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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

1Besike D,1172 Sofia; stoyan_avdev@abv.bg 2University of Mining and Geology St. Ivan Rilski, 1700 Sofia; htzankov@engineer.bg

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 -V century, as well as later during the Ottoman Period from the V to the V 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 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 gold-silver occurrences and deposits, which were exploited in the past.

Traces of ancient gold mines in the most upper course of the Struma River 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, 241-249; 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, nd in the Southwestern part 15040 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

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 gramage 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.

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 miners 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 washing works along the eluvial and deluvial placers Enormous in volume are also the old quarries for gold

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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). 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). 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 eluvial-deluvial.

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. 1. A big digging place at the area Kozarnitsite, near the village Gorna Dikanya (Radomir District)

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.

Fig. 2. Digging places in the area Vakarelets, to the North of the village Gorna Dikanya (Radomir District)

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).

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a

b

c Fig. 4. Gold aureuses, minted in Serdica by the emperors: 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 .) again mints gold aureuses, this time with the names of the emperors Licinius and Constantinus the Great (Bozhkova, 1977, 5).

b

c Fig. 5. Gold aureuses, minted in Serdica by the emperors: Maximin (308-313); b Galeria Valeria (308); c Galerii Maximilian (305-306)

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. 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. 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.

b

c

Fig. 6. Silver argenteuses minted in Serdica by the emperors: Maximilian Hercules (305-306); b Diocletian (303-305); c Maximin Daza (305-306)

.

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,

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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 (j, 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 VI 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 (vdev, 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 (j, 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. 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 VI 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 sultans 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 VII 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 VI c. and the beginning of the VII 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

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). 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 VII and VIII 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 (rmadjiyan, 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. 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 I century (Avdev, 2005). An interesting fact is that during that

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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.

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