Vitosha Gold
Content
Geoarchaeology and Archaeomineralogy (Eds. R. I. Kostov, B. Gaydarska, M. Gurova). 2008.
Proceedings of the International Conference, 29-30 October 2008 Sofia, Publishing House “St. Ivan Rilski”, Sofia, 253-257.
ANCIENT GOLD MINING AT THE SOUTHERN SLOPES OF THE VITOSHA AND VERILA
MOUNTAINS
Stoyan Avdev1, Christian Tsankov2
1“Besike”
ЕООD,1172 Sofia; [email protected]
of Mining and Geology “St. Ivan Rilski”, 1700 Sofia; [email protected]
2University
ABSTRACT. Gold and silver deposits at the Southern slopes of the Vitosha and Verila Mountains, as well as gold bearing placers at the upper
stream of the Struma River have been exploited since most ancient times, and especially intensively in certain historical periods. Traces of this
remarkable ancient gold production can be found today in the area of the villages Chuipetlovo, Bosnek, Gorna Dikanya, Dolna Dikanya, Lisets and
others. The volume of the washed gold-bearing sand and gravels along the rivers Struma, Klisura, Martinova and others is several millions m3.
Enormous are also the mines for gold production from the eluvial-delivial placers and from the in situ gold-silver ore occurrences. For example, the
ancient quarry below the Kupena Peak in the Smilio area is with remarkable dimensions of 550x50x10 m. Similar is the scale of ore production in
the area of the villages Gorna Dikanya and Dolna Dikanya. The existing data suggests that the main ore production took place during the Roman
domination on the Balkans and mostly during the ІІІ-ІV century, as well as later during the Ottoman Period from the ХV to the ХVІІ century.
The Struma River and most of its tributaries in the Sofia,
Radomir and Pernik Districts are gold bearing. This fact has
been known to people since most ancient times. So far there is
no data for the most ancient gold production in the region, but
there is no doubt, that it has started in prehistoric times, when
a lot of the ore deposits on the Balkan Peninsula have become
object of exploitation. In later historical times, when the ore
production in Ancient Thrace has become a basic livelihood for
large groups of the population, the gold placers and gold
deposits along the Struma valley have been extensively
exploited. With some interruptions this activity takes place in
the Middle Ages almost to the ХІХ century. In the present
communication only the gold works at the Southern slopes of
the Vitosha and Verila Mountain are discussed. At these
places there are numerous “in situ” and placer gold and goldsilver occurrences and deposits, which were exploited in the
past.
washing is taken from “the River Struma at Duhlite – a cave
East of the village, where in the past there used to be a pool
and water”. These piles of stones are known to the local
population by the names “gramag’e” and “gramage”. According
to Ivan Peev, under the “Studena” dam and at the overflow of
the Rudarshtitsa River, as well as slighly down along the
coarse of the Struma River, at the terraces have been worked
over 20 mln m3 of gravels (Peev, 1980, 53).
Other alluvial placers, where a big volume of ore production
has taken place, are located in the valleys of the Klisura River
with its tributary the Martinova River and the Dobri Dol River
(Dimitrov, 1960, 241-249). There, at a band of a 3000 m length
and a 20-150 m width, starting at the area Dupkite and
finishing at the area Ranen Dol, the alluvial sediments are
totally worked out. According to some assessments, the total
volume of washed material on the left bank of the Klisura and
Martinova River is over 1 mln m3.
Traces of ancient gold mines in the most upper
course of the Struma River
One of the hamlets of the village Drugan (Radomir Region) is
called Gramade, and to the South of the village flow the rivers
Kriva Matitsa and Gorna Matitsa. Both toponyms can be linked
to the washing of magnetite and gold. The suggestion that the
village has been a miner’s settlement is supported by the fact,
that in 1644 with its 116 families it has been one of the largest
in the region – something which is typical for the miner
settlements (Petrov, 1988, 345). All these traces of old gold
works are known among local people as “zlatomi” (Pushkarov,
1922, 188).
Remains of old washing works along the alluvial placers
Gold has been washed along the Struma River as well as at
the terraces around the village Bosnek (Dimitrov, 1960, 241249; Velkov, 1955, 88; Peev, 1975, 99; Peev, 1980, 52;
Georgiev, 1987, 19; Iliev et al., 1991, 11). In recent times at
this place one placer gold deposit was prospected, that was
partly worked in the past. The traces of the old works are
located to the East of the village Bosnek. In the Northeastern
part of the site they occupy an area of 600x30 m, аnd in the
Southwestern part – 150х40 m. Ivan Velkov describes them as
“the piles of stones, arranged in long bands at a distance up to
1 km in length, along the left shore of Struma, South and
South-West of the village” (Velkov, 1955, 88). The water for the
Remains of washing works along the eluvial and deluvial
placers
Enormous in volume are also the old quarries for gold
253
production from the eluvial and deluvial deposits located on the
Southern slopes of the Vitosha Mountain. The first person to
mention them is Pavel Deliradev (Deliradev, 1926, 197-199).
According to him, the saddle area between the peaks Kupena
(2173 m) and Chukara (1516 m), "representing a broad
platform with quartzite big boulders” is called “Gramadka” and
is related to ore production since “Roman times”. At the same
place there used to be a “barely seen ditch, which catches the
waters from the Kupen tributary of Struma and leads them
away in this area for washing of the quartzites and of the
located beneath near Struma similar ‘gramadatsi’”. The
mentioned ‘gramadatsi’ are located in the areas Smilio,
Yanchesko Usoe, Sichkova Bara, Hrebeta and Balabanitsa
between the villages Yarlovo and Chuipetlovo. Especially
remarkable with its dimensions is the old gold quarry in the
Smilio area – 555 m length, 40-50 m width and 10 m depth
(Peev, 1975, 99; Peev, 1980, 52-53).
