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In Memoriamprofessor Petar Detev - prehistorian

25.09.1900 - 7.11.1980

RESEARCHES IN THE MARITSA VALLEY

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Europeans acknowledged their first steps in the agriculture - the basic cul-ture of the human civilization, as late as 3000 BC. It was then when Europe woke up after the Ice Age slumber. But here, on the Balkans, we know that this miracle happened about 4000 years earlier. And in between Europe’s understanding about the be-ginning of the European civilization and our artifacts lies a 4000-year gap. Today this gap still remains unfilled. Why? What happened? When does the history of Europe begin? And where?

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The new discoveries make history textbooks out-of-date.

Thedescentofhumankindandthefirstcivilizationonearthwillalwaysbeaquestionofutmost interest.Until recently theworldseemedconfidentabouttheanswerstothisquestion.Butonlyuntilrecently… Scientists have resolved that the dominating technology and the rawmaterialsitrealizesitsproductionwithdefineeachstageofthehumankind‘sdevelopment. The Neolith brought the processed stone to the world, theChalcolithicperiod(Eneolithicperiod,theCopperAge)-thetransitiontothemetals(startingwithcopperbutincludingsilverandgoldaswell).TheBronzeAgemarkedtheappearanceofthefirstalloy,whiletheIronAgeputanendtothistypeofclassifications. Theycameupwiththesedefinitionsbackintheoldtimeswhentherewerenoothermethodsforkeepingprehistoricdaterecords.Thesescientistsalso figured out that absolutely all human beings went through these sameperiods but… in different time frames. What does that mean? – are thetechnologiesfoundonearthpredestinedorhumannatureisamediumwhereaDiscoverylikeadropinthewaterexcitesinevitable“circlesofDifusion”? WHERE DOES THE HISTORY OF EUROPE START?

At some places the secrets of production (technologies + materials)werediscoveredforthefirsttime;atothers-theyweremasteredwithdelay.TheendoftheNeolithinEngland,forexample,happenedatthetimewhensettlers in theBulgarian landsweregoing through theendof…BronzeAge.

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Nominally speaking, people hereparted with the Neolith anddiscovered the first methods inthe 5th millennium BC, while inEngland thishappenedas lateasthe1600BC. That’s why when Britishscientists announced thatStonehenge is a great deed ofNeolithpeople(newcomersnonetheless),itisimportantforustoquestion what they are actuallytalking about. The few copperobjectsfoundthereshowhowlatetheCopperAgehappenedontheBritish Isles. And here the word“newcomers” acquires a newcontext-whoweretheyandwheredid theycome from?Whichwastheirmotherland? Especially important inthe science of archaeology arethe principles of continuity andsuccession.Theirabsenceisolatesany given artifact, if there is abreakintheline(hiatus)afteritsappearance and there is no dataofanycontinuityorsuccessiontothe culture whose representativecomesforth.. The Paleolithic cavedrawings in Lasco, France andAltamira, Spain (discovered byMarcelino de Sautoula in 1879)provided ground for a researchon the so-called Orinyak culture(about 30,000 years ago). Thediscoveries in the Gravett cave– also cave drawings, as well assomestatuettes–differentiatetheGravettianculture.

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Duringthe iceagehowever, lifediedout.Thegeneralpresumption isthat inorder tosurvivepeoplemovedtothewarmerIberian,Apenine,andBalkanpeninsulas.TheweatherEuropestartedwarmingup13000yearsago.Isthisthereasonwhythecontinentawokein3000BC,whentheBronzeAgewasalreadythrivingontheBalkans? Thepre-IceAgeculturescannotberegardedasthebeginningofEuropeanculture,becauseoftheimmensetime-hiatuslyingbetweenthemandthenext,agriculturalcivilization.Thepre-IceAgeculturessufferedfromlackofsolidtechnologicalmethodsforearningtheir living,whichinturnmadelifeveryinsecure… Thisfunction,instead,wasperformedbyvitaldiscoverieswhichallowedpeopletostandsteadyontheirlandandtostartbuildingafirmculture.Theysay this first happened in the “Fertile Crescent”- lands in the Near East. ANeolithcenterwasestablishedinEuropeaswell-thefirstonestoopentheireyesfortheNeolithicrevolution,theceramicsandagriculture,werethepeoplefromtheMaritzaValley-theceremonialentrancetotheBalkansfromMalaAsia.

