New book on Black Sea history and archaeology

Prof. Dr. Ivan Hristov's book "Secrets of Chengene Scaffolding Bay in the Black Sea" was published. Archaeological sites and finds in the coastal area between the Metoha Peninsula and Cape Foros".

It is a joint publication of the National History Museum and the Regional History Museum in the city of Burgas. The present book is a kind of continuation of the author's publications related to the archaeological research on the western coast of the Black Sea in the last 10 years.

In this case, the emphasis falls on the coastal territory locked between the Metoha Peninsula (Cape Chukalyata) and the Foros Peninsula (Cape Foros) next to the Burgas Bay. The choice of this territory is not random. It is a kind of white spot on the archaeological map of the Burgas region, bearing in mind that the archaeological research in the coastal area of ​​the border between the municipality of Sozopol and the municipality of Burgas is limited as follows: to the east to the Atia Peninsula, to the west to the coastal sites of the Foros Bay.

The contribution to the completion of the archaeological map of the Burgas Bay is visible from the detailed information presented in the monograph about objects that remained unknown or poorly known until the summer of 2020. For the first time in a scientific circulation, the results of underwater research in an extensive water area locked in the north are presented to the island of St. Anastasia, to the west to Cape Kaba Burun and to the east to Cape Chukalyata.

The research itself is based on an interdisciplinary approach through the use and analysis of various source material (archaeological finds, preserved written information from Ottoman documents, travelogues of Western European travelers and diplomats, Bulgarian local legends, maps of different types and chronology). The aim is to restore the picture of settlement processes in the studied region for a long historical period. The book follows the methods of modern historical geography, which focuses its attention both on past geography and the manifestation of various phenomena in space at that time, as well as on the influence of the geographical factor on the historical process. In this direction, processes related to: geographical changes of the coastline over time, reconstruction of past geographies, subsequent development of the so-called cultural landscape, highlighting the root causes for the development of a given settlement around water sources, road connections and communications as on land are commented as well as by sea.

Structurally, the book consists of 7 parts. The results of the archaeological excavations of a Hellenistic fortified site on Cape Chiroza and the underwater searches in Chengene Skele Bay in 2020-2022 are presented in detail. The book includes a commentary on the preserved written information and archaeological materials for sites along the coast of Burgas Bay, such as the ancient a settlement on Cape Kaba Burun, the late medieval settlement and the port of the same name, Chengene Skele, the village of Chukalya, the site of the island monastery of St. Anastasia and others. Attached are numerous photos, drawings and maps that successfully illustrate the information presented.

Prof. Dr. Ivan Hristov's book will be presented in June in Burgas. It is available for free reading and downloading on the website of the National History Museum - HERE