Traces of old mining works from in situ gold production
The third group of traces of old gold production in the region
are from in situ gold deposits. Ivan Velinov points out as
diggings for production of in situ gold those at the area Nakev
Kamak (ore occurrence “Iveto”) at the springs of the Matnitsa
River, to the North of the village Chuipetlovo (Velinov, 2002,
25-27). In the area to the North and West of the village, in the
area Vakarelets (Fig. 2) and at the village Lisets (Fig. 3) there
are tenths of similar diggings, some of them 80-200 m in length
and 15-20 m in depth. This is the reason some of the names of
areas to be connected with old gold production: gully Kopanik,
a tributary of the Dobri Dol River at the Dragoya Peak, the
hamlet Rudarski Egretsi and others.
There are several other digging places, reaching up to 400 m
in length, to the NE of the Krusta Peak (1561 m). Ivan Velkov
also mentions these diggings: “to the North-East of Bosnek at
about a distance of 2 km at the right bank of Struma steeply
rises to the South in the mountain a rocky height’, the upper
parts of which is “strongly furrowed with numerous and deep
diggings” (Velkov, 1955, 88).
Fig. 2. Digging places in the area “Vakarelets”, to the North of the village
Gorna Dikanya (Radomir District)
Deliradev mentions “quartzite ‘gramadatsi’” above the village
Bosnek (Deliradev, 1926). These diggings, located at the
Petrus Peak are known as “Petrunovi Gramadi”. According to
Panayot Bakalov these old mining works are from coluvial
(redeposited Tertiary gold bearing sediments), and the
diggings into the terrace of the Struma River at Bosnek – from
alluvial (river) placers. As a matter of fact the nature of the
discussed placers at the Petrus Peak is eluvial or eluvialdeluvial.
Another very large quarry at an eluvial-deluvial placer is
located to the East of the village Gorna Dikanya at the Dragal
hamlet in the area Kozarnitsite (Fig. 1). Today it is represented
as a negative relief form with dimensions 550x80-100 m,
located at the Northern slope of the Dragal River. It can be
distinguished from the natural relief by its deep trenches and
pits and the high piles of rock pieces of different dimensions.
Probably on alluvial placers from in situ gold-silver deposits are
the digging along the right bank of the Dobri Del River.
Fig. 3. Digging places to the North-East of the village Lisets (Radomir
District)
Numismatic data for the ancient production of
precious metals
Gold production has been a widely practiced in Bulgaria
since Thracian times. Indirect information for this is the
numerous finds of gold artifacts, including in the Upper Struma
River region. It is supposed that such activities have developed
after the Roman Empire conquered the Balkans. A larger part
of the produced gold in this time was used by the local
goldsmiths, and the gold jewellery was sold to the wealthy
persons of Serdica. Some minor part has been minted as gold
coins. The mint at Serdica is believed to produce a limited
quantity of aureuses in the beginning of the III c. during the
reign of the Severes dynasty. Several decades later are minted
gold coins with the images of the emperors Tacitus (275-276
AD) and Prob (275-282 AD), but after 278 AD it suspended its
activity (Fig. 4). In the beginning of the IV c. there is a
significant change in the structure of use of produced gold and
silver in the region. A large part of the production is used for
minting coins and medallions. For example, at the time of the
Emperor Diocletian in 303 AD in antique Serdica are minted
several emissions of silver and bilone coins (Bozhkova, 1977,
4).
Fig. 1. A big digging place at the area Kozarnitsite, near the village Gorna
Dikanya (Radomir District)
254
This gold minting is linked to different political events and
mostly to the visits of the Roman emperors in Serdica.
Probably the control over the gold coin minting in the Roman
Empire has been more stringent, compared to the mint of other
types of coinage and has taken place only in separate cases,
despite of the significant and constant gold production in
certain areas.
a
b
This is the most plausible explanation of the frequent
interruption of gold minting in Serdica and the short but with a
large circulation series of definite type of coins and variety of
images. During the rest of time the gold which was produced in
the surroundings of present city of Sofia probably was sent for
minting in the Serdica mint of other big mints and only a small
part has been utilized for local use.
c
During the Early Byzantine Period the precious metal
production in the region probably continues, but there is no
direct evidence. There is no data also for the period of the
Second Bulgarian Kingdom. At last, the first written data on ore
production in the Sofia and Samokov District appeared during
the fist decades of the Ottoman conquer of the Balkan
Peninsula.
Fig. 4. Gold aureuses, minted in Serdica by the emperors: а – Karakala
(197-217); b – Tacitus (275-276); c – Prob (275-282)
In difference from the numerous other mints in the Empire,
the one at Serdica quickly has specialized in minting of gold
coins. From May 1st 305 AD to July 25th 306 AD gold coins
with the names of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian
Herculii, Galerii Maximian and Maximin Daza, and of empress
Valeria were minted (Fig. 5). In 308 AD the mint again
suspends its work, but after a few years (317/318 г.) again
mints gold aureuses, this time with the names of the emperors
Licinius and Constantinus the Great (Bozhkova, 1977, 5).
