Field Notes From Author
A. R. Williams



In the Orthodox Christian church, Easter falls a week later than when it's generally
celebrated in the U.S., and I arrived in Bulgaria just in time to join in. Malvina
Rousseva, who guided and interpreted for me and for photographers Ken Garrett and Mark Thiessen, also invited us to her flat in Sofia and shared her holiday with us.
On Easter Saturday, we had work to do—a meeting with an archaeologist in the
morning. But then we went to Malvina's to dye Easter eggs. The colors in Bulgaria are richer than any I had ever used: deep emerald, burnt orange, dark sapphire, and blood red. And some of the techniques are different too: wrapping dye-splotched cotton batting around an egg or holding foliage against the egg with a net tied tightly to create lacy leafy patterns in the color. I tried them all. Then off to work again—we had artifacts to photograph at a museum.
When we finished about 10 p.m., we raced back to Malvina's place for a traditional feast: eggs, of course, along with a flaky phyllo-and-cheese pastry called barnitsa, a green salad, an herb-infused sausage, and fabulous local wine. Just before midnight, we walked up the hill to the local church along with hundreds of neighbors, lit our candles, and carried the primal lights back home, flickering through the streets like fireflies.



Along the shore at Sozopol, the building boom on the Black Sea coast has uncovered a cemetery from around 400 B.C., when the town was a Greek colony. I started to explore a section on a cold, windy afternoon in early May near the end of my trip. Picking my way between stones and trenches and small piles of pottery, I was oblivious to everything but my notebook, my pen, the ancient ruins, and the soft, golden sand that pulled at my shoes with every step. Sometime later, I reached the stretch of beach where Ken and our interpreter, Malvina, were working, and as I began to talk to them, I realized something was wrong. Finally, I figured it out: My clip-on sunglasses were missing. The wind must have whipped them right off my glasses without my even noticing. There was no hope of finding them. Something that light could have skittered anywhere on the beach, which stretched for miles. I was annoyed at first, but then I came around. If that's as bad as it got, my trip had actually been pretty good.



A cherished Easter tradition in Bulgaria, dyed-egg cracking competitions continue for days until all the hard-boiled, brightly colored orbs are eaten. The trick is to knock your egg against someone else's, breaking the other person's egg but keeping your own intact. I first tested my skill with Ken and Mark on Easter Saturday night while waiting in a crowded Sofia churchyard for our turn to light candles. We butted our eggs as many other groups were doing, and, inexplicably, I won. But the next day was a different story.
Bojidar Dimitrov, director of the National History Museum, took us for a drive in the country. Stopping for lunch near a medieval monastery, we had a go at egg-cracking once again. This time Dr. Dimitrov won. With the smile of a man accustomed to controlling the outcome of any situation at hand, he held his egg aloft and announced,

"Director!"—offering his title as the perfect explanation for his success.

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Field Notes From Photographer
Kenneth Garrett



After living under the Soviets for 50 years, Bulgarians now show so much hope in their faces. They were in the shadow of the Soviet Union for so long. Then in 1989 when the introduction of glasnost allowed more open expression and discussion of political and social issues, they were finally freed of the Soviet yoke. But the Bulgarians were so angry at the Soviets that they didn't want to have a trade relationship with them—and the Soviets were the main clients for copper, manufactured electrical goods, and agricultural products such as fruits and wine. So most of their factories closed, and the country lost its economic base. But now they are rebuilding the economy and the tourist industry, and you can see the hope in these people. The cloud has lifted, and it's a great period of optimism in Bulgaria.



There wasn't a great deal of looting or excavating when Bulgaria was a Soviet state. Today, however, there is enormous pressure from looters on all of the country's archaeological sites. Every winter more and more of these large burial mounds are destroyed, and artifacts are lost to the art market. It's very difficult to crack down on who is responsible for the looting. Archaeologists are racing against the clock to beat the looters and save Bulgaria's treasures.



The people of Bulgaria were extremely welcoming. The newspapers found out I was there, and I was invited to go on The Slavi Show, a Bulgarian version of Jay Leno's Tonight Show. Slavi is an imposing, tall man with a large bald head, and his show is very over-the-top, with dancing girls and loud music.
There I was, an American photographer talking about trying to save Bulgaria's
treasures while in the middle of a live band and a bunch of half-naked dancers.
Slavi's researchers prepared him with good questions, so the interview was
actually positive and educational for the Bulgarian viewers as well as for National
Geographic. It was quite an experience.

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Did You Know?

Bulgaria is littered with archaeological treasures from many civilizations spanning
the past several thousand years, and new discoveries are frequent. The most recent cache was discovered in late August, near the Black Sea town of Sinemorets. More than 160 gold and silver pieces, as well as pottery, were uncovered in the tomb of a woman, most likely a Thracian priestess. The discovery included two earrings crafted like miniature chariots, parts of gold necklaces, a tiara, and clay tiles with images of the Mother Earth goddess. The items date back to the third century B.C. Within days of being discovered, the treasure was on display at Bulgaria's National History Museum, drawing thousands of visitors.

—Marisa Larson

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Related Links

Archaeological Museum of Plovdiv
www.archaeologicalmuseumplovdiv.org/_en/?id=main&prm=welcome
Plovdiv's Archaeological Museum boasts one of the richest collections of artifacts related to the history of this city, among the most famous ancient towns on the Balkan Peninsula.

Paunov, Evgeni. "Ancient Treasures From Thracian Tombs." Athena Review
www.athenapub.com/thrace1.htm
Explore this site to get a synopsis of Thracian history and an overview of the major Thracian archaeological finds in Bulgaria.

Perperikon
www.perperikon.bg
This fertile, sheltered region attracted settlers in ancient times. Today dozens of

sites clustered around Perperikon reveal layer upon layer of archaeological remains.

Go to this website to learn about Orpheus, Dionysus, and the Thracians and the

treasures they left behind.

Thracology Page by Sonya Ilieva
thracology.dir.bg/english/elinisum_en.html
A site dedicated to Thracian history and culture and its ties to other European

civilizations, including those of the Greeks, Celts, and Romans.

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Bibliography

Crampton, R. J. A Concise History of Bulgaria. Cambridge University Press, 1997.

Fol, Alexander, and Valeria Fol. The Thracians. All Bulgarian Foundation, 2005.

Marazov, Ivan. Ancient Gold: The Wealth of the Thracians. Harry N. Abrams, 1998.

Ovcharov, Dimiter. Fifteen Treasures From Bulgarian Lands. Bulgarian Bestseller, 2005.

Ovcharov, Nikolay. Perperikon: A Civilization of the Rock People. Borina Publishing

House, 2005.

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NGS Resources

McIntosh, Jane. Treasure Seekers. National Geographic Books, 2001.

Stuart, George E., and others. Wonders of the Ancient World: National Geographic Atlas

of Archaeology, National Geographic Books, 1994.

Gibbons, Boyd. "The Bulgarians." National Geographic (July 1980), 90-111.

Renfrew, Colin. "Ancient Bulgaria's Golden Treasures." National Geographic (July

1980), 112-29.

Bourchier, James D. "The Rise of Bulgaria." National Geographic (November 1912),

1105-18.

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