Balkanländer

Petya Andreeva (ed.),The Medieval Town of Trapezitsa in the Light of New Archaeological Research Veliko Tarnovo 2025ISBN 978-619-00-2034-9 413 S./pp., zahlr. Farb- und S/W-Abb. / num. colour and b/w-figs., 29,7 x 21 cm; kartoniert/hardcover A scientific volume with a catalog dedicated to the new research of the medieval town of Trapezitsa has been published. The first officially excavated site in Bulgaria (back in 1879), the fortress is the second fortified core of the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom, Tarnovgrad. After a long break, new research, carried out exclusively by the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, began in 2007 and continues till now, revealing important parts of the fabric of the medieval city between the 13th and 15th centuries AD and its material and spiritual culture. The collection contains a foreword by the directors of NAIM - BAS, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hristo Popov and Acad. Vasil Nikolov, and 9 studies summarizing the results on important issues for medieval Trapezitsa - a comprehensive overview of the research, fortification, street network and dwellings, church architecture and Christian grace, mural decoration of churches, religious and secular complexes, sgraffito ceramics, epigraphic heritage and numismatic material. The research is richly illustrated. The authors are Bulgarian researchers of Trapezitsa and its culture. The publication's merit is the catalog with the most representative 233 finds from 15 years of excavations, showing the diversity of the material and spiritual culture of the Second Bulgarian Tsardom

Adela Bâltâc,Sticla antică din colecția Muzeului Național de Istorie a României /Ancient Glass in the National History Museum of RomaniaBukarest / Bucureşti 2024ISBN 978-606-020-877-8258 S./pp., Farb- und S/W-Abb./colour and b/w-figs., 27,5 x 21,5 cm; kartoniert/hardcover(ediție bilingvă/bilingual edition)The aim of this book is to present an important category of items from the museum’s heritage, namely containers and other types of glass objects from Antiquity, to the general public and researchers. The ordering criterion in the catalogue is the origin of the object, i.e. archaeological finds or various collections. In addition to presenting of the pieces, additional information about the technique or utility of the containers has been made. Drawings and high-quality photos of the items completed the catalogue.

Hristo Popov – Kaloyan Pramatarov (eds.),The Forgotten Deities(National Archaeological Museum. Catalogues, volume 47)Sofia 2026ISBN 978-619-254-063-0 ISSN 2367-8860 140 S./pp., zahlr. Farbabb./num. colour figs., 25 x 22 cm; broschiert/softcover The collection of popular science articles "The forgotten deities" is a part of the eponymous temporary exhibition that could be seen at the National Archaeological Museum from August 7th, 2026, till January 17th, 2027 — a large-scale exhibition project including 213 exhibits presenting the history of the religious ideas and beliefs in the Bulgarian lands from the early Neolithic till the second half of the 4th c. AD. 

