Varna

! Balkans as being an ever --changing part of the world in both poli7cal and social means, witnessed many dras7c changes during the 20 th century whose effects are s7ll evident and causing widespread changes again in both social and economical structure of the region. Balkans witnessed rise and fall of the empires, great catastrophes, dilemmas, hatred and noble acts throughout history, but 20 th century earned its importance among the other moments in history.

The Black Sea Port-city in the Road of Modernization. The First Modern Attempts in Varna during the 1840s – 1870s. – in: Port cities of the Western Black sea coast and the Danube. Economic and social development in the long nineteenth century. Edited by Constantin Ardeleanu and Andreas Lyberatos. Black Sea History vol. I, Ionian University, Greece, 2015, pp. 214–224

Ivan ROUSSEV


Summary: Modernization is an important change in social life and marks the transition from traditional to industrial society. The process began in Western Europe during the Industrial Revolution and the political revolutions of the 18th century, mainly the French revolution (1789–1799), and reached the Balkans and the Black Sea region in 19th century. Especially for the Black Sea region the most important factors stimulating the process were the removal of the monopolies in the Ottoman Empire and the beginning of large grain-export toward the Mediterranean and West European ports at the end of the 1830s. Being the biggest port-city of the Western Black Sea, Varna wasn’t an exception to the rule. On the contrary, the history of the town during the 1840s – 1870s is full of interesting attempts to modernize the local economy and city life: trade was modernized as some limited joint-stock companies were set up and a trade on commission introduced; city-planning and architecture were improved; transport and communications were developed with the project for diligence track between Varna and Russe; the railway reached Varna; the town became the main station of the first telegraph line crossing the Black Sea region; for the first time the Varniotes could enjoy some modern entertainments like the casino, etc. But modernization wasn’t always that well welcomed in Varna. There were also cases in which it led to misunderstanding and failure – for example, the project of building a new large town port, unrealized until the beginning of the 20th century.

The paper is based on different sources: travel notes, newspapers from this period, archives, including unknown reports and correspondence of foreign diplomats (consuls) living in Varna during the 1840s – 1870s.

Keywords: Modernization, Varna, Black Sea region, consuls, trade

‘Varna’ is a much-misunderstood concept. It is often equated with the ‘caste’ and the ‘caste system’ and is considered as the root cause of discrimination and oppression present in Indian society. Yet, a thorough examination of Hindu scriptures will clearly reveal that the scriptural conception of Varna has no resemblance to the present practice of caste system.

Изложението в книгата е изградено въз основа на собствени проучвания на автора, на привличане на информация от обемна историческа изворова база от домашно и чуждо естество, а също и на резултатите от публикации на други изследователи на варненското минало. Приложеният накрая списък на ползваните извори и литература може да послужи като добър ориентир за желаещия да прочете и да научи повече за варненската история през османската епоха.

In India's great epic the Mahabharata, the eighth book, "Karna", recounts the events that occurred during the mighty hero Karna's two days as general of the Kaurava army. This second volume resumes on the war's seventeenth and penultimate day. This will be a momentous day for the Bharata clans and especially for a number of their most distinguished heroes, with some of the epic's most telegraphed events reaching their climax. Not only will the epic's most anticipated duel between its greatest champions Arjuna and Karna be played out to its cruel and tragic end, but one of the more gruesome episodes in the epic will also take place with Duhshasana meeting the fate that has long waited him since his brazen maltreatment of Draupadi in the assembly hall. It is co-published by New York University Press and the JJC Foundation.

In essence and function, the heraldic sign tamgha of the Proto-Bulgarian ruler clan Dulo is a sign of ownership with one primary-basic function-the possession, and two secondary-derived and additional functions-the representative (representative) and the protective (apotropheic). Khan Asparuh ordered the tamgha of the Dulo clan to be carved on a suitable stone to be built over the main gate of the Belgorod Fortress as a sign that there is a descendant of the Dulo clan, who is also a ruler, a khan of the entrusting Proto-Bulgarian tribes. He directed the repair of the Drustress fortress and ordered the tamgha of Dulo clan to be carved on the fortress walls. The wall in front of the village of Byala, Varna district is the last and the most southern wall that Khan Asparuh builds. On it the tamgha of the Dulo clan is carved between two Runic letters, so the whole inscription translates as The State of Dulo. The urns with the ashes of the khans and their wives from the First Bulgarian Kingdom are stored in a special pit into the most hidden underground tunnel connected to the palace of Khan Krum. The title канартигин is formed on the basis of the Proto-Bulgarian expression *каган-ирт-тикин, literally "prince-after-kagan", i.e. "crown prince".

La collana "Filosofia e Scienze Sociali" nasce con l'intento di riproporre il ruolo pubblico e sociale insito nelle origini storiche della riflessione filosofica per la sua natura interdisciplinare e intende presentare contributi volti a far emergere la relazione tra studi scientifici, etici, sociali e culturali e la necessaria complementarità tra la conoscenza degli esperti e la conoscenza comune.

