Pages: 323
The book is an overview of the Balkan-Danube archaeological culture in the Danube-Dniester steppes, whose bearers are directly connected with the history of the early Medieval Bulgarian state. A special feature of the two arrays of settlements grouped in the Lower Dniester area and close to the Danube delta is their mixed nature combining in itself typical elements of the pre-Bulgarians, Southern and Eastern Slavs. This feature is reflected in construction and design of their dwellings, household items and assortment of clay pottery, whose development followed the way of integration, which is typical for a settled farming economy on the main territories of Bulgaria.
The author suggests a model of ethno-cultural development of the Balkan-Danube Culture. During the first period (late 8th – mid 9th cc.), population from the north-eastern districts of Bulgaria and Dobrogea went to explore the lands in the Lower Danube area, and later went colonizing the Dniester area. The second period (second half of 9th – first half of 10th cc.) was marked by the dawn of the Balkan-Danube Culture, with emergence of a well developed system of settlements. The newcomers from the Danube area interacted in the Dniester area with the Eastern Slavs, representatives of the Luka-Raykovetskaia Culture. During the third period (mid 10th – early 11th cc.), the region was involved in unification of material culture and formation of a single Slavic-Bulgarian ethnicity.
Although this publication of a corpus of archaeological materials and historical reconstructions is meant for specialists, it has big educational value for wider groups of readers.
Editor-in-Charge:
N. D. Russev — doctor habilitat of history, Associate Professor, "High Anthropological School" University, Republic of Moldova
CONTENTS
N. D. Russev. Personality in Archaeology (About the author on behalf of his friends and colleagues) (in Russian) . . . 9
Preface (in Russian) . . . 17
Chapter I. Current State of Historiography and Overview of Sources . . . 21
§ 1. Historiography . . . 21
§ 2. Sources . . . 38
Chapter II. Settlements . . . 48
§ 1. Topography and Classification of Sites; Life Resources of the Region . . . 48
§ 2. Plan of Settlements . . . 80
§ 3. Stratigraphy of Settlements . . . 82
Chapter III. Dwellings and Household Structures . . . 85
§ 1. Dwellings . . . 85
§ 2. Household Structures . . . 123
Chapter IV. Ceramics and Issues of Chronology . . . 129
§ 1. Methodology for Analysis of Ceramic Material . . . 129
§ 2. Typology of Ceramic Material . . . 135
§ 3. Relative and Absolute Chronology . . . 184
Chapter V. Economy and Everyday Culture. Aspects of Ethno-Cultural and Political History . . . 202
§ 1. Farming and Cattle-Breeding . . . 202
§ 2. Hunting and Fishing . . . 206
§ 3. Crafts . . . 206
§ 4. Artefacts of Spiritual Culture . . . 213
§ 5. Features of the Balkan-Danube Culture in the North-Eastern Periphery: Aspects of Ethno-Cultural and Political History . . . 215
Conclusion (in Russian) . . . 230
Annex 1. List of the Balkan-Danube Culture Sites Located in the Dniester-Danube Steppes . . . 235
Annex 2. Index of the Balkan-Danube Culture Sites in the South-Western Part of the USSR: Physical and Cultural-Chronological Characteristics . . . 247
Annex 3. Index of the Balkan-Danube Culture Dwellings in the South-Western Part of the USSR . . . 252
Annex 4. Index of Constructive Elements and Types of Dwellings . . . 255
Annex 5. Typical Examples of Composition of Ceramic Paste in Group I Wares with Challenging Visual Identification . . . 258
Annex 6. Correlation of the Main Types of Leaners and Rim Types with Subgroups of Pots by Ceramic Complexes and Sampled Ceramics from Cultural Layers of Some Settlements . . . 260
Annex 7. Legend of Illustrations . . . 265
Sources and Bibliography . . . 266
N. D. Russev. The Phenomenon of the Balkan-Danube Culture and History of the Danube Bulgaria (in Russian) . . . 278
Abbreviations . . . 296
References . . . 297
Summary (in English) . . . 312
Rezumat (in Romanian) . . . 314
Contents (in English) . . . 318
Cuprins (in Romanian) . . . 320