“Researches of Ancient Thrace between Traditionality and Modernity:
Theoretical Aspects and Scientific Methodology”
11 – 13 April 2024, Sofia, Bulgaria
Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
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.
11.4.2024, Thursday
9:00-9:30 REGISTRATION: Sofia University, North Wing, 2nd Floor, Conference Hall
9:30-10:00 WELCOME ADDRESSES
Moderator: Prof. Dr.Sc. Dilyana Boteva, President of the Organizing Committee
Section Ancient History
SESSION 1
Moderator: Prof. Dr.Sc. Mirena Slavova
10:00-10:30 | The history of ancient Thrace between tradition and modernity Peter Delev (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) (plenary) |
10:30-11:00 | Analyzing the texts of the ancient (and not only the ancient) authors: some methodological aspects Dilyana Boteva-Boyanova (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) (plenary) |
11:00-11:20 | The ‘early state’ and its main characteristics Tsvetelin Stepanov (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) |
11:20-11:40 | The history of ancient Thrace, a field for methodological experimentation and epistemological reflection Alienor Rufin Solas (Lorraine University) |
11:40-12:00 DISCUSSION
12:00-13:30 Lunch break
SESSION 2
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Peter Delev
13:30-13:50 | Treasuring the Ostentatious Past: Sensationalism, Historical Figures, and Identity Claims Athanasios Sideris (Charles University, Masaryk University) |
13:50-14:10 | Tertullian, de Anima 46 in the Context of Orphism: The Myth of the Dreaming Kronos and a Reconstruction of Aristotle’s Eudemus Franziska van Buren (KU Leuven) |
14:10-14:30 | The legendary beginning in the polis ideology in Thrace Ivo Topalilov (Institute of Balkan Studies and Center of Thracology) |
14:30-15:00 DISCUSSION
15:00-15:15 Coffee break
Section Epigraphy & Linguistics
SESSION 3
Moderator: Prof. Dr.Sc. Dilyana Boteva
15:15-15:45 | Measuring the Otherness: Non-Greeks among Greeks in Apollonia Pontica Mirena Slavova (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) (plenary) |
15:45-16:15 | Old and new approaches in epigraphy Nicolay Sharankov (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) (plenary) |
16:15-16:35 | Ethne Thrakon in ancient Greek and Latin authors – What’s in a name? Maria Gabriella Parissaki (National Hellenic Research Foundation, Institute for Historical Research) |
16:35-17:00 DISCUSSION
17:00-17:15 Coffee break
SESSION 4
Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivo Topalilov
17:15-17:35 | A database of Thraco-Bithynian epigraphic evidence in Bithynia Onur Türkay, Ergün Laflı (Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi) Stefano Magnani (University of Udine) |
17:35-17:55 | Structured metadata for the digital corpora of ancient epigraphic monuments from Bulgaria Dimitar Iliev (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) |
17:55-18:15 | Unraveling the Threads of Thrace: A Text Mining Expedition in Pliny’s Natural History Kristiyan Simeonov (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) |
18:15-18:45 DISCUSSION
19:30 Reception (Sofia University, Rectorate, Central Foyer)
12.4.2024, Friday
Section Archaeology
SESSION 5
Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivan Valchev
9:00-9:30 | The employment of digital tools in the study of ancient Thrace Despoina Tsiafaki (Athena Research Center (Athena RC) (plenary) |
9:30-10:00 | Semata. Unlocking strategies of visual communication in zones of cultural interaction in Thrace during the archaic and classical periods Veronika Sossau (Basel University) (plenary) |
10:00-10:20 | Assessing the line of sight and prominence of monuments in a regional context: quantitative methods and the thousand mounds of Yambol Adela Sobotkova (Aarhus University) |
10:20-10:40 | The excavation of precolonial Thasos (Limenas): a contribution to the history of Early Iron Age Thrace Maguelon Bastide (Ecole française d’Athènes) |
10:40-11:10 DISCUSSION
11:10-11:20 Coffee break
SESSION 6
Moderator: Assist. Prof. Dr. Juliy Emilov
11:20-11:40 | A Newly Found Inscribed Block from Emporion Pistiros: A Boundary Marker or a Tombstone? Emil Nankov (NAIM-BAS) |
11:40-12:00 | From base to roof. Towards an (im)possible reconstruction of the monumental building of the Basileia at Seuthopolis Daniela Stoyanova (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) |
12:00-12:20 | Surface survey for settlement pattern analysis: the case study of Velingrad in the light of the data on the sanctuary of Dionysus Dimitar Bayrakov (History Museum-Velingrad) |
