EARLY SGRAFFITO WARES FROM THE TERRITORY OF TODAY’S BULGARIA (11TH – 12TH CENTURIES)

The sgraffito pottery production flourished in the Byzantine Empire during the late 11th and 12th centuries. During this period, the Bulgarian territories were occupied by the Empire, which facilitated the penetration and wide distribution of Sgraffito Wares. The South Bulgarian lands had always been a buffer zone and a way of transmission for Byzantine culture, goods, and influence. Sgraffito vessels are discovered not only in Bulgarian medieval towns and fortresses but also in small villages, convents, and seasonal settlements. The sgraffito plates found in them find exact parallels in Byzantine centres like Corinth, Athens, Sparta, Pergamon and, of course, the capital of Constantinople. Furthermore, some of the specimens have no analogue, and there is indirect evidence that somewhere in today’s South Bulgaria, there used to be local sgraffito production centres. This work will present and review all of the published materials from the territory of today’s Bulgaria, as well as some unpublished sgraffito pottery from South Bulgaria’s museums.