Papers by Nadezhda Kecheva
Glasnik, Dec 31, 2022
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Гласник Српског археолошког друштва (Journal of Serbian Archaeological Society), 2023
Rescue excavations on the South Stream gas pipeline route during the spring and summer of 2019 re... more Rescue excavations on the South Stream gas pipeline route during the spring and summer of 2019 revealed a single-layered prehistoric Late Neolithic – Early Eneolithic site near the village of Brankovtsi, North-western Bulgaria. Geophysical survey showed several anomalies. Four above-ground and two dug-in features were recorded and excavated. Diverse artefacts were found including high concentrations of globular
ceramic weights in some of the excavated features. The location of the site and the characteristics of the recorded artefacts suggest that cultural affiliations with the Vinča and Gradeshnitsa cultures could be assumed.
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Археологически открития и разкопки през 2010 г., 2011
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Internet Archaeology, 2021
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Archaeologia Bulgarica, 2022
Lithic raw material provenance studies are important for reconstructing patterns of raw material ... more Lithic raw material provenance studies are important for reconstructing patterns of raw material procurement and exchange in prehistory. However, understanding this process requires the accurate characterization of archaeological artefacts. This paper is based on a large amount of analytical data from our previous research and publications, augmented by new results for a more representative corpus of samples from Early Neolithic sites throughout Bulgaria. By combining macro and micropetrography of geological and archaeological samples with geochemical data obtained using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), we demonstrate an optimal analytical approach to flint provenancing. This combined comparative study proved successful in matching artefacts with raw material sources, and for reconstructing raw material catchment areas and mobility patterns. GIS analysis was used to predict pathways for flint distribution between sources and sites, which are relevant to conceptualizing the Neolithization of the eastern Balkans.
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Теренни издирвания по трасето на АМ „Хемус“, участък I на територията на общини Ябланица и Луковит, 2020
The field survey was carried out in November 2019 according to a contract between NAIM–BAS and th... more The field survey was carried out in November 2019 according to a contract between NAIM–BAS and the Road Infrastructure Agency. Its implementation was necessitated by the change of the route in this part of the highway. Section 1 has a length of 15.26 km (fig. 1). It starts from Boaza, from the connection with the already built part of the highway, and goes to the crossing with road ІІІ–307 Lukovit–Ugarchin (km 87+800 to km 103+060), including also Boaza and Dermantsi road junctions.
During the survey it was found that intensive construction activities were carried out from km 87+800 to km 92+500. It was found that large parts of archaeological sites, already registered in 2015, were destroyed during construction – the sites in Poleto locality near Brestnitsa village, sites Nos 4 and 5 (fig. 2). During the search, the mound necropolis in Mechovo locality near the village of Dermantsi was re-registered (fig. 3).
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Спасителни археологически проучвания на обект от втората половина на II хил. пр. Хр. и римската епоха в землище на с. Герман, Столична община, 2021
The archaeological site was recorded in the end of January 2020 during archaeological monitoring ... more The archaeological site was recorded in the end of January 2020 during archaeological monitoring of Sofia ring road construction work. The monitoring team used machine trenches to check for presence/absence of archaeological artefacts. Between km 36+850 and km 36+900, at a depth of 0.70 – 1 m below the current surface they found а layer with stones, pottery fragments, pieces of burned daub, and small pieces of charcoal. Archaeological excavations were conducted from the end of May and the end of June 2020. The site is located at the northern foot of Lozenska Mountain, on the right bank of Iskar River, with a slight slope of the modern terrain from SE to NW (fig. 1). The area dimensions were: width of 20 m (N – S) and length of 50 m (W – E).
The following stratigraphy was recorded:
- Plough zone (humus) indistinguishable from the rest of the soil containing single small wheel thrown pottery fragments;
- In the eastern part, at a depth of about 0.40 – 0.50 m from the surface, a layer of small stones and gravel, mixed with Roman pottery fragments (fig. 4);
- In the central part, at a depth of about 0.80 m from the surface, two features with small amount of hand-made pottery fragments, dated to the second half of the 2nd mill. BC, larger pieces of burned daub and individual pieces of charcoal (1437 – 1286 cal BC at 95.4 percent probability);
- In the western part, at a depth of 0.70 – 1 m from the surface, a layer of well-rounded stones (gravels and boulders), located with their long axis across the mountain base and in a relatively sandy binder; among them was a high concentration of artefacts dated in second half of the 2nd mill. BC, pieces of burned daub, animal bones in very poor condition (figs. 2, 3);
- Sterile yellow layer.