Hristo Popov – Kaloyan Pramatarov (eds.),Gods and Sanctuaries in Roman Thrace (1st – 4th c. AD)(National Archaeological Museum. Catalogues, volume 45)Sofia 2026ISBN 978-619-254-058-6 ISSN 2367-8860 96 S./pp., zahlr. Farbabb./num. colour figs., 25 x 22 cm; broschiert/softcoverThe exhibition represents a joint project of the specialists working at the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Regional Museum of History – Pernik. It combines original artifacts with posters that reveal the complexity of the ancient religion from the 1st to the 4th centuries. It showcases the most valuable finds from the depositories of the two museums, representing the material expression of the communication between the deities and the people who had inhabited the western fringes of the Thracian lands in the period under consideration. The exhibition displays the recent achievements of archaeological research on pagan cults and sanctuaries along the upper Struma River, situating them within the context of the Roman Province of Thrace. Most of the archaeological sites with exhibits are located in the present-day Sofia, Pernik, and Kyustendil plains. During the Roman period, they belonged to the city territories of Serdica and Pautalia. The selected objects are finds from the so-called extra-urban sanctuaries. Unlike the urban cults and religious ceremonies, which were organized on Greek and Roman models, the “rural” sanctuaries preserved the traces of multiple individual acts of worship towards the divine forces that governed human life. Every one of the exhibits is emotionally charged with someone’s personal story, pain, joy, or gratefulness. In most cases, the prayer stays anonymous, but there are also supplicants’ names on some of the votive reliefs. The sanctuaries were places for sacrifices, curing rituals, and votive offerings, but also served as places for strengthening and affirming identity within the context of the Roman Empire. The pagan beliefs in the Province of Thrace reflect a complex interplay between local traditions and external influences. The Thracian deities (the Thracian Horseman, Dionysus, Hermes) continued to be worshipped, but in a combination with the gods of the Graeco-Roman Pantheon (Zeus, Hera, Apollo, Artemis, Asclepius, Heracles, the Three Nymphs, etc.). The process of combining and co-veneration of local, Graeco-Roman, and Eastern deities is called “syncretism” and is characteristic of the entire Roman Empire. In Thrace, it led to the acceptance of Greek iconography of the gods, which were still referred to by local epithets. The finds along the upper stream of the Struma River demonstrate the popularity of two cults, respectively, towards Zeus and Hera, as well as the healing god Asclepius, sometimes depicted as the Thracian Horseman. The regional specifics are observable in the materials from the sanctuaries of Zeus and Hera Caristorenoi, located near the village of Kopilovtsi in the Kyustendil Region and the Arbanas district, near the town of Radomir, as well as from the sanctuary of Asclepius Keilaiden in Tsarkva district (formerly known as Daskalovo) of the town of Pernik.

Dino Demicheli, Marko Marulić i epigrafska zbirka Dmine PapalićaSplit – Solin 2023ISBN 978-953-7633-43-1  287 S./pp., zahlr. Farb- und S/W-Abb./num. colour and b/w-figs., 24 x 17 cm; broschiert/softcoverDas Buch bietet eine wissenschaftliche Analyse antiker epigraphischer Denkmäler, die sich einst im Besitz von Dmine Papalić befanden. Die Informationen dazu stammen aus Marko Marulićs Werk "In epigrammata priscorum commentarius", das diese Inschriften enthält. Neben der epigraphischen Analyse umfasst das Buch eine Übersetzung des lateinischen Textes, in dem Marulić die aus Salona stammenden epigraphischen Denkmäler kommentierte und interpretierte. Marulićs Werk war zuvor nicht veröffentlicht worden; mit diesem Band wird der Abschnitt über die Inschriften aus Salona erstmals präsentiert, übersetzt und kommentiert.

Šime Perović,Frakture vremena. Restauracija i prezentacija vrijedne staklene građe iz čuvaonica Arheološkog Muzeja u SplituZadar – Split 2024ISBN 978-953-8320-17-0 80 S./pp., zahlr. Farbabb./num. colour figs., 24 x 16,5 cm; broschiert/softcover zweisprachig kroatisch – englisch / bilingual croatian – english

Maja Bonačić Mandinić, Greek coins displayed in the Archaeological Museum Split (English text edited by Malcolm S. Hardy)Split 2004ISBN 978-953-7174-07-1ISBN 953-7174-07-7120 S./pp., zahlr. S/W-Abb./num. b/w-figs., 23 x 16,5 cm; broschiert/softcover 

Maja Bonačić Mandinić,Roman republican coins displayed in the Archaeological Museum Split(English text edited by Monica B. and Paolo Visona)Split 2006ISBN 978-953-7174-09-5ISBN 953-7174-09-3141 S./pp., zahlr. S/W-Abb./num. b/w-figs., 23 x 16,5 cm; broschiert/softcover 

Maja Bonačić Mandinić,Roman imperial coins displayed in the Archeological Museum in Split, volume 1(English text edited by Paola Visona)Split 2007ISBN 978-953-7174-14-9126 S./pp., zahlr. S/W-Abb./num. b/w-figs., 23 x 16,5 cm; broschiert/softcover 

