Current Issue Published
Journal of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
- Year: 2026
- Number: 4
- Language: Български, English
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Technology of Prehistoric Salt Production at Provadia-Solnitsata
Author(s): Vassil Nikolov, Galina SamichkovaKeywords: Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Brine, Тechnology of Salt ProductionAbstract: Provadia-Solnitsata is a prehistoric salt-production centre, unique in the Eastern Balkans, whose remains have been continuously excavated since 2005. The site consists of a settlement of salt producers, a centre for the production of table salt, necropolises, and a pit sanctuary, dated to the period 5600 – 4350 BCE. The specialised production of table salt near the Provadiyska River continued for approximately 1250 years. The basic principle of the technological process remained unchanged for nearly a millennium – the evaporation of spring brine in specially made ceramic vessels in order to obtain dry table salt – although the methods employed underwent periodic innovations. During the first chronological stage of salt production (the first half of the Late Neolithic), the heat required for boiling the brine was previously accumulated in a specialised installation (a clay-domed kiln). During the following stage (the second half of the Late Neolithic, the Early Chalcolithic, the Middle Chalcolithic, and the first half of the Late Chalcolithic), heat was provided by open fires in dug-out features, in both cases through the burning of wood. Abrupt climatic changes in the middle of the 5th millennium BCE imposed a significant transformation in saltproduction technology during the second half of the Late Chalcolithic: the evaporation process was carried out in the open air, without auxiliary devices, as the water from the brine evaporated in a large “basin” through the heat of solar radiation. Specialised production of table salt began at the start of the Late Neolithic, around 5600 BCE. The process of evaporating saline spring water took place in specially mould-made deep but wide-open ceramic bowls (Fig. 3.3-4), arranged inside a massive claydomed household kiln intensely heated by an internal fire (Fig. 3.2). During the second half of the Late Neolithic, around 5200 BCE, salt production was moved outside the settlement. The new features were designed for production by means of open fire. They were dug-out in the ground to a depth of approximately 50 cm. In the initial phase they had a strongly elongated shape and consisted of two parallel “corridors” (Fig. 4.1). Later they acquired an oval form with three or four “corridors” (Fig. 4.2). In both variants the production “channels” were separated by thin clay-built walls. Brine evaporation was carried out in deep ceramic pans with two opposing almost horizontal protrusions on the rim (Fig. 4.3–4). The pans were arranged in the “corridors” so that the opposing protrusions rested on two adjacent walls. Wood fuel was placed and ignited beneath them in order to carry out the evaporation process. During the Early Chalcolithic, around 4900 BCE, the production features and ceramic vessels underwent modification. One large pit features measuring approximately 7 × 5 m and about 1 m deep was excavated (Fig. 5). It contained two “hearths” in which a new type of ceramic vessel – deep invertedconical pans – was placed side by side. The fire burned in the spaces between the vessels, evaporating the water from the brine. During the Middle Chalcolithic (4700 – 4600 BCE), the production complex was significantly expanded. It continued to function during the first half of the Late Chalcolithic (4600 – 4450 BCE). Another modification of the technological process took place. Large open features appeared – deep and wide pits measuring approximately 10 × 15 m and up to 2 m deep (Fig. 6.1–2), in which a new type of deep ceramic vessel was tightly arranged side by side: very large, thick-walled vessels of inverted-conical shape. The brine was boiled in them over open fires lit at the bottom of the pit, in the spaces between the touching rims of the vessels. The evaporation process resulted only in the production of moist salt, which was then transferred into significantly smaller, mostly cylindrical vessels of varying sizes and fired in them (Fig. 8). The resulting salt bodies had different respective “denominations”, suitable for “retail” trade. In order to obtain salt free from bitter components
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Confiscation as a Criminal Sanction in the Criminal Code (and the Prospects for Its Retention or Repeal)
Author(s): Boris VelchevKeywords: confiscation, Criminal CodeAbstract: The article examines issues related to confiscation under Art. 44 of the Penal Code. It analyzes the utility of this punishment and its compliance with the Constitution. The author concludes that its potential abolition would not significantly impact the effectiveness of the state’s criminal policy, while the interests of the convict’s family members would be better protected. Specific proposals for the improvement of confiscation are also made, should it be determined that the punishment ought to be retained within the system of penalties under the Criminal Code.
