The Institute of Thracian Studies is an independent research unit of BAS created with Order 185 of the Council of Ministers

s of Bulgaria from 05.12.1972, with Founding Director Professor D.H. Alexander Fol. The Institute was named "Professor Alexander Fol" by the General Assembly (GA) of BAS on 03/04/2006. From 25.06.2007, with a decision by the General Assembly of BAS, it was transformed into the Center of Thracology "Prof. Alexander Fol ". From 01.07.2010 the Center of Thracology "Prof. Alexander Fol" is united with the Institute for Balkan Studies and transformed into the Institute for Balkan Studies & Center of Thracology "Prof. Alexander Fol "at BAS, which is the universal successor through merger of the two initial institutes. Background: Scientific interest in the study of history and culture of ancient Thrace and Thracians has a continuous evolution and is traced at least to the 17th century, when Italian scientist and explorer Count Luigi Marcil traveled the Danubian lands from Austria to the mouth of the river Yantra and described the archaeological monuments seen by him. According to modern historiography the start of early modern studies dates from back in 1736-1737, when the Dutch classicist Zigbert Haverkamp (1684-1742), professor at Leiden University, published 17 previously known coins Thracian kings, plus a list of Odrysian dynastic rulers and other dynastic houses between 5 and 1 centuries BC. His work was continued by French historian and numismatist Felix Kari (1699-1754), who in 1752 published his "History of the Kings of Thrace and the Kimmerian Bospor, shown through the medals", and written sources for Thracian political history. As a true pioneer in such research, however, is considered Professor Wilhelm Tomashek of the University of Vienna. In 1893-1894, he published his "The ancient Thracians. An ethnological study ", which collected all known then material from Homer onwards about the Thracian peoples, Thracian glosses (words) names of deities, personal names (anthroponyms) and geographical names (toponyms). This comprehensive study provided a strong impetus to research on ancient Thracian history in major European research centers and universities. Following that were new books and discoveries that set the foundations of the research about the ancient Thracians. Historical research, archeology and linguistics by the end of the 19 century already united and convincingly outlined the specifics of Thracian culture in a wide geographical range from the Carpathians in the north to Egeida in the south and Western Asia Minor to the east and west along the lower reaches of the Vardar and Struma. Studies on Thracian history of Bulgarian lands were originally works of foreign scholars (A. Dumont, Brothers Herman and Carol Shkorpil, Vaclav Dobruski). But back in the 1920s Bogdan Filov published the first "Written records of Thracian art", and a decade later the systematic studies of Thracian mounds near Duvanlii and Mezek began. During these years the efforts of outstanding scholars and connoisseurs of antiquity such as Gabriel Katsarov, Nichola Mushmov, Yanko Todorov, Mladen Tonev, Dimitar Dechev Alexander Balabanov, Bogdan Filov launched a great drive in investigating, systematizing and publishing the written, archaeological, numismatic, epigraphic, and any other sources for the reconstruction of the old history of the Bulgarian lands and Southeast Europe. Their efforts were continued by the younger generation of Bulgarian scientists who were devoted to research of Thracology: Prof. Hristo Danov, Prof. Georgi Mihailov, Prof. Veselin Beshevliev, Prof. Boris Gerov, Prof. Ivan Venedikov ... Their students are the scientists who founded the Institute of Thracology in 1972, who organized and structured methodologically the modern science of the ancient Thracians. The beginning: At the initiative of Academician Vladimir Georgiev, actively supported by the younger, but exceptionally gifted generation of historians the initiative for the establishment of the Institute of Thracian Studies, Sofia was realized. The event calendar shows this fact happened in May 1972. The founding scientists of the Institute are: Prof. Velizar Velkov, Prof. Georgi Mihaylov, Prof. Ivan Venedikov, Prof. Hristo Danov, Prof. Teodora Tapkova-Zaimova; Prof. Zlatozara Gocheva. The Institute of Thracian Studies was founded as a specialized unit for interdisciplinary study of the history of the ancient Thracians, laden with function to coordinate research on Ancient Thrace and the

