The Institute of Thracian Studies is an independent research unit of ...

The Institute of Thracian Studies is an independent research unit of BAS created with Order № 185 of the
Council of Ministers of Bulgaria from 05.12.1972, with Founding Director Professor D.H. Alexander Fol.
The Institute was named "Professor Alexander Fol" by the General Assembly (GA) of BAS on 03/04/2006.
From 25.06.2007, with a decision by the General Assembly of BAS, it was transformed into the Center of
Thracology "Prof. Alexander Fol ". From 01.07.2010 the Center of Thracology "Prof. Alexander Fol" is
united with the Institute for Balkan Studies and transformed into the Institute for Balkan Studies & Center
of Thracology "Prof. Alexander Fol "at BAS, which is the universal successor through merger of the two
initial institutes.
Background:
Scientific interest in the study of history and culture of ancient Thrace and Thracians has a continuous
evolution and is traced at least to the 17th century, when Italian scientist and explorer Count Luigi Marcil
traveled the Danubian lands from Austria to the mouth of the river Yantra and described the
archaeological monuments seen by him. According to modern historiography the start of early modern
studies dates from back in 1736-1737, when the Dutch classicist Zigbert Haverkamp (1684-1742),
professor at Leiden University, published 17 previously known coins Thracian kings, plus a list of Odrysian
dynastic rulers and other dynastic houses between 5 and 1 centuries BC. His work was continued by
French historian and numismatist Felix Kari (1699-1754), who in 1752 published his "History of the Kings
of Thrace and the Kimmerian Bospor, shown through the medals", and written sources for Thracian
political history.
As a true pioneer in such research, however, is considered Professor Wilhelm Tomashek of the University
of Vienna. In 1893-1894, he published his "The ancient Thracians. An ethnological study ", which collected
all known then material from Homer onwards about the Thracian peoples, Thracian glosses (words)
names of deities, personal names (anthroponyms) and geographical names (toponyms). This
comprehensive study provided a strong impetus to research on ancient Thracian history in major
European research centers and universities. Following that were new books and discoveries that set the
foundations of the research about the ancient Thracians.
Historical research, archeology and linguistics by the end of the 19 century already united and
convincingly outlined the specifics of Thracian culture in a wide geographical range from the Carpathians
in the north to Egeida in the south and Western Asia Minor to the east and west along the lower reaches
of the Vardar and Struma.
Studies on Thracian history of Bulgarian lands were originally works of foreign scholars (A. Dumont,
Brothers Herman and Carol Shkorpil, Vaclav Dobruski). But back in the 1920s Bogdan Filov published the
first "Written records of Thracian art", and a decade later the systematic studies of Thracian mounds near
Duvanlii and Mezek began. During these years the efforts of outstanding scholars and connoisseurs of
antiquity such as Gabriel Katsarov, Nichola Mushmov, Yanko Todorov, Mladen Tonev, Dimitar Dechev
Alexander Balabanov, Bogdan Filov launched a great drive in investigating, systematizing and publishing
the written, archaeological, numismatic, epigraphic, and any other sources for the reconstruction of the
old history of the Bulgarian lands and Southeast Europe. Their efforts were continued by the younger
generation of Bulgarian scientists who were devoted to research of Thracology: Prof. Hristo Danov, Prof.
Georgi Mihailov, Prof. Veselin Beshevliev, Prof. Boris Gerov, Prof. Ivan Venedikov ... Their students are
the scientists who founded the Institute of Thracology in 1972, who organized and structured
methodologically the modern science of the ancient Thracians.
The beginning:
At the initiative of Academician Vladimir Georgiev, actively supported by the younger, but exceptionally
gifted generation of historians the initiative for the establishment of the Institute of Thracian Studies,
Sofia was realized. The event calendar shows this fact happened in May 1972. The founding scientists of
the Institute are: Prof. Velizar Velkov, Prof. Georgi Mihaylov, Prof. Ivan Venedikov, Prof. Hristo Danov,
Prof. Teodora Tapkova-Zaimova; Prof. Zlatozara Gocheva.
The Institute of Thracian Studies was founded as a specialized unit for interdisciplinary study of the
history of the ancient Thracians, laden with function to coordinate research on Ancient Thrace and the