Amca Hasan Ağa Vakfı, 17. yüzyılın ikinci yarısında Köprülü Mehmed Paşa’nın kardeşi Amca Hasan Ağa tarafından, Prevadi’ye bağlı Yenipazar Kazası’nın köylerinden olan Kozluca’da kurulmuştur. Vakfa bağlı başlıca kurumlar Kozluca’daki cami, medrese, mektep, çeşme, dükkânlar, han, hamam; Kara Hüseyin Köyü’ndeki cami; Varna’daki debbağhane, Rusçuk ve Devne’deki değirmenlerdi. Vakfiyesi –en
azından- 19. yüzyıldan itibaren bulunamadığından vakfın hangi şartlar çerçevesinde ve ne zaman kurulduğu tam olarak tespit edilememektedir. Bilindiği üzere sosyal tarih açısından büyük önem taşıyan vakfiyeler, vakıflar hakkında bütünden parçalara doğru daha kolay ve güvenilir bir çalışma yapmaya imkân vermektedir.
Ancak üzerinde çalışılan vakfın şayet vakfiyesi yoksa ilgili vakıf hakkında yalnızca farklı ve dağınık kaynaklarda tespit edilen bilgiler ışığında çalışma yapmak mümkün olabilmektedir. Bu da parçalardan hareketle bütüne varmayı gerektirmektedir. Bu çalışmada zorunlu olarak ikinci yol izlenmiş, vakfiyesi henüz bulunamayan vakıfla ilgili arşiv ve diğer birinci el kaynaklardan istifade edilerek söz konusu vakıf
hakkında derli toplu bilgi verilmeye çalışılmıştır.

Amja Hasan Agha Waqf (foundation) was established in Kozluca (Suvorovo) which was one of the villages of Yenipazar (Novipazar) in Prevadi in the half of the 17th century by Amja Hasan Agha who was the brother of Grand Vizier Köprülü Mehmed Pasha. The main institutions of waqf were mosque, madrasah, school, fountains, shops, caravansary, public bath in Kozluca; the mosque in Kara Hüseyin
village; tannery in Varna; mills in Rusçuk and Devne. As there was no charter of waqf at least from the 19th century, it could not be determined when the building of the waqf had been established and under which circumstances it had established. As it is known, the charters of wakqs which have great importance of the social history give opportunities to do an easier and more reliable study about waqfs from whole to the parts. If a waqf doesn’t have a charter itself, it can only be possible to study through the lihgts of knowledges which are derived from different and scattered sources. This requires going from parts to whole. In this study the second way was obligatorily
followed and well-organized knowledge about the mentioned waqf is tried to be given by using the archives about it and the other original sources.

‘Varna’ is a much misunderstood concept. It is often equated with the ‘caste’ and the ‘caste system’ and is considered as the root cause of discrimination and oppression present in the Indian society. Yet, a thorough examination of Hindu scriptures will clearly reveal that the scriptural conception of Varna has no resemblance to the present practice of caste system.

SULTAN II. MURAD’IN HAÇLILARLA MÜCADELESİ – VARNA VE KOSOVA SAVAŞLARI  Öz Çelebi Sultan Mehmed’in yerine altıncı Osmanlı sultanı olarak devletin başına geçen II. Murad, 30 yıllık iktidarı boyunca başta Bizanslılar olmak üzere birçok Avrupa ülkesinin oluşturduğu Haçlı ordularıyla mücadele etmek zorunda kalmıştır. Özellikle Papa ve Macarların başını çektiği Haçlı devletleri, Osmanlıları tamamen Avrupa’dan atmak için birçok teşebbüste bulunmuşlardır. Avrupa’da Alman İmparatoru ve Macaristan Kralı Albert'in ölümünden sonra işbaşına gelen Kral Vladislas ve Jun Hudyad, Osmanlılara karşı bir takım başarılar kazandılar. Kazandıkları savaşlar, onları daha büyüğü için hareket etmeye ve Avrupa’nın diğer devletlerini de onlara destek olmaya sevk etti. Böylece uzun süredir düşündükleri Türkleri Avrupa’dan atma hayalini gerçekleştirebileceklerini düşünmeye başladılar. Bu amaçla da geniş katılımlı büyük bir haçlı ordusunu hazırlamaya çalıştılar. Amaçları Türkleri başta Avrupa’dan atmak ve daha sonra Anadolu içlerine kadar ilerlemek olan Haçlılar, iki büyük seferi organize ettiler. Bunlar; Varna ve Kosova savaşlarıdır. Bu makalede Sultan Murad’ın Haçlılara karşı mücadelesi ve bu kapsamda Birinci Varna ve İkinci Kosova savaşları ele alınacaktır.  Anahtar kelimeler: Haçlılar, II. Murad, Varna, Kosova 


