By Nathan Carmichael
In Bulgaria, swerving on the road is not indicative of drunk driving, but of the driver’s tedious efforts to avoid potholes, wild animals, and horse-and-buggies.
First thing you need to know, I study Roman archaeology and double with a classical archaeology major. That said, I also have an interest in cultural anthropology and traveling in general. I crossed the Atlantic for an excavation in Bulgaria but, more than this, I was looking forward to the sights and sounds of a foreign world, eastern Europe. I suppose that most Americans, even college students, have very little understanding of eastern Europe, and what associations we have created are wrapped up in the current conflict in Ukraine. So, just like any other american, I did not know what to expect and only staved off my mother’s fears by arguing some geography. Yes, Bulgaria is in eastern Europe, which has suffered in the recent past because of socialism and then a recession following the collapse of the Soviet Union. No, it is not a war torn country riddled with social and political strife; goodness, it does not even share a border with Ukraine. That said, let’s dive in:
The most riveting thing about Bulgaria is the clash between the west and capitalism and Bulgaria’s socialist past. From the moment I stepped into Bulgaria’s largest airport, I realized that this trip would be a very different experience. Like the small airport of anytown USA, the services were few and hardly anyone was coming and going. Soon enough, myself and a few fellow excavators were being driven into the heart of Sofia, the nation’s capital. Lacking any foreknowledge, my first impression of the city was a poor one. I was at shocked by the wear, the incompleteness, and the overall destitute appearance of the city. Socialist-era, high-rise apartments looked like ticky-tacky complexes, each like the other, yet all suffering from a combination of years of use and poor maintenance. Several plots along the highway even contained unfinished projects, revealing concrete ribs and walls and rising many stories without a purpose. However, as we progressed these became increasingly natural to see, in so much as the glass curtain-wall of our hotel seemed entirely misplaced and even inappropriate. The quaint facade of a nearby neoclassical style building, painted red with white decorative outlines and molding, appeared to have lost its place of prominence because of the hotel’s affront. Larger cities in Bulgaria are readily adopting many western innovations - which for the sake of progress is important, but shops featuring European Union clothing lines, fast-cash nooks for tourists, and gaudy Mcdonalds restaurants were all a discomforting sight. Moreover, as a consequence of the fall of the Soviet Union and the influx of capitalism, homes and businesses had been abandoned and many industries fell into the hands of just a few powerful men. Advancement lays alongside much poverty.
We visited many museums and sites of antiquity, traveling by bus from one destination to the next and all the while absorbing the history and beauty of the country. A week later and we arrived in Sandanski, where we would stay for the duration of the excavations. The Archaeological Field School at Heraclea Sintica was nothing short of wonderful. Every morning I would wake up at five, have a quick breakfast with the team, then commute and arrive at our site when the sun was just rising and a thick fog still creeped over the hills. The site was an ancient Roman town in what today is southwest Bulgaria, snuggly located in the side of a hill and facing fields then a mountain range which acts as a border with Greece. Our trench was a small part of the excavations at Heraclea, where a wall, gravesites, and a craftsmen’s quarters had already been uncovered. We were digging beside the craftsmen’s quarters and on the hill; the former offered an insight into what sort of material and stratigraphy we would uncover, while the latter complicated things because of the tumble which inevitably rolls down hills over the centuries. The material we discovered represented periods of occupation and destruction during the third century AD, before Heraclea gained official city status under emperor Galerius circa 307-8. Among the many finds, we discovered coins, dice, and toy and glazed mask fragments. In addition to this, we had a beautiful view of the Strymon river valley and every afternoon a herd of cows and then goats would pass our site. Whenever someone heard the bells they would yell “cows!” Soon american excavators peeked their heads over the trench wall, hoping to catch a glimpse before the herd passed.
The town in which we stayed has its own share of animals: chicken pens in front yards, stray dogs and cats scouring the streets, and once I saw a donkey tied to a post in a residential neighborhood. Sandanski also has its share of east meets west, as is attested by a pedestrian thoroughfare which began at one end near our hotel and ended on the other with an expansive park. Along this route, stores selling cheap EU clothes for steep prices and intermittent souvenir shops extended a ways before giving way to restaurants catering to the tourism which Sandanski regularly receives during the summer. However, even from here I could pick out buildings which were either in the slow process of development or else were abandoned and begging to be replaced. After a short walk I would reach this town’s series of ticky-tacky apartment complexes and, just little ways further, shacks and the small gardens which provided the inhabitants’ source of food and keep. As the weeks rolled by I explored the surrounding landscape: first the mountain gorge in which the town is nestled, then the hills and surrounding countryside, all of which offered scenic views.
When it was finally time to leave Bulgaria, I was sad to go but delighted to return to the states. A good ol’fashion american hamburger was long overdue and, although I became used to showering without a curtain and in the same space as the toilet and sink, I was ready to be spoiled again. On the way to the airport I absorbed the landscape once more, this time realizing that I had become accustomed to the juxtaposition of the fresh and expensive buildings of the west beside the rundown and blocky image of socialist-era apartments. In a moment of personal revelation I wrote, “the latter no longer astounds me, although the thought of being numbered among the countless rooms in a hundred thousand matching apartments demands deep reflection.” My experiences in Bulgaria have demanded a lot of reflection, but I suppose that is to be expected after seeing and learning so much.
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If you have any interest in archaeology or traveling in general, I encourage you to say hello. I am very sociable and, what is more, have already accumulated quite a lot of experience which I am always happy to share. During the 2014-15 school year, you will find me during our UTAS meetings; otherwise, feel free to email me at [email protected].
