Renowned Bulgarian Archaeologist Assoc. Prof. Irina Shtereva Has Passed Away
Assoc. Prof. Irina Shtereva dedicated her professional life to the study of Bulgaria and Byzantium in the Late Antiquity and Middle Ages. Photo: Sliven Agency
One of Bulgaria’s most renowned archaeologists and medievalists, Assoc. Prof. Irina Shtereva, has passed away.
The news about her passing has been announced by the Regional Museum of History in the eastern Bulgarian city of Sliven.
Shtereva has been part of the team of the Sliven Regional Museum of History for more than a decade.
She is a well-known expert in medieval Bulgarian and Byzantine archaeology.
Shtereva is best known for her research and excavations of the Tuida Fortress, the predecessor of the city of Sliven.
She was in charge of the archaeological excavation of Tuida from 1982 until 1992, and it was thanks to her efforts that the ancient and medieval name of the fortress, respectively, of the city of Sliven, became known.
Her archaeological excavations in the Tuida Fortress have revealed extensive information about the life in the Late Antiquity and Early Byzantine period, and the medieval Bulgarian Empire.
The religious complex that Shtereva discovered in Tuida has proved that during the Late Antiquity the city of Sliven was the center of a bishopric.
Assoc. Prof. Irina Shtereva has authored several books including “Tuida – Tsoida – Sliven”, “Contributions to Sliven’s History”, “Excavations and Research”, “Tuida – Sliven 1”, and a large number of academic articles.
Shtereva has also participated for several years in archaeological excavations in Veliki Preslav (“Great Preslav”), capital of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680-1018 AD) in 893-970 AD.
Among other discoveries, in 2008, she found there a seal of Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I the Great (r. 893-927 AD).
In 2010, Shtereva received the Dr. Ivan Seliminski Award of Sliven Municipality for her achievements and contribution to the exploration and preservation of the region’s historical and cultural heritage.
“Assoc. Prof. Dr. Irina Shtereva has always been a dedicated expert who has made major contributions to the study of history,” states the Sliven Regional Museum of History.