 

Sultan ıı. Murad’ın Haçlılarla Mücadelesi – Varna ve Kosova Savaşları 

The Journal of Academic Social Science Yıl: 4, Sayı: 28, Temmuz 2016, s. 14-28


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STRUGGLE OF SULTAN MURAT II. WITH THE CRUSADERS - BATTLES OF VARNA AND KOSOVO  Abstract Murad II  succeeded Sultan Mehmed I (Çelebi Sultan Mehmed) as the sixth Ottoman Sultan had to fight against the Crusaders consisted of many European countries and led by the Byzantines during his 30 years of reign. Particularly, the Pope and the Crusader states led by the Hungarians, attempted many times to remove Ottomans from Europe completely. King Vladislas and Jun Hudyad who came to power after the death of the German emperor and king Albert of Hungary in Europe, won a number of successes against the Ottomans. The wars they won led them to move for bigger one and also led other states of Europe to support them. Therefore, they began to think that they can realize their dream of removing Turks out of Europe. For this purpose, they tried to prepare a large crusader army with the broad participation. The Crusaders whose main goals were to remove the Turks out of Europe and then to move into Anatolia, organized two big battles. These are: Varna and Kosovo Battles. In this article, Sultan Murad’s struggle against the Crusaders and First Varna and Second Kosovo Battles in this regard will be discussed. Key Words: Crusaders, Murad II, Varna, Kosovo

Книгата представя пред читателя един изключително ценен исторически извор – френски атлас за Кримската война (1853–1856), появил се като луксозно издание по заповед на император Наполеон III само две години след края на войната. Поместени са 4-те карти от атласа, представящи похода на френската армия през източните български територии и даващи информация за над 600 обекта (селища, топоними, исторически забележителности) – всичките те описани, преведени и коментирани на страниците на тази книга. Книгата ще е интересна и полезна както за интересуващите се от военна история, така и за любителите на старите карти.

Varna and the Crimean War. During the Crimean War, Varna – the biggest city and the most important port on the western coast of the Black Sea, turned into an important strategic centre of the military operations. On 29 May 1854, the three commanders-in-chief of the allied armies – the French, the British, and the Ottoman, met in Varna in order to coordinate their action plan against the Russian offensive towards the fortress of Silistria. At the end of June 1854, about 60.000 soldiers were quartered in and around Varna. The stay of a numerous army in Varna and the region during the Crimean War and the need to feed it and provide it with all the necessary supplies allowed the more enterprising local tradesmen and businessmen to make use of the favourable situation and quickly accumulate significant wealth. However, the sojourn of French and British troops in and around Varna in expectation of the military operations, the cholera, and the fire of 1854-55 brought about numerous cases of tension between the allied forces and Varna’s city administration and population. Based on documents, the chapter presents the history of Varna during the war.
The Telegraph during the Crimean War. Several modern inventions and innovations are associated the Crimean War. One of them is the electrical telegraph. In 1855, the French and the English built telegraph lines linking the headquarters of their armies on the Crimean Peninsula with the seats of the two governments – in Paris and London. The lines passed through Varna – the main port city on the Western Black Sea coast, and point of departure of the allies for the Crimean Peninsula. Although it might sound strange, it was the war that ‘brought’ the telegraph – the most modern means of communication of the time, to the Balkans and in the Ottoman Empire. And this happened very soon after its use became widespread in the rest of Europe. Undoubtedly, the construction of the electrical telegraph in the area of combat operations during the Crimean War was a chapter in the modernization of the Balkans and the Western Black Sea coast. Based on documents, the chapter presents the construction of the telegraph in the Balkans, the Black sea area and the Crimean Peninsula during the war.

In traditional Indian societies, the Caste system is seen as an agency of social stratification. On the basis of the Caste system, the people in Indian societies are categorised as- Brahmin, Kshatrya, Vaishya and Sudra. Thus, the Caste is considered as a dominating system in Indian societies, especially among the Hindus. In understanding caste, an ambiguity is seen that people usually use the two termsVarna and Jati interchangeably to refer the caste system. But these two terms has their specific meaning. Therefore we can’t interchangeably use these two terms. Hence, this article is an attempt to break the ambiguity between the, varna and jati. Moreover, we can’t properly understand the Caste, alienating it from its relatives with whom the caste keeps intimate relation. Further, the relatives with whom it interacts, made the caste a perpetuate one in Indian societies by reproducing the same. Hence, this article is an attempt to understand the caste with its relatives such as- Endogamy, Division of work, Punishments, the ideology of purity and pollution and Gender.

