Geoarchaeology and Archaeomineralogy (Eds. R. I. Kostov, B. Gaydarska, M. Gurova). 2008. Proceedings of the International Conference, 29 30 October 2008 Sofia, Publishing House “St. Ivan Rilski”, Sofia, 180 184.
PREHISTORIC ROCK SANCTUARIES IN THE EASTERN RHODOPES AND SOME OTHER MOUNTAIN REGIONS IN BULGARIA
Ana Raduncheva
National Institute of Archaeology and Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1000 Sofia
ABSTRACT. The aim of the present paper is the study of the period of the establishment and the period of the most intensive use of the rock sanctuaries in the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic in THE Eastern Rhodopes (Southern Bulgaria) and some other mountain regions in Bulgaria. Attention is drawn on some elements of the sanctuary plan and interior as well as some aspects of the ritual practices.
The prehistoric rock sanctuaries form a dense network notwithstanding the fact that they consisted of identical or covering the high parts of the mountains. In few cases, in the similar elements. The various components comprising the plan planes, they are located on rocky hills. Until recently it was of the temenos area have been chosen according to the cult believed that the network of rock sanctuaries has covered only practices and the rituals performed there. As I have mentioned the Eastern Rhodopes Mountain but we already know that they many times, the religious beliefs defined the type of the rock were situated on the summits and the slopes of the entire effigies and the way they have been made. In some cases the Rhodopes Mountain and almost on all mountains at the Central natural curves of the rocks have been used, sometimes they Balkans – the Sredna Gora Mountains, the Stara Planina needed additional modification and have been slightly cut in Mountains, etc. Each site had a different plan of the temenos order to be given a shape required by the ritual, and area, which was closely related to the specific rituals and the sometimes monumental sculptures have been made from religious beliefs (Raduncheva, 2003, 79 138). The rock rocks and rock pieces. In the sanctuary on the Harmankaya sanctuaries also met certain requirements for astronomic peak near the Gassak neighbourhood in the village of Dolna observations, which were an extremely important part of the Chobanka, the anthropomorphic effigies were made of larger rituals performed there. The sanctuaries were situated on or smaller pieces of rocks, which were carefully arranged to fit places where magnetic anomalies have been found and the each other (Fig. 1). In most cases the cuts and the reliefs were rock thrones and basins were situated on the spots of the made on the horizontal as well as on vertical rocks. Both, the anomalies, a circumstance that had influence on the quality of sculptures cut into the rocks and the carvings, find parallels the water in the basins. It probably had an influence over the among the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic finds discovered reactions of the people who stood for a long period near the during excavations of prehistoric settlements. thrones or were seating on them (Stoev, Muglova, 1996).
The elements forming the prehistoric rock sanctuaries consisted of anthropomorphic images or substantial parts of them, human heads mainly; animal figures – lions, leopards, bears, horses, serpents, tortoises and hedgehogs; birds – eagles and swans; various thrones and altars, ritual pits carved into the rocks, natural caves or caves cut into the rocks, stairways leading to nowhere or should we say to heaven, water reservoirs (wells and basins cut into the rocks) and water sources (springs or small streams) flowing through the territory of the sanctuary, niches cut into the rocks, etc. There are Fig. 1. Human’s head made of rock pieces cut to fit each other (right); effigies of suns and moons in various phases as well as parallel image from Israel (left) syncretic effigies of creatures having both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic features – sphinxes, sirens birds with human The time when the rock cult places and sanctuaries were faces or sculptures of mythological creatures with human faces established has become a constant research issue in the and serpent’s bodies. The