE BALKANS DURING THE THIRD CRUSADE (1189-1190) by Elena Koytcheva, Institute of Balkan Studies with Centre of Thracology, BAS 106
TRADING IN EMPRESSES: THE POLITICS OF MATRIMONIAL EXCHANGE BETWEEN
BYZANTIUM AND BULGARIA IN THE 13th AND 14th CENTURIES
by Jake Ransohoff , Harvard University 114
OTTOMAN COMMERCIAL REGULATIONS DURING THE TANZIMAT PERIOD (1839–1876). LEGISLATION REFORMS AND THEIR APPLICATION IN THE TOWN OF RUSÇUK
by Ivelina Masheva, Sofia University, Faculty of History 124
LANGUAGE CONTACT, BILINGUALISM, AND COMMUNICATION IN THRACE AND MOESIA INFERIOR, 1ST–4TH Centuries AD: EPIGRAPHIC MONUMENTS FROM BULGARIA by Dimitar Iliev, University of Sofia 135
Heritage NSW is inviting people with a recognized interest in the study and preservation of historic shipwrecks to join its Wreckspotters Program. The program aims to establish a body of trained local maritime archaeology enthusiasts to provide first-hand advice on the condition of known maritime archaeological sites and report new local discoveries. Wreckspotters will be chosen based on their local knowledge, enthusiasm and geographical spread.