Ivan Roussev. About the Chronology and some Discussion Questions about the Emergence and Use of the Telegraph during the Crimean War (1853–1856).
Abstract: The paper presents the history of the telegraph lines constructed during the Crimean war (1853–1856). In 1855, the French and the English built telegraph lines linking the headquarters of their armies on the Crimean Peninsula with the seats of the two governments – in Paris and London. The lines passed through Varna – the main port city on the Western Black Sea coast, and point of departure of the allies for the Crimean Peninsula. In fact, these are the first telegraph lines in this part of the Balkans and the Black Sea region, the first in the Ottoman Empire at all. That's why the topic has already attracted attention of many diplomats, politicians, authors from the epoch and contemporary researchers. Some of the issues related to the first appearance of the telegraph in the Bulgarian lands have already been clarified, but others remain debatable. The reason is the lack of enough documentary sources about the appearance of the first telegraph lines and the fact that sometimes the information in the French, English, Turkish and Bulgarian sources differs. The role of the contemporary historian is based on the widest possible range of testimonies of the time to try to reconstruct the historical picture. This is the main purpose of this article: to clarify the chronology and attempt to clarify (as far as possible from the distance of time) the controversial issues concerning the emergence and use of the telegraph during the Crimean War (1853–1856).
Key words: the telegraph lines, Crimean war (1853–1856), Black Sea region, Ottoman Empire, Varna, French consuls, Bulgarian lands, Bulgarian National Revival Period

Social order and harmony have been issues of consistent concern for the ṛṣi-s and authors of dharmaśāstra. Unlike the modern society, the dharma traditions did not conceive of a society in terms of utopian concepts like equality and egalitarianism, which when taken to its logical conclusion promote sameness and destroy diversity. Instead, Hindu dharma tradition recognized diversity as being ingrained in the very structure of the universe, destroying which is neither fully attainable nor desirable. Thus, instead of seeking to destroy diversity, dharma traditions conceived a social order wherein diversity was not only recognized as a fundamental reality of the human society, but was also nurtured and allowed to flourish and called this conceptual framework “varṇa vyavastha”. As Frawley (2014) notes: “The Vedic concept of ‘varṇa-dharma’—reflects an organic and ecological model of society that is universal and quite appropriate for the dawning planetary age… In this Vedic idea, human society follows the same organic order as the human body, which mirrors the order of the entire universe. Like the human body, human society should be one in nature, but differentiated according to functions .”
Though varṇa, a misunderstood concept, is often equated with caste and discrimination, a thorough examination of dharma traditions reveals how at its very core, the framework of varṇa is all about creating a social order that facilitates individuals to live according to their inner temperaments and pursue their own unique paths to self-actualization. Varṇa upholds diversity and promotes meritocracy. The very term varṇa is derived from the verbal root word ‘vr’, which means “to choose”. Shastry (2011) describes varṇa as: “Unique descriptor tags, unique features which can be used for identification of individual entity for a specific identity .” Thus, varṇa can be understood either as a reference to the svadharma (personal duty/purpose of life) chosen by each individual in his/her life according to his/her svabhāva (inherent nature) or more appropriately as a descriptor tag referring to the svabhāva that drives people to spontaneously choose particular paths of life as their svadharma. This interplay of svabhāva and svadharma allow us to develop a conceptual framework of varṇa, which facilitates each member of the society to pursue their unique paths to success, prosperity and self-actualization.
The paper will first briefly explore the meaning of varṇa in the context of their descriptions available in some of the prominent Hindu texts and its function in the Hindu framework of Purusharthas. The role of varṇa will also be explored in the context of svadharma and viśeṣa dharma.
The paper will then utilize the interplay between svadharma and svabhāva to identify three key elements in a conceptual framework of varṇa, namely:
a. Identification of the different temperaments of individuals
b. Classification of people at a conceptual (not social) level into different groups according to different temperaments as per their inherent nature and capacity
c. Enunciation of different duties/actions/paths of life most suitable/applicable to each group, such that people belonging to all the groups can attain overall wellbeing by performance of those duties
The paper will then enunciate how only a merit based social order founded on the conceptual framework of varṇa can facilitate self-actualization of people while preserving diversity. In addition, a correlation between Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and the Hindu framework of Purusharthas will be presented to demonstrate how an individual’s svadharma lies in attaining self-actualization. Furthermore, a brief account contrasting varṇa with jāti and Caste, highlighting how varṇa is a conceptual framework, while the latter two are references to social structures will be presented.