THE NEW FOUNDINGS ON MAN

Ouractual forefather -homosapiens - leftAfrica70,000yearsagoin order to colonize the planet. His offspring settled in Europe in severalmigrationwavesbeforethebeginningoftheIceAge.ButwhydidnamelytheCro-Magnonsappearonthetopofthehumanevolutionwhichlasted4millionyears,noless?Bywhatmeansdidthiskinddominateoverthepreviousones?Moreandmorescientiststodaysharetheopinionthatthedifferencelaysinthehomosapiens’abilitytoalwayscomeupwithseveralwaysofsolvinganarisingproblem, whereas the former human “models” were driven by stereotypicalbehavioralgorithms-atraittypicaltoallotheranimalspecies… Othernewdiscoveriestodaydrivehumankindintorewritingitshistoryandrearrangingitsheritage.Theyareassociatedwithnewdataonthehumangenomecollectedfromeverycorneroftheplanet.Thegeneralconclusionaftertheiranalysisgivesbirthtoanew,unfamiliarplanetarymapoftheWayofthehuman(andnamely,Homosapiens)fromhisnativeAfricatoeachsectionofthe terrestrial globe. Before his appearance, there is an established numberofdisruptions intheDNAchainwhichchangethenotionsontheoriginofhumankindandthemovementofpopulations.

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TheDNAanalyseshaveprovedthatinourveinsrunsthebloodofCro-Magnonswhocametoexistenceonly150,000yearsago.TheDNAtakenfromtheearlierhumanfossilsbelongstohumankindsthatareevolutionaryextinct.Despitethatthereasonsforthisdisturbingdatumareyettobeclarified,wearefacingthenewly-foundknowledgeontheageofthemodernman. With the help of a computer-based climatic model scientists havemanagedtogobackintimeandreconstructthecircumstancespursuinghumanlifeinagivenperiodofhistory.Theessentialclimaticfactorsthatguidedthehumanbehaviorhavebeenevaluated.Asimplecomparisonbetweenthenaturalenvironmentofagivenepochandtheavailable “instrumentsofproductionand defense” corresponding to the knowledge and skills of the time, wouldallowforanestimationofwhathappened,andhowandwhyithappened. The new exact dates of the appearance of humans on earth retracedthemovementofpopulationsaswell.Allpaleoclimatologists,geologistsandgeographersareunanimousthatinthelast70,000years,theGibraltarchannelwasnotthebridgepeopleusedtomigratefromthehumanmotherlandAfricatoEurope.Recently,aquestionwaspromptedbythatfact-ifthefirstEuropeansdid not set foot on the continent via the Gibraltar channel, where did theycomefrom? ThecradleofhumankindinMiddleAfricaseemslikeanunquestionablefact.Itshouldonlybespecifiedthatnowweknowwhenourfirstpredecessorsactuallymadetheirappearance.Buthowdidtheymanagetodevelopanddiffusecultures,togivebirthtoandbewailcivilizations,empires,etc.insuchnominalperiodoftime?Thewaythishappened,aswellas itsscopeandscale,makethescientificworldwonderwhichfamiliararchaeologicalsubjectiscapableofsuchdiffusioninEurope;whobroughtandspreaditsprimaryfarmingculture,

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spirituality,and…prospects. OntheBalkanstheanswertothisquestionhaslongbeenparticularlyeasy.FormanyitwasclearthatthemostancientEuropeanpastwasburiedhere.ButhowdowerelatethebeginningoftheEuropeancivilization?Forthepeople inVarna,history,at least inthe last40years,hasstartedduringtheChalcolithicperiod.ItismoreorlessthesameforRomaniansandMoldovans.Andso-theyquicklysetupanexhibitionnotjustanywherebutintheNewYorkInstitutefortheStudyoftheAncientWorldatNYU.Itisascientificresearch-apaleomapofOldEuropetracesthewayofartifactsmadefromSpondylusoysters- from the Aegean Sea to the rest of the world. The presumption issimple-whereverthereareobjectsfromSpondylusoysters,thereisconsecutive“kilometerstone”markingtheincursionofthefirstEuropeans. The most ancient European past is buried here on the Balkans. ThishypothesiswillhelpustracethehistoryofOldEurope.Allthatwillbementionedherecomestoanendin4600BC.LetusnowtrackoutthebeginningofthisprimaryEuropeanculture. ThereisareasonablesuspicionthatbackinthosedaysMalaAsiasharedcommon dry land with… the Maritza river valley- the longest and deepestriverontheBalkansatthetime;theriverwhichwateredGoldenThrace-therealfrontentrancetoEurope.ThefansofartifactsliketheSpondylusoysterare aware of its considerable presence here, in these sacred lands- the truebirthplaceofthefirstEuropeans?

