Megalithic Monuments and Cult Practices

Proceedings of the Second International Symposium Blagoevgrad. From 12th to October 15th, 2016 at the Southwestern University "Neofit Rilski" was held the "Second International Symposium" Megalithic monuments and cult practices."
The symposium was organized by the University research center for ancient European and Eastern Mediterranean cultures at SWU "Neophyte Rilski".

Co-organizers were the Faculty of Arts; Department of Cultural Studies; Institute for Space research and technology BAS; Regional Ethnographic Museum - Plovdiv; Association "Boreas".
In scientific forum attended by 64 scientists from 16 countries: USA, Canada, UK, Italy, Russia, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, India, Pakistan and Bulgaria.
The symposium was organized in four sections: History of Culture; Ancient cultures; Archeology; Ethnology; Archeo-astronomy and geo-mineralogy.

Participants in the symposium visited the valley of the Mesta river and got acquainted with the most significant scientific discoveries of the University research center for ancient European and Eastern Mediterranean cultures.

Megalithic Monuments in Sarnena Gora, Brezovo Municipality - Valeria Fol, Oleg Konstantinov
Mushrooms and the Wine of Maron - Carl A.P Ruck
Rock Cut Monuments and Megaliths in the Context of Thraco-Phrygian Migration - Gocha R. Tsetskhladze
Geological Setting and Mineralogical Variability of Prehestoric Artifacts in Megalithic Europe: Comparison between the Carnac Area in France and the Black sea Area (Including Sakar) in Bulgaria - Ruslan I. Kostov
Eneolithic Projection System for Astronomical Observations on the Territory of Megalithic Sanctuary near the Village of Kovil (Muncipality of Krumovgrad, Kurdzhali District) - Penka V. Maglova, Alexey D. Stoev, Mina A. Spasova, Boyan G. Benev
Cult of the Dead: Evidence from the South Indian Megaliths - K. P. Rao, V. Ramabrahmam
Monumental Rock Images in the Megalithic Sancuaries on the BAlkans - Vassil Markov
Mystery of Creation: On the Interpretation of an Orphic Cup - Vanya Lozanova-Stancheva
Sacred in Cultural History: Naturalization and Personification - Nonka Bogomilova
Megalithic Monuments in Karachi, Sindh (Pakistan) - Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro
On Mounds and Mountains. "Megalithic Behaviours" in Bom Santo Cave, Montejunto Mountain Range (Lisbon, Portugal) - Antonio Faustino Carvalho
Euboea Island and the Transformation of the Late Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age - Politics and Religious Objects - Alexander Portalski
The Scythian Dionysius Exiguus and His Invention of Anno Domini - Sepp Rothwangl
Some Examples of Rock-Cut Structures in Southwestern Bulgaria - Miroslav Ivanov, Brent Whitford, Geogre Manolev
Sun God and Mother Goddess Sanctuary near the Danube River - Evgeni Koev
Re-Signification of Thracian Cultural Elements in Culture Contact and Identity Building Processes - Anna Gasparetto
Megalithic Culture as a Phenomenon of Cultural Tourism in Bulgaria - Mina Spasova, Penka Stoeva, Svetla Dimitrova, Alexey Stoev
At the Heart of the Sredna Gora Mountain. Lilac Sanctuary with Megalithic Stele - an Example for Promoting the Megalithic Cultural Heritage - Petya Kirilova
Contributors