The paper critically explores the growing hegemony and annihilating violence of caste and Varna in the academia, especially in the context of the institutional caste killing of Rohit Vemula at Hyderabad Central University in Feb 2016. The Varnasramadharma caste Hindu world view of Brahmanism is consolidating in the context of the rise of the Hindu Nationalist party at the centre and in many states.  The authoritarian state promotion that is given to the cultural Nationalist and spiritual fascist formations and hegemonic elitist discourses are also on the rise.  Saffronisation of textbooks and Sanskritisation of Indian academia are critically contextualised.  The genealogies of caste and Varna in the socio cultural formations of India are traced and the prices of Hinduisation of the public sphere, culture and polity evaluated.  The resistance to cultural Nationalist and spiritual fascist discourses in India from the organic intellectuals, people’s leaders and collective movements are also pursued.
Key Words:
Caste, cultural Nationalism, fascism, Brahmanism, Saffronisation, Jati, Varna, Asramadharma, Dhamma, Sudra, Chaturvarnyam, Avarna, dalit bahujan, Amana, Chamana, Sramana, Tamilakam, Vanchi, Nalanda, Manimekhalai, Mandal, Hinduisation, Ambedkarism, Neo Buddhism etc.

Aesop's fable “Momus the Fault-Finder” is shown to reflect Dumézil's theory of Indo-European Trifunctionality in its depiction of Zeus', Poseidon's and Athena's triad of “beautiful” creations. Momus' criticisms of the three gifts are indirect expressions of the manner in which the three functions interact to constitute an ordered whole.

This paper presents the achievements of, and the perspectives for, research on the history of Varna during the Ottoman period (from the 15th to the 19th C.). The historical sources that provide information on the subject are discussed in detail: Ottoman, Greek, Bulgarian, periodicals, foreign sources, and consular correspondence. The first written accounts on the history of the city are also taken into consideration. To a certain extent, they also play the role of historical sources on the subject. An overview is made of the topics on which scientific research is still to be done. The conclusion is drawn that in the future the history of Varna during the Ottoman period should be explored by analyzing all available historical sources in a comprehensive and unbiased way, and taking into account the diversity of the city's population in the period.
Keywords: Varna, Ottoman period, historical sources – Ottoman, Greek, Bulgarian, periodical, foreign sources, consular correspondence
JEL Code:N9, N1

ACADEMIC AUTONOMY – CAUSE AND ACHIEVEMENT OF THE HIGHER SCHOOL OF COMMERCE - VARNA (1920–1945)
Prof. Dr. Sc. I v a n R u s e v
Abstract

The study investigates the evolution of the Higher School of Commerce - Varna in its struggle to obtain formal state regulation and greater academic autonomy. The first step was taken with the drawing up, discussion and adoption of the regulations and the syllabus of the School, approved on 28 September 1920 by order of the Ministry of Trade. A new turning point in the development of the educational institution was the Law on Public Education of 1924, which - for the first time in the history of Bulgarian legislation - regulated the existence of higher economic education – the legal basis for the operation of HSC - Varna, by virtue of which the latter passed from the administration of the Ministry of Trade into the administration of the Ministry of Public Education. Based on the new Law there were drawn up and adopted the Regulations of 1925. On the following year – 1926 – there began the efforts to enact a Bill on the HSC, which took its teaching staff many years and strenuous intellectual labour. The model followed was that of Sofia State University, and the legal grounds - the passed laws on the higher economic educational institutions that emerged later on. Since the end of 1936, in the drafted laws in Varna there were methodically and consistently included several new and very significant demands: to change the name and expand the educational profile, to open new departments, to introduce a departmental structure, etc. Eventually, the reform was achieved, after the Rector Prof. Stancho Cholakov became Minister of Education. The nationalization and the introduction of the new structure of the Academy of Varna was conclusively accomplished with the "Decree" promulgated on 4 August 1945. At last the long-pursued reform was a fact and it opened a new period in the development of the educational institution.
Key words: academic autonomy, Higher School of Commerce – Varna, higher
economic education, interwar period (1920s – 1940s)

It is a widely shared opinion that local governments had limited power in the new Balkan states at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. While this was also true for Bulgaria, this paper tries to show that holding positions in the local government and especially in the District councils proved to be very beneficial for big landowners in Northeastern Bulgaria prior to the Balkan Wars. The District councils provided powerful leverage to shape local policies in areas such as agriculture and infrastructure and also helped its members form influential political networks. While Bulgarian government policy focused mainly on industry in that period, local institutions, under the tutelage of the big landowners, served as a channel through which to divert some state funds towards agriculture, especially in areas like Dobrudja where large estates predominated.