а
b
а
c
Fig. 6. Silver argenteuses minted in Serdica by the emperors: а –
Maximilian Hercules (305-306); b – Diocletian (303-305); c – Maximin Daza
(305-306)
.
b
Historical accounts for the Medieval production
of precious metals
In a document of 1451-1455 are listed ‘hasove’ and ‘timari’ in
the Sofia and Samokov districts, where the villages are linked
to mining activities (Sources…, 1966, 53-103). Data is given
for the production of iron in the villages Bistritsa, Studena,
Daskalovo, Radichkov Samokov, Srubski Samokov, Vulkov
Samokov, Popovyane, Reliovo and Pasarel. Probably then or
in an earlier period began the gold, silver, lead and iron
production in the vicinities of the villages Chuipetlovo, Yarlovo,
Bosnek, Gorna Dikanya, Dolna Dikanya, Lisets, Dren, Drugan,
c
Fig. 5. Gold aureuses, minted in Serdica by the emperors: а – Maximin ІІ
(308-313); b – Galeria Valeria (308); c – Galerii Maximilian (305-306)
255
archaeological and geological data, that such villages were
Dikanya, Lisets, Kozich, Dren, Chuipetlovo, Bosnek and
others. Several years later the economic situation in the region
was aggravated. The local population was left to the mercy of
the local rulers, which seriously disorganized the ore
production. As written in the above cited document of 1635
“because of the great terror and oppression” the miners of the
Samokov district scattered and the groups of refugees went to
the Sofia ‘kaza’ (Draganova, 1970, 191; Andreev, Grozdanova,
1993, 80). The mining villages of Kozich and Dren (Pernik
District) became entirely desolate. Nevertheless the village of
Dikanya continues to exist and according to a tax register from
1640-1646 it had about 60 families, linked to mining and that is
why they have been freed of extraordinary taxes (Grozdanova,
1989, 124).
Studena, Kralev Dol, Popovo and others. This fact has been
manifested in the list of the most important silver mines of the
Balkan Peninsula compiled by the Genovesian Giacopo de
Promontorio in 1475 (Ризаj, 1970, 93). According to his data,
despite the known mines Novo Burdo, Srebrenitsa, Kratovo,
Prishtina and Seres, big silver mine existed also near Sofia.
The precious metal production from this mine reached its
maximum during the ХVI century. For at least two centuries
significant amounts of both gold and silver from placer and in
situ deposits were produced. Giant remains have left from
these activities – mining diggings into the gold, gold-silver and
gold-silver-polymetallic deposits, as well as huge stone piles
from the washed gold bearing placers (Аvdev, 1996, 21-24).
Unfortunately there are a few written records for these gold
and silver mines. Indirect information is found in a Turkish
‘ferman’ send in 1574 to the local governors (‘kadii”) of the
mining centres in which they are ordered to send certain
quantities of lead in Thesaloniki (Ризаj, 1970, 92). The receiver
of such ‘ferman’ is the ‘kadia’ of Radomir, who had to send the
ore from the nearest local mine. From that time is another
document with a similar content. It has been addressed to the
‘kadia’ in Sofia and to his assistant ‘nazur’ Hazur Chavush, and
a copy was send to the ‘kadia’ of Samokov and to the ‘nazur”
in Samokov (Grozdanova, Andreev, 1986, 121). In it was
ordered the necessary quantity of lead for the building of a
mosque in Istanbul to be sent. The participation of the ‘nazur’
of Samokov for this order probably has been related to the
transportation, because the supplies of iron from Samokov for
Istanbul were frequent and made on a regular basis and an
organization existed in this respect.
A reflection of this mining activity is a series of later
information, in which a large mine is mentioned as existing at
some time at the Vitosha Mountain. For example, in a French
travel note of 1671, one can see that the information for the
existence of gold and silver ores in the region was widely
spread among the population. The unknown author writes:
“After they (the local authorities) made some inquiry, they gave
different arguments that one can find here good gold ore”
(Ionov, 1986, 121).
The significance of the old mine near Sofia was poitned out
also by the cartographers of that time. On several geographic
maps of the ХVII and ХVIII c. to the South of the town appears
a characteristic for the silver-producing areas toponym “Monte
Argentaro”. Thus, on two of the maps of Kanteli da Vigniola of
1679 and 1684, covering the lands from Belgrade to the Black
Sea, the mountain to the South of Sofia is named as “Monte
Argentaro”. On the map of Gerard and Leonard of 1730,
preserved in the National Library “St.St. Cyril and Methodius”,
form the “Monte Argentaro” Mountain give their origin the rivers
Iskar, Struma and Maritsa. The same name is given to the
mountain to the South of Sofia in the map of Tobias Konrad
Loter of 1739, and in the compiled in 1771 “Register of the
Turkish regions and Christian people” is mentioned also the
gold production at Vitosha: “Once from Vitosha silver, gold,
lead and precious stones were produced” (Angelov, 1966, 58).
Almost at the same time (1786) the traveler Saviur Lusinian
passed through Sofia, and has left a more detailed description
for the location of this mine: “To the west of the town there is a
mountain, which is called ‘Vitush’ by the Turks. At its peak
there is a meadow where a large amount of aromatic flowers
are in blossom. Here there is also a gold mine, which is not
working” (Shishmanov, 1891, 474). This mine is mentioned in
the “Geography” of the two Armenian scholars Indjedjian and
Agonz, who several times crossed the Bulgarian lands in the
period 1792-1804 (Оrmadjiyan, 1984, 72). They visited also a
cave around Sofia where they found minting tools, left
according to the local people, from the once existing there
mint. The two travelers write: “One can thrust this assertion,
because in this area there are traces of gold mines. This is
particularly obvious during downpour, because the freshet
brings with itself ‘tebir’, which is nothing else but gold powder”.
Another indirect evidence for the existence of the “Dikanya”
mine, as well as of other mines around Sofia at that time is the
local minting. It started in the beginning of the ХVI c., when the
Sofia mint produces the first ‘akche’ with the name of sultan
Suleiman I Kanuni (1520-1566) (Bachvarov, 1981, 34). Around
the years 1545-1550 it suspends work for about 20 years, but
in 1568/1569 its activity continues. After one of the numerous
economic and financial crises at the end of the century, in 1603
the mint suspends temporarily its production. An attempt for
restoration of its activity was made by a sultan’s ferman of
August 12th 1618 (Ikhchiev, 1911, 203-205; Bachvarov, 1981,
35). Its production at the time is minimal and sporadic. In 1640
the Sofia mint finally suspends its activity.