First thing you need to know, I study Roman archaeology and double with a classical archaeology major. That said, I also have an interest in cultural anthropology and traveling in general. I crossed the Atlantic for an excavation in Bulgaria but, more than this, I was looking forward to the sights and sounds of a foreign world, eastern Europe. I suppose that most Americans, even college students, have very little understanding of eastern Europe, and what associations we have created are wrapped up in the current conflict in Ukraine. So, just like any other american, I did not know what to expect and only staved off my mother’s fears by arguing some geography. Yes, Bulgaria is in eastern Europe, which has suffered in the recent past because of socialism and then a recession following the collapse of the Soviet Union. No, it is not a war torn country riddled with social and political strife; goodness, it does not even share a border with Ukraine. That said, let’s dive in:
The most riveting thing about Bulgaria is the clash between the west and capitalism and Bulgaria’s socialist past. From the moment I stepped into Bulgaria’s largest airport, I realized that this trip would be a very different experience. Like the small airport of anytown USA, the services were few and hardly anyone was coming and going. Soon enough, myself and a few fellow excavators were being driven into the heart of Sofia, the nation’s capital. Lacking any foreknowledge, my first impression of the city was a poor one. I was at shocked by the wear, the incompleteness, and the overall destitute appearance of the city. Socialist-era, high-rise apartments looked like ticky-tacky complexes, each like the other, yet all suffering from a combination of years of use and poor maintenance. Several plots along the highway even contained unfinished projects, revealing concrete ribs and walls and rising many stories without a purpose. However, as we progressed these became increasingly natural to see, in so much as the glass curtain-wall of our hotel seemed entirely misplaced and even inappropriate. The quaint facade of a nearby neoclassical style building, painted red with white decorative outlines and molding, appeared to have lost its place of prominence because of the hotel’s affront. Larger cities in Bulgaria are readily adopting many western innovations - which for the sake of progress is important, but shops featuring European Union clothing lines, fast-cash nooks for tourists, and gaudy Mcdonalds restaurants were all a discomforting sight. Moreover, as a consequence of the fall of the Soviet Union and the influx of capitalism, homes and businesses had been abandoned and many industries fell into the hands of just a few powerful men. Advancement lays alongside much poverty.
We visited many museums and sites of antiquity, traveling by bus from one destination to the next and all the while absorbing the history and beauty of the country. A week later and we arrived in Sandanski, where we would stay for the duration of the excavations. The Archaeological Field School at Heraclea Sintica was nothing short of wonderful. Every morning I would wake up at five, have a quick breakfast with the team, then commute and arrive at our site when the sun was just rising and a thick fog still creeped over the hills. The site was an ancient Roman town in what today is southwest Bulgaria, snuggly located in the side of a hill and facing fields then a mountain range which acts as a border with Greece. Our trench was a small part of the excavations at Heraclea, where a wall, gravesites, and a craftsmen’s quarters had already been uncovered. We were digging beside the craftsmen’s quarters and on the hill; the former offered an insight into what sort of material and stratigraphy we would uncover, while the latter complicated things because of the tumble which inevitably rolls down hills over the centuries. The material we discovered represented periods of occupation and destruction during the third century AD, before Heraclea gained official city status under emperor Galerius circa 307-8. Among the many finds, we discovered coins, dice, and toy and glazed mask fragments. In addition to this, we had a beautiful view of the Strymon river valley and every afternoon a herd of cows and then goats would pass our site. Whenever someone heard the bells they would yell “cows!” Soon american excavators peeked their heads over the trench wall, hoping to catch a glimpse before the herd passed.
The town in which we stayed has its own share of animals: chicken pens in front yards, stray dogs and cats scouring the streets, and once I saw a donkey tied to a post in a residential neighborhood. Sandanski also has its share of east meets west, as is attested by a pedestrian thoroughfare which began at one end near our hotel and ended on the other with an expansive park. Along this route, stores selling cheap EU clothes for steep prices and intermittent souvenir shops extended a ways before giving way to restaurants catering to the tourism which Sandanski regularly receives during the summer. However, even from here I could pick out buildings which were either in the slow process of development or else were abandoned and begging to be replaced. After a short walk I would reach this town’s series of ticky-tacky apartment complexes and, just little ways further, shacks and the small gardens which provided the inhabitants’ source of food and keep. As the weeks rolled by I explored the surrounding landscape: first the mountain gorge in which the town is nestled, then the hills and surrounding countryside, all of which offered scenic views.
When it was finally time to leave Bulgaria, I was sad to go but delighted to return to the states. A good ol’fashion american hamburger was long overdue and, although I became used to showering without a curtain and in the same space as the toilet and sink, I was ready to be spoiled again. On the way to the airport I absorbed the landscape once more, this time realizing that I had become accustomed to the juxtaposition of the fresh and expensive buildings of the west beside the rundown and blocky image of socialist-era apartments. In a moment of personal revelation I wrote, “the latter no longer astounds me, although the thought of being numbered among the countless rooms in a hundred thousand matching apartments demands deep reflection.” My experiences in Bulgaria have demanded a lot of reflection, but I suppose that is to be expected after seeing and learning so much.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have any interest in archaeology or traveling in general, I encourage you to say hello. I am very sociable and, what is more, have already accumulated quite a lot of experience which I am always happy to share. During the 2014-15 school year, you will find me during our UTAS meetings; otherwise, feel free to email me at [email protected].