On December 6th (Friday), 2024, from 12.30 pm, at the building of the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (Sofia, Atanas Burov Square No 1), Prof. Dr. Marjan Iovanov from the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje will hold a lecture on the antique settlements in Macedonia and Peonia. The event is part of the two-day lecture program “Archaeological Culture of the Republic of North Macedonia. Lectures of Macedonian Archaeologists and Museum Specialists Within the Frame of NAIM-BAS Academic Seminar” (December 5th – 6th, 2024).

In Macedonian Archeology, the term “Early Antique” applies to the cities, and the term “Early Antiquity” generally covers the time between the beginning of the Classical Period and the fall of Macedonia under Roman rule. That means the chronological span between the 5th century B.C. and the middle of the 2nd century B.C.

Prof. Dr. Marjan Jovanov's lecture will present several cities mentioned in antique written sources and recognized archaeologically in the field. Some are very well studied through excavations, while others are almost unknown. These are the settlements registered in the localities of Vardarski rid near the town of Gevgeli, Isar Marvinci, Gradište near the Knežje village, Gradište near the Mlado Nagorichane village, and Gradište near the Brazda village. Their research is one of the main tasks of present-day Macedonian archaeological science and one of the significant challenges facing Macedonian archaeologists.

Marjan Jovanov was born on August 12, 1967, in Shtip, Republic of Macedonia. He graduated in 1991 from the Institute of Art History and Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of St. Cyril and Methodius - Skopje, Macedonia. In 2001, he received his master's degree dedicated to the Macedonian bronzes. He defended his doctorate in 2009. His doctoral thesis is on the burial practices between Vardar and Struma during the Antiquity.

Nowadays, he works as a professor in the Institute of Art History and Archaeology at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of St. Cyril and Methodius, where he teaches classical archaeology, Early-antique Archeology in the Balkans, and antique art. He has participated in over 40 national and international scientific conferences and in over 50 research projects. He is the author of more than 50 scientific papers.

The event is organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Modern Scientific Equipment in Support of Science, Technology, and Culture – INFRAMAT.