THE FIRST EUROPEANS IN PREHISTORY Scientistsclaimthatthefirstagricultural-pastoralcivilizationappearedin the 10th millennium BC in the Near East. We see it in Anatolia in the9th.During the8th it stepped in thedeltaof theMaritzaRiverand spreadfromtheBalkanstotheNorthandWestthroughthewholeofEurope.Thisunderstanding,however,isincontrastwiththecaseswhenNeolithiclayers,earlier than the presumable arrival of the Anatolian Neolithic settlers, arefoundontheBalkans.TheyshowthatinMalaAsiaandtheBalkanPeninsulathe Neolithic process happened simultaneously, at the same time. Findingsfromsettlingswith“pre-ceramicNeolith”,discoveredbyP.Detev(hepointed7ofthose),showthatourformernotionsabouttheearlyNeolithalongtheMaritzavalleyareantiquatedbyat least1000years.ByvirtuemostlyofhisdiscoveriesabouttheprimaryNeolithiccenters intheFertilePeninsulaandAnatolia,wecanpresentonemore- theone inAncientThrace.And this isnamelythemomentwhenthehistoryofEuropebegins! AnindirectproofabouttheprimaryNeolithiccenter inThraceisthemoreandmore-plausiblehypothesisthatthecataclysmintheBlackSeawhich

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costedaterritorylargerthantheoneofpresent-dayBulgaria,didhappenintheselandsintheendoftheChalcolith.Andthis,ontheotherhand,meansthatduringtheearlyNeolithThraceandMalaAsiawereactuallylyingonthesameland. ReliabledatashowsthatintheendoftheeighthmillenniumBCaNeolithcivilizationactivitytookplaceinthedeltaoftheMaritzariver-theactivityofapopulationwithhighknowledgeofhouse-buildingand landoccupation-agricultureandstock-breeding.ItsoriginwascenteredintheNearEast-theso-

calledFertileCrescent,namedbytheAmericanarchaeologistBresthead.ThedatacollectedfromHodjaCheshmeandothervillagesettlementsaccuratelyconfirmthecolonization,andincontrasttotheotherNeolithiccenterintheNearEast-recognizedastheprimaryone,thereasonsforthatarevalideventoday-thefertilityandthefavorableclimateoftheThracianlands.Abitlater,thesesamesettlerswouldappreciatethenaturalresourcesoftheRhodopesaswell,andwouldmakethemuniqueforthedevelopmentofthelocalculture.Thereisalsoevidenceforearlysettlementsinthevalleysofotherriversflowing

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totheBalkans,likeStrumaandMesta,butthenegligiblesettlementsremnantsandespeciallytheirdatingunequivocallydefineThraceasthebirthplaceofthefirstEuropeans. Themid-Neolithhereisexquisitelyrichandaestheticallymightywithitsastonishingforms,beautifullymouldwithplasticclay,anditswhite-pasteceramics.Suchartifactshavebeenfoundeverywhereintheregion-inallRichandpicturesqueevidenceofreligiousceramicplasticsandcultobjectshavebeenfoundinanumberofNeolithicsettlementsinthenorthpartsofthe

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Professor PeterDetev has researchedthese places for morethan 50 years and hasleft us his exquisitemonograph PrehistoricSettlementsintheBasinof the Maritza River,describing the life ofthose who would laterturn out to be the firstEuropeans. The climax of hisefforts is a uniquearchaeological mapwhichexhibitsanddatesmore than 350 knollsettlements in Thraceand the mountainfoothills. The pedantryand punctuality of hisdescriptions is whattoday allows us to re-create the way of theThracian colonists,as well as the mannerof percolating andovermastering of thenewlands, thestandardof the here- establishedcivilization, and thestagesofitsdevelopment.The map accompaniesthe richly illustrated,posthumouslypublishedmonograph of thearchaeologist.

