Lyuba Levova Ognenova was born 17 June 1922 into a family of Bulgarian intellectuals in Ohrid, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

Presenting a paper on her findings in Lidice, Czechoslovakia, she caused a sensation and was invited to study from 1959 to 1960 at the École Française d'Athène, one of the archaeological institutes operated by foreign governments in Athens.

[7][8] In 1961, Ognenova became the country's first archaeological diver while working with professor Velizar Velkov [bg], researching along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.

They also identified several acropoles and basilicas of the Medieval period while conducting underwater surveys in the north and south bays of the peninsula in an attempt to locate and clarify the chronology of urban ports along the shore.

She helped organize more than 800 exhibits for the meeting, "Roman Bronze Age Art" from the collections of National Archaeological Institute and Museum of BAS.

[4] She created a database of the known sites of Thrace based on a combination of research and interpretation of ancient springs and archaeological artifacts which linked Greece and the eastern Mediterranean to the area.

[8] In 1983, after successfully attaining UNESCO World Heritage Site status for Nesebar, Ognenova was made an honorary citizen of the city.

The book contained the works of more than 50 scholars reporting on the latest studies and research on her areas of expertise, Thracian and Greco-Roman archaeology, art and religion.