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Summary
This list is a far cry from a complete list, it has to be complemented with at least such major citadels as Bilyar, Bulgar, "Murom", Suvar, Tamyatakhan, and with the citadels covered by the present cities of Kiev, Chernigov, Rostov, Tula, and many others
| No | Citadel Name | Conditional Name | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unknown | Humarin | |
| 2 | Unknown | Cimlyansk Citadel (Right-bank) | |
| 3 | Unknown | Mayak Citadel | |
| 4 | Sarkel | Cimlyansk Citadel (Left-bank) | |
| 5 | Pliska | Pliska | |
| 6 | Unknown | Madara | |
| 7 | Preslav | Preslav | |
| 8 | Unknown | Han Krum | |
| 9 | Silistra | Silistra | |
| 10 | Unknown | Pyjkul luj Soare | |
| 11 | Unknown | Slon | |
| 12 | Unknown | Devnja |
Fig. 1 Map of Bulgarian fortresses in Eastern Europe and
on Lower Danube, built of ashlar blocks and with inscriptions
1. Humarin 2. Cimlyansk Citadel (Right-bank) 3. Mayak Citadel 4. Sarkel 5. Pliska
6. Madara 7. Preslav 8. Han Krum 9. Silistra 10. Pyjkul luj Soare 11. Slon 12. Devnja
Fig. 2 Map of Bulgarian sites in Central Asia
Fig 3. Area of Saltovo-Mayak culture
(Per M. Gimbutas, 'The Slavs', 1971)
Fig 4. Body Orientation map of Bulgarian necropolises in N. Pontic area in the 7-9 cc.
1. Verhnij Chirjurt 2. Novo-Labinskaja 3. Borisovo 4. Pashkovskaja 5.
Djurso 6. Jasenovaja poljana 7. Artuganovo
8. Sarkel 9. Semikarakori 10. Phanagorija 11. Bagaevskaja 12. Zilgi 13. River Kardan
14. Kashkatau (Sovetskoe)
15. Zlivki 16. Zalimanie 17. Shejkovka 18. Pokrovskoe 19. Krimskij 20.
Krivjanskij 21. Nedvigovskij 22. Volokonovka
23. Jutanovka 24. Netajlovska 25. Dmitrievka 26. Zholtoe 27. Novolimarevka
28. Dronovka 29. Kamensk 30. Mayaki
31. Right-bank Cimljanskoe 32. Gukovo
Bulgar Archeological Traits
| Trait | Desription |
|---|---|
| Culture Codeword | Saltovo-Mayak |
| Dwellings | Portable yurts, felt and leather. Stationary yurts, clay and wood. Round/oval, open hearth, roof vent |
| Foundations | Indigenous construction without foundations, based on leveled ground |
| Lifestile | Pastoral Nomadic |
| Burials | Almost exclusively inhumations, some cremations |
| Kurgan | Small |
| Grave Type | Pit Grave (Fig. 1, Fig. 2). Some with niche. |
| Sarcophagus | Some primitive rock or thick wooden slabs sarcophagus, or cover of boards or stones. |
| Burial Position | Stretched bodies on their backs |
| Orientation | Western and northern |
| Stone Fill | Niche blocking, grave pit fill, surface stone cover, double ‘shutting’ by niche blocking and stone cover |
| Grave Goods | One, rarely two, earthenware pots and a spot of meat |
| Sacrificed Animals | Dogs and horses in some graves |
| Special features | Bound legs, chopped off feet |
| Religion | Tengrianism, with significant exposure to Bactrian Buddism and Christianity |
| Script | Euro Asiatic- Don, Euro Asiatic- Kuban |
| Utensils | |
| Armour | |
| Ceramocs | Earthen cauldrons with inner lugs |
| Cranial Deformation | 50-80 % |
| Examples | Babashov necropolis, located on the right bank of Cheyhun, N. Bactria, |
| Examples | Bishkek valley, basin of river Kafir-nigan, right tributary of Cheyhun, N. Bactria, 2nd c. BC to 3rd c. AD |
| Examples | Necropolis Zlivka near village of Ilichevki, district of Donetsk, N. Pontic |
|
Fig 5 Pit grave with a niche from the Bishkek valley, N. Bactria.
|
Fig 6 P it grave with a niche from Devnja necropolis No1,
Bulgaria
|
Common Anthropological Traits
| Trait | Desription |
| Cranial Type | Brachiocranic/mesobrachiocranic Europoids with small Mongoloid admixtures |
| Body Type | Not studied/Not reported/Not documented/Not classified |
Ceramic Cauldrons
The ceramic cauldrons with inner lugs, frequently found in the central N.Caucasus area, are often attributed to Bulgars. Bulgars settled in these ( assumed abandoned by the Alans) lands at the end of 7th c These cauldrons are found in many locations around Kislovodsk. Similar caudrons are also found in the newly drawn borders of the Karachaevo-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria. Similar cauldrons with inner lugs appeared no later than at the end of the 9 c. in the Danube Bulgaria, at the pottery production center near the village of Topola, in the district of Dobrich (Tolbuhin). Some of the Meotida Bulgars fled from the Khazars and settled in the central N. Caucasus, in the Alanian lands suitable for cattle-breeding. Three pit necropolises in the Kabardino-Balkaria, one near aul Zilgi, second at the right bank of the river Kardan, and the third at the hill Keshene-aly near the village Kashkatau (Sovetskoe) in the valley of the river Cherek are interpreted as Bulgarian. The graves are of western and south-western orientation. In one grave at Keshene-aly the legs of the deceased were apparently bound. The way of burial and the grave artifacts in these necropolises are quite distinct from the local culture of northern Caucasus and have parallels with the 'Zlivka' type necropolises.
References
A.M. Mandelshtam, Pamjatniki kushanskogo vremeni v Severnoj Baktrii, p.130.
T.P. Kijatkina, Kraniologicheskie materialy iz kurgannyh mogil’nikov Severnoj Baktrii. - Trudy Tadj. arheol. eksp., 7, p.211
More references at
http://members.tripod.com/~Groznijat/p_bulgar/p_bulg2a.htm