site.btaConference Looks at European Military Affairs and Bulgarians during Middle Ages

An international scientific conference, entitled "European military affairs and the Bulgarians between the 6th and 17th centuries - conflicts, contacts and influences" was opened on Wednesday at the National Archaeological Institute with Museum with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NAIM-BAS).

"This may not be the biggest conference we have organized in recent years, but it is certainly one of the most important, given the enormous effort that has gone into creating this exhibition and its accompanying catalogue. I am convinced that the book you will produce together will be one of the most significant achievements in Bulgarian archaeological science. On behalf of the Ministry of Culture and our team, I assure you that the National Archaeological Institute has our full support," said Deputy Culture Minister Todor Chobanov in his address to the participants.

The conference will last until May 17 and will be attended by 35 scientists from 12 countries who will give lectures . Plenary reports will be delivered by Prof. Taxiarchis Kolias, Associate Professor Valeri Iotov and Associate Professor Deyan Rabovyanov, who are among the doyens in the field.

"There are not many specialists who study this subject and it is an achievement that we have been able to bring together some of the specialists who deal with medieval structures, mainly archaeological monuments. We have invited established scholars who we know are dealing with the subject," chief assistant professor Metodi Zlatkov told BTA.

At the beginning of the conference today, guests from Bulgaria and abroad viewed the exhibition "Chronicles of Steel. Cold Weapons of the Bulgarian Middle Ages", which opened in 2024. It presents the culture of war in Bulgarian lands in the Middle Ages through the most iconic weapons of the era - swords, sabres and combat knives, about 120 unique exhibits in total.

The focus of the conference will be both the direct participation of the Bulgarians in warfare and the presentation of medieval equipment and weaponry in the broader context of medieval Eurasian military fashion and the contacts and influences made in this space. The event is held in the framework of a National Scientific Programme "Development and Promotion of Bulgarian Studies Abroad".