Ivan Venedikov

Ivan Yordanov Wenedikow (common transliteration: Ivan Yordanov Venedikov, Bulgarian Иван Йорданов Венедиков; born January 10, 1916 in Sofia, † August 19 1997 in Sofia) was a Bulgarian archaeologist, historian and Thrakologe. He dealt with the Thracian and medieval history, archeology, art and culture and to the Bulgarian cultural and historical heritage.

• 2.1 works
• 2.2 Investigations and excavations
• 2.3 Membership in Scientific Institutions

Life

Family

His father, Major General Wenedikow Jordan, was the author of numerous works on the Bulgarian military history. His mother, Ekaterina Genadiewa, was the sister of the Bulgarian politician Nikola Genadiew. Both parents came from families known from Macedonia ( Macedonian Bulgarians → ), which had contributed to the ecclesiastical and national struggle and the building of Bulgaria after the liberation from the Ottomans. 1942 married Ivan Wenedikow his wife Vera Ivanova from Skopje, a folklorist. With her he lived until his death. They have two children.

Biography

Wenedikow studied from 1934 to 1939 Classical Philology at Sofia University. His professors were Aleksandar Balabanov, Dimitar Detschew, Gavril Kazarow, Veselin Beschewliew, Bogdan Filow and Petar Mutafchiev. In 1942, he was with the dissertation The phonetics of the Latin inscriptions in the Bulgarian lands ( Bulgarian Фонетика на латинските надписи от българските земи. ) Doctorate. From 1941 to 1944 he continued as curator of the antiquities department in the museum in Skopje his first excavations and explored the ancient and medieval city Bargala - Bregalnica and the medieval ( 9th-10th century. ) Kozjak.

From 1945 to 1957 he was head of the antiquities department of the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia. In 1957, he was " junior" Researcher ( Bulg младши научен сътрудник ) and 1962 " senior " research assistant ( Bulg старши научен сътрудник ) at the National Archaeological Institute and Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. From 1973 to 1978 from the newly created Institute he worked for Thracology the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences from 1978 to 1986, he headed the Department of Archaeology of the Ancient to the National Archaeological Institute with Museum in Sofia. From 1981 he was a professor at the University of Sofia, where he held many years lectures on the history of Thrace.

Scientific activity

Works

In over 150 works for the Thracian history, culture, art and language Wenedikow examined the place of the Thracians in the development of culture in Southeastern Europe. He noted that the Phrygians and Thracians have developed under the influence of even more ancient Eastern cultures. Wenikow shared the Thracian art into periods. He dealt with the finds and sources that were typical of the Thracian horsemen. He wrote the hitherto only monograph on Thracian horse-drawn carriage ( Bulgarian " Тракийската колесница "; 1960), he reconstructed the appearance of this car. He presented in 1972 an exhibition of Thracian art together, which consisted of the most beautiful finds from all over Bulgaria. This exhibition was shown in numerous capitals of the world and thus increased the prestige of Bulgaria abroad.

Through his studies of präbulgarischen inscriptions he came to the new for that time concluded that the Bolgarische language was spoken also to the first half of the 9th century and that attempts had even been made to write to her.

Wenedikow also noted that Preslav was a great Bulgarian location in the first half of the 9th century. He also was unable to determine the meaning of many titles and ranks of the Bulgarian rulers and Boljaren and classify their concrete historical content as well as their meaning. He wrote a 1979 monograph on the military and administrative structure of the Bulgarian Empire.

Investigations and excavations

Wenedikow conducted numerous excavations and investigations, which he published in Bulgarian and other languages ​​. From 1945 to 1949 he conducted excavations in Sozopol. He was 25 years, scientific director of the archaeological investigations (including underwater archeology) in Nessebar ( 1949-1974 ). In 1971 he organized an expedition that examined in the Rhodope Mountains for the first time the rock tombs of Odrysians. In 1975 he took part in the investigation of the dolmens in the beach Saddle Mountains and Sakar Mountains. In addition to these large studies he led even smaller studies: the Thracian sanctuary near the village Liljatsche, the Nymphaeum at the village Kasnakowo, the tombs at the village Wetren and in the city of Vratsa, the Thracian horse-drawn carriage in Kyustendil and many others. On most of these expeditions take part scientists, students and trainees.

Membership in Scientific Institutions

• Scientific Council at the National Archaeological Institute and Museum
• Institute for Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
• Institute of Art Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
• Corresponding Member of the German Archaeological Institute
• Member of the Association Internationale d' epigraphy Grecque et Latine
• Member of the Macedonian Scientific Institute
• Member of the Bulgarian Numismatic Society

Awards

• Jubilee Medal Marin Drinow - to mark the hundredth anniversary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
• Medal " 13 Centuries Bulgaria "
• Order " Cyril and Methodius " 1st stage
• Jubilee medal 100 years of association
• Honour " Excellent on the committee for culture" (the present Ministry of Culture )
• Honorary citizen of Nessebar

Publications

Wenedikow is the author of about 250 scientific papers, of which about 20 monographs. His works deal with the following areas:

• Thracology (151 )
• Archaeology ( 43)
• Proto-Bulgarians (28 )
• Epigraphy (11 )
• Folklore (10 )
• Prehistory and Early Iron Age (9 )
• Linguistics ( 8)
• Numismatics and sphragistics (6 )
• Ethnography ( 3)

Some publications deal with the Scythians, Ancient Persia, the ancient geography, Thracian toponyms, the development of agriculture in the Bulgarian lands, problems of the Bulgarian Revival and the present. He also created some of television and documentaries about the Bulgarian ancient and medieval times and wrote the screenplays for it. About 30 of his scientific works were published abroad and translated into many foreign languages. His book " Thracian Art ," which he wrote with Todor Gerasimov has been translated into eight languages.