Maja Bonačić Mandinić,Roman imperial coins displayed in the Archeological Museum in Split, volume 2(English text edited by Paola Visona)Split 2008ISBN 978-953-7174-19-4118 S./pp., zahlr. S/W-Abb./num. b/w-figs., 23 x 16,5 cm; broschiert/softcover 

Nenad Cambi, Herme u antičkoj Saloni /Herms in Ancient Salona(Katalozi i monogafije / Catalogues and Monographs 8)Split 2025ISBN 978-953-7633-52-3  113 S./pp., zahlr. Farb- und S/W-Abb./num. colour and b/w-figs., 29,7 x 24,5 cm; broschiert/softcoverzweisprachig kroatisch - englisch / bilingual croatian - english

Zrinka Buljević, Salona ex vitro. Salonitansko stakleno posuđe /Salona ex vitro. Salonitan Glass Vessels(Katalozi i monogafije / Catalogues and Monographs 9)Split 2025ISBN 978-953-7633-56-1   462 S./pp., zahlr. Farb- und S/W-Abb./num. colour and b/w-figs., 29,7 x 24,5 cm; broschiert/softcoverzweisprachig kroatisch - englisch / bilingual croatian - english

Alpár Dobos – Ágnes Alföldy Găzdac – Ana-Maria Gruia,Războinici uitați și podoabe eterne (sec. V-VI). Volum de expoziţieCluj – Napoca 2024ISBN 978-606-020-895-2260 S./pp., Farb- und S/W-Abb./colour and b/w-figs., 27,5 x 21,5 cm; kartoniert/hardcover„Vergessene Krieger und ewige Schätze: Wandernde Barbaren in der Zeit der Krise des Römischen Reiches (5.–6. Jahrhundert n. Chr.)“ ist die bedeutendste Ausstellung in der Geschichte des Nationalmuseums für Geschichte Siebenbürgens (MNIT) in Cluj-Napoca. Sie wurde im November 2024 eröffnet und brachte erstmals in Rumänien einzigartige Exponate aus dem berühmten Schatz von Șimleu Silvaniei nach Rumänien, die von Museen im Ausland, wie denen in Wien und Budapest, als Leihgabe zur Verfügung gestellt wurden. Der Schatz von Șimleu Silvaniei zählt zu den bedeutendsten archäologischen Funden aus der Völkerwanderungszeit, nicht nur auf regionaler, sondern auch auf europäischer Ebene. Die beiden Teile des Schatzes wurden bisher nur ein einziges Mal gemeinsam ausgestellt, und zwar 1999 im Rahmen einer temporären Wanderausstellung, die in Wien und Budapest organisiert wurde. Die internationale Ausstellung „Vergessene Krieger und ewige Schmuckstücke“ stellt somit eine nationale Premiere dar und markiert die erste öffentliche Präsentation dieser Schätze in Siebenbürgen, direkt in der Nähe ihres Fundortes.Der Schatz von Șimleu Silvaniei umfasst eine beeindruckende Sammlung von Fibeln. Neben der kaiserlichen Fibel mit Onyx gehören weitere zehn Fibelpaare zum Schatz. Diese sind charakteristische Elemente der Frauenkleidung aus der Hunnenzeit und wurden paarweise auf den Schultern getragen. Die Fibeln mit halbkreisförmigem Kopf und rhomboidem Schaft zeichnen sich durch ihre größeren Abmessungen aus und sind aus gegossenem Silber gefertigt; ihre Vorderseite ist mit einer Goldfolie überzogen, in die Edelsteine eingelassen sind. Diese kleineren Steine bilden geometrische Motive im polychromen Stil, der für die Hunnenzeit charakteristisch ist.Die Ausstellung wird durch diesen Sammelband ergänzt, der nicht als klassischer Katalog konzipiert ist, sondern vielmehr als eine Sammlung von Essays, die der breiten Öffentlichkeit verschiedene Aspekte einer Epoche näherbringen soll, die im kollektiven Bewusstsein und in den Geschichtsbüchern noch viel zu wenig präsent ist.“Forgotten Warriors and Eternal Treasures: Migrating Barbarians During the Crisis of the Roman Empire (5th–6th Centuries A.D.)” is the most significant exhibition in the history of the National Museum of Transylvanian History (MNIT) in Cluj-Napoca. Opened in November 2024, it brought to Romania for the first time unique artifacts from the famous Șimleu Silvaniei hoard, on loan from museums abroad, such as those in Vienna and Budapest.The Șimleu Silvaniei hoard contains an impressive collection of fibulae. In addition to the imperial fibula set with onyx, ten other pairs of fibulae are part of the hoard. These are characteristic pieces of women’s clothing from the Hunnic period and were worn in pairs on the shoulders. The brooches with a semidiscoidal head and a rhomboidal shank are larger in size and are made of cast silver, with the front covered in a thin sheet of gold in which precious stones are set. These smaller stones form geometric motifs in the polychrome style characteristic of the Hunnic period.

