The studies of Antiquity in Bulgarian historical science have a long tradition since the foundation of Sofia University in 1888. Unfortunately, we have to admit that they have been largely devoid of scientific debate in terms of theoretical and methodological framework. The new millennium has added to the traditional disciplines of history, archaeology, numismatics, and epigraphy other key aspects of the interdisciplinary approach, such as archaeometric studies and digital humanities. With this background in mind, the team of the project “Measuring Ancient Thrace” (КП-06-Н50/3 from 30.11.2020) has organised an international scientific conference on the topic:

“Researches of Ancient Thrace between Traditionality and Modernity: Theoretical Aspects and Scientific Methodology”

The conference will be hosted at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Faculty of History, with invited speakers on key subjects. The conference is funded by the BNSF, Project № КП-06-МНФ/44 from 19.12.2023.

The aim of the conference is to provoke the scientific debate on traditional and new methodological approaches to the study of Antiquity and Ancient Thrace in particular. The discussion will be innovative for Bulgaria and for the research of ancient Thracian history, since after the establishment of Thracology as a historical discipline in the early 1970s such deliberate debates have not been held in Bulgarian historiography.

The conference will focus on the impact of the digital age on the understanding and interpretation of ancient Thrace. Discussions will be provoked on theory and methodology in the four key disciplines of historical knowledge – ancient history, archaeology, numismatics, epigraphy, but also in archaeometric research, and their relationship to digital technologies.

Part of the conference program and discussions is a workshop on ancient forgeries.

A separate workshop is dedicated to the results of the “Measuring ancient Thrace” Porject and the future developement of the Thracology in a digital environment.