combination of different elements recent years and by default they are dated to the Thracian resulted in a great variety of rock sanctuaries. Today we are period. The fact that the type of Neolithic and Chalcolithic finds aware of the fact that all sacred places differ from each other from prehistoric settlements precisely correspond to the type of 180 structures cut into the rocks, provide a reason to date the the villages of Nochevo and Angel Voyvoda, Kardjali Region, establishment of the entire sanctuary network to the Neolithic at the Bosilkovo neighbourhood in the village of Davidkovo, and the Chalcolithic. Here are some arguments supporting the Smolyan Region, at the village of Dolno Dryanovo, proposed date. Blagoevgrad Region and in the sanctuaries in the Sredna Gora Mountains (at Buzovgrad, near the village of Karnara on the The following sequence has been observed in the Stryama River, in the Turchov Kamak locality (Kitov, 1979), a sanctuaries under research: various effigies were cut into the dozen of sites near the town of Strelcha (Vasilev, 2007) as well main rocks and were covered after that by layers yielding as in the Stara Planina Mountains (at the village of Gortalovo, pottery and finds dated mainly to the second half of the Pleven Region (Mikov, 1982; etc.). To give the reader only a Chalcolithic and in a few cases – to the Neolithic. This fact clue for the number of the rock sanctuaries one can mention provides ground to date the majority of the rock structures and that only in the Momchilgrad Region their number exceeds 100 sanctuaries to the final Late Chalcolithic. After the end of the and each survey adds new sites to the map. The Chalcolithic, these cult places were abandoned for a period of archaeological excavations at the Arkata locality at the village ca. 2000 years. It was as late as the Late Bronze Age when of Oreshare made by S. Ivanova in 2008 supported the human activity is recorded again although the newcomers used stratigraphic observations of the sanctuaries listed above. only certain sectors from the old temene . Sectors from the About 80% of the sherds collected during the surveys and the prehistoric settlements continued to be used in the Early Iron excavations are dated to the Late Chalcolithic; certain ritual Age as well. objects such as ceramic and triangular bone figurines as well as small ritual arrows made of flint and agate are also dated to This chronological pattern is recorded everywhere – in the the same period. Large size stone tools (axes and adzes) used sanctuaries of both the Eastern and the Western Rhodope probably for cutting the soft rocks at the sanctuaries have also Mountains (Belantash near the village of Vrata, Assenovgrad been found. It is worth mentioning that 90% of the finds yielded Region, Perperek near the village of Gorna Krepost, Kardzhali by the large pits cut into the rocks of the sanctuary near the Region, Tatul near the village of Dolna Chobanka, Raven village of Pchelarovo, Haskovo Region are dated to the end of Center, Raven North, Raven West, Adzhioluk, Kazan Beyug, the Late Chalcolithic. The finds comprise complete and Chukovo, Chomakovo, Momchilgrad Region, Fotinovo and fragmented ceramic vessels, marble (Shukerova, 1985) and Benkovski, Kirkovo Kale locality, “the Tower of Babylon” and clay figurines as well as stone tools. These finds were found in Uch Kale near the town of Dzhebel, Adata, Krumovgrad pits whose depth sometimes reached several metres. The Region, Pchelarovo, Haskovo Region, at Dzhambaz Tepe in tradition of the ritual pits came from the Early Neolithic and Plovdiv, the numerous cult places along the Borovitsa and survives through the entire Chalcolithic period. Dazhdovnitsa Rivers, at the village of Dzhanka, Zhenda near