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Internet Archaeology, 2021
This article provides an overview of the current state of archaeological archiving in Bulgaria. I... more This article provides an overview of the current state of archaeological archiving in Bulgaria. It briefly outlines the legislation that regulates archaeological fieldwork activities. Although the national legislation regulates the non-destructive and destructive activities equally, differences occur owing to the existence of the 'Archaeological Map of Bulgaria', a national 'sites and monuments' type of archaeological information system. Currently, online storage of brief data and information is possible for different archaeological sites. Its next version will be based on GIS and geographic features that allow storage of raw field survey data. According to the regulations, paper/digital reports of all fieldwork activities are collected yearly and copies of all of them are stored at the 'Scientific Archive' section at the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Although their digitisation is still in the early stage...
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Scientific methods, showing the researcher how properly to acquire knowledge, exist in all fields... more Scientific methods, showing the researcher how properly to acquire knowledge, exist in all fields of science. Archaeological surface surveys are not an exception. Some of the applicable methods have been developed in theory, and others deliberately modified for the execution of certain regional projects, but all of them contain all the non-destructive archaeological work focused on the spatial aspect – preliminary preparations, actual fieldwalking and post-processing activities. Archaeology in Bulgaria has also taken part in these world trends. Being a territory densely inhabited since the Prehistoric periods to Modern times, it has offered a vast amount of knowledge to researchers. Extensive surveys aimed at acquiring all sort of information have been conducted in Bulgaria since the middle of the 16th century. Most of the surveys in the 20th century have been site-orientated, some of them even being deliberately focused only on sites dating from a specific chronological period. All...
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Internet Archaeology, 2019
When the European Union began to finance transport and pipeline infrastructure constructions in B... more When the European Union began to finance transport and pipeline infrastructure constructions in Bulgaria, large-scale development-led archaeological projects emerged. After 2011, many 'polluter pays' projects were executed with the outlined workflow containing preliminary reports and fieldwork activities in accordance with Bulgarian legislation and a defined price list. As part of the process the national 'sites and monuments' archaeological information system 'Archaeological Map of Bulgaria' (AIS AKB) plays an important part as a source of archaeological data for the territory of Bulgaria. This centralised structure controls the quality of the archaeological fieldwork and data standardisation. The aim is to transform the 'sites and monuments' information system to an archaeological geographic information system (GIS) based on geospatial features, largely using an accumulation of standardised data.
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Review of the Bulgarian Geological Society
This research was conducted in June 2020 in connection with carrying out rescue archaeological ex... more This research was conducted in June 2020 in connection with carrying out rescue archaeological excavations of a site recorded during the construction of the Sofia Ring Road, in the northern foothills of the Lozenska Mountain. On the basis of sedimentological studies of cultural layers, the flow of two mudflows with a southeast-northwest direction were proven at different depths. The discovered archaeological artefacts, mainly fragmented ceramic vessels, help to date these two flows through the Subboreal and the lower Sub-Atlantic. The first, located deeper than the modern surface flow, is dated after the 2nd millennium BC. (i.e., from the Subboreal). The second is the shallower stream, after the Roman era, II–IV centuries AD. (i.e., Sub-Atlantic). Both flowed into the Iskar River. Nowadays. it is difficult to determine their exact location. The archaeological sites from the two streams brought artifacts located in a south/southwest direction, closer to the northern slope of the Loze...
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Автореферат на дисертационен труд за присъждане на образователна и научна степен „доктор“, 2018
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Petrich municipality is situated in the SW corner of Bulgaria. A GIS field survey was carried out... more Petrich municipality is situated in the SW corner of Bulgaria. A GIS field survey was carried out in November
within 14 working days. The area covered was 14.38 sq. km. “A section” which followed the axis N–S (fig. 1, fig. 2) ensured
a kind of representative extract that included parts of the local main geomorphological forms: two mountains, the Petrich
field and two rivers. The survey included the vicinities of the Macedonian and Roman city of Heraclea Sintica that was the
main settlement in the Middle Struma valley during the second half of the 4th c. BC up to the very end of the 4th c. AD
(footnote 1). Fifty-nine new archaeological sites were found and information about other 26 was updated. The total number
with the sub-sites is 98. It includes 68 settlements, 10 flat necropoleis, 10 burial mounds, 7 churches, 1 fortress and 1 (Roman)
quarry. They belong to Antiquity (63), Ottoman period (19), Middle Ages (9) and Prehistory (5). The small number of
medieval and prehistoric sites is a strange trend, but it is too early for conclusions because of the small area covered.
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European SCGIS Conference “Best practices: Application of GIS technologies for conservation of natural and cultural heritage sites”
ABSTRACT
In the spring of 2009 an archaeological, multidisciplinary, and international research ... more ABSTRACT
In the spring of 2009 an archaeological, multidisciplinary, and international research project led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgi Nekhrizov from National Institute of Archaeology and Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NIAM-BAS) began to explore palaeoenvironments, settlement patterns, and productive strategies in the watershed of the upper Tundzha River. The project included palaeoecology, satellite remote sensing, mobile GIS survey, geophysics, and trial excavations, and systematic archaeological surface survey constituted the principal approach utilized. Initial research in 2009 focused on the hinterland of the Thracian city of Seuthopolis (now submerged under the Koprinka Reservoir). The follow-up campaigns in 2010 and 2011 extended the study area towards the Stara Planina Range, exploring rural landscapes across a variety of environmental and topographic zones. In total, the project surveyed 80.8 sq km and registered 343 archaeological sites.
