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Anthropomorphic figures made of clay are a common element of prehistoric cultures in the eastern Mediterranean region. They are represented by a great variety of shapes and ornamentations. Some of them even wear masks on their heads. Most of the masks are of animals, primarily rams, goats, and poultry, but there are also masks with very long necks as well. A ram’s mask is always attributed to male figures, which are generally rare in prehistoric art. These objects contain certain symbols and express ancient rituals. For its contents one can guess from certain rituals still in practice in Bulgarian folk culture. It is evident that prehistoric practices shaped the basis for later rituals preserved in Bulgarian folklore until the present.

This survey of ethnoarchaeological studies in the Balkans starts with an analysis of the possible reasons for the arrested development of ethnoarchaeology as practised in the Anglophone tradition throughout this part of Europe. It continues with a panorama of ethnoarchaeologically relevant case studies, making the point that reference to archival data from pre-modern ethnographic records and museum collections might be analysed much like archaeological data as a corrective factor for theoretical interpretative frameworks. This argument is justified by highlighting the achievements of Bulgarian ethnography and by the realization that the ethnographic record is not necessarily ahistorical, but is, rather, a current manifestation of the socio-cultural continuum. In the final section, it is argued that even though past ethnoarchaeologically relevant studies were mostly in the hands of ethnographers, future field studies will increasingly rely on archaeological observations due to the processes of depopulation of rural areas.