Fig. 2. Tatul sanctuary, view from the West. 181 The type of stone sculptures that have close parallels to Paleolithic art (Drossler, 1967, 199, Abb. 92). Here it is worth Neolithic and Chalcolithic finds both from Bulgaria and the mentioning that stone sculptures almost 2 m high are situated adjacent areas are essential for the identification of the exact on the bank of the Stryama River near the village of Karnare time span of the emergence and most intensive use of the and they are replicas of the type which was most common in prehistoric rock sanctuaries. The notorious trapezoidal the Neolithic and the Chalcolithic. The rock structure called structure known as “Orpheus’s grave” at the sanctuary at the “The Gate of the Goddess” in the sanctuary near Buzovgrad, Vezhnitsa neighbourhood of the village of Tatul finds a close Kazanlak Region has very close parallels to Chalcolithic and parallel in a ceramic object discovered during the excavations even Paleolithic effigies (Drossler 1967, 222, 90). The main of the Chalcolithic shrine complex near the village of rock structures listed above and many others, which are not Dolnoslav, Plovdiv Region (Raduncheva, 2003, 283, 129) and presented in the current paper, reveal that the emergence of it is my deep believe that it was not related to Orpheus at all. the peak sanctuaries started as early as the Early Neolithic and The more important thing is that the same structure exists at continued till the end of the Late Chalcolithic. As I already the site of Tatul and it is hard to believe that it can be mentioned above, 2000 years later the Thracians having kings, interpreted as the second grave of the same mythological treasures and architectural skills reused sectors of the person, who is not even supposed to have a grave as told by sanctuaries for a short period. All said above provides reason the myth. to date back this type of rock sites to the prehistoric period. They have been established and functioned for several The vessel cut into the rocks of Tatul and shaped as a jar millennia and the Thracians used them only for a short time. has the same shape as the ritual pit of the Early Neolithic They also used the prehistoric rock structures as altars, complex with a marketplace near Simeonovgrad, Haskovo thrones, stairways, niches and basins cut into the rocks. A Region (Raduncheva, 2003, 247, 54б в). The effigy of a good example is the interior of the shrines at Perperek. The tortoise cut into the Eastern wall of the trapezoidal rock at the later Thracian temple at Tatul was built directly on top of the sanctuary (Raduncheva, 2003, 239, 36, 37) is identical to the prehistoric rock structures. effigy of the same animal (a clay relief) in a shrine at the Chalcolithic shrine complex near the village of Dolnoslav, When discussing the date of the emergence of the rock Plovdiv Region (Raduncheva, 2003, 258, 74). The entire sanctuaries it should be reminded that few traces of metal tools Western part of the same sanctuary is covered by a were found on the rocks. Clearly visible traces are observed on monumental composition presenting a lioness’s head, two lion small spots and they are related to secondary cutting. figures with manes and a gigantic profile of a human figure holding a sun in its left hand (Ovcharov, B; book cover) (Fig. 2) One more fact related to the above mentioned arguments and having close parallel in a VI mill. BC find from Spain has to be mentioned. The ancient authors writing about the (Sandars, 1968, 141, 57a), which dates back the Bulgarian find Thracian cuts sites and religious beliefs did not provide any as well. information about established at that time cult places or sanctuaries – an activity, which could not have remained In fact the so called “grave of Orpheus” is situated just on the unnoticed by the contemporaries due to the large scale of head of the figure holding the sun and is probably related to it. construction work. Apparently they did not have information or The four enormous rock figurines (Raduncheva, 2003, 233, did not suppose that cult places established millennia ago have 22), each of them exceeding a height of 3 m, which were been reused and recorded their use only in relation to the placed at the Western wall of the Easternmost room of the Thracian cults. large shrine at the Perperek sanctuary and which survived for 6000 years and were recently destroyed by archaeologists In some of my previous works I have provided arguments (Ovcharov, A; 1, 20), find close parallels in the marble Neolithic supporting my belief that in the prehistoric period the Rhodope and Chalcolithic figurines. The enormous human head made Mountain became a sacred mountain – a gigantic composite from rock pieces intentionally dressed to fit each other and altar for