So in light of all that studying, I thought it would be nice for those of you for whom Bulgarian history and culture is not common knowledge(lets be honest, most of Americans) to read my brief summary of their history and perhaps why it has even influenced you. If you are not into history, this post is probably not for you but if you are, humor me and prepare to 'nerd out' a bit-I'm a history fanatic. With that, lets jump in and get our feet wet:
WHERE IS IT?
Bulgaria ( /bʌlˈɡɛəriə/ Bulgarian: България, officially the Republic of Bulgaria (Република България, translit. Republika Bulgaria,[6] [rɛˈpublikɐ bɤ̞ɫˈɡarijɐ]), is a country in Southeast Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north (mostly along the Danube), Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south. The Black Sea defines the extent of the country to the east.
With a territory of 110,994 square kilometers (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria ranks as the 16th-largest country in Europe. Several mountainous areas define the landscape, most notably the Stara Planina (Balkan) and Rodopi mountain ranges, as well as the Rila range, which includes the highest peak in the Balkan region, Musala. In contrast, the Danubian plain in the north and the Upper Thracian Plain in the south represent Bulgaria's lowest and most fertile regions. The 378-kilometer (235 mi) Black Sea coastline covers the entire eastern bound of the country. Bulgaria's capital city and largest settlement is Sofia.
-(from wikipedia.com)
WHO ARE THEY?/ HOW'D IT ALL GET ROLLIN'?
Like anywhere else throughout the world there were prehistoric cultures in the area we now know as Bulgaria as far back as the 5th millenium BC evidensed by remains of the Vinca and then Karanovo(south) and Varna (north) cultures. These societies were a part of 'Old Europe', a term coined by archeologist Marija Gimbutas to describe a quasi-organized and wide reaching group of copper-age Pre-Indo-European cultures, mainly centered in the Balkans and Malta(esentially a period of Neolithic Europe:7000-3000 BC). So, what happened to these copper age societies? Well, we dont really know for certain. Predominate theories suggest the Kurgan hypothesis or variants thereof which specify a possible invasion and destruction of Old Europe by the Indo-European, horse-riding Kurgan cultue from the east. This was likely followed or happening concurrently with a slow migration of Indo-Europeans into the western regions of the Balkans and beyond. Not to mention their equal spreading to the east as far as India. This is why even today, white people are Caucasians just as some Iranians, Afghan, Pakistani and Indians have Caucasian ancestry as well. The Indo-Europeans came from the Caucasas Mountains region. This integration is most likely the source of the first bronze age, hybrid-culture of the Balkan's Old Europe and the settling Indo-Europeans, the Ezero culture of Bulgaria's past.
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| (above) The Ezero culture, pretty much the boundaries of modern Bulgaria. |
After the spread of Indo-European peoples into the Balkans of South-Eastern Europe, the first Indo-European societies began to form. It is with these developing cultures where we first see a glimmer of some traditions that still exist in Bulgaria today. One prodominate ancient culture with traditions that native Bulgarians even practice today were the Thracians. "The Thracians, one of the three primary ancestral groups of modern Bulgarians, lived separated in various tribes until King Teres united most of them around 500 BC in the Odrysian kingdom. They were eventually subjugated by Alexander the Great and later by the Roman Empire. After migrating from their original homeland, the easternmost South Slavs settled on the territory of modern Bulgaria during the 6th century and assimilated the Hellenized or Romanised Thracians. Eventually the Bulgar élite incorporated all of them into the First Bulgarian Empire.[12] By the 9th century, Bulgars and Slavs were mutually assimilated"(wikipedia).
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| Area of ancient Thrace transposed on a modern map |
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| Thracian warrior |
Alright, I know it's a lot of information, informally summarized no less, so let's take a break for our brains to catch up. That concludes today's entry into the history of the lands now known as Bulgaria. Later this week, The First Bulgarian Empire through Modern times, stay tuned...
