Spatial contextualization of archaeological sources 2900-HAMC-CONTEXT

A field trip to Bulgaria, enabling students to interact with museums, archaeological sites and architecture of ancient Thrace.

LISTS OF TOPICS - PAPERS IN WARSAW

Thracian kingdom: barbarians and Greeks.
Present a response to the following questions: who were the Thracians, and what territories did they inhabit? A brief political history of the Thracian kingdoms; Do we know the Thracian language (Ring of Ezerovo)? The Greek authors on the Thracians; Thracian tombs.

Development of the Roman border on the Danube from the reign of Augustus till the 2nd century CE.
Textbook-Level Political History: How Augustus intended to define the borders of the Empire and why he did not succeed: plans vs. reality; the formation of Roman provinces along the Danube - from Augustus to Trajan; the presence of the Roman army on the Danube - the most important Roman forts (a map is essential!)

Moesia and Thrace as Roman provinces.
Textbook-Level Political History: The establishment and administrative changes of the two Roman provinces of Moesia and Thrace; the presence of the army and the most important cities of the provinces; written and archaeological sources

The Statehood of the Bulgarians: from Khan Asparuh to Independence in the 19th century.
Political History Through the Centuries – From the First Bulgarian State to the Restoration of Independence in 1878: Independence and Dependence on Great Empires;
Present a concise overview of Bulgarian statehood, tracing its development from the establishment of the First Bulgarian State in the late 7th century to the achievement of independence in the 19th century.

The organization of the Roman army during the Principate: Legions and Auxilia.
Identify key structural elements of the Roman legions and the auxiliary forces (recruitment, typical numbers, and basic equipment). Compare and contrast the roles and responsibilities of legionaries with those of auxiliary troops in military campaigns.
Discuss the significance of the auxilia in extending Rome’s reach and consolidating new lands.

How many years did a soldier serve? What did a legionary camp look like? The soldiers' diet; The great paradox of a strong state: Who commanded a Roman legion in the Early Empire? Do we have evidence of common military careers, and if so, from where?
Please present one military tombstone, for example, the tombstone of Titus Flavius Bassus (Cologne). It can be viewed here:
Titus Flavius Bassus Tombstone (defined edges)
Grave for Titus Flavius Bassus – Römisch-Germanisches Museum, Cologne
1st-century Roman gravestone inscription
T(itus) FLAVIVS BASSUS MVCALAE
F(ilius) DANSALA EQ(ues) ALAE NORI
CORV(m) TVR(ma) FABI PVDENTIS
AN(norum) XXXXVI STIP XXVI H(eres)
F(aciendum) C(uravit)

What was the Roman limes?
Investigate how the term limes has been defined in ancient sources and in modern historiography.
Discuss how these definitions have shifted over time, from viewing the limes as a fortified line on the map to conceiving it as a broader zone of interaction.
Choose two frontier zones (e.g., the Rhine-Danube frontier and the eastern frontier) and compare their geographical, military, and cultural characteristics.
Analyze whether a single definition of limes can encompass these diverse frontier experiences.

TABLE 2: LISTS OF TOPICS - PAPERS IN BULGARIA

Plovdiv - Philippopolis, in front of the museum or in the hall of the museum, April 5
Jewish life in Roman provinces: Synagogue of Philippopolis
Present: diaspora synagogues - today remains; synagogue liturgy; scant evidence of Jewish presence in Thrace; mosaic of the synagogue from Philippopolis (exhibited in the museum) - inscription of Kosmianos.

Plovdiv - Philippopolis, in the theater, April 6
Theaters of the Roman period: architecture and culture of the early Roman Empire
Present: the time of construction; architecture of the theater in Philippopolis in comparison to other theaters of the Roman period (comparison of the size of the buildings, how many people could sit in the theater in Philippopolis?); Discussion of vocabulary related to theater structures (cavea, orchestra, diazoma, scena etc.); from religious festival to spectacle: changes in the theater performances from classical times; what was performed in Roman theaters in the Greek East?

Philippopolis, on the Roman forum from the northern side, April 6
Spectacular forum in Philippopolis: what exactly do we see?
Present: Roman forums - their functions; plan, public building and streets of the forum in Phillipopolis; honorific inscriptions and their significance (base of the statues of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus); please choose one specific monument (maybe the odeon) and discuss it.

Razgrad, in the museum April 7
Abrittus in the late antiquity
Present: Abrittus - a brief history from the 4th century: numismatics as a historical source; Christian emperors' coins in the Abrittus museum collection (the paper should focus on the numismatics).

City of Sofia
Roman Serdica
How the city evolved in the Roman period.

Museum at Svisthov
Roman medical instruments
Basic Types of Roman Medical Instruments and Basic Medical Procedures

Sofia Archeological Museum.
Funerary practices of the Roman Period
Inscriptiones, grave stelae and sarcophagi.

Sofia Archaeological Museum
Gladiatorial games and their place in Roman day to day life
Gladiatorial games in domestic contexts, the career and identity of gladiators according to tombstone, spread of gladiatorial games in the Roman empire. gladiatorial games in Roman Moisia and Thrace.

Sofia National museum
Greek and Thracian warfare
Hoplite Warfare, Thracian local types and style of equipment, and fighting.
Sofia National museum
Thracian gold hoards
What we can learn from them, significance to the research,their cultural place, technological advancements that can be learned from them.

Novae
The Importance of the Danube for the Province of Moesia
Brief Overview of Logistical, Supply, Defensive, and Communication Aspects of the Danube River in the Context of the Province of Moesia:

Svishtov
Svishtov, the first liberated city.
The Landing of Russian Troops in 1877 and the Role of the City in the War for Independence.