worshiping the supreme deities (Raduncheva, 2002; situated on the central rock of the sanctuary at Dolna 2003). In my opinion the same is true for other mountainous Chobanka is very similar to a VI mill. BC figurine from Israel regions on the Balkans. It seems that the plan and the (Fig. 1). The polychrome frescoes on the Eastern part of the construction of some of the sanctuaries strongly resemble a “sacred rock” at the Belantash sanctuary presenting a certain type of “cult tables” or “lamps” whose sides were horseman going to the North, a leopard and enormous human decorated with zoomorphic or anthropomorphic heads. A good silhouettes find their close parallels in the frescoes in example is provided by the enormous bull head and the human Çatalhöyük temples and are dated back to the VIII mill. BC. A figure beside, cut into the upper ridge of the Perperek considerable part of the rock reliefs and sculptures are similar sanctuary (Ovcharov, B; 3 4). A head of a tortoise completes as images to some of the Late Chalcolithic figurines the Eastern end of the Raven North sanctuary and the (Raduncheva, 2003, 254, 50; Mellaart, 1999, 77 99). It has to sanctuary itself has the shape of a tortoise shell. Two lions are be mentioned that painted suns or suns presented as graffiti sculptured at the sanctuary near the Gasak neighbourhood of are found in caves – at the Kazanbeyug sanctuary near the the village of Dolna Chobanka. The boundaries of the Vaz neighbourhood of the village of Raven, Faran near the Belantash sanctuary to the East and to the North are Gassak neighbourhood of the village of Dolna Chobanka and delineated by two mountain ridges resembling gigantic lying in the Koshcha locality in the suburbs of Momchilgrad – and human figures (Raduncheva, 2003, 242, 45). The sanctuary at they resemble very much the sun representations at the the Vezhnitsa neighbourhood of the village of Tatul is situated Chalcolithic shrine complex near the village of Dolnoslav, on the pate of a gigantic prehistoric figurine, whose face finds Plovdiv region (Raduncheva, 2003, 267, 93; 2006, 57 72). The numerous parallels among the prehistoric figurines (Fig. 3) face in the Koshcha Cave finds its close parallels in the (Nikolova, Genov, 2008). Apparently the clay cult tables (or 182 lamps) have been considered miniature models of the cult to nowhere in the middle room of the large rock temple. The places in the mountains and some of them probably were thrones are situated in the same room, one of them having considered as altars for offerings which is the case of a find lions on the back and a seated figure beside; it is a figure of a from the Tell near the village of Sedlare, Momchilgrad Region. “man with cat ears” – a character known from the frescoes and There is a human head on the table strongly resembling the reliefs on the walls of the Çatalhöyük temple, dated to the VIII rock head of a rock altar (badly damaged by the archaeological millennium BC. There are several altars in the next room, excavations) at the Tatul sanctuary. which beyond any doubt are prehistoric and at least two of them have eyes shaped according to the traditions of the Late Chalcolithic. Following this line we can try to reconstruct the concept of the prehistoric sanctuary builder – the largest temple is in the lap of the supreme god who protects it. Another interpretation is also possible – the giant is offering the temple to the deities, holding it in his left hand and raising his right arm to salute them. The figure was related to other structures – the large basin, the temple situated to the East, the sacred road, the thrones and the various rock structures on the plateau; a great part of which was destroyed by the recent excavations. All mentioned above makes definitions such as “city of the rock people”, “city”, “capital city”, “Sitalk’s palace”, “site of an oracle of Dionysus”, “Perperikon”, “Pergamum”, “Pergan”, etc. sound absurd. In fact we are facing a bright example of material expression of the supreme emanation of beliefs and the complex organization of spirituality in the prehistoric period. Many authors wrote about the lack of credibility of these definitions as well (Atanasov, 2002, 89 96; Iliev, 2007, 89 98; Tacheva, 2007, 251 259; Rabadjiev, 2008).