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On the Influence of Vasil Levski’s Ideas and Work on the Formation of a Revolutionary Organization of Bulgarians in Macedonia and the Adrianople Region (1893)
Author(s): Tsocho BilyarskiAbstract: Based on published and unpublished documents and memoirs of members of the Internal Revolutionary Organization of Macedonia and Edirne (ORMA), the author of this article attempts to demonstrate the continuity of the revolutionary work of the Bulgarian Apostle of Freedom Vasil Levski in the ideological development of the founders of the ORMA and in the preparation of the Organization’s main documents. These documents were influenced by the Regulations and Program of the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee, in the creation of which Vasil Levski actively participated through his “Notes on the Bulgarian Uprisings”. Biography of Vasil Levski, written by Zahari Stoyanov. In conclusion, the author believes that Vasil Levski’s ideas, which paved the way for the April Uprising, have re-emerged forty years after his death. His same ideas prepared the ground for the IlindenPreobrazhenie Uprising and led the Bulgarian people in their struggle for freedom.
- Iliyana Yotova, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Was Awarded the Honorary Title of “Doctor Honoris Causa” by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
- Speech of Evelina Slavcheva, Corresponding Member and President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
- Speech of Iliana Yotova, President of the Republic of Bulgaria
- The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in 2025 (From the BAS Activity Report for 2025)
- Celebration of the 90th Anniversary of Academician Vasil Sgurev
- Speech of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Iliana Yotova
- Greetings by the President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Corresponding Member Evelina Slavcheva
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90th Anniversary of Academician Ivan Popchev
Author(s): Olympia RoevaAbstract: On June 19, 2026, the prominent member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) Ivan Popchev turned 90 years old. Ivan Popchev joined the “Automation and Telemechanics” section at the BAS in 1962. He obtained his PhD in 1967 and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Sciences in 1980. Since 1981, he has served as a Professor at BAS, specializing in “Technical Cybernetics – Synthesis and Control of Complex Hierarchical Systems”. He was elected a Corresponding Member of BAS in 1995 and became a full Academician in 2003. Acad. Ivan Popchev has managed over 150 international and national projects. His work has led to the development and implementation of systems, components, information technologies, and software products both in Bulgaria and abroad, as well as to the establishment of new research fields, university Master’s programs, and economic sectors. From 1966, he served as a visiting assistant professor at the Technical University of Sofia. In 1999, he was elected Professor at Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski” in the field of mathematical modelling and applications of mathematics in economics (risk theory). In 2001, he was appointed Professor at the New Bulgarian University, specializing in the application of computer science in economics. Throughout his career, he has lectured at numerous domestic and international universities and holds the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from several institutions. Acad. Ivan Popchev is the author of 597 publications in Bulgarian, English, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, and Korean, including 290 journal articles, 256 papers presented at scientific events, and 18 monographs. His scientific contributions lie in systems control theory, decision-making theory, and the systemic and logical foundations of artificial intelligence. Acad. Ivan Popchev is a recipient of the 1977 Award for Earth and Technical Sciences, presented by the Presidium of BAS and the Academic Council of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” for the “Complex of Control Systems for a Class of Mobile Objects”. He was also honored by the Presidium of BAS and the Academic Council of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” for his monograph “Decentralized Systems”.
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Academician Grigor Gorchev – Seventy Years of Vision, Innovation and Dedication to Society
Author(s): Slavcho Tomov
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The Energy of the Image in the Works of Poets and Artists
Author(s): Ivan Granitsky
- In the Meeting of Academicians: New Foreign Members of BAS and Associate Member of the Assembly of Academicians and Corresponding Members
- In the Management Board of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences: Newly Elected Director of Institute
- Academician Hristo Beloev, Awarded the “Marin Drinov” Medal of Honor on a Ribbon
- Academician Damyan Damyanov Receives an Award from Shumen University “Bishop Konstantin Preslavski”
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The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the “Nikopol–Turnu Măgurele Hydrotechnical Complex” Project
Author(s): Alexander H. Alexandrov
Journal of BAS
ISSN 0007-3989 (print)
ISSN 2683-0302 (on line)
150 Years
"Journal of the BAS"
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