Strategy for research development through self-funding of research projects

In 2005, the Institute of Archaeology and Museum – BAS initiated a strategic idea for partial self-funding of research activities of the specialists at the Institute by announcing a competition for financial support of research projects.

Due to the full lack of financing of this activity by the state, the Institute of Archaeology and Museum (IAM) generated additional funds, accumulated by archaeological excavations related to infrastructural state projects, economic activities, budget funds and sponsorship. The Academic Board of IAM announced a couple of competitions – research of materials already available and funding of new archaeological excavations which, are expected to contribute to significant scholarly problems. In both cases the final stage of the project is aimed at publishing the results in one of the specialized journals or annuals of IAM. As a result of this initiative 25 projects were completed. They contributed to the study on a number of problems in the field of prehistory (Yavor Boyadzhiev: Mobility of the individuals and relations between the communities in the 5th millennium BC (based on data from cemeteries), Thracian archaeology (Stefan Alexandrov: Gold and silver in Bulgarian Bronze Age; Anelia Bozkova: Black-slipped pottery from Bulgaria; Milena Tonkova: Trends in jewelry making in the Hellenistic Period on the western Black Sea Coast (the present-day territory of Bulgaria); Krassimir Nikov: Grey monochrome pottery from Apollonia. A contribution to the problem of its origin and appearance (late 7th to 6th century BC), Classic archaeology (Gergana Kabakchieva: Imported fine late Roman and early Byzantine pottery from Bulgaria (4th to 7th century AD); Hristo Preshlenov: Public areas in Nessebar (6th century BC to 6th century AD); Pavlina Illieva: Bronze finds from the Roman Period in Thrace; Georgi Kuzmanov: Late Roman pottery from Dichin (the fortified settlement), near Veliko Tarnovo) and Medieval archaeology (Zhivko Aladzhov: Markeli-Anastasiopol, reality and ideas; Rasho Rashev: Religion, myth and magic; Dochka Aladzhova: 5th century hoards from the Province of Thrace. Metrological analysis and historical interpretation; Lyudmila Doncheva: Mediaeval crosses-encolpions (9th to 14th century) from Bulgaria; Pavel Georgiev: The First Palace in Pliska; Ivan Yordanov: Corpus of the Byzantine stamp seals from Bulgaria, Vol. 3; Ivan Sotirov: Fine work of the medieval goldsmith\'s trade (12th to 17th century AD) in the collections of the National Museum of Archaeology and other museums). These works – 15 studies and 9 monographs – are soon to be published in the specialized journals and annuals of IAM.

The results from the archaeological excavations at 9 sites – Kapitan Dimitrievo (Peshtera region), Shipka (Kazanlak region), Krivina (Ruse region), Shkorpilovtsi (Varna region), Valche pole (Lyubimets region), Dzhulyunitsa (Veliko Tarnovo region), Skalitsa (Topolovgrad region) and Pliska – are also prepared for publication.

This positive practice was continued in 2006 as well. The Academic Board at IAM approved 28 research projects and their results will be presented and discussed at the departments of the Institute in late November. Part of the additional funds of IAM was used to support the excavations at 7 archaeological prehistoric, Thracian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and medieval sites. More info on 2006 projects will be available after their completion.