12:20-12:40 | The functionalism in Bulgarian Archaeology Stefan Alexandrov (NAIM-BAS) |
12:40-13:00 DISCUSSION
13:00-14:00 Lunch break
SESSION 7
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Habil Vladimir Stolba
14:00-14:20 | From Deultum to DigiDeultum Lyudmil Vagalinski (NAIM-BAS) |
14:20-14:40 | The Digital Early Iron Age Thrace: The Gluhite kamani research project Georgi Nekhrizov, Nadezhda Kecheva et al. (NAIM-BAS) |
14:40-15:00 | Between traditionality and Modernity. The IDig app and the web-MTAP app in Molyvoti, Thrace, Archaeological Project Marina Tasaklaki (Ionian University) Nathan Arrington (Princeton University) |
15:00-15:30 DISCUSSION
15:30-15:45 Coffee break
Section Numismatics
SESSION 8
Moderator: Dr. Ulrike Peter
15:45-16:15 | Thracian numismatics in the light of the SILVER website (die-studies and overstrikes) François de Callataÿ (Université Libre de Bruxelles) (plenary) |
16:15-16:35 | Numismatic databases: history of Bulgarian interdisciplinary studies Valentina Grigorova-Gencheva (Fibank, VUZF) |
16:35-16:55 | Numismatics in the perspectives of the Geographic Information systems: GIS for die study Ilya Prokopov (South-West University “Neofit Rilski”), w. contrib. Julia Tzvetkova (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) |
16:55-17:15 | Grasping the Invisible. An Approach to Frontier Dynamics between Thrace and Macedonia through Digital Numismatics and Archaeology Hristina Ivanova-Anaplioti (University of Zurich) |
17:15-17:35 | “Measuring the chronology”. Moesian countermarks from the 1st century AD and their archaeological context Vladislav Zhivkov (NAIM-BAS) |
17:35-18:00 DISCUSSION
13.4.2024, Saturday
Section Archaeometry
SESSION 9
Moderator: Acad. Prof. Dr. François de Callataÿ
9:00-9:30 | Technical study and preservation of a group of ancient coinage from the Getty Villa Museum Almoatzbellah Elshahawi (Egyptian Museum, Conservation Department) (plenary) |
9:30-10:00 | Archaeоmetrical investigation of the ancient coins by p-XRF: an example from Ada Tepe (South Bulgaria) Boyka Zlateva (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) (plenary) Deyan Lesigyarski (National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography – BAS) Julia Tzvetkova (Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) |
10:00-10:20 | Silver coins from ancient cities of Aegean Thrace through XRF analysis Marina Tasaklaki (Ionian University) Nerantzis Nerantzis (Université libre de Bruxelles) |
10:20-10:40 | Studies on ancient metalworking techniques Svenja Simon (Saarland University) |
10:40-11:00 DISCUSSION
11:00-11:15 Coffee break
SESSION 10
Moderator: Prof. Dr. Lyudmil Vagalinski
11:15-11:35 | Magnetic and spectroscopic assessment of the provenance and technology of a set of Iron Age tiles from south Bulgaria Deyan Lesigyarski*, Neli Jordanova*, Daniela Stoyanova**, Meglena Parvin***, Julia Tzvetkova**, Boyka Zlateva** * (National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography-BAS) **(Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”) *** (“Iskra” History Museum-Kazanlak) |
11:35-11:55 | Ceramics – from the archaeological site to the scientific publication, the repository, the exhibition Maya Nikolova (Septemvri Archaeological Museum “Prof. Mieczysław Domaradzki”) |
11:55-12:30 DISCUSSION
12:30-13:30 Lunch break
Workshop 1: Ancient coin counterfeits
Moderator: Prof. Dr.Sc. Dilyana Boteva / Assist. Prof. Dr. Lily Grozdanova
13:30-14:00 | Scientific Methods for Detecting Counterfeit Coinage Almoatzbellah Elshahawi (Egyptian Museum, Conservation Department) |
14.30-15.00 | Restoration problems in plated coins from the archaeological site Emporion Pistiros Emilia Koleva (RHM-Sofia) |
15:00-16:00 DISCUSSION
16:00-16:30 Coffee break
Workshop 2: Measuring Ancient Thrace (MAT) Project
Moderator: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Julia Tzvetkova
16:30-18:30 | From MAT to DigiThrace. Research on ancient Thrace in a digital environment The MAT Team and friends |
18:30 CLOSING
19:00 Reception (Sofia University, Rectorate, Central Foyer)
The conference is funded by the BNSF, Project № КП-06-МНФ/44 от 19.12.2023.
Bulgarian National Scientifitc Fund, Project no. КП-06-МНФ/44 from 19.12.2023
“Measuring Ancient Thrace” Project no. КП-06-Н50/3 from 30.11.2020, financed by BNSF.
Sofia Universtity, Rectorate, 1504 Sofia, 15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd.
North Wing, 2nd Floor, Conference Hall
Submission deadline: 30 June 2024
The proceedings will be published within the series “Heritage BG”: https://www.nasledstvo.bg/en/research-announcements/about-periodical/.
Here you can find the adapted instructions and guidelines.