KONSTANTIN PRESLAVSKY UNIVERSITY OF SHUMEN FACULTY OF HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY STUDIA ACADEMICA ŠUMENENSIA TRANSITION FROM LATE PAGANISM TO EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN THE ARCHITECTURE AND ART IN THE BALKANS KRASSIMIR KALCHEV IN MEMORIAM (1954-2004) Vol. 4, 2017 Shumen University Press STUDIA ACADEMICA ŠUMENENSIA Editor-in-chief: Ivo Topalilov Editorial Board: R. Ross Holloway, USA Hansjörg Ubl, Austria Wolfgang Wischmeyer, Austria Marion Mayer, Austria Ivan Jordanov, Bulgaria Ivan Karayotov, Bulgaria Andrey Pantev, Bulgaria Ioan Piso, Romania Mustafa Sayar, Turkey Biser Georgiev, Bulgaria Rumen Vatashki, Bulgaria Stoyan Vitlyanov, Bulgaria Emine Tok, Turkey Mateusz Zmudzinski, Poland John Bodel, USA Andrew Poulter, UK Dan Dana, France Maria-Gabriella Parissaki, Greece Ulrike Peter, Germany Ruth Kolarik, USA David Parish, USA Danijel Dzino, Australia Stefan Karner, Austria Grygorii Skundin, Russia Artur Błażejewski, Poland Stefan Pop-Lazić, Serbia Archer Martin, Italy Angelos Zannis, Greece Olivier Picard, France Andreas Pülz, Austria Adrian Robu, Romania Stephen Mitchell, UK Florian Matei-Popescu, Romania Svetlana Nedelcheva (language editor), Bulgaria KONSTANTIN PRESLAVSKY UNIVERSITY OF SHUMEN FACULTY OF HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY STUDIA ACADEMICA ŠUMENENSIA TRANSITION FROM LATE PAGANISM TO EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN THE ARCHITECTURE AND ART IN THE BALKANS KRASSIMIR KALCHEV IN MEMORIAM $1954%2004& Vol. 4, 2017 Shumen University Press Published with the assistance of the Faculty of Humanities at Shumen University and Bulgarian scientifi c fund, project NP 06-41 /12.09.2017 ISSN 2367-5446 © 2017 Shumen University Press Contents KRASSIMIR KALCHEV IN MEMORIAM .......................................................... 9 Mariana Minkova BIBLIOGRAPHY OF KRASSIMIR KALCHEV ........................................... 12 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 19 Ivo Topalilov, Svetlana Nedelcheva The ‘Edicts of Tolerance’ in the Early 4th Century: Debates and Possible Solutions ..............................................................................................23 Dimitar Dimitrov Ancient mosaic techniques and materials. Diff erences in terminology and possible solutions ...................................................................................... 40 Valeria Noeva On the date and the interpretation of the complex at the Southwestern gate of Augusta Traiana/Beroe ............................................57 Vania Popova The Numismatic Materials from the Excavations of the so-called ‘Forum Complex’ of Augusta Traiana-Beroe (Preliminary report) ................ 97 Mariana Minkova The application of the Roman Ionic order in Augusta Traiana ...................... 115 Svetla Petrova The Ancient Myths in the Sculpture from Augusta Traiana ......................... 154 Marina Koleva Mosaic pavements in the thermae of Augusta Traiana (Preliminary report) ........................................................................................169 Maria Kamisheva, Reneta Karamanova-Zlatkova The ‘Felix’ mosaic from Serdica........................................................................181 Mario Ivanov 7 Late antique artefacts with biblical storylines found in Serdica ...................202 Dochka Vladimirova-Aladzhova Late Roman Mosaic in villa No 1 in Kalimanitsa near Montana .................. 208 Miroslav Markov Early monasticism in Thrace: an issue of archaeology ...................................................218 Alexander Manev Early Christianity in the Balkans and an unknown monastery from Harilaq / Kosovo .....................................................................................237 Halûk Çetinkaya 8 KRASSIMIR KALCHEV IN MEMORIAM Krassimir Kalchev was born on 10th of April 1954 in Stara Zagora. His interest in the archaeology was inspired by the large-scale excavations in the centre of Stara Zagora in the 70-s of the last century. Following his passion, he graduated St. St. Cyril and Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo as a historian. In 1978 he began his professional career fi rst as a curator and later on as the head of the department of Antiquity in the Regional Historical museum of Stara Zagora. By its signifi cance in that part of Thracia, thе ancient Augusta Traiana-Beroe took the second place after Philippopolis, therefore it is very important for the ancient history and archaeology. Almost all his archaeological experience, Krassimir has acquired in the explorations of the reserve ‘Augusta Traiana – Vereia – Stara Zagora’, as well as with the monuments from the district of Stara Zagora. From the very beginning of his joining the museum, Krassi, as his friends