The only direct data for the gold and silver mine near Sofia
are from the beginning of the ХVII century. As written in an
Ottoman document of June 17th 1635, some of the above
mentioned villages were included in “the big mining ‘has’ of his
majesty the sultan” (Draganova, 1970, 191). As it can be
suggested from the information in the document, this
possession was formed at the end of the ХVI c. and the
beginning of the ХVII c. by taking apart the Vitosha villages
from the administrative rule of Samokov ("we were brought
under the sway of the ‘kaza’ of Samokov”). One possible
reason can be the more different mining activity, as gold and
silver was produced. At the time of the document, the
population of the villages on the South and South-West slopes
of the Vitosha Mountain was been active mainly in producing
iron and probably to a less degree – precious metals. It is not
clear which villages were involved in gold and silver
production, but it can be suggested on the basis of
The above mentioned evidence for a large gold and silver
mine at Vitosha is supplemented by a sequence of other later
written sources most of them from the first half of the ХIХ
century (Avdev, 2005). An interesting fact is that during that
256
Century (Demographic Study). Nauka i Izkustvo, Sofia, 525
p. (in Bulgarian)
Grozdanova, Е., S. Andreev. 1986. The Bulgarians in the XVI
Century. Sofia (in Bulgarian).
Ikhchiev, D. 1911. Materials for the coinage affairs in Turkey. –
Izvestiya na Istoricheskoto Druzhestvo v Sofia, III, 75-207
(in Bulgarian).
Ionov, М. (Comp.). 1986. German and Austrian Travel Notes
for the Balkans from the ХVII – middle of the ХVIII Century.
Nauka i Izkustvo, Sofia, 413 p. (in Bulgarian)
Markov, N. 2003. Sources for the History of Mining and
Metallurgy on the Bulgarian Lands. Vol. 1. ХVII-ХIХ c.
Sofia (in Bulgarian).
Оrmandjiyan, А. (Comp.). 1984. Аrmenian Travel Notes for the
Balkans in the ХVII-ХIХ Century. Vol. 5. Nauka i Izkustvo,
Sofia, 246 p. (in Bulgarian)
Peev, I. 1975. Traces and material monuments from the gold
works activity on the Bulgarian lands. – Proc. First
Symposium on History of Mining in South-East Europe.
Varna, 94-99 (in Bulgarian).
Peev, I. 1980. Material monuments for gold production on the
Bulgarian lands. – Vekove, 9, 4, 48-56 (in Bulgarian).
Peev, I. 1990. The gold bearing placer deposits in Bulgaria. –
In: Methods and Technologies for Prospecting of Mineral
Raw Materials. Vol. 1. Sofia, 92-97 (in Bulgarian).
Rizaj, S. 1970. Rudarsvoto vo Makedonja od ХV dо ХVІІІ vek.
– Glasnik na Institutot za Nationalna Istorijа, 14, 2-3, 91111 (in Macedonian).
Shishmanov, I. 1891. Old Travels through Bulgaria. – Sbornik
Narodni Umotvoreniya, Nauka i Knizhnina, IV, 474 p. (in
Bulgarian)
Sources in Bilgarian History. Vol. XIII. Ser. XV-XVI. Turkish
Sources on Bulgarian History. Vol. II. 1966. Sofia, 193 p.
(in Bulgarian)
Vuzvuzova-Karateodorova, К., L. Dragolova. 1988. Sofia
during the Revival Period. Narodna Prosveta, Sofia, 190 p.
(in Bulgarian)
time some attempts have been made by the official Turkish
authorities for elucidation of the perspectives for ore production
from Vitosha Mountain. In a letter from the Grand Vessir to the
governor of Sofia of September 13 1847 is written that “in the
Vitosha Mountain, near Sofia, ores have been discovered” and
“that for their prospecting specialists are to be sent, to whom
support has to be lend” (Dorev, 1940, 301). The result is not
known, but probably this prospecting gave no consequences,
because until the Liberation (1878) and after it the only gold
miners in the region are those working along the local gold and
magnetite bearing rivers.
References
Andreev, S., Е. Grozdanova. 1993. On the History of Mining
and Metallurgy in the Bulgarian Lands during the ХV-ХIХ
Century. Izd. NBCM, Sofia, 152 p. (in Bulgarian)
Angelov, B. 1959. Archeological notes in Serbian itineraries
during the ХVII-ХVIII c. – Archaeology, 8, 3, 57-59 (in
Bulgarian).
Avdev, S. 1996. The big gold-silver minе at Vitosha during the
ХVI-ХVII c. – Geology and Mineral Resources, 1, 21-24 (in
Bulgarian).
Avdev, S. 2005. History of Gold Production on the Bulgarian
Lands. Besike, Sofia, 360 p. (in Bulgarian)
Bachvarov, V. 1981. The Sofia mint and its coin production
during the period of the Ottoman domination. –
Numismatics, 3, 32-40 (in Bulgarian).
Deliradev, P. 1926. Vitosha. Gladston, Sofia, 344 p. (in
Bulgarian)
Dorev, P. 1940. Documents on Bulgarian History. III and IV.
Documents in the Turkish State Archives. Part 1 (15641872). Sofia (in Bulgarian).
Draganova, S. 1970. Unknown Turkish document for the status
of the mining population in the Samokov ‘kaza’ during the
first half of the ХVII c. – Proc. State Archives, 20, 189-195
(in Bulgarian).