Thracian lands, as well as the seacoast- and theritual containers and objects found in the foot oftheRhodopesmarkthebeginningoftheEuropeanspirituality. In about 300 years all adjoiningterritories were populated, and in the end of theNeoliththefirstEuropeanscasttheirglancetotheDanubeplainandbeyond.

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MID-NEOLITHIC CERAMICS - FORMS AND DECORATION

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Theobservationsofthesamescientistgiveustheessentialknowledgethat from the late Neolith on, Thrace disrupted its succession from theNeolithicMala-Asiancultureandstartedbuildingitsautochthonous,uniqueculture. In order to show that to us. He based his model on a thoroughly-researched settlement, established during the neolith late in Plovdiv. In thelocallateNeolithheseesasignfortheabilitiesofthelocalculturetoachieveasynchronywiththeearlier-bornNeolithicrevolutionintheNearEastandMalaAsia,asearlyasthemiddle-Neolithstage.Forsomereasonsthecultureinthoselandscametoastandstill,andpeoplesoughtshelterandimprovementinour lands. It isnamelythe lateNeolith,whichexhibitedsomeunfamiliartraits,thatprovesit.Thelocalcultureacquiredthesenewtraitsnaturallyandwithnodisruptions.авъзникванетому.Горе,навърха,приднешнатахижа„Марциганица”,буенкарстовизворсескривавпланинатаиизчезвапопротежение на цялото било. Неочаквано долу, в равнината, на околокилометър-дваотподножието,избликватцели40изворисредчудно

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ThecontributionofThracetotheoldestEuropeanculturebeganinthelateNeolithicperiod,whichbeganhere...

LateNeolithicscripts

Ritualsceneandcultfigurines

Portraits

Lateneolithicforms

Lateneolithic“lamps”

Inlaidwithwhiteocherhollowornament

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DetevisthefirstscientisttoprovePlovdiv’sage-thecity,nowofficiallyproclaimed as the oldest in Europe. The thoroughly-researched settlementofYasatepeinpresent-dayPlovdivendoweduswithmorethan6000objects,amongwhich400statuettesoftheMother-goddess.на40-теизвора“.

His is the credit for there-model of the oldestNeolithic house in ourlands.

ThecontributionofThracetotheoldestEuropeanculturebeganinthelateNeolithicperiod,whichbeganhere...

Oneofthe400cultfiguresofMotherGoddess

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Whatwasthereasonforthisunexpectedprogress?Thereasonforade-velopmenthigherthanthatintheneighboringlandsliesinthenaturalandcli-macticconditions.Theypushedthelocalpeopleintodistinguishingthehand-crafts fromtheagricultureand farming.Amongthenewdiscoverieswhichmadeadifferencewerethecopperandgoldmetallurgies.Bothmetalsaboundhereinvirginstate.Alluvialgoldcanbefoundinthesandsofalmostallrivervalleys, and we know that the technological processing of copper and goldsharemanycommontraits.But what really distinguishedthe local prehistoric civiliza-tion from the rest we owe tothe Rhodopes. They have con-tributedasubstantialshareforthespringingofthenewepoch.Andif the lands intheMiddleEast take credit for the foun-dationofagriculture, theRho-dopes,with theiruniquenatu-ral resources, let humankindmaster ornamentation andmetal tool crafts for the firsttime(thesecondwaveappearsmuch later and imitates stonepatterns). The Rhodopes nur-tured the European spirit- thefamousmysteriesthattheHel-enslatercalledOrphism.Itwashere where people crafted thefirstcoppertoolsandluxuriousobjects that leftamarkontheliterature and art, and turnedthefirsthumancultureintothefirstcivilization.

The lately frequented claims that the local prehistoric culture andreligionwereaheadoftheirtimewithmorethan1200yearsoriginatedwiththe surprising discovery of the wheel from the Donchova settlement at thevillageofBikovo,NovaZagora. Itwasanalyzed inthe60s inthe laboratoryoftheUniversityofEdinburginEnglandbyProf.Pigot.ThecarbonmethodC14 presented evidence that the wheel was a hundred years older than itsMesopotamianconfrere.