Gojko Subotić – Hieromonk Ioustinos, Zavorda. The hermitage of Saint NikanorΖάβορδα. Το ασκηταριό του Αγίου ΝικάνοραBelgrade 2017ISBN 978-86-83883-24-0190 S./pp., zahlr. Farbabb. / num. colour figs., 29 x 24 cm; broschiert/softcover

Stanoje Bojanin – Ljubomir Milanović – Miloš Cvetković,Гласови и слике: облици комуникацијe на средњовековном Балкану. IV–XVI век (Voices and Images: Modes of Communication in the Medieval Balkans. 4th to 16th Centuries)Belgrade 2020ISBN 978-86-83883-27-1580 S./pp., zahlr. Farb- und S/W-Abb. / num. colour and b/w-figs., 24 x 17 cm; kartoniert/hardcover

Károly Tankó,Celtic cemetery of Szob – Lost and surviving finds /A Szobi Kelta Temető(Studien zur Eisenzeit im Ostalpenraum 4)Budapest 2026ISBN 978-615-5766-85-5188 S./pp., zahlr. Farb- und S/W-Abb. / num. colour and b/w-figs., 28,5 x 19,5 cm; kartoniert/hardcoverThe Celtic cemetery at Szob is a key site for research on the Late Iron Age in the Carpathian Basin. Research on the site started in the mid-19th century; later, during the 20th century, construction works disturbed numerous graves yielding a wealth of grave finds, which served as conclusive evidence of the presence of the La Téne culture, identified with the Celts, in the territory of Hungary, and became part of the prehistoric collection of the Hungarian National Museum. The two World Wars caused significant damage to both the objects and the related documentation. The goal of the author of this monograph was to collect and present all available data, completed by a comprehensive assessment. The volume includes detailed discussions of the funerary practice and the unearthed grave assemblages based on remaining field notes, and presents all data available on the find material, including objects that were once inventoried but have become lost or destroyed—such as weapons, clothing ornaments, jewellery, and pottery vessels of the food and drink offerings. A unique find from the site is the so-called ’Szob kantharos’, a Hellenistic bronze cup from the 3rd century BC (see back cover image). Through interpreting all available archaeological data, the study seeks answers to the question, What regional connections made Szob a key site in the La Téne Period? The author also outlines the distance connections of the community behind the cemetery. Therefore, this volume is more than the catalogue of an ill-fated collection: it is a complex critical evaluation and a seminal source for professionals, archaeology students, and enthusiasts delving into Iron Age archaeology and the chronology and social structure of Celtic communities in the Carpathian Basin.