Thracians in the context of Paleo-Balkan studies, to study the pre-Greek and non-Greek components of
the ancient Balkan and western Asia-minor cultural and historical space. Focus in the operations of the
Institute is the Thracian history, culture and language in the broader context of the Indo-European history
and a major share of European and world cultural heritage.
In 1988 the International Council for Indo-European and Thracian research was created, which includes
40 scientists from 15 countries, and for its Secretariat and publisher of the magazine "Orpheus" in foreign
languages was chosen the Institute of Thracology. Prof. D.H. Alexander Fol was the first Secretary-
General of the International Council until 1 March, 2006. The new Secretary-General - Professor Musatfa
Sayar, director of the Center for the Study of Southeastern Europe at the Philological Faculty of Istanbul
University – was elected at the Eleventh International Congress of Thracology 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Up until now, there have been 11 international congresses on Thracology conducted, and the Center for
Thracology has organized five of them. Together with the Centre for Underwater Archaeology, Sozopol, 8
international scientific symposiums “Thracia Pontica” have been conducted.
Thanks to Prof. Alexander Fol and scholars from his school of science a new research field and science
school were outlined, which were updated and changed through the years. Research centers of Thracology
were established in Germany, Italy, Romania, Russia, Turkey, France and the Netherlands. There is a
great interest in these problems in all Balkan countries and also in the UK, USA, Canada, Japan, New
Zealand and Australia. For the development of Thracian problems abroad an impetus was given by the
exhibitions of Thracian art and culture, when managed by the Institute of Thracology.
Publications:
The Institute of Thracian Studies, now Center of Thracology has published (Expeditio Thracica; Pulpudeva
- jointly with the Archaeological Museum in P lovdiv; Thracia Pontica- Jointly with the Centre for
Underwater Archaeology, Sozopol) and issued a number of periodicals and monographic publications in
Bulgarian and foreign languages:
1). Orpheus. Journal of Indo-European and Thracian Studies (1-18) – publication of the International
Council for the Indo-European and Thracian Studies;
2). Studia Thracica (monographic series), recent publications are:
Studia Thracica, Vol. 12: Svetlana Yanakieva. Thracian toponyms. Sofia 2009, 231 pp.;
Studia Thracica, Vol. 13: Ruzha Popova. Thracian culture in Northern Black Sea up to the third century
BC. Sofia, 2010, 390 pp.;
Studia Thracica, Vol. 14: Kalin Porozhanov. Odrysian kingdom, polis in its coasts and Athens from the late
sixth century BC to the end of 341 BC. Blagoevgrad, 2011, 290 pp.;
3). Thracia - a collection of articles by Bulgarian and foreign authors;
4). Seminarium Thracicum (last edition - Seminarium Thracicum 7. Thracian-Greek cultural interactions.
Sofia, 2011)
5). Studia Pontica 1-3 with the National Commission on maritime history with its base in the Center of
Thracology;
6). Thracia Antiqua 1-10.
Scientists at the Center of Thracology are authors of several monographs, training books, essays and
articles - most recent of which are:
- Vanya Lozanova-Stancheva. East of Eden. Towards a geography of the Orphic Hereafter in
Interpretatio Christiana. Veliko Tarnovo, 2010, "Faber", 203 pp.;

- Vanya Lozanova-Stancheva. HELLENICA. Politics and culture of ancient Hellas. Book I. Academic
Publishing House "Prof. Drinov ", Sofia, 2012;
Plamen Petkov. Military-political relations of the Thracian rulers in the European southeast between
230/229 BC - 45/46 AD Veliko Tarnovo, 2011,"Faber", 346 pp.
Many publications are funded on a project basis. Researchers from the Center of Thracology lead courses
and seminar classes at the University of Sofia, Plovdiv University, New Bulgarian University, Varna Free
University, Southwestern University, University of Library and Information Technology. Scientists from the
CT are scientific reviewers of theses and doctoral fellowships, reviewers of scientific papers both in
Bulgarian and foreign scientists.
Projects:
The research project initiated by Prof. Alexander Fol, "Ancient writers of sources of Thrace and the
Thracians" published a series of comprehensive texts of major representatives of ancient prose
(historians, geographers and mythographers). The publication is bilingual, with comments and an
alphabetical index of names. It is the first of its kind in the country and overall performance texts in
Bulgarian translation done for the first time. It is the first its kind and the overall presentation of the texts
in the Bulgarian language. Similar publications exist only in countries like Germany, Britain and France.
Up to this moment are published "General History" of Polybius, “Description of Hellas” by Pausanias and
"Geography “by Strabo. Currently there is work on "Historical Library “of Diodorus Siculus.
Projects, additionally funded by contracts with the Fund "Scientific Research "(FSR):
A. Glotta. Database of the Thracian language;
2. KIN-1013 "Underwater archaeological heritage of Bulgaria – in danger. Thracian cultural sea landscapes
- research, preservation, promotion" funded by FSR, 2007-2009;
3. KIN 1013 - Encyclopedia “Ancient Thrace and the Thracians”;
4. Project co-funded under FP7 - Het Heritage: Monitoring of the ancient monuments in the Bulgarian
lands in the internet web space;
5. Project: Thracians and Greeks. A meeting of cultures. Tradition and transformation of cultural events in
South East Europe;
6. Project: Multimedia model of the tribal royal tombs in the Mogilanska mound – Vratsa;
7. "European network on Research Program applied to the Protection of Tangible
Cultural Heritage (Net Heritage) "under the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission;
Other
1). Europeana - Prehistoric and Thracian civilization;
2). Quel voisinage pour la nouvelle Europe ("What next for the new Europe Models and Neighbour
Policies of South-Eastern borders of the European Union "). The project is between 4 main partners, each
representative of the scientific body in a different country;
3). Nove – sites: baths and Episcopal complex, principles and valetudinarium, Ekstramuros complex (coauthorship
with the National Archaeological Institute and Museum of Sciences, Warsaw University and
University "Adam Mickiewicz" - Poznan, Poland).
Researchers at the Center of Thracology are working on several other joint national and international
projects.