Grozdanova, Е. 1989. The Bulgarian Nation in the ХVII
257
Proceedings of the International Conference, 29-30 October 2008 Sofia, Publishing House “St. Ivan Rilski”, Sofia, 253-257.
ANCIENT GOLD MINING AT THE SOUTHERN SLOPES OF THE VITOSHA AND VERILA
MOUNTAINS
Stoyan Avdev1, Christian Tsankov2
1“Besike”
ЕООD,1172 Sofia; [email protected]
of Mining and Geology “St. Ivan Rilski”, 1700 Sofia; [email protected]
2University
ABSTRACT. Gold and silver deposits at the Southern slopes of the Vitosha and Verila Mountains, as well as gold bearing placers at the upper
stream of the Struma River have been exploited since most ancient times, and especially intensively in certain historical periods. Traces of this
remarkable ancient gold production can be found today in the area of the villages Chuipetlovo, Bosnek, Gorna Dikanya, Dolna Dikanya, Lisets and
others. The volume of the washed gold-bearing sand and gravels along the rivers Struma, Klisura, Martinova and others is several millions m3.
Enormous are also the mines for gold production from the eluvial-delivial placers and from the in situ gold-silver ore occurrences. For example, the
ancient quarry below the Kupena Peak in the Smilio area is with remarkable dimensions of 550x50x10 m. Similar is the scale of ore production in
the area of the villages Gorna Dikanya and Dolna Dikanya. The existing data suggests that the main ore production took place during the Roman
domination on the Balkans and mostly during the ІІІ-ІV century, as well as later during the Ottoman Period from the ХV to the ХVІІ century.
The Struma River and most of its tributaries in the Sofia,
Radomir and Pernik Districts are gold bearing. This fact has
been known to people since most ancient times. So far there is
no data for the most ancient gold production in the region, but
there is no doubt, that it has started in prehistoric times, when
a lot of the ore deposits on the Balkan Peninsula have become
object of exploitation. In later historical times, when the ore
production in Ancient Thrace has become a basic livelihood for
large groups of the population, the gold placers and gold
deposits along the Struma valley have been extensively
exploited. With some interruptions this activity takes place in
the Middle Ages almost to the ХІХ century. In the present
communication only the gold works at the Southern slopes of
the Vitosha and Verila Mountain are discussed. At these
places there are numerous “in situ” and placer gold and goldsilver occurrences and deposits, which were exploited in the
past.
washing is taken from “the River Struma at Duhlite – a cave
East of the village, where in the past there used to be a pool
and water”. These piles of stones are known to the local
population by the names “gramag’e” and “gramage”. According
to Ivan Peev, under the “Studena” dam and at the overflow of
the Rudarshtitsa River, as well as slighly down along the
coarse of the Struma River, at the terraces have been worked
over 20 mln m3 of gravels (Peev, 1980, 53).
Other alluvial placers, where a big volume of ore production
has taken place, are located in the valleys of the Klisura River
with its tributary the Martinova River and the Dobri Dol River
(Dimitrov, 1960, 241-249). There, at a band of a 3000 m length
and a 20-150 m width, starting at the area Dupkite and
finishing at the area Ranen Dol, the alluvial sediments are
totally worked out. According to some assessments, the total
volume of washed material on the left bank of the Klisura and
Martinova River is over 1 mln m3.
Traces of ancient gold mines in the most upper
course of the Struma River
One of the hamlets of the village Drugan (Radomir Region) is
called Gramade, and to the South of the village flow the rivers
Kriva Matitsa and Gorna Matitsa. Both toponyms can be linked
to the washing of magnetite and gold. The suggestion that the
village has been a miner’s settlement is supported by the fact,
that in 1644 with its 116 families it has been one of the largest
in the region – something which is typical for the miner
settlements (Petrov, 1988, 345). All these traces of old gold
works are known among local people as “zlatomi” (Pushkarov,
1922, 188).
Remains of old washing works along the alluvial placers
Gold has been washed along the Struma River as well as at
the terraces around the village Bosnek (Dimitrov, 1960, 241249; Velkov, 1955, 88; Peev, 1975, 99; Peev, 1980, 52;
Georgiev, 1987, 19; Iliev et al., 1991, 11). In recent times at
this place one placer gold deposit was prospected, that was
partly worked in the past. The traces of the old works are
located to the East of the village Bosnek. In the Northeastern
part of the site they occupy an area of 600x30 m, аnd in the
Southwestern part – 150х40 m. Ivan Velkov describes them as
“the piles of stones, arranged in long bands at a distance up to
1 km in length, along the left shore of Struma, South and
South-West of the village” (Velkov, 1955, 88). The water for the
Remains of washing works along the eluvial and deluvial
placers
Enormous in volume are also the old quarries for gold
253
production from the eluvial and deluvial deposits located on the
Southern slopes of the Vitosha Mountain. The first person to
mention them is Pavel Deliradev (Deliradev, 1926, 197-199).
According to him, the saddle area between the peaks Kupena
(2173 m) and Chukara (1516 m), "representing a broad
platform with quartzite big boulders” is called “Gramadka” and
is related to ore production since “Roman times”. At the same
place there used to be a “barely seen ditch, which catches the
waters from the Kupen tributary of Struma and leads them
away in this area for washing of the quartzites and of the
located beneath near Struma similar ‘gramadatsi’”. The
mentioned ‘gramadatsi’ are located in the areas Smilio,
Yanchesko Usoe, Sichkova Bara, Hrebeta and Balabanitsa
between the villages Yarlovo and Chuipetlovo. Especially
remarkable with its dimensions is the old gold quarry in the
Smilio area – 555 m length, 40-50 m width and 10 m depth
(Peev, 1975, 99; Peev, 1980, 52-53).