Here is an extract from the volume, where Pallikonda Manikanta interrogates how the ‘enemy image’ is constructed against Dalits, Muslims and Christians through the discourse propounded by the Brahminical RSS, extending his insights to the recent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
https://indianculturalforum.in/2021/02/27/shudra-consciousness-caa-protests/

The Shudras: Vision for a New Path, edited by Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd and Karthik Raja Karuppusamy, and published by Penguin
https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/The_Shudra/V34fEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=shudras&printsec=frontcover

This article surveys all lids known so far from the Venetian pharmacy “Alla Testa dʼOro” stamped with the year “1603”, which fall into two subtypes: original А.І.1. (Таб. І) and imitations А.ІІ.1 (Таб. ІІ). he lids from the second subtype are round lead plates measuring 35 mm in diameter, weighing about 20 – 25 g, often with a preserved side edge 5 – 8 mm wide. The man’s head in profile to the right, characteristic for this pharmacy, is depicted on the external surface in a circle of about 23 mm in diameter; the depiction is rather disproportionate and primitive with the Latin letter “V” behind the nape. A rough, unidentifiable symbol in the shape of an elongated hoop with rays at the top is placed in front of the face. Another letter – “k” – is outlined between the hoop and the chin. There is a horizontal line below this composition, which closes the bottom part of the raised circle. The year “1603” with a dot on either side, marked at different levels, is positioned rather asymmetrically and unevenly in this space. Outside this circle there is an irregular inscription with quite a few mistakes. The few sections that have survived intact, though illegible, contain Latin and Cyrillic letters, and make the following reading: (ТЕРIᴧСᴧE IINA·ᴧLᴧ·TEƧTᴧCIOPO·I·VVIIVГТ). Parts of a laurel wreath, together with the ribbons with which it is tied, can be recognized at places along the periphery around the inscription. The laurel wreath is fairly stylized and it is not possible to identify its type. On the inside, the lids often have a small bud in the centre – a technological defect in casting.
As early as 2003 Prof. Valentin Pletnyov published 6 lids of this subtype from Varna and he pointed out that five of them were absolutely identical not only with each other, but also with other lids from Bulgaria. This suggests that they must have been cast in the same mould and manufactured at the same place within a relatively short period of time. This observation has been validated through a specific graphic-comparative method by overlaying triangles on 6 reference points and measuring the inner angles. In summary the following conclusions can be drawn:
1. On the territory of present-day Bulgaria the famous cure-all theriac was traded in containers stamped with the seal of the Venetian pharmacy “Alla Testa dʼOro”.
2. The most commonly found lids for theriac containers from this pharmacy have the year “1603” stamped at the bottom, below a man’s head – 23 in total so far.
3. Based on metric, stylistic and sphragistics features this type is further subdivided into two – referred to below as “original” (3 pieces), (Таб. І), and “imitations” (20 pieces), (Таб. ІІ), designated accordingly as subtype А.І.1 and subtype А.І.2. The term “original” is rather hypothetically used and has to do with the more distinct image and the angle comparison with the only one, to the best of my knowledge, original lid. It is a matter of further investigations to ascertain whether these are originals manufactured in Venice or merely closer imitations.
4. Most of the theriac lids found in Bulgaria belong to the А.І.2 imitation subtype. They are rough imitations, fairly grotesque in appearance with uneven inscription of various letters and symbols. The text on all of the lids of this subtype is identical, exhibiting the same mistakes in the letters and the positioning of the inscription itself. Apart from the obviously repetitive stylistic and graphic features, the comparison of the angle deviations among several reference points proves that all the lids of this subtype were cast in similar moulds. They have been found in almost the whole of present-day Northern Bulgarian lands, where in fact most of the items were localized, not so many in South Bulgaria and in some of the ports along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast (Обр. 4). Single lids of this subtype, of uncertain origin, are on sale in various actions, and they may as well originate from Bulgaria (Таб. ІІІ). So far, the only collective find, containing some defective pieces as well, was found in the town of Varna.
5. These observations provide grounds in support of Valentin Pletnyov’s hypothesis that Varna among all places was the most likely manufacturing centre for this type of lids and that they could be dated to the 17th c. The dating, however, remains an open issue, as the determined chronological reference points span quite a longer period from the early 17th to 1815.

