Cultural and Historical, Archaeological, Arhaeo-astronomical
and Ethnology aspects
The study and preservation of cultural heritage and national
identity is a particularly important issue in both national and the
European level. This is one of the main ways to enrich the cultural
diversity of Europe. In Thracian culture of ancient Thrace in the
west especially prominently Thracian Bessi. They are one of the
largest and most powerful Thracian tribes and higher raw snow
mountains west of Thrace - Rhodopes, Rila and Pirin South. Bessi
valor and freedom are still known in antiquity as the guardians of
the Thracian religion. The father of history - Herodotus claims
that they are just priests of the famous ancient Thracian sanctuary
of Dionysus-Sabazios. According to the later ancient written
tradition, it was predicted the fate of Alexander the Great and
Augustus, it would become rulers of the world. Previous studies
within the national and international research program Thracian
sanctuaries in the Western Rhodopes, Rila and Pirin, which
Southwestern University is the initiator and host of 10 years, show
an extraordinary depth of significant research Thracian sanctuaries
in the region. Several of them, such as those of Popovo Lake in
central Pirin mountain, of Tsarev Peak in South Rila and Babyashka
hammer in the Western Rhodopes are characteristic of central and
particularly important religious centers of the Thracian Bessi.
Religious centers, which can successfully fit into the hypothesis
of a possible location of the famous ancient Thracian sanctuary of
Dionysus Sabazios. All this brings us closer to a particularly
important scientific goal - the tracking and study of one of the
most famous sanctuary in the ancient world, situated in the Western
Rhodopes. Result which would not only have outstanding scientific
and cultural, but also significant economic dimensions.
The active development of cultural tourism would improve
significantly the conditions of livelihood and quality of life in
this mountain region face serious problems in this regard. To all
this must be added and the barbaric destruction of survey monuments
from uncontrolled invasion treasure-hunter. We believe that all
this proposed project makes a significant, competitive and
relevant. These scientific results of the research team realized
that project, now united in the new University Centre for European
and ancient cultures East Mediterranean in the Southwestern
University should be added multiple language sources, legends and
folk ritual practices associated with ancient shrines of Thracian
Bessi area of research. They are also rich material and intangible
cultural heritage could become a powerful resource for the
development of cultural tourism within the region. All these
encouraging results for our science is necessary to widen and
deepen the studies on the inheritance of an ancient temple in the
Western Rhodopes. Studies to date show a significant concentration
of stone arches, which are characteristic of ancient Thracian
astronomical observatories. This requires the continuation and
deepening of research in this direction. It is a complete
walkthrough of the most significant open our megalithic temples on
the territory of the Thracian Bessi - mainly from the ridge Dabrash
and their accurate documentation. It is dedicated to the first year
of fieldwork on this project.
Our previous studies in Western Rhodopes also show that outlines
two significant cultural and historic region with increased
workload and the sacred cult remarkable continuity. One peak around
Persenk and Wonderful Bridges and others in the region of Bachkovo
Monastery Cross Forest Hill and Dobrostan. This is why we
concentrate on our team, respectively over the second and third
year there. Successful implementation of the project involves
natural setting and discussion of newly discovered sites in a wide
comparison of the ancient heritage of this region and the Balkans
as part of the eastern Mediterranean. In this regard, the project
involves research program to be completed in 2012 with a
significant international symposium dedicated to the ancient
religions and religious practices of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Material will be issued as a separate volume of the Yearbook of the
University Research Centre for European and ancient cultures East
Mediterranean.
The implementation of this project combines the efforts of a
diverse team of specialists - cultural anthropologists, historians,
archaeologists, ethnologists, archaeo-astronomy of SWU "N. Rilski
", our partners from the Archaeological Institute and Museum at the
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Regional Ethnographic Museum -
Plovdiv, National Astronomical Observatory Yuri Gagarin, the
Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Research, at the Bulgarian Academy
of Sciences and our colleagues from abroad in the common goal
of continuing and deepening of research dedicated to the Thracian
religion and spirituality in general.