Theinventorofthewheelfrom“Donchovahill”7000yearsbefore

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EneolithuniqueinThrace,ledscientistsaroundtheworldtosuspectthatthisisthefirstcivilizationintheworld!

Eeolithicunique“dishes”

Askos

Otherformsanddecorations

Eneolithicavatars

Feastoftheideas

Eneolithicportraitgallery

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breedingthefirstalphabet-LinearAandthepalaeo-Balkansyllabar(syllabicalphabet)writtendownalongwithit.Untilrecentlylookedupononlyasanornamentation,thepaleo-Balkanproto-geometryturnsouttobeaUniver-salcodingsystemforvariousinformations.Thismeansthatgeometryiscon-ceivedasasacredorderofthecosmicspace.

VarietiesofmaterialsandshapesindicatethelevelofknowledgeandskillsoftheFirsteneolithiccivilization.

The aristocratic eneolith ad-hered to the astonishing devotion toproto-geometricdecoration.Thesenseof color and expressive representationwasdevelopedbeyondmeasure.Therewerenoforbiddentopicsorimages,andsoon the sacred geometry was already

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VarietiesofmaterialsandshapesindicatethelevelofknowledgeandskillsoftheFirsteneolithiccivilization.

Modelsoffurniture

Eneolithicscripts

CopperandgoldinThrace

MotherGoddess

Artifactscrystals

TheVarnaNecropolis

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P .Detevhasleftusoverahundredscientificpublications,2monographs,andmorethan300popularsciencearticlesinthenationalandforeignpress.

Beinganexceptional experton ceramics andthe languageof theproto-geometricdecorations onvesselsandobjects,he undertook aunique attemptto determine theperiod of existenceofeachoftheknollsin Thrace, and todate them on thebasis of fragmentshefoundneareachof the settlements.They show veryprecisely when itoriginated, existedand perished.This is how Detevmanaged to createthe overall pictureoftheprehistoricsocietyinthevalleyoftheMaritzaRiverandthenorthernpartsoftheRhodopes.Hedescribeditinthemonographwhich,asitturnsouttoday,reveals indetail theearlieststepsof thefirstEuropeansandthenascenceoftheoldestEuropeancivilization.Lately,Prof.AnaRadunchevahasfollowedinDetev’sfootsteps.InthesamemannershedatedimportantrocksanctuariesandsitesintheRhodopesandconfirmedtheirappurtenancetotheprehistory.

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Other unsettled questions

IsthereanysiteinThrace,theRhodopes,Stradja-Sakar,andthepresent-day Black sea region, which has not been established during the Neolith?Altogether,thelocalsynchronicartifactshinttointerconnectionsbetweentherepresentativesof thishomogenoussociety. furthermore, thedifferentiationanddevelopmentofthislocalcultureledtothefirstcivilizationintheworld,originatedhereovermanycenturiesbetween the lateNeolithand theearlyBronzeAge.PerhapsthecataclysmwhichledtotheformationoftheBlacksea can explain the reason why this brilliant, “golden” civilization suddenlycollapsedandturnedintoanastonishingsecondarywild-growthinthenext500years-afactwhichleftalldevotedarchaeologistswonder-struck.

