History of Bulgarian Pottery

Approximately 3000 years ago, the people who were called the Thracians were the first to establish civilization in what we now know as the country of Bulgaria. This region was part of the Roman Empire from 40 AD until 395 AD. This area was also settled by the Slavs and Russians during the 500’s AD. In the 600’s a nomadic tribe called the Bulgars from central Asia migrated to the area and eventually melded with the Slavic peoples.

The Thracian influence on pottery is well known, and there have been archeological sites that have discovered pottery and potters wheels in the Early Iron Age. The Thracian pottery was heavily influenced by the Greek culture. As the Slavs and Bulgars settled the area the Thracian pottery began to evolve. Painted Preslav ceramics come to be found by the early tenth century. Prechina ceramics was brought to Bulgaria by the Middle Eastern artisans. The history of Bulgarian Pottery is extensive, dating back to between 375 and 340 BC. Located near the town of Nova Zagora is a mound called Karanovska where unique pottery dating to the Paleolithic age was found. Due to this pottery style, the region near Nova Zagora is called “the Noah’s Ark of the European Civilization”.

Origins

The Sarmations (Ancient Iranian) came to the region known today as Bulgaria around the 5th century BC. The Sarmations merged with the Cbernjahov culture to become the Gothic Culture. Grave goods of the Sarmations consisted of beyond other items a pottery with a dark grey surface and decorated with polished stripes.

Then came the Penkovka Culture, dating from the 6th to 7th century. A.D. The Penkovka lived on the Steppes and the people were sedentary, engaging in mostly agriculture and the breeding of animals such as cattle. As sedentary peoples they became specialized in many different occupations, such as pottery. The various styles made were the bi conical pot, the handmade pots with rounded shoulders. The color of the clay used still remained grey, and was made on a potter’s wheel and still had the decoration of stripes which were either polished or incised into the clay. Today this pottery style is called Pastiriki after the site they were first found in.