Traces of old mining works from in situ gold production
The third group of traces of old gold production in the region
are from in situ gold deposits. Ivan Velinov points out as
diggings for production of in situ gold those at the area Nakev
Kamak (ore occurrence “Iveto”) at the springs of the Matnitsa
River, to the North of the village Chuipetlovo (Velinov, 2002,
25-27). In the area to the North and West of the village, in the
area Vakarelets (Fig. 2) and at the village Lisets (Fig. 3) there
are tenths of similar diggings, some of them 80-200 m in length
and 15-20 m in depth. This is the reason some of the names of
areas to be connected with old gold production: gully Kopanik,
a tributary of the Dobri Dol River at the Dragoya Peak, the
hamlet Rudarski Egretsi and others.
There are several other digging places, reaching up to 400 m
in length, to the NE of the Krusta Peak (1561 m). Ivan Velkov
also mentions these diggings: “to the North-East of Bosnek at
about a distance of 2 km at the right bank of Struma steeply
rises to the South in the mountain a rocky height’, the upper
parts of which is “strongly furrowed with numerous and deep
diggings” (Velkov, 1955, 88).
Fig. 2. Digging places in the area “Vakarelets”, to the North of the village
Gorna Dikanya (Radomir District)
Deliradev mentions “quartzite ‘gramadatsi’” above the village
Bosnek (Deliradev, 1926). These diggings, located at the
Petrus Peak are known as “Petrunovi Gramadi”. According to
Panayot Bakalov these old mining works are from coluvial
(redeposited Tertiary gold bearing sediments), and the
diggings into the terrace of the Struma River at Bosnek – from
alluvial (river) placers. As a matter of fact the nature of the
discussed placers at the Petrus Peak is eluvial or eluvialdeluvial.
Another very large quarry at an eluvial-deluvial placer is
located to the East of the village Gorna Dikanya at the Dragal
hamlet in the area Kozarnitsite (Fig. 1). Today it is represented
as a negative relief form with dimensions 550x80-100 m,
located at the Northern slope of the Dragal River. It can be
distinguished from the natural relief by its deep trenches and
pits and the high piles of rock pieces of different dimensions.
Probably on alluvial placers from in situ gold-silver deposits are
the digging along the right bank of the Dobri Del River.
Fig. 3. Digging places to the North-East of the village Lisets (Radomir
District)
Numismatic data for the ancient production of
precious metals
Gold production has been a widely practiced in Bulgaria
since Thracian times. Indirect information for this is the
numerous finds of gold artifacts, including in the Upper Struma
River region. It is supposed that such activities have developed
after the Roman Empire conquered the Balkans. A larger part
of the produced gold in this time was used by the local
goldsmiths, and the gold jewellery was sold to the wealthy
persons of Serdica. Some minor part has been minted as gold
coins. The mint at Serdica is believed to produce a limited
quantity of aureuses in the beginning of the III c. during the
reign of the Severes dynasty. Several decades later are minted
gold coins with the images of the emperors Tacitus (275-276
AD) and Prob (275-282 AD), but after 278 AD it suspended its
activity (Fig. 4). In the beginning of the IV c. there is a
significant change in the structure of use of produced gold and
silver in the region. A large part of the production is used for
minting coins and medallions. For example, at the time of the
Emperor Diocletian in 303 AD in antique Serdica are minted
several emissions of silver and bilone coins (Bozhkova, 1977,
4).
Fig. 1. A big digging place at the area Kozarnitsite, near the village Gorna
Dikanya (Radomir District)
254
This gold minting is linked to different political events and
mostly to the visits of the Roman emperors in Serdica.
Probably the control over the gold coin minting in the Roman
Empire has been more stringent, compared to the mint of other
types of coinage and has taken place only in separate cases,
despite of the significant and constant gold production in
certain areas.
a
b
This is the most plausible explanation of the frequent
interruption of gold minting in Serdica and the short but with a
large circulation series of definite type of coins and variety of
images. During the rest of time the gold which was produced in
the surroundings of present city of Sofia probably was sent for
minting in the Serdica mint of other big mints and only a small
part has been utilized for local use.
c
During the Early Byzantine Period the precious metal
production in the region probably continues, but there is no
direct evidence. There is no data also for the period of the
Second Bulgarian Kingdom. At last, the first written data on ore
production in the Sofia and Samokov District appeared during
the fist decades of the Ottoman conquer of the Balkan
Peninsula.
Fig. 4. Gold aureuses, minted in Serdica by the emperors: а – Karakala
(197-217); b – Tacitus (275-276); c – Prob (275-282)
In difference from the numerous other mints in the Empire,
the one at Serdica quickly has specialized in minting of gold
coins. From May 1st 305 AD to July 25th 306 AD gold coins
with the names of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian
Herculii, Galerii Maximian and Maximin Daza, and of empress
Valeria were minted (Fig. 5). In 308 AD the mint again
suspends its work, but after a few years (317/318 г.) again
mints gold aureuses, this time with the names of the emperors
Licinius and Constantinus the Great (Bozhkova, 1977, 5).
