It was a fascinating visit to the Sofia and Budapest Historical-Archaeological Museums (ca 1990).
Both of them are shaped as sounding boards of the state political machinery, with the agenda prominently stated not by what is shown, but what is not shown. So, in the Bolgarian Museum you would hardly find any information about the early history of Bolgaria, its Türkic creators or mounds of artifacts they have left. Even the famous Nominalia of the Bulgarian Khans is not displayed there. None of its three surviving copies. Why cloud the minds of the newer generations with some questionable and obsolete artifacts? There is no history of the current minorities like Türks, Vlakhs, Gypsy/Romanos, Hungarians, Gagauzes etc. They just did not exist. At the same time, the country is immensely rich with the archeological monuments, and the kurgan remains of the nomadic cemeteries dot the steppe view everywhere, with an air of the political naiveté. But... missing thoroughly the main milestones and brilliant facets of their own history, the Sofia Museum indulges in the history of the neighboring countries, and there you can learn about the early history of the Hungary/Pannonia, and Rumania. Pathetic as it is, at least the spirit of the times and the environment of the country's early days can be visualized.
Turning to the Budapest Historical-Archaeological Museum, we see an identical, a mirror image picture. There is hardly any information about the early history of Hungary, from the Roman limes the history jumps right into the Magyar migration. Almost a thousand years of non-existing history in the history of the Hungary. There is no history of the past and current minorities like the Türks, Vlakhs, Gypsy/Romanos, Bolgarians, Szekels, Kumans ets. Not to mention the Yazygs, Sarmatians, Huns, Duloba, their immediate past. They just did not exist. But... like the Bolgarian Museum, missing thoroughly the main milestones and brilliant facets of their own history, the Budapest Museum indulges in the history of the neighboring countries, and there you can learn about the early history of the Bolgaria and Rumania. You can learn a ton about the Bulgarian history that is completely missing from the Bolgarian Museum. Once again, pathetic as it is, at least the spirit of the times and the environment of the country's early days can be visualized.
But what is really pathetic is that you need to go to the neighboring country to learn a little bit of truth about your own country. Hopefully, this distorted situation is quickly changing nowadays.
Üü