used to call him, was lucky to be friendly accepted in the archaeological team of proven specialists, namely senior researcher Dimitar Nikolov and Assoc. Prof. Hristo Buyukliev. Krassimir was the man who continually and stoically, in rain and heat, excavated during all 25 archaeological seasons, unearthed and interpreted the ancient culture of Augusta Traiana-Beroe. He was among the fi rst discoverers of a huge archaeological space and numerous monuments in the ancient city, situated mainly in the central part of Stara Zagora. They preceded the new large-scale building, which began in the 70-s of the last century and reached its fi rst climax in the 80-s. These were the fi eld-works of ‘The Central piazza – I and II’, ‘The Party House’, ‘The House of Youth’, ‘The Bank with museum’, ‘The District Direction of communication’ etc. He was the excavator of big sectors of the city planning with its net of streets, including parts of the decumanus maximus. Much time was devoted also to the excavation of the decumani in the central city part, one of them with 38 shops, situated at both sides of the street. Also his merit was the research of the cardo maximus with the sidewalks and sewers, leading to the Southern gate of Augusta Traiana-Beroe. The list of monuments should be expanded by the fortress system, the dimensions of the insulae , etc. in the Roman, Late Roman and Early Byzantine period (2nd – beginning of 7th century). The other spheres of his scientifi c interests were related to the social and demographic characteristic of the ancient population, the houses and the Early Christian architecture, and the results have been published in the numerous articles of K. Kalchev. Being part of the team of D. NiIkolov, Krassimir participates in the excavations in 1979-1980 and in the publication on the Early Christian complex with martyrion and 14 tombs on D. Pechlivanov’s street. Such an interesting and rich monument appeared for the fi rst time in Stara Zagora and the most 9 interesting tomb was covered with wall paintings, including the citation of psalm 131/132/14 from the oldest translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek. Remnants of gold-lace were found over one of the skeletons pointing very probably to the presence of a clergyman, having in mind the psalm inscription too. Later he had the chance to explore also a vast Late Antique residence under the Post, a villa suburbana and a monastery outside the ancient city. These monuments developed his interest in Late Antiquity and in the new kinds of architecture and decoration (architectonic, mosaic and painted) and in the transformation of the ancient city and its suburbs. Except in Stara Zagora, in 1980 K. Kalchev took part in the drilling of the Kaleto area near the village of Rupkite at Karasura station, carried out by a Bulgarian-German expedition. In the period 1981-1983 he was a member of the team excavating the settlement of Gradovete area near the village of Kran, Kazanlak district. In 1989 K. Kalchev became a scientifi c researcher of 3rd degree in Ancient archaeology and in 1999 he got his fi rst degree, which was the next stage of his scientifi c development. In the period after the political changes in 1989, the number of private construction works in Stara Zagora increased. In its turn this enabled the new archaeological research inside diff erent sectors of the ancient city and outside it. This was the time of the exploration of the western and northern fortress wall with towers and of some new parts of the Southwestern necropolis. The result was a very important article on the fortress system and a manuscript for a future dissertation. It off ered precious observations on the funeral practices and rituals (2nd-4th century), the types of funerals and sepulchral architecture with the artefacts found there, some of them, such as pottery, were produced unusually in situ, in the area of the necropolis itself. The precise conclusions drawn by Krassimir from this vast empirical material were very necessary and important for this part of Thracia . It is a great pity that in spite of his plans, because of his constant archaeological occupations and untimely death the manuscript has not been published and in his lifetime only a monographic article appeared. He also publishes in the acts of International congresses and symposiums his observations on the collection of bronze amphorae, candelabra and lamps in the Regional Historical museum of Stara Zagora and also on the numerous artifacts of Roman pottery from the excavations. Another important sphere of his scientifi c interests was that of the ancient wall paintings and mosaic art of Augusta Traiana. These new monuments from Late Antiquity and Early Christianity were published by him for the fi rst time in several articles,