As we know the religious and the everyday life of the prehistoric people have been managed and controlled by civil and religious structures functioning on various levels – family level, tribal level and related to the tribe alliances in the final Late Chalcolithic. The supreme power was exercised by representatives of the supreme priesthood, who were in charge of the ritual practices performed at the rock sanctuaries (Raduncheva, 2003, 75 138). Some of the rituals were closely related to astronomical observations and calculations as well as to different kinds of predictions. The rituals were divided into two parts – profane and sacred. The profane part included various performances, a theatre for the worshippers and pilgrims, who came to hear the will of the deities. The sacred (hidden) one was related to the astronomical knowledge and records, observations of movement of stars and celestial phenomena – an activity providing ground for precise predictions of the future. This sacred knowledge was accumulated, kept and transferred from generation to generation (Raduncheva, 2002, 78 111). It was also most probably directly related to the fact that the pilgrims visiting the Fig. 3. Tatul sanctuary, aerial photograph (above) and a human-like image (below) sanctuaries during various seasons or times of the day saw different images as demanded by the sacred part of the ritual. There are not many aerial photographs of the sanctuaries. However, such a photograph taken years ago is available for the Perperek sanctuary. It is clearly visible on this photograph References that the sanctuary has the shape of a lying human figure Atanasov, V. 2002. The ancient gold mine Perperikon near the (Ovcharov et al., 19). The second aerial photograph taken of village of Stremtsi, Kurdjali District. – Ann. Univ. Mining the site revealed the main concept of the sanctuary plan. It and Geology, 45, Part 1, 89 96 (in Bulgarian). resembles a gigantic seated male figure holding with his left Drossler, R. 1967. Die Venus der Eiszeit . Prisma, Leipzig, arm in his lap the great rock temple. The right arm of the figure 269 S. is bent at the elbow and raised to the shoulder with the palm Iliev, J. 2007. The Rhodope Mountain according the view of the turned outwards and fingers tightly pressed to each other. The ancient authors. – Rhodopica , 1, 89 98 (in Bulgarian). pate of the giant’s head reaches the top of the hill and his legs Kitov, G. 1979. The Thracian Mounds Near the Town of – the foothill. The rocks shaping the left arm, from the elbow to Strelcha . Sofia, 32 p. (in Bulgarian). the palm are now destroyed. The only part preserved are the Mellaart, J. 1999. Under the volcano. – Cornocopia, 4, 77 97. five fingers, which in fact are “staircases” leading from nowhere 183 Mikov, V. 1929. Rock images from Bulgaria. – Notes Bulg. Raduncheva, А. 2003. The Late Chalcolithic Society in the Hist. Soc., 7 (in Bulgarian). Bulgarian Lands. Excavations and Investigations, 32, Sofia Nikolova, R., N. Genov. 2008. A Book about Bulgaria . Plovdiv. (in Bulgarian). (in Bulgarian) Raduncheva, А. 2006. About the role of the cave in the religion Ovcharov, N. (A). In: Ovcharov, N., D. Kodjamanova. The of prehistoric societies. – Proc. Archaeol. Inst., 39 , 57 72 Sacred Town Perperikon . Slavena, Varna, 48 p. (in (in Bulgarian). Bulgarian) Sandars, N. 1968. Prehistoric Art in Europe . Baltimore, 350 p. Ovcharov, N. (B). The Sanctuary of Orpheus at the Village of Shukerova, A. 1985. Semi finished marble small statue from Tatul, Momchilgrad Region . Slavena, Varna, 24 p. (in the village of Pchelarovo, Kurdjali District. – Proc. Bulgarian) Museums of South East Bulgaria, Plovdiv, 9 (in Bulgarian). Ovcharov, N., D. Kodjamanova, M. Kamarev. The Sanctuary of Stoev, A., P. Muglova. 1996. Classification and functional Dyonisius at Perperikon. The Northern Delphi. elements of cult sites in the Rhodope region, used for Popgeorgievi, 36 p. (in Bulgarian) astronomical purposes. – In: Symposium “Cult Sites and Rabadjiev, K. 2008. About the temple of Orpheus at Tatul… or Cult Practices in the Rhodopes”, Smolyan (in Bulgarian). for the responsibility of the archaeologist. – Anamnesis, 3, Tacheva, M. 2007. Sources about the oracle of Dyonisius in 6, 2 8 (in Bulgarian). Thrace and the so called sacred town Perpericon. – Raduncheva, А. 2002. The religious structure during the Late Rhodopica, 1 , 251 258 (in Bulgarian). Chalcolithic. – Ann. Archaeol. Inst. and Museum , 78 111 Vasilev, G. 2007. A Short History of Strelcha. 167 p. (in (in Bulgarian). Bulgarian)
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