The Sorbonne Finances Excavations in Bulgaria

Standart Daily, Konstantin Sabchev, Shtiliana Chakarova

Two ancient necropolises and a church dating back to the late Middle Ages were destroyed at construction works in the town of Silistra on the Danube. In Balchik, northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast, the only temple to the Roman Cybele, also known as the Mother of Gods, found in Bulgaria, was demolished and grouted with concrete. It is high time the state stopped the vandalism of construction companies ruining the historical and cultural heritage of Bulgaria, archaeologists insist, in a special declaration as the new excavation season approaches.
The declaration was adopted at the beginning of the 46th national conference of archaeologists in Smolyan, southern Bulgaria.
Prof. Vassil Nikolov, director of the National Museum of Archeology, suggests that a data bank about the destroyed cultural monuments in Bulgaria should be established.
"So far it features 40 sites but their actual number is much larger," he said
Another problematic issue for season 2007 is the excavation works financing. Over 50 sites lying on the designed route of Trakia motorway in southeastern Bulgaria need money to be explored but it has not been not supplied yet. The funds should be allotted by the state Republic's Road Infrastructure Fund but contracts have not been signed yet.
Bulgarian archaeologists hope to start working with the financial help of foreign archaeologists. A couple of international expeditions, financed by institutions from Western Europe, the Sorbonne and the University of Salzburg have been planned to join for this year.
A prehistoric village hillock in southern Bulgaria, a cave in northwestern Bulgaria and a prehistoric village will be explored on finances from France. Total 240 archaeological sites will be worked on in Bulgaria this season.
A team of archaeologists, led by famous Prof. Georgi Kitov will study about 15 Thracian mounds in southeastern Bulgaria. The excavations will have to prove whether the Valley of Thracian Kings stretched in the region of Kazanlak only or extended further to the east. The excavations are considered to take three months.