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Alexandru S. Morintz and Raluca Kogălniceanu (eds.) “Survey in Archaeology: often a neglected science”. Archaeological Debates, no. 2, 2012, 2012
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Thracia, 2012
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Scientific methods, showing the researcher how properly to acquire knowledge, exist in all fields... more Scientific methods, showing the researcher how properly to acquire knowledge, exist in all fields of science. Archaeological surface surveys are not an exception. Some of the applicable methods have been developed in theory, and others deliberately modified for the execution of certain regional projects, but all of them contain all the non-destructive archaeological work focused on the spatial aspect – preliminary preparations, actual fieldwalking and post-processing activities. Archaeology in Bulgaria has also taken part in these world trends. Being a territory densely inhabited since the Prehistoric periods to Modern times, it has offered a vast amount of knowledge to researchers. Extensive surveys aimed at acquiring all sort of information have been conducted in Bulgaria since the middle of the 16th century. Most of the surveys in the 20th century have been site-orientated, some of them even being deliberately focused only on sites dating from a specific chronological period. All of the listed trends are part of the development of archaeological surface survey methods. As a result a great amount of legacy data has been accumulated, most of which has been collected in the database “Archaeological Map of Bulgaria”. In the early 1980s several attempts at intensive systematic surveys took place in Bulgaria involving
many researchers. Unfortunately, these processes were suspended until recent times when the established field survey methods were combined with Geographic Information Systems software, in both desktop and mobile applications. Intensive surveys, both systematic and salvage, showing the densities of artefacts as “carpet-like” scatters are becoming more and more popular in Bulgaria nowadays. Spatial location and replicated collections of site surfaces with assessment of ground visibility show interesting trends most of which have been discussed in foreign publications.
Keywords
Surface surveys, replicated collections, GIS, Archaeological Map of Bulgaria
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Books by Nadezhda Kecheva
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Papers by Nadezhda Kecheva
ceramic weights in some of the excavated features. The location of the site and the characteristics of the recorded artefacts suggest that cultural affiliations with the Vinča and Gradeshnitsa cultures could be assumed.
During the survey it was found that intensive construction activities were carried out from km 87+800 to km 92+500. It was found that large parts of archaeological sites, already registered in 2015, were destroyed during construction – the sites in Poleto locality near Brestnitsa village, sites Nos 4 and 5 (fig. 2). During the search, the mound necropolis in Mechovo locality near the village of Dermantsi was re-registered (fig. 3).
The following stratigraphy was recorded:
- Plough zone (humus) indistinguishable from the rest of the soil containing single small wheel thrown pottery fragments;
- In the eastern part, at a depth of about 0.40 – 0.50 m from the surface, a layer of small stones and gravel, mixed with Roman pottery fragments (fig. 4);
- In the central part, at a depth of about 0.80 m from the surface, two features with small amount of hand-made pottery fragments, dated to the second half of the 2nd mill. BC, larger pieces of burned daub and individual pieces of charcoal (1437 – 1286 cal BC at 95.4 percent probability);
- In the western part, at a depth of 0.70 – 1 m from the surface, a layer of well-rounded stones (gravels and boulders), located with their long axis across the mountain base and in a relatively sandy binder; among them was a high concentration of artefacts dated in second half of the 2nd mill. BC, pieces of burned daub, animal bones in very poor condition (figs. 2, 3);
- Sterile yellow layer.
within 14 working days. The area covered was 14.38 sq. km. “A section” which followed the axis N–S (fig. 1, fig. 2) ensured
a kind of representative extract that included parts of the local main geomorphological forms: two mountains, the Petrich
field and two rivers. The survey included the vicinities of the Macedonian and Roman city of Heraclea Sintica that was the
main settlement in the Middle Struma valley during the second half of the 4th c. BC up to the very end of the 4th c. AD
(footnote 1). Fifty-nine new archaeological sites were found and information about other 26 was updated. The total number
with the sub-sites is 98. It includes 68 settlements, 10 flat necropoleis, 10 burial mounds, 7 churches, 1 fortress and 1 (Roman)
quarry. They belong to Antiquity (63), Ottoman period (19), Middle Ages (9) and Prehistory (5). The small number of
medieval and prehistoric sites is a strange trend, but it is too early for conclusions because of the small area covered.