The mosaics in the monastery at the Djanavara Hill archaeological site in present day Varna, Bulgaria, and mosaics found in early Christian churches in present day Syria, Israel, and Jordan have a shared cultural relationship. Their craftsmanship, materials, and imagery are among the traits that represent this connection. This paper explores the commonly accepted dating of the site and the potential link between the immigrant craftsmen of the Djanavara mosaics to Syrian communities in or beyond the Roman frontiers. The monastery at Djanavara Hill is generally believed to be a 5 th – 6 th century early Christian church that contains unique mosaics and is of unusual construction. The uncommon floor plan of the church is made up of a single-nave edifice with four rectangular two-storied premises projecting north and south of it, a short narthex, a colonnaded atrium, and a semicircular apse, which is not projecting out of the church as is typical of all other churches on the Balkans. In addition to the peculiarity of the construction, the church contained a set of three reliquaries of marble, silver, and gold, which held the bones of an unknown saint, possibly the church's patron. The church also contained a synthronon, indicating it was a possible Episcopal seat in the region. The stunning mosaics at the site are made up of marble, limestone, gneiss, and terracotta: showing numerous designs and practices of tesserae involving different colors. According to Professor Aleksander Minchev of the Varna Regional Museum of History, " the mosaics were executed simultaneously by at least two masters or groups of artisans, which used different patterns when decorating the room floors. " The mosaics depict geometric patterns with erudite borders made up of various flora and fauna, though the chalices depicted in one of the mosaics are rare. Minchev, who excavated the site in 1997 and 2007, believes that the mosaics should be dated to the beginning of the 6 th century A.D. In the 5 th and 6 th century there was a large Syrian religious community in ancient Odessos. This community was part of a pattern of emigrants from the region, and is confirmed through numerous grave inscriptions that mention rich merchants, shipowners , and Christian priests of eastern origin. The impact of this immigrant community leaving Syria, possibly due to persecution, and injecting their skill into the material culture of ancient Odessos heightened the art of Bulgarian mosaics. In addition to research in the written sources, the author's fieldwork and participation in the excavation of the monastery at Djanavara Hill in 2017 and creation of a virtual heritage site for the monastery is the basis of the exploration and analysis of the shared cultural relationships between the Syrian immigrants in Odessos and Syrian communities in and beyond the Roman frontiers. As more mosaics are ripped out of the ground and sold on the black market by Islamic State each day, the importance of studying these mosaics and their impact is critical.

Les premiers pas de la pénétration consulaire française en Bulgarie : le consulat de Varna. – in : Enjeux politiques, économiques et militaires en mer Noire (XIVe – XXIe siècles). Edudes à la mémoire de Mihail Guboglu. Sous la direction de Faruk Bilici, Ionel Cândea, Anca Popescu, Braïla (Roumanie), 2007, p. 677-702.

Ivan ROUSSEV

Résumé: L’article présente l’histoire du consulat français à Varna pendant le 19e siècle. C’est la première résidence consulaire française sur le littoral ouest de la mer Noire, crée encore en 1802 mais sans être instaurée dans la ville pontique pendant la première période de son existence (jusqu’au 1814) à cause de difficultés différentes – des guerres, l’instabilité à l’intérieur du pays (des émeutes des ayans), la manque de motivation des consuls français de voyager pour Varna. La deuxième période dans l’histoire du vice-consulat français à Varna commence aux années 1840 grâce aux nouvelles meilleures conditions pour commerce des grains dans la région.

La recherche est réalisée sur une riche base des documents, conservés aujourd’hui dans les fonds des Archives diplomatiques du Ministère des Affaires étrangères de la République Française à Paris et du Centre des Archives diplomatiques à Nantes.

A very rare coin is published in this brief paper – a silver tetradrachm of Mithridates VI Eupator, king of Pontus (120-63 BC). The coin was found in 1967 on the hill fort ‘Chirakman’ near the town of Kavarna, Varna region. The issue is dated to the 5th month of Year 222, i.e. February 75 BC. It was struck with dies D21 / R1 according to Prof. F. de Callataÿ’s corpus.

Source: http://morskivestnik.com/compass/news/2019/082019/082019_47.html?fbclid=IwAR27REj3Jm6O-r-h6ht2fnfOl1DUmIJqr88w_4Rbu903PUYjp8CcQSFNpbI  (25.08.2019г., 11:47ч.).

http://morskivestnik.com/compass/news/2019/082019/images/L-Vasilev-25082019.pdf  (25.08.2019г., 11:52ч.).

The article review one very rare late Roman bronze coin  - follis of the co-emperor of Licinius I(308-324) - Aurelius Valerius Valens(316-317) from Varna(Northern Bulgaria,Black Sea area).Copy from single find.

nâmeden ibâretti. Özellikle Criacus'un mektup-lar›, bat› vesîkalar› aras›nda her fleyden önce resmî bir hüviyet tafl›d›¤› için, konu ile ilgili en önemli belge ni-teli¤indeydi. Fakat bugün ortaya ç›km›flt›r ki,-Ahmedî'nin "‹skender-nâme"sindeki "Osmanl› Târihi" k›sm› bir yana b›rak›l›rsa-, günümüze intikâl etmifl en eski Osmanl› vekâyî-nâmesi olan Za'îfî'nin manzum "Gazavât-nâme"si de (1) en az Cyriacus'un mektuplar› kadar mühimdir. Çünkü bugüne kadar "kay›p" zannedilen bu gazavât-nâme de kral›n "sulh"ü onaylad›¤›n› muâs›r bir görgü flâhidinin diliyle tasdik eden, o dönemden kalma kesin bir vesîka de¤erindedir.

The article presents some basic historical data evidencing the long, almost continuous participation of Varna in the trade between the East and the West that has been known as the ‘Silk Road’ for centuries (from the Antiquity till the beginning of the Modern Age). The main purpose of the article is to prove that Varna has always had great, central significance not only for the trade within the Black Sea Basin, but also in the economic processes of a larger region connecting the East and the West.
Keywords: Varna, Silk Road, the Italian city republics, Black sea Basin, history of the trade.

