Bisserka Gaydarska

Languages

bulgarian, english, russian

About me

I was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and archaeology was not my childhood dream. At the age of 24, after a successful career in catering, I made a life-changing and mature choice to study archaeology. I never regretted this choice and I enjoy every aspect of our discipline – fieldwork and hands-on dealing with material culture, and taking on the challenges of theoretical and methodological developments

Past Work Experience

My academic career is linked with three British Universities – Durham, Cardiff and Manchester Metropolitan, where I was primarily involved in research projects funded by the British Academy, Arts and Humanities Research Council and European Research Council. I have also been an independent researcher and freelance archaeological consultant. Currently I work for Historic England

My Education

1999-2004 PhD - Department of Archaeology, Durham University, UK (‘Landscape, material culture and society in South East Bulgaria’)
1997-1998 Masters - Department of Archaeology, Sofia University Sv. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria
1993-1997 BA in Archaeology, Sofia University Sv. Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria

Specialisation

Balkan Prehistory

Other Specialisation

Archaeological Method and Theory, GIS, Gender, History of Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Mortuary Studies, Settlement Archaeology

Chronological Focus

Prehistory

Geographical Field

Eastern Europe

Institute

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MONOGRAPHS

Gaydarska, B. 2007. Landscape, Material Culture and Society in South East Bulgaria. BAR International Series 1618. Oxford, Archaeopress.

Gaydarska, B. 2020 (ed.). Early urbanism in Europe: the case of the Trypillia mega-sites. De Gruyter

Chapman, J. and Gaydarska, B. 2007. Parts and wholes: fragmentation in prehistoric context. Oxford, Oxbow Books.

Gaydarska, B., & Chapman, J. 2022. Megasites in Prehistoric Europe: Where Strangers and Kinsfolk Met (Elements in the Archaeology of Europe). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781009099837

Gaydarska, B. Issue Editor. Journal of World Prehistory. Special Issue: European Prehistory and Urban Studies. Volume 30, Issue 3, September 2017. ISSN: 0892-7537 (Print) 1573-7802 (Online)

Kostov, R. I. Gaydarska, B. and Gurova, M.) (eds.) 2008. Geoarchaeology and Archaeomineralogy. Proceedings of the International Conference, 29-30 October 2008. Sofia, St. Ivan Rilski, Sofia

Chapman, J., Gillings, M., Magyari, E., Shiel, R., Gaydarska, B. and Bond, C. (eds.) 2010. The Upper Tisza Project. Studies in Hungarian landscape archaeology. Book 2: Settlement patterns in the Bodrogköz Block. BAR International Series 2087. Oxford, Archaeopress.

Chapman, J., Gillings, M., Shiel, R., Magyari, E., Gaydarska, B. and Bond, C. (eds.) 2010. The Upper Tisza Project. Studies in Hungarian landscape archaeology. Book 3: Settlement patterns in the Zemplén Block. BAR International Series 2088. Oxford, Archaeopress.

Chapman, J., Gillings, M., Shiel, R., Gaydarska, B. and C. Bond (eds.) 2010. The Upper Tisza Project. Studies in Hungarian Landscape Archaeology. Book 4: Lowland Settlement in North East Hungary: Excavations at the Neolithic Settlement Site of Polgár-10. BAR, International Series 2089, Oxford, Archaeopress.

Chapman, J., Gillings, M., Vicze, M. Shiel, R., Cousins, S., Gaydarska, B. and Bond, C. (eds.) 2010. The Upper Tisza Project. Studies in Hungarian landscape archaeology. Book 5: Upland settlement patterns in North East Hungary: excavations at the multi-period site of Regéc-95. BAR International Series 2090. Oxford, Archaeopress.

Gaydarska, B. 2013 (with Carver, M., Monton, S.) (section editor) 'Field Archaeology'. In: Smith, C. (ed.) Encyclopaedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, New York.

Schulz Paulsson, B. and Gaydarska, B. (eds.) 2014. Neolithic and Copper Age Monuments. Emergence, function and the social construction of the landscape. BAR International series 2625. Oxford, Archaeopress.

Carver, M., Gaydarska, B. and Monton, S. (eds.) 2015. Field Archaeology from Around the World. Ideas and Approaches. Springer, New York.

Coltofean-Arizancu, L. Gaydarska, B. and Matic, U. (eds.) 2021. Gender stereotypes in archaeology. A short reflection in image and text. Sidestone Press

JOURNAL ARTICLES

Gaydarska, B. 2009. A short history of TAG. Antiquity 83, 1152–1162.

Gaydarska, B. 2016. The city is dead! Long live the city! Norwegian Archaeological Review 49: 40-57. DOI: 10.1080/00293652.2016.1164749

Gaydarska, B. 2017. Introduction: European Prehistory and Urban Studies. Journal of World Prehistory 30: 177. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10963-017-9104-9

Alexandrov, S., Sirakov, N., Petkov, E. and B. Gaydarska. 1998. Trial Excavation of Late Bronze Age site near Tutrakan. Archaeologia Bulgarica II/1: 7-30