Galery

1

- What is the fate of the amphitheatre of Serdica, which is the second one in a European capital after the Colosseum in Rome?
- Its eastern section was at risk of demolition during the construction of the eponymous hotel in its region. We had terrible fights with the owners of the land but, in the end, they realized our ideas and now the remains of the arena are displayed in the entrance of the hotel. Unfortunately,
the western half of the amphitheatre, which is located near the Youth Theatre, is sinking into oblivion because the National Electric Company wanted to erect in this place a building with underground garages and the owners of the adjacent plots have claims on it too. Sofia municipality should intervene more decisively in this conflict in order for things to move forward and for this unique find to be displayed. However, only one capital in Europe has an amphitheatre on its territory and that is Rome.
- In 2014 Bulgaria will mark 1,000 years since the death of Tsar Samuel and it is planning various events on this occasion. Have you discussed this issue with your colleagues from Macedonia?
- In fact, we have not discussed this topic with them as I have doubts that they would respond appropriately. Science in Macedonia is politicized and even if they want to, they will not be able to take an appropriate scientific position. Unfortunately, there ideology controls science to the degree of travesty, especially if we look at the things that are being built in Skopje. The Macedonians are trying to form their own nation, which, of course, is their right, but it does not happen by stealing history, as everyone should create their own history. We will organize an international conference on the anniversary of Tsar Samuel’s death and we hope that their representatives will take part in it too.

- How do you manage to fight off Bulgarian treasure-hunters?
- The archaeologists can only warn of their illegal activities and get frustrated. Treasure-hunting destroys not only our work and profession but also us as a nation. On the one hand, treasure hunting hysteria is due to poverty in Bulgaria but on the other, it is due to the markets and auctions, which are being organized in Western Europe and the USA. Very often, they criticize us for not preserving our heritage and for not fighting treasure-hunting, and, at the same time, they cannot explain why they allow auctions with our findings that, apparently, have been illegally exported from Bulgaria. Treasure-hunters are aggressive people and very rich people; public persons, stand behind them, who behave very arrogantly, presenting themselves as "donors" of finds. They destroy a number of acropolises and ancient cities, donating everything they consider useless. We need to create an unfavourable environment for treasure hunters in Bulgaria by constantly informing the public about the findings of archaeologists because this is the only way for us to preserve our cultural and historical heritage. However, it is not only ours; it also belongs to the generations that will come after us.
- What about your present work along the South Stream route?
- By law we are required to explore all archaeological sites along the route of the pipeline and to find a way to preserve them. We are experiencing some difficulties due to bad weather but we are continuing to work. We are about to sign a contract connected with the archaeological excavations at a later stage and to monitor the operation of "South Stream" joint-stock company. We have already localized over 100 sites that could be affected by this project and many more that we have been unable to localize will certainly appear during the construction works. At present, we have a good cooperation with the investor and the Ministry of Culture and I hope that our good relationships will continue until the end of the project.