Evgeni Paunov - Cardiff University Archaeology

Research Interests

Archaeology & Numismatics of the Roman provinces of Moesia & Thrace
Coinage of the Roman Republic
Coin circulation & Monetary History of Roman Empire
Thracian Archaeology studies
Roman Military Equipment & Diplomas

Academic history

I completed both my undergraduate and graduate education in the 'St. Kliment Ochridski' University (1991-1997) at Sofia (Bulgaria), where I was born and grew up. I earned my MA degree in Classical Archaeology with distinction, with a thesis in Numismatics (Nov. 1997). Before that I finished at the Classical College in same city (1986-1991). More recently I have specialised at postgraduate level in Roman History and Numismatics at the University of Cologne (1998/9), the Heberden Coin Room at Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (Aug-Sept. 2000) and the Numismatic Museum at Athens (2000/1). Meanwhile, I have worked for some time in museums and cultural institutions in Bulgaria, including the National Museum of History in Sofia, the History Museum at Pernik, as well as being a site supervisor and deputy-head of excavations in the west of Bulgaria.

I started my PhD at Cardiff University in October 2004, following a successful application as a postgraduate overseas student. My supervisor is Dr Peter Guest, a lecturer in Roman Archaeology and Numismatics and author of a fundamental study on the coins from the famous Hoxne Hoard.

My studies here are being jointly funded by the School of History & Archaeology 'Ursula Henriques' Postgraduate Scholarship, a British ORS Award and myself. For my 2nd year at Cardiff I have also been supported with a grant from the Open Society Institute in New York.

Having excavated extensively all around Bulgaria for the last 20 years, I am very connected to this beautiful country rich in archaeological sites.

PhD research

Working title: From KOINE to ROMANITAS: Numismatic Evidence for the Roman Expansion and Settlement along the Lower Danube (Moesia and Thrace, c.168 BC - AD 117).

My PhD deals with coins, important wide-raging questions include:

How did the Rome gradually take full political control of the Balkans?
How this was achieved in economic and monetary terms?
What role did Roman 'money' play in the Lower Danubian economy?
What were the exact stages of the transformation of the 'barbarous' Thrace and Moesia - from an unstable area bordering the province of Macedonia with dozens of local tribal rulers - to a peaceful and prosperous economically wealthy region in just a century?

In order to achieve this, I will:

Integrate the study of ancient coinage and its archaeological and historical context;
Collect together a huge amount of published and unpublished coin evidence;
Use coinage to explore some of the most complex historical questions;

Contribute to the greater understanding in several scholarly fields:

The main objective is to collect, include and data analyse all available late Hellenistic, Roman Republican and Early Imperial coin deposits and other sources. So far I have managed to collect reliable information and data for some 160 coin hoards from Bulgaria and the region. In absolute figures this means more than 120 hoards of Republican denarii and c.20,000 coins.

The combination of all these data could provide unexpected and some important results and conclusions. I believe this PhD thesis will result in a good contribution to the general ancient history and the wider field of knowledge on the pre-Roman and Roman Balkans.

Publications

Related to PhD:

Paunov, E. and Prokopov, I. 2002. An Inventory of Roman Republican Coin Hoards and Coins from Bulgaria, Milan: edizioni ENNERRE, 188 pp., 1 map, 17 tables of hoards, 1 plate.

Martini, R. and Paunov, E. 2004. Early Roman Countermarked coins from Moesia: First critical observations (typology, frequency, chronology and analysis of distribution). Acta Mvsei Varnaensis II, Varna, 159-74.

Paunov, E. 2006 (forthcoming). Cast copies of Roman coins from Moesia Inferior. In, Proceedings of the conference "Counterfeiting: Ancient and Modern", held at the Society of Antiquaries - London, 14-15 Sept. 2000, /= METALLURGY in Numismatics 4, London, RNS SP, 2006, 12 pp.

Paunov, E. (forthcoming). Roman countermarked and halved aes coins from Augustae in Moesia Inferior (Northwestern Bulgaria). Annotazioni Numismatiche 42, (Supplement), Milan 2006, /in print/, 29 pp.

Recent coin publications:

Paunov, E. 2005. Gold staters from the Rezhantsi Coin Hoard (IGCH 411), Pernik district, West Bulgaria. In: STEPHANOS ARCHAEOLOGIKOS, Festchrift Volume for Professor L. Getov/, Sofia: University of Sofia Press, 455 -460.

Prokopov, I. and Pauniv, E. 2004. Cast Forgeries of Classical Coins from Bulgaria. In Coin Collections and Coin Hoards from Bulgaria no 3, [8°, 89 pp., 112 coins in bronze, silver and gold, 15 pp.in color). Sofia: SP&P Publishers, October 2004. ISBN 954-91396.4.6].