а
b
а
c
Fig. 6. Silver argenteuses minted in Serdica by the emperors: а –
Maximilian Hercules (305-306); b – Diocletian (303-305); c – Maximin Daza
(305-306)
.
b
Historical accounts for the Medieval production
of precious metals
In a document of 1451-1455 are listed ‘hasove’ and ‘timari’ in
the Sofia and Samokov districts, where the villages are linked
to mining activities (Sources…, 1966, 53-103). Data is given
for the production of iron in the villages Bistritsa, Studena,
Daskalovo, Radichkov Samokov, Srubski Samokov, Vulkov
Samokov, Popovyane, Reliovo and Pasarel. Probably then or
in an earlier period began the gold, silver, lead and iron
production in the vicinities of the villages Chuipetlovo, Yarlovo,
Bosnek, Gorna Dikanya, Dolna Dikanya, Lisets, Dren, Drugan,
c
Fig. 5. Gold aureuses, minted in Serdica by the emperors: а – Maximin ІІ
(308-313); b – Galeria Valeria (308); c – Galerii Maximilian (305-306)
255
archaeological and geological data, that such villages were
Dikanya, Lisets, Kozich, Dren, Chuipetlovo, Bosnek and
others. Several years later the economic situation in the region
was aggravated. The local population was left to the mercy of
the local rulers, which seriously disorganized the ore
production. As written in the above cited document of 1635
“because of the great terror and oppression” the miners of the
Samokov district scattered and the groups of refugees went to
the Sofia ‘kaza’ (Draganova, 1970, 191; Andreev, Grozdanova,
1993, 80). The mining villages of Kozich and Dren (Pernik
District) became entirely desolate. Nevertheless the village of
Dikanya continues to exist and according to a tax register from
1640-1646 it had about 60 families, linked to mining and that is
why they have been freed of extraordinary taxes (Grozdanova,
1989, 124).
Studena, Kralev Dol, Popovo and others. This fact has been
manifested in the list of the most important silver mines of the
Balkan Peninsula compiled by the Genovesian Giacopo de
Promontorio in 1475 (Ризаj, 1970, 93). According to his data,
despite the known mines Novo Burdo, Srebrenitsa, Kratovo,
Prishtina and Seres, big silver mine existed also near Sofia.
The precious metal production from this mine reached its
maximum during the ХVI century. For at least two centuries
significant amounts of both gold and silver from placer and in
situ deposits were produced. Giant remains have left from
these activities – mining diggings into the gold, gold-silver and
gold-silver-polymetallic deposits, as well as huge stone piles
from the washed gold bearing placers (Аvdev, 1996, 21-24).
Unfortunately there are a few written records for these gold
and silver mines. Indirect information is found in a Turkish
‘ferman’ send in 1574 to the local governors (‘kadii”) of the
mining centres in which they are ordered to send certain
quantities of lead in Thesaloniki (Ризаj, 1970, 92). The receiver
of such ‘ferman’ is the ‘kadia’ of Radomir, who had to send the
ore from the nearest local mine. From that time is another
document with a similar content. It has been addressed to the
‘kadia’ in Sofia and to his assistant ‘nazur’ Hazur Chavush, and
a copy was send to the ‘kadia’ of Samokov and to the ‘nazur”
in Samokov (Grozdanova, Andreev, 1986, 121). In it was
ordered the necessary quantity of lead for the building of a
mosque in Istanbul to be sent. The participation of the ‘nazur’
of Samokov for this order probably has been related to the
transportation, because the supplies of iron from Samokov for
Istanbul were frequent and made on a regular basis and an
organization existed in this respect.
A reflection of this mining activity is a series of later
information, in which a large mine is mentioned as existing at
some time at the Vitosha Mountain. For example, in a French
travel note of 1671, one can see that the information for the
existence of gold and silver ores in the region was widely
spread among the population. The unknown author writes:
“After they (the local authorities) made some inquiry, they gave
different arguments that one can find here good gold ore”
(Ionov, 1986, 121).
The significance of the old mine near Sofia was poitned out
also by the cartographers of that time. On several geographic
maps of the ХVII and ХVIII c. to the South of the town appears
a characteristic for the silver-producing areas toponym “Monte
Argentaro”. Thus, on two of the maps of Kanteli da Vigniola of
1679 and 1684, covering the lands from Belgrade to the Black
Sea, the mountain to the South of Sofia is named as “Monte
Argentaro”. On the map of Gerard and Leonard of 1730,
preserved in the National Library “St.St. Cyril and Methodius”,
form the “Monte Argentaro” Mountain give their origin the rivers
Iskar, Struma and Maritsa. The same name is given to the
mountain to the South of Sofia in the map of Tobias Konrad
Loter of 1739, and in the compiled in 1771 “Register of the
Turkish regions and Christian people” is mentioned also the
gold production at Vitosha: “Once from Vitosha silver, gold,
lead and precious stones were produced” (Angelov, 1966, 58).
Almost at the same time (1786) the traveler Saviur Lusinian
passed through Sofia, and has left a more detailed description
for the location of this mine: “To the west of the town there is a
mountain, which is called ‘Vitush’ by the Turks. At its peak
there is a meadow where a large amount of aromatic flowers
are in blossom. Here there is also a gold mine, which is not
working” (Shishmanov, 1891, 474). This mine is mentioned in
the “Geography” of the two Armenian scholars Indjedjian and
Agonz, who several times crossed the Bulgarian lands in the
period 1792-1804 (Оrmadjiyan, 1984, 72). They visited also a
cave around Sofia where they found minting tools, left
according to the local people, from the once existing there
mint. The two travelers write: “One can thrust this assertion,
because in this area there are traces of gold mines. This is
particularly obvious during downpour, because the freshet
brings with itself ‘tebir’, which is nothing else but gold powder”.
Another indirect evidence for the existence of the “Dikanya”
mine, as well as of other mines around Sofia at that time is the
local minting. It started in the beginning of the ХVI c., when the
Sofia mint produces the first ‘akche’ with the name of sultan
Suleiman I Kanuni (1520-1566) (Bachvarov, 1981, 34). Around
the years 1545-1550 it suspends work for about 20 years, but
in 1568/1569 its activity continues. After one of the numerous
economic and financial crises at the end of the century, in 1603
the mint suspends temporarily its production. An attempt for
restoration of its activity was made by a sultan’s ferman of
August 12th 1618 (Ikhchiev, 1911, 203-205; Bachvarov, 1981,
35). Its production at the time is minimal and sporadic. In 1640
the Sofia mint finally suspends its activity.