In the spring of 2009 an archaeological, multidisciplinary, and international research project led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgi Nekhrizov from National Institute of Archaeology and Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NIAM-BAS) began to explore palaeoenvironments, settlement patterns, and productive strategies in the watershed of the upper Tundzha River. The project included palaeoecology, satellite remote sensing, mobile GIS survey, geophysics, and trial excavations, and systematic archaeological surface survey constituted the principal approach utilized. Initial research in 2009 focused on the hinterland of the Thracian city of Seuthopolis (now submerged under the Koprinka Reservoir). The follow-up campaigns in 2010 and 2011 extended the study area towards the Stara Planina Range, exploring rural landscapes across a variety of environmental and topographic zones. In total, the project surveyed 80.8 sq km and registered 343 archaeological sites.
many researchers. Unfortunately, these processes were suspended until recent times when the established field survey methods were combined with Geographic Information Systems software, in both desktop and mobile applications. Intensive surveys, both systematic and salvage, showing the densities of artefacts as “carpet-like” scatters are becoming more and more popular in Bulgaria nowadays. Spatial location and replicated collections of site surfaces with assessment of ground visibility show interesting trends most of which have been discussed in foreign publications.
Keywords
Surface surveys, replicated collections, GIS, Archaeological Map of Bulgaria
Books by Nadezhda Kecheva
ceramic weights in some of the excavated features. The location of the site and the characteristics of the recorded artefacts suggest that cultural affiliations with the Vinča and Gradeshnitsa cultures could be assumed.
During the survey it was found that intensive construction activities were carried out from km 87+800 to km 92+500. It was found that large parts of archaeological sites, already registered in 2015, were destroyed during construction – the sites in Poleto locality near Brestnitsa village, sites Nos 4 and 5 (fig. 2). During the search, the mound necropolis in Mechovo locality near the village of Dermantsi was re-registered (fig. 3).
The following stratigraphy was recorded:
- Plough zone (humus) indistinguishable from the rest of the soil containing single small wheel thrown pottery fragments;
- In the eastern part, at a depth of about 0.40 – 0.50 m from the surface, a layer of small stones and gravel, mixed with Roman pottery fragments (fig. 4);
- In the central part, at a depth of about 0.80 m from the surface, two features with small amount of hand-made pottery fragments, dated to the second half of the 2nd mill. BC, larger pieces of burned daub and individual pieces of charcoal (1437 – 1286 cal BC at 95.4 percent probability);
- In the western part, at a depth of 0.70 – 1 m from the surface, a layer of well-rounded stones (gravels and boulders), located with their long axis across the mountain base and in a relatively sandy binder; among them was a high concentration of artefacts dated in second half of the 2nd mill. BC, pieces of burned daub, animal bones in very poor condition (figs. 2, 3);
- Sterile yellow layer.
within 14 working days. The area covered was 14.38 sq. km. “A section” which followed the axis N–S (fig. 1, fig. 2) ensured
a kind of representative extract that included parts of the local main geomorphological forms: two mountains, the Petrich
field and two rivers. The survey included the vicinities of the Macedonian and Roman city of Heraclea Sintica that was the
main settlement in the Middle Struma valley during the second half of the 4th c. BC up to the very end of the 4th c. AD
(footnote 1). Fifty-nine new archaeological sites were found and information about other 26 was updated. The total number
with the sub-sites is 98. It includes 68 settlements, 10 flat necropoleis, 10 burial mounds, 7 churches, 1 fortress and 1 (Roman)
quarry. They belong to Antiquity (63), Ottoman period (19), Middle Ages (9) and Prehistory (5). The small number of
medieval and prehistoric sites is a strange trend, but it is too early for conclusions because of the small area covered.
In the spring of 2009 an archaeological, multidisciplinary, and international research project led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Georgi Nekhrizov from National Institute of Archaeology and Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NIAM-BAS) began to explore palaeoenvironments, settlement patterns, and productive strategies in the watershed of the upper Tundzha River. The project included palaeoecology, satellite remote sensing, mobile GIS survey, geophysics, and trial excavations, and systematic archaeological surface survey constituted the principal approach utilized. Initial research in 2009 focused on the hinterland of the Thracian city of Seuthopolis (now submerged under the Koprinka Reservoir). The follow-up campaigns in 2010 and 2011 extended the study area towards the Stara Planina Range, exploring rural landscapes across a variety of environmental and topographic zones. In total, the project surveyed 80.8 sq km and registered 343 archaeological sites.
many researchers. Unfortunately, these processes were suspended until recent times when the established field survey methods were combined with Geographic Information Systems software, in both desktop and mobile applications. Intensive surveys, both systematic and salvage, showing the densities of artefacts as “carpet-like” scatters are becoming more and more popular in Bulgaria nowadays. Spatial location and replicated collections of site surfaces with assessment of ground visibility show interesting trends most of which have been discussed in foreign publications.
Keywords
Surface surveys, replicated collections, GIS, Archaeological Map of Bulgaria