Keve László –  Dan Băcueţ-Crişan – Ioan Stanciu – Florin Mărginean,Exploring Dwellings and Manufacturing Spaces in Medieval Context (7th–14th Centuries) Proceedings of the International Conference, Târgu Mureș, 27th - 30th October 2020(Orbis Mediaevalis III)Cluj – Napoca 2021ISBN 978-606-020-427-5274 S./pp., zahlr. Farb- und S/W-Abb./num. colour and b/w-figs., 29,7 x 21 cm; kartoniert/hardcover

Dan Băcueţ-Crişan – Ioan Stanciu – Florin Mărginean – Keve László – Sándor Romát,“Walking” Goods. “Walking” Ideas. Economic and Cultural Routes in the Carpathian Basin and Neighbouring Areas (7th–14th Centuries)Proceedings of the International Conference, Zalău, 24th- 27th April 2025(Orbis Mediaevalis V)Cluj – Napoca 2025ISBN 978-630-372-012-8222 S./pp., zahlr. Farb- und S/W-Abb./num. colour and b/w-figs., 29,7 x 21 cm; kartoniert/hardcover

Ivan Chokoev,Textiles from graves near the Forty Holy Martyrs church in Veliko Tarnovo /Тъкани от гробове край църквата "Св.Четиридесет Мъченици" във Велико ТърновоVeliko Tarnovo 2026ISBN 978-619-00-2094-3 398 S./pp., zahlr. Farb- und S/W-Abb. / num. colour and b/w-figs., 28,5 x 20 cm; kartoniert/hardcoverbulgarisch mit ausführlicher englischer Zusammenfassung /bulgarian with a detailed English summaryThe Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs in Veliko Tarnovo was founded in 1230. From 1970 to 2007, an archaeological survey was conducted of the Medieval church and the architectural complex surrounding it. Hundreds of graves from the capital’s heyday were also uncovered, some of which contained a wealth of textile materials. This book presents the results of the analysis of these textiles.

Dražen Maršić,Tiberijevi portreti u dalmatinskom dijelu Ilirika[= Porträts von Tiberius im dalmatinischen Teil Illyriens]Zadar 2025ISBN 978-953-331-501-0 166 S./pp., zahlr. Farb- und S/W-Abb./num. colour and b/w-figs., 23,5 x 16,5 cm; broschiert/softcoverkroatisch - croatianDas Werk untersucht die Porträts des Tiberius aus dem Gebiet der Provinz Illyria. Die Leser werden zunächst mit der Problematik der Porträt-Typologie des zweiten römischen Herrschers Tiberius, des Nachfolgers des Augustus, vertraut gemacht. Es handelt sich um sechs Porträttypen, die in der Literatur unterschiedlich bezeichnet und hinsichtlich ihrer Interpretationen sowie der Gründe für ihre Einführung unterschiedlich gewertet werden. Anschließend werden die illyrischen Porträtbeispiele in zwei Hauptmedien der bildenden Kunst analysiert: der statuarischen Bildhauerei und der Kleinkunst. Die erste Kategorie umfasst zwei Gruppen. Zur ersten gehören drei Denkmäler mit erhaltenen Porträts: die Statue aus Nin, der Kopf aus Omiš (dem kürzlich ein Fragment des Sockels zugeordnet wurde) und der problematische Kopf aus Lapad in Dubrovnik. Zur zweiten gehören drei kopflose Statuen in Rüstung, die Tiberius zugeschrieben werden: die außergewöhnliche Statue aus Salona (in Privatbesitz in den USA) und die Statue aus Issa (im Archäologischen Museum in Zagreb). Die zweite Kategorie bilden Darstellungen in der Kleinkunst, d. h. auf militärischen Auszeichnungen. Diese Gruppe wird durch drei Phalerae und eine Darstellung in Stein repräsentiert: eine Phalera aus dem Legionslager Burnum, zwei aus Tilurium und eine Darstellung auf einer Grabstele aus dem Archäologischen Museum in Zadar. Als abschließendes Kapitel folgen Anmerkungen über alle anderen Fundorte, an denen vermutlich Statuen des Tiberius standen, die jedoch nicht erhalten geblieben sind (Brinje, Osor, Skradin, Salona).

