Medieval Jewerly with Cowrie Shell (Cypraea pantherina) –Archaeological Context and Historical Realities
Medieval Jewerly with Cowrie Shell (Cypraea pantherina) –Archaeological Context and Historical Realities

Summary/Abstract: The authors are considering the archeological context in which the cowrieshells appear on the territory of medieval Bulgaria. Their attention is drawn to the factthat these shells are endemic to the Red Sea, Arabian and Gul f of Aden, which raises the question of the ways of their spread in the Balkans, and, in particular, the territory of Bulgaria. Their discovery in the pagan necropolis near Balchik, dated around the 7th – 8thcenturies, and their absence in the later necropolises of the First Bulgarian Kingdom makeus think that they have been brought from their original territories. Cowries have been witnessed in several necropolises on the Northern Black Sea and the Caucasus, where they come from the Transcaucasian trade routes. The most numerous samples of cowries from the territory of Bulgaria are found as part of glass bead beads in necropolises from the 11th– 13th centuries. Their distribution is probably related to the establishment of crusaders in the Middle East. One might assume they were traded between returning pilgrims from the Holy Sepulcher and the local population. After losing control over the Holy Land by the Crusaders, these ornaments stop appearing into Bulgarian territory. Their return was witnessed during the excavation of late middle ages necropolises dating from the 15th –17th centuries and may be associated with the restoration of trade contacts with theMiddle East within the Ottoman Empire.

• Details
• Contents