Genesis of Spirituality

ThemostbeautifulNeolithicdiscoveryinBulgariaisthefamousbuck.DetevfoundhimalongwithawholeensembleofreligiouscultobjectsintheearlyNeolithsitedatingbackto8200yearsago.Theresultingresearchesonthissiteclarifiedthereasonsforitsorigin.Upatthesummit,nearthepresent-dayMartsiganitsachalet,aturbulentKarstsspringhidesinthemountainanddisappearsalongthewholeridge.Unexpectedly,downinthelowland,aboutakilometerortwofromthefootofthemountain,40springsgushforth,inthemarvelousGullyofthe40Springs. ItisatruegiftfromHeaven-freshmountainspringwaterinthetorridlowland.Andthegiftskeepcoming.Nearby in themountain,a steepslopeeventodayfunctionsasanaturaltrap.Mainlyduringthewinter,theslipperyicecovermakeswild-boarsanddeerfallintothetrap,asiffallinginthefeetofthestarvingpeople“fromthesky”.Whatismore,abeliefisstillkepteventoday,that“theprehistoricknollsweretheancienttemplesoffertility.Everyspringadeercameinandvoluntarilysurrenderedtothelocalpeople.Hewasgreeted,verywelltreated,andofferedasasacrificeinthemorning.WiththisgiftthelocalssenthissoultotheSun-Godandprayedforfertility.Onetimehowever,soithappenedthatthepeoplesacrificedtheanimalwithouthavinggivenhimtimetorest.Andtheywerepunished.Thenextspring,insteadofabuck,ahorridwhirlwindcameandtooktheprettiestmaid.Thenthepeoplemouldthetempleandleftit,hopingthatonedaythebuckwillcomebacktothem…” Theresearchesarestillinprogresstoday.Newsettlingsandartifactshavebeenfound;newinterpretationsandelaborationshavebeenpresented.Iwillgiveanexamplewiththefirstalphabet.Untilawhileagoitdidnotexistintheeyesofthescientificworldbecausenoeffortsweremadeforitsdeciphering.

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Theresearchesarestillinprogresstoday.Newsettlingsandartifactshavebeenfound;newinterpretationsandelaborationshavebeenpresented.Iwillgiveanexamplewiththefirstalphabet.Untilawhileagoitdidnotexistintheeyesofthescientificworldbecausenoeffortsweremadeforitsdeciphering.Recently,successfulattemptswereperformedinthisfield.Itturnedoutthatthepaleo-BalkansyllabicalphabetisindeedLinearA,anearliervariationofLinearBwhichwasdecipheredinthemid-20thcentury.Ahindrancetoitsdecipheringwasthebareknowledgeofthelanguageitrepresented.However,theworksofprof.KirilVlahov(4volumesdedicatedtotheThracianlanguage)areavailable,

a l t h o u g hu n p u b l i s h e dyet. They area wonderfulbasis for afuture thoroughresearch andinter pretat ionandtranslationof“the ornaments”

and the information they contain about thehistoryofourcountry,aboutthepeoplesandthelanguages they used to communicate with theworld. New artifacts from the Varna Bay, whosedescentisearlierthantheoneoftheChalcolithicnecropolis (an unprecedented fact), werediscovered, as well as new evidence that theRhodopeswerefirstpopulated(RandolinGlen)asfarbackastheearlyNeolith(8000yearsago).Thetruecradleofspirituality,archeometry,astronomy,andmetallurgyinevitablycomestolifebeforeus.Anactivehypothesiswasdevelopedaboutthetectonicparadoxcausingthecataclysmwhichturnedtherecentlakeintothepresent-dayBlackSea.Allthismakesusfaceaprinciplequestion: Was the local Chalcolithic culture which emerged above the autochthonous Neolithic one capable of generating the First civilization in the world? If metals - copper and gold- were first discovered here, then the Chalcolith as an amounting technology has certainly raised a new paradigm; but is it worthy of being called the First civilization in the world?!

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P.S. Nowweseethatthelong-searchedforprehistoryofAtlantisstartedtoemergefromtheshoresoftheVarnaLakes.Thelocalarchaeologistswereurg-ingusuntilnowthattherewerenoNeolithicsettlementsinthebay.ThenwhatarethecraftvesselsfoundduringtheholingofthecanalconnectingtheVarnaandBeloslavLakes?Asuperbarchaeologistwhosupposedlywitnessedtheirdiscovery,examinedthemforthreedaysanddeclaredthatthey“presentednointeresttothescientificworld”?! TodaytheprehistoricpictureintheCentralBalkansisclearingup.Ar-tifacts, synchronic (contemporaneous) to the early-Neolith layers from thefamousknollsettlementsinThrace,haveappearedinabundanceintheRho-dopesandtheBayaswell.Clearevidenceforintensivecontactsbetweenthepeoplefromtheselands,whobasicallysharedacommonregion,hasalsobeenfound. And if we are to seek the prehistoric name of this region, а phrasecomesforth-thebirthplaceoftheFirstEuropeans.

JORDANDETEV

Issued byprofessor Peter Detev

The International Foundation for Bulgarian Heritage