Front matter

Abstract

Volume 86 (1993) of the Annuaire de l’Université de Sofia “St. Kliment Ohridski” – Faculty of History contains a selection of studies covering diverse fields: prehistory, classical and medieval archaeology, cultural and social history, and modern European developments. The volume exemplifies the Faculty’s multidisciplinary scope and its emphasis on empirical fieldwork combined with theoretical analysis. Petya Georgieva reports on excavations at the prehistoric settlement near Negovantsi, Radomir region, attributed to the Krivodol–Sălkuca and Magura–Coțofeni cultures, documenting pile-dwellings from the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age. Dimiter Popov explores Zalmoxis–Gebeleizis and the ritual of bow-shooting, interpreting the Thracian cult as a mythic reflection of the Thunder God and the notion of immortality. Stefka Angelova presents findings from a medieval cemetery at the southern wall of Drăstăr (Silistra), providing insight into burial customs and material culture of the 11th–12th centuries. Slavcho Cholakov conducts an anthropological study of the same cemetery, examining skeletal morphology and population health. Pavlin Dimitrov analyzes the cultural and social characteristics of the Bulgarian feudal town during the 13th–14th centuries, based on sgraffito pottery as a source for urban life. Veselka Garkova studies Saxony and Southeastern Europe between the 15th and 17th centuries, focusing on economic and cultural relations. Pavlina Yosifova discusses the Baltic Question in the Russian Empire during the 1860s, emphasizing government policies and Slavophile influence. Tanya Boneva offers a symbolic–anthropological interpretation of the “podnitsa” (bread-baking tray) as a model of the world in Balkan peasant communities, highlighting its semantic and functional role in traditional culture.

The volume reflects the research diversity of the Sofia University Faculty of History — linking archaeological evidence, cultural interpretation, and historiographical inquiry from prehistory to the modern age.