Pantelis Charalampakis – Georgi Sengalevich (eds.),In memoriam professoris Ivani Jordanov(Bulletin of the National Archaeological Institute, vol. 51) Sofia 2026ISBN 978-619-254-059-3 250 S./pp., zahlr. Farb. und S/W-Abb./ num. colour and b/w-figs., 28 x 20 cm; broschiert/softcover

Ioan Piso – Lucrețiu Mihailescu-Bîrliba – Ana Odochiciuc (eds.),Mensa Rotunda Epigraphica.Papers of the Conference held in Timișoara 23rd–24th of September 2025 Cluj – Napoca 2026ISBN 978-630-372-086-9373 S./pp., Farb- und S/W-Abb./colour and b/w-figs., 23 x 16 cm; kartoniert/hardcover

Patrizia de Bernardo Stempel, The names of the Celtic social entities on the Iberian PeninsulaBudapest 2025ISBN 978-615-5766-86-2353 S./pp., zahlr. Farb- und S/W-Abb. / num. colour and b/w-figs., 24 x 21 cm; broschiert/softcoverBased on a corpus of more than 800 Palaeohispanic naming formulae, this book presents the first linguistic study of the typical social cluster indications mostly known as Celtiberian unidades suprafamiliares. Three main semantic categories were identified thanks to etymological investigation: social clusters indicating a geographic provenance, an occupation or rank, or else the name of an ancestor. Each of the three categories also contains some names with a religious background, i.e., social clusters referring to theophoric topo- and ethnonyms, religious charges or, respectively, theophoric propatronyms. In addition to the different types of female naming formulae and to the changing social cluster’s position in the inscriptions, the monograph investigates the phonetic and morphological characteristics of the various Celtiberian, Gaulish, Celtic dialectal or even Iberian forms and their Latin equivalents. The relationship uncovered between several social clusters and extra-Celtiberian and at times extra-peninsular regions (France, Italy, central and eastern Europe, northern Africa) is also of great interest.

Gabriel Mircea Talmațchi,From the Dominium Ponti Euxini to the Koinon ton Hellenon, from the Ripa Thraciae to the Province of Moesia Inferior. Roman Republican and Early Imperial Denarii in the Istro-Pontic Territory. Isolated finds(Coins from Roman Sites and Collections of Roman Coins from Romania, vol. XXI)Cluj-Napoca 2026ISBN 978-630-372-073-9202 S./pp., zahlr. S/W-Abb./num. b/w-figs., 29,7 x 21 cm; broschiert/softcoverGeographically, the area in focus belongs to the Istro-Pontic region, known today as Dobrudja, a territory that, until the course of the 1st century AD, represented the northeastern extremity of the Thracian space. In fact, its west Pontic coast was integrated, starting from the 1st century BC, into the anti-Roman Pontic kingdom of Mithridates VI Eupator (120–63 BC), within a dominium Ponti Euxini. In the same area, under Roman influence, a system of alliances was formed among the western Pontic cities, reflecting a Greek community (Κοινόν τῶν Ἑλλήνων). The growing importance of the Istro-Pontic region for the policy of Imperial Rome led to the establishment of a customs office called Ripae Thraciae, which was added to the customs district Portorium Illyrici Utriusque, attested under Claudius, but very possibly created as early as Augustus or even earlier. Strabo, referring to the Istro-Pontic territory and part of the Thracian land, speaks of Little Scythia (μικρᾱ Σκυθία/ Mikrá Skythia), viewed as an extension of the Scythian lands located north of the Black Sea (beyond the Tyras and Istrus, in the context of the Scythians’ settlement “in the nearby land”). This name has no connection to the later Roman province of Scythia, which would encompass the Istro-Pontic territory during the 4th–7th centuries AD. Chronologically, the period addressed in this work covers approximately 280 years of the evolution of the Dobrujan region, representing a relatively narrow temporal unit. Its conclusion coincides with a phase marked by numerous military events occurring in the Lower Danube area, within an environment rife with insecurity, such as those that took place during the reign of Emperor Domitianus. A consequence of these circumstances is the numerous hoards of coins hidden during this time, including those identified in the Istro-Pontic territory. This upper limit, considered as the chronological boundary, can be accepted if it is assumed that the hoards containing Republican and early Imperial coins discovered were assembled or buried by this date.