м. Чанаджик, с. Сушина, област Шумен. - В: Архео- Nikolov 2016a: V. Nikolov. A fifth millennium BC логически открития и разкопки през 2014 г. София, town in the context of the Western coast: 2015, 91. Provadia-Solnitsata. - In: V. Nikolov, W. Schier (Hrsg.). Chohadzhiev, Boyanin 2016: S. Chohadzhiev, Y. Bo- Der Schwarzmeerraum vom Neolithikum bis in die yanin. Computer-aided reconstruction of the defen- Früheisenzeit (6000 - 600 v. Chr.). Kulturelle Interfe- sive fortification at the Chalcolithic settlement of Su- renzen in der zirkumpontischen Zone und Kontakte mit shina, Northeastern (preliminary report). - In: ihren Nachbargebieten. Humboldt-Kolleg Varna, Bul- K. Bacvarov, R. Gleser (eds.). Southeast Europe and garien, 16-20. Mai 2012 (Prähistorische Archäologie in Anatolia in prehistory. Essays in honor of Vassil Niko- Südosteuropa, 30). Rahden/Westf., 2016, 129-140. lov on his 65th anniversary (Universitätsforschungen Nikolov 2016b: V. Nikolov. The Chalcolithic stone for- zur prähistorischen Archäologie, 293). Bonn, 2016, tress of Provadia-Solnitsata. - In: S. Ţerna, B. Govedar- 337-344. ica (eds.). Interactions, changes and meanings. Essays Nikolov 2012: V. Nikolov. Salt, early complex society, in honour of Igor Manzura on the occasion of his 60th urbanization: Provadia-Solnitsata (5500-4200 BC). - birthday. Chişinău, 2016, 169-173. In: V. Nikolov, K. Bacvarov (eds.). Salt and Gold: The Todorova 1982: H. Todorova. Kupferzeitliche Sied- Role of Salt in Prehistoric Europe. Provadia - Veliko lungen in Nordostbulgarien (AVA-Materialien, 13). Tarnovo, 2012, 11-65. München, 1982.

Fortified settlements in the valleys of Provadiyska, Golyama Kamchiya, and Luda Kamchiya Rivers in the context of Chalcolithic economy (Abstract)

Vassil Nikolov

Fortification was an omnipresent element of The active trade in the products of the three Chalcolithic sitescapes in the Eastern . specialized productions was most likely the main The economic differences between the settlements reason for the appearance of an extensive Late created tensions, which required the construction Chalcolithic complex with similar material cul- of efficient defensive structures. ture, Kodzhadermen-Gumelniţa-Karanovo VI, The economic inequalities between the Chal- which comprised a considerable part of the Eastern colithic settlements in northeast Bulgaria had vari- Balkans (almost from the Carpathians in the north ous origins, which seem to have been related to the to the Aegean in the south). The three special- presence or absence of important but rare raw ma- ized productions in the eastern part of the Eastern terials. No oxide copper was available in the area Balkans gradually created considerable economic but there were two large deposits of raw materials inequality both between the settlements in their which are unique to the Eastern Balkans and ex- respective areas and generally in the vast area of ceptionally valuable for the Chalcolithic commu- active trade in ‘industrial’ (non-agricultural) prod- nities - salt (Provadia-Solnitsata) and high quality ucts. This logically necessitated the construction flint (Razgrad area) - whose exploitation resulted of defensive fortifications around the settlements. in the respective specialized production in each of Several completely excavated Chalcolithic tell these two areas, and in long-distance trade in their sites in northeast Bulgaria have yielded evidence products. of fortification systems. All of them were enclosed Certain areas south of the Balkan Range were by a fort made of wood and clay. rich in oxide copper ores which created a solid Comparatively well preserved remains of Mid- basis for the copper ore extraction and processing dle and Late Chalcolithic stone fortifications have as the third type of specialized production in the been revealed recently in the valleys of Provadiy- Eastern Balkans. ska and Golyama Kamchiya Rivers. Tell Provadia- 17 Solnitsata was enclosed by a complex stone for- lower valley of the Luda Kamchiya and through tification, and the hilltop settlements of Sushina the Aytos Pass. (Shumen District) and Avren (Varna District) were The fortified settlement of Avren-Bobata had defended by stone walls that protected only the ap- a strategic position in a key area along the low- proaches to the sites which were otherwise hardly est Provadiyska River valley where the roads from accessible from the other sides. and to the Lakes diverge and converge, respective- On the one hand, these stone-fortified settle- ly, running through the Aytos and Dyulino Passes ments were located near the two big rivers which and crossing the lowest Kamchiya River valley run north of the Balkan Range and flow into the (Longoza). These roads seem to have been active- Black Sea, i.e., it is safe to assume that they played ly used both for the ‘export’ of salt (to the south) a special role in the use and control of the two river and ‘import’ of metal raw materials to the Varna valleys as two-way arteries for the movement of metallurgical center and north of the Lakes. both people and products. Thus far there is no evi- The fortified settlement of Sushina was located dence for the existence of a possible road along the in a strategic position between the northern en- narrow valley of the Luda Kamchiya which cuts trance/exit of the Varbitsa Pass in the south and the across the Eastern Balkan Range diagonally and narrow Ticha River valley (i.e., the upper Golyama flows into the Golyama Kamchiya River. Kamchiya River) in the north thus making it pos- On the other hand, the three stone-fortified set- sible to control the movement of people and goods tlements obviously played an essential role in the on one of the presumably most important Chalco- control over the meridional trade roads through lithic Trans-Balkan roads which could have con- the Eastern Balkan Range. nected the centers of specialized production of the Active trade contacts - ‘export’ of salt and highest quality (Ludogorie) flint in the Balkans in ‘import’ of prestigious items, copper ore or other the north (in the area of Razgrad) and the Tundzha types of copper raw materials from the Strandzha River valley in the south. On that road, in the op- Mountains - assumedly existed between the salt posite direction, metal raw materials and graphite production center of Provadia-Solnitsata and the could have been transported, probably through the region south of the Balkan Range along the narrow Mokren Pass as well.

чл.-кор. проф. Васил Николов Prof. Vassil Nikolov, Ph.D., Sc.D. Национален археологически институт и музей - БАН Corresponding Member of the BG-1000 София, Съборна 2 Bulgarian Academy of Sciences [email protected] National Institute of Archaeology and Museum Bulgarian Academy of Sciences 2 Saborna St. BG-1000 Sofia [email protected]

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