Dolmens in Bulgaria

Megalilthic monuments in Thrace

Megaliths1849. Cyclops Christianus- by Algernon Herbert , containedword megaliths 1872. Rude Stone Monuments in All Countries- by James Fergusson European megalihts-from Neolithic to Iron

Age Who and why?

Giants and dwarfs are building dolmen

Geography map

What is dolmen? Origin of the word taol maen-Celtic (Breton) terms Other name: megalithic graves, graves closed type Dimensions: 2.80 x 2.40 (more or less), and height around 2 m or more

Sardinia

Ireland

What is their main purpose? Funerary practice- Inhumation Religion characteristic-Sun and Earth

(man and female deity)

Prerequisite for dolmen construction-availability of rocks for splitting into slabs (usually granitic rocks)

Bronze and Iron age XII century-VII/VI c. BC Written source-Herodotus Orientation of dolmen entrance-mostly south

Grave goods

Geographical prevalence of dolmens.

Europe and Asia Scandinavia, Western Europa,

Mediterranean, India, Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia

Construction

Typology New and old

P. Delev: -solitary dolmen-double dolmen -cist like dolmen

Typology by Dimitriv Peev who divided dolmens in three different types:

1. dolmens with flat roof and rough plate. a) single chamber b) two chambers2. dolmen-worked plates a) single chamber and sloping walls and a flat roof b) single chamber and a gabled roof c) two chambers and gabled roof3. a) double dolmens with two chambers b) cist like dolmen

Different types of dolmens

Dolmen of “table type”Dolmen of “camera type”

Geography of dolmen in Bulgaria (1982)

Sakar mountain Strandzha mountain East Rhodope

Sakar mountain and East Rhodope

Strandzha mountain

Other megalithic monuments in Bulgaria

Chromlech-stone plates circles Menhir-standing stone Rock-cut graves, Rock-cut niches Beglik Tash-sanctuary Markov kamak-sanctuary

Chromlech-East Rhodope (registered 6 in 2013)

Menhir-”chuchul kamak”Sakar mountain

“Devtash” menhir-evil stone-1905.

Rock-cut graves

Second group

First group

First groupFirst group

Rock-cut niches

Beglik Tash

Markov kamak Markov kamak is new discovered sanctuary near Tsarev peak in southern

part of Rila mountain Discovered in 2006. during scientific expedition“Thracian sanctuaries”

Today’s state of sites

References Фол, А. 1982. Тракийски паметници Том III, София.

Glyn, D. 1980. Megalithic mounuments, Scentific American 243: 78-90.

Iliev, S. 2008. Observations upon the constructional connections of the Dolmens in Bulgaria, in Geoarchaeology and Archaeomineralogy : Proceedings of the International Conference (Eds. R. I. Kostov, B. Gaydarska, M. Gurova), 175-176. Sofia.

Kolev, Dimiter, L. Tsonev, A. C. Gonzalez-Garcia, and V. Koleva. 2008. The orientation of Dolmens in Bulgaria, in Geoarchaeology and Archaeomineralogy : Proceedings of the International Conference (Eds. R. I. Kostov, B. Gaydarska, M. Gurova), 169-174. Sofia.

Markov, V. 2008. The ancient Thracian megalithic sanctuary “Markov kamak” at Tsarev Peak in Rila Mountain: Semantic and functional analysis, in Geoarchaeology and Archaeomineralogy : Proceedings of the International Conference (Eds. R. I. Kostov, B. Gaydarska, M. Gurova), 177-179. Sofia.

Milovanović, D. 1988. Arhitektura megalita, Beograd.

Nekhrozov, G. 2015. Dolmens and rock-cut monuments , in A Companion to Ancient Thrace, First Edition. Edited by Julia Valeva, Emil Nankov, and Denver Graninger.,126-140. Published 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Tomović, Miodrag, 1983. Umesto predgovora, u Megaliti, ur. Miodrag Tomović, 1-5, 22-23, 31, 49, 63. Beograd.

http://www.burgasmuseums.bg/index.php?tab=arch&lang=en&page=encyc&enc=poi&eid=23

That’s all folks