Prokopov, I. Kissyov K. and Paunov, E. 2003. Modern Counterfeits and Replicas of Greek and Roman Coins from Bulgaria. In Coin Collections and Coin Hoards from Bulgaria no 1, [8°, 76 pp., 192 coins). Sofia: SP&P Publishers ISBN 954-91396.1.1].

Paunov, E. 2003. A new coin hoard of tetrobols of Histiaea on Euboea island from Pernik, Southwest Bulgaria. In: PUTYAT, Fetschrift in honorem Georgii Kitov, [in Bulg.], Geo Press, Sofia: November 2003, 167-172.

Paunov, E. 2000. A Hoard of Early Byzantine copper coins from Zelenigrad, Trun area, Western Bulgaria. Macedonian Numismatic Journal 4, Skopje, 77-93.

Other publications:

A Hadrianic Diploma for Thracian sailor from the Misene Fleet: 25 Dec. 119 AD. Archaeologia Bulgarica 9, Sofia 2005, no. 3, 39-51.

Re-discovering of the first Thracian tomb near the village of Starosel, Plovdiv district, [in Bulg., Eng. sum.]. Annals 8, no. 1, Sofia 2002, 82-93.

Bronzestempel mit Stierkopfdarstellungen aus Nordwestbulgarien. Koelner Jahrbuch 33, (ACTEN der 14. Internationale Kongres des Antiken Bronzen, Cologne, September 1999), Berlin 2001, 267-75 (with N. Torbov).

The Bronze Vessels from Tomb No. 2 of the Mogilanska tumulus in Vratsa (Northwestern Bulgaria). In: FROM THE PAST TO THE WHOLE. Proceedings of the 13th International Bronze Congress, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, MA, 28 May-2 June 1996. Journal of Roman Archaeology, Supplementary Series 40, Vol. I/, Ann Arbor, MI, 2000, 163-172 (with N. Torbov).

New Data on the Use of the Sling as a Warlike Weapon in Thrace 4th-1st c. BC. Archaeologia Bulgarica, Vol. 4, no. 3, Sofia 2000 44-59 (with D. Y. Dimitrov).

Thracian Treasures from Bulgaria. Athena Review. (International Journal of Archaeology and Exploration), Volume I, no. 4, Naples, FL 1998, 76-83.

The Earliest Extant Diploma of Thrace (=RMD I 14). Zeitschrift fur Papyrologie und Epigraphik 119, Bonn 1997, 269-279, taf.3-4 (with M. Roxan). = [Archaeologia Bulgarica I, Sofia 1997, no. 2, 32-45, http://www.thrace.0catch.com/ articles.htm.].

Ein neues Militärdiplom für die Auxiliartruppen von Germania inferior aus dem Jahr 127. CHIRON 27, 1997, 335-354 (with W. Eck).

Der Siegelring von Aurelius Pyrrus aus Skaptopara. CHIRON. (Mitteilungen des Kommission für Alte Geschichte und Epigraphik des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts) Band 26, Munich 1996, 183-193 (with D. J. Dimitrov).

Thracian Finds near the vicinity of Mezdra, [in Bulg., Eng.summary]. Annals 2, 3-4, Sofia 1995, 46-52 (with N. Torbov).

Who was Bogdan Filow: His short Life-story and References, [in Bulg., Eng. summary]. Annals I, no.1, Sofia 1994, 82-93, 4 pls.

Papers delivered:

28 May - 2 June 1996 - 13th International Bronze Congress, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, MA, USA;
27/8 November 1997 - Symposium '100 years Museum of History at Kyustendil', Kyustendil, Bulgaria;
7/9 December 1999 - Symposium '50 years Panagyurishte Gold Treasure', Panagyurishte, Bulgaria;
14/5 September 2000 - 'Counterfeiting: Ancient and Modern', Society of Antiquaries and the BM, London;
23/6 September 2000 - 9th International Congress of Thracology - 'Thrace and the Aegean', Sofia;
12-14 September 2001 - International symposium 'Numismatic and Sphragistic Contributions to the history of Black Sea', Varna.
September 2003 - 13th International Numismatic Congress, Madrid [but not attended].

Affiliation

Associate member of the American Numismatic Society (ANS), New York (since Sept. 1998 –)
Associate member of the Hellenic Numismatic Society Athens (since Jan. 2001–)
Fellow elected of the Royal Numismatic Society, London (since Dec. 2004–)
Founder-member of the Bulgarian Archaeological Society (since Oct. 1990–)
Associate member of the A.I.E.G.L., Zurich (1998 - 2003)

As of this autumn, I work full-time as numismatist for a coin company inLondon - The Classical Numismatic Group, Inc./Seaby Coins (CNG)

Teaching

Seminar tutor for undergraduate module 'Archaeology of Ancient Greece and Rome' (HS 2102).

Undergraduate essay marking and essay returns.