Thracians in the context of Paleo-Balkan studies, to study the pre-Greek and non-Greek components of the ancient Balkan and western Asia-minor cultural and historical space. Focus in the operations of the Institute is the Thracian history, culture and language in the broader context of the Indo-European history and a major share of European and world cultural heritage. In 1988 the International Council for Indo-European and Thracian research was created, which includes 40 scientists from 15 countries, and for its Secretariat and publisher of the magazine "Orpheus" in foreign languages was chosen the Institute of Thracology. Prof. D.H. Alexander Fol was the first SecretaryGeneral of the International Council until 1 March, 2006. The new Secretary-General - Professor Musatfa Sayar, director of the Center for the Study of Southeastern Europe at the Philological Faculty of Istanbul University was elected at the Eleventh International Congress of Thracology 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey. Up until now, there have been 11 international congresses on Thracology conducted, and the Center for Thracology has organized five of them. Together with the Centre for Underwater Archaeology, Sozopol, 8 international scientific symposiums Thracia Pontica have been conducted. Thanks to Prof. Alexander Fol and scholars from his school of science a new research field and science school were outlined, which were updated and changed through the years. Research centers of Thracology were established in Germany, Italy, Romania, Russia, Turkey, France and the Netherlands. There is a great interest in these problems in all Balkan countries and also in the UK, USA, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. For the development of Thracian problems abroad an impetus was given by the exhibitions of Thracian art and culture, when managed by the Institute of Thracology. Publications: The Institute of Thracian Studies, now Center of Thracology has published (Expeditio Thracica; Pulpudeva - jointly with the Archaeological Museum in P lovdiv; Thracia Pontica- Jointly with the Centre for Underwater Archaeology, Sozopol) and issued a number of periodicals and monographic publications in Bulgarian and foreign languages: 1). Orpheus. Journal of Indo-European and Thracian Studies (1-18) publication of the International Council for the Indo-European and Thracian Studies; 2). Studia Thracica (monographic series), recent publications are: Studia Thracica, Vol. 12: Svetlana Yanakieva. Thracian toponyms. Sofia 2009, 231 pp.; Studia Thracica, Vol. 13: Ruzha Popova. Thracian culture in Northern Black Sea up to the third century BC. Sofia, 2010, 390 pp.; Studia Thracica, Vol. 14: Kalin Porozhanov. Odrysian kingdom, polis in its coasts and Athens from the late sixth century BC to the end of 341 BC. Blagoevgrad, 2011, 290 pp.; 3). Thracia - a collection of articles by Bulgarian and foreign authors; 4). Seminarium Thracicum (last edition - Seminarium Thracicum 7. Thracian-Greek cultural interactions. Sofia, 2011) 5). Studia Pontica 1-3 with the National Commission on maritime history with its base in the Center of Thracology; 6). Thracia Antiqua 1-10. Scientists at the Center of Thracology are authors of several monographs, training books, essays and articles - most recent of which are: - Vanya Lozanova-Stancheva. East of Eden. Towards a geography of the Orphic Hereafter in Interpretatio Christiana. Veliko Tarnovo, 2010, "Faber", 203 pp.;

- Vanya Lozanova-Stancheva. HELLENICA. Politics and culture of ancient Hellas. Book I. Academic Publishing House "Prof. Drinov ", Sofia, 2012; Plamen Petkov. Military-political relations of the Thracian rulers in the European southeast between 230/229 BC - 45/46 AD Veliko Tarnovo, 2011,"Faber", 346 pp. Many publications are funded on a project basis. Researchers from the Center of Thracology lead courses and seminar classes at the University of Sofia, Plovdiv University, New Bulgarian University, Varna Free University, Southwestern University, University of Library and Information Technology. Scientists from the CT are scientific reviewers of theses and doctoral fellowships, reviewers of scientific papers both in Bulgarian and foreign scientists. Projects: The research project initiated by Prof. Alexander Fol, "Ancient writers of sources of Thrace and the Thracians" published a series of comprehensive texts of major representatives of ancient prose (historians, geographers and mythographers). The publication is bilingual, with comments and an alphabetical index of names. It is the first of its kind in the country and overall performance texts in Bulgarian translation done for the first time. It is the first its kind and the overall presentation of the texts in the Bulgarian language. Similar publications exist only in countries like Germany, Britain and France. Up to this moment are published "General History" of Polybius, Description of Hellas by Pausanias and "Geography by Strabo. Currently there is work on "Historical Library of Diodorus Siculus. Projects, additionally funded by contracts with the Fund "Scientific Research "(FSR): A. Glotta. Database of the Thracian language; 2. KIN-1013 "Underwater archaeological heritage of Bulgaria in danger. Thracian cultural sea landscapes - research, preservation, promotion" funded by FSR, 2007-2009; 3. KIN 1013 - Encyclopedia Ancient Thrace and the Thracians; 4. Project co-funded under FP7 - Het Heritage: Monitoring of the ancient monuments in the Bulgarian lands in the internet web space; 5. Project: Thracians and Greeks. A meeting of cultures. Tradition and transformation of cultural events in South East Europe; 6. Project: Multimedia model of the tribal royal tombs in the Mogilanska mound Vratsa; 7. "European network on Research Program applied to the Protection of Tangible Cultural Heritage (Net Heritage) "under the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission; Other 1). Europeana - Prehistoric and Thracian civilization; 2). Quel voisinage pour la nouvelle Europe? ("What next for the new Europe? Models and Neighbour Policies of South-Eastern borders of the European Union "). The project is between 4 main partners, each representative of the scientific body in a different country; 3). Nove sites: baths and Episcopal complex, principles and valetudinarium, Ekstramuros complex (coauthorship with the National Archaeological Institute and Museum of Sciences, Warsaw University and University "Adam Mickiewicz" - Poznan, Poland). Researchers at the Center of Thracology are working on several other joint national and international projects.