Abstract: In this article a review and an analysis is made of the movement of goods (import and export) and ships (number, tonnage, crews) through port Varna in the 1850s - 1870s on the basis of the reports of the brothers Adolphe-Salvator and Emmanuel-Marius Tedeschi, who exercised the functions of Austrian, French and Belgian consuls in Varna. In the third quarter of the 19th century the port in Varna turns to a débouché of the central and northeastern Bulgarian lands, of one big part of today’s North and East Bulgaria, which was known to the Europeans from this epoch with the collective name Bulgaria. The good recognition of the traffic through port Varna in the 1850s–1870s gives a good and precise idea of the trade in the main part of the Bulgarian lands in general. This period is significant because of the raised trade interest of Europe in the Balkan provinces of the Ottoman Empire, which increased sensibly after the removal of the monopoly on grain and the conclusion of the trade conventions in 1838–1846 between the Ottoman Empire and 13 countries in Europe.
Key words: port of Varna, trade, Ottoman Empire, consul, consul report, import, export, goods, ship

Jotirao Phule born in 1827 into a family of gardener (mali) caste in Maharashtra. A caste which eventually had a very distinct position in the Maharashtrian society that particularly in that point of time because of the fact that these members lived closely by cultivation and selling fruits and flowers and thus, was largely concerned with rural cultivation and also with a large market in the urban. Jotirao Phule's selected writings tends to be very useful in understanding the cultural and social milieu of 19th century. The caste system continued to be a belief that human beings are organized in a hierarchy ordained by divine indulgence which is one of the more abandoned and challenging areas of India social history. Phule seems to endure as one of the few prevailing and significant voice that particularly transformed the history of Dalit discourses in India. Jotirao Phule's writing precisely in Ghulamgiri (Slavery), Shetkaryacha Asud (Cultivator's Whipcord), Jati (Caste) and Dharma (Religion) played a vital role in terms of intellectual and academic output that worked as a voice of marginalized people in the society during the 19th century. Phule's writing is very much restricted to a kind of anti-Brahmanical in nature. His understanding of the social structure during the 19th century was a sort of anti-Brahmanical in nature and further suggesting how influential were Brahmans during that particular retro. This paper will precisely focus on looking into the social implications and the extrapolations focused by the Phule over the underprivileged sections and his replication on the problems of caste. At the same time also focuses on understanding how Phule treated class-based discernment and how education as suggested by Phule a key factor in permitting class-based discrimination during the 19th century.

JEUNESSE C. (2016) Recension de : KLIMSCHA  Florian (2016) – Pietrele 1: Beile und Äxte aus Stein; Distinktion und Kommunikation während der Kupferzeit im östlichen Balkangebiet, Bonn, R. Habelt (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Archäologie in Eurasien, 34). Bulletin de la Société préhistorique française Tome 113, numéro 4, octobre-décembre 2016, p. 834-836.

Here are presented the two most famous and monumental Ottoman fountains in the city of Varna during the 19th century. The fountains were built as a part of the mass restoration of Varna ordered by the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Mahmud II after the complete destruction of the city during the Russo-Turkish War from 1828-1829.
The first fountain was called Mahmud’s fountain and was built at the city center to commemorate the Ottoman Sultan and the rebuilding of the city. The monumental scale of the fountain was impressive with its 11 meters height along which there was an inscription in golden Ottoman letters praising the Sultan and his deeds. Unfortunately, the monumental fountain was torn apart at the beginning of 20th century, but some parts still remain intact and can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Varna.
The second Ottoman fountain was called The Harbor fountain or Skele kapi fountain. Built at the same time, it was situated next to the Harbor gate of Varna. The
Harbor fountain was made of white marble and was perhaps the most richly decorated fountain in the city and nevertheless not quite small with its height of almost 5 meters. At the beginning of the 20th century the marble fountain was moved to the Sea garden and again later on at coastal alley of Varna. Today, the beautiful and slightly renovated fountain can be still seen there.

The following article presents a metal tray with an engraved inscription, expressing the gratitude of the Bulgarian citizens of Varna towards the Russian Imperial commissioner in Bulgaria Кnyaz Dondukov-Korsakov. The text commemorates the inauguration of the first Bulgarian civic councils in the city after the Liberation – 23 October 1878. The author begins by presenting the tray as an object and then follows the fate of the city from the
end of the Russo-Ottoman war (1877 – 1878) till the complete liberation of the city. By summarizing the already publish materials on the topic and looking into the press releases from that time, the author tries to shed light on the importance of the date for Varna and its Bulgarian citizens; the solemn reception of knyaz Dondukov-
Korsakov around that time in Varna; and the actual presentation of the tray to the Russian representative on 3 March 1879.