The only direct data for the gold and silver mine near Sofia
are from the beginning of the ХVII century. As written in an
Ottoman document of June 17th 1635, some of the above
mentioned villages were included in “the big mining ‘has’ of his
majesty the sultan” (Draganova, 1970, 191). As it can be
suggested from the information in the document, this
possession was formed at the end of the ХVI c. and the
beginning of the ХVII c. by taking apart the Vitosha villages
from the administrative rule of Samokov ("we were brought
under the sway of the ‘kaza’ of Samokov”). One possible
reason can be the more different mining activity, as gold and
silver was produced. At the time of the document, the
population of the villages on the South and South-West slopes
of the Vitosha Mountain was been active mainly in producing
iron and probably to a less degree – precious metals. It is not
clear which villages were involved in gold and silver
production, but it can be suggested on the basis of
The above mentioned evidence for a large gold and silver
mine at Vitosha is supplemented by a sequence of other later
written sources most of them from the first half of the ХIХ
century (Avdev, 2005). An interesting fact is that during that
256
Century (Demographic Study). Nauka i Izkustvo, Sofia, 525
p. (in Bulgarian)
Grozdanova, Е., S. Andreev. 1986. The Bulgarians in the XVI
Century. Sofia (in Bulgarian).
Ikhchiev, D. 1911. Materials for the coinage affairs in Turkey. –
Izvestiya na Istoricheskoto Druzhestvo v Sofia, III, 75-207
(in Bulgarian).
Ionov, М. (Comp.). 1986. German and Austrian Travel Notes
for the Balkans from the ХVII – middle of the ХVIII Century.
Nauka i Izkustvo, Sofia, 413 p. (in Bulgarian)
Markov, N. 2003. Sources for the History of Mining and
Metallurgy on the Bulgarian Lands. Vol. 1. ХVII-ХIХ c.
Sofia (in Bulgarian).
Оrmandjiyan, А. (Comp.). 1984. Аrmenian Travel Notes for the
Balkans in the ХVII-ХIХ Century. Vol. 5. Nauka i Izkustvo,
Sofia, 246 p. (in Bulgarian)
Peev, I. 1975. Traces and material monuments from the gold
works activity on the Bulgarian lands. – Proc. First
Symposium on History of Mining in South-East Europe.
Varna, 94-99 (in Bulgarian).
Peev, I. 1980. Material monuments for gold production on the
Bulgarian lands. – Vekove, 9, 4, 48-56 (in Bulgarian).
Peev, I. 1990. The gold bearing placer deposits in Bulgaria. –
In: Methods and Technologies for Prospecting of Mineral
Raw Materials. Vol. 1. Sofia, 92-97 (in Bulgarian).
Rizaj, S. 1970. Rudarsvoto vo Makedonja od ХV dо ХVІІІ vek.
– Glasnik na Institutot za Nationalna Istorijа, 14, 2-3, 91111 (in Macedonian).
Shishmanov, I. 1891. Old Travels through Bulgaria. – Sbornik
Narodni Umotvoreniya, Nauka i Knizhnina, IV, 474 p. (in
Bulgarian)
Sources in Bilgarian History. Vol. XIII. Ser. XV-XVI. Turkish
Sources on Bulgarian History. Vol. II. 1966. Sofia, 193 p.
(in Bulgarian)
Vuzvuzova-Karateodorova, К., L. Dragolova. 1988. Sofia
during the Revival Period. Narodna Prosveta, Sofia, 190 p.
(in Bulgarian)
time some attempts have been made by the official Turkish
authorities for elucidation of the perspectives for ore production
from Vitosha Mountain. In a letter from the Grand Vessir to the
governor of Sofia of September 13 1847 is written that “in the
Vitosha Mountain, near Sofia, ores have been discovered” and
“that for their prospecting specialists are to be sent, to whom
support has to be lend” (Dorev, 1940, 301). The result is not
known, but probably this prospecting gave no consequences,
because until the Liberation (1878) and after it the only gold
miners in the region are those working along the local gold and
magnetite bearing rivers.
References
Andreev, S., Е. Grozdanova. 1993. On the History of Mining
and Metallurgy in the Bulgarian Lands during the ХV-ХIХ
Century. Izd. NBCM, Sofia, 152 p. (in Bulgarian)
Angelov, B. 1959. Archeological notes in Serbian itineraries
during the ХVII-ХVIII c. – Archaeology, 8, 3, 57-59 (in
Bulgarian).
Avdev, S. 1996. The big gold-silver minе at Vitosha during the
ХVI-ХVII c. – Geology and Mineral Resources, 1, 21-24 (in
Bulgarian).
Avdev, S. 2005. History of Gold Production on the Bulgarian
Lands. Besike, Sofia, 360 p. (in Bulgarian)
Bachvarov, V. 1981. The Sofia mint and its coin production
during the period of the Ottoman domination. –
Numismatics, 3, 32-40 (in Bulgarian).
Deliradev, P. 1926. Vitosha. Gladston, Sofia, 344 p. (in
Bulgarian)
Dorev, P. 1940. Documents on Bulgarian History. III and IV.
Documents in the Turkish State Archives. Part 1 (15641872). Sofia (in Bulgarian).
Draganova, S. 1970. Unknown Turkish document for the status
of the mining population in the Samokov ‘kaza’ during the
first half of the ХVII c. – Proc. State Archives, 20, 189-195
(in Bulgarian).
Grozdanova, Е. 1989. The Bulgarian Nation in the ХVII
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