The Preslav Treasure was found in autumn of 1978 at the vineyard in Castana, 3 km to the north - west of the second

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

n capital – Veliki

Preslav The modern Veliki Preslav or Great Preslav ( bg, Велики Преслав, ), former Preslav ( bg, link=no, Преслав; until 1993), is a city and the seat of government of the Veliki Preslav Municipality (Great Preslav Municipality, new ...

. The excavations that followed revealed more than 170 golden, silver and bronze objects including 15 silver

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

coins belonging to Constantine VII,

Romanos II Romanos II Porphyrogenitus ( gr, Ρωμανός, 938 – 15 March 963) was Byzantine Emperor from 959 to 963. He succeeded his father Constantine VII at the age of twenty-one and died suddenly and mysteriously four years later. His son Bas ...

(945 and 959) and other artifacts dating far back to the period between 3 rd and 7 th centuries. The

Treasure was concealed during the turbulent events between 969 and 972 - when

was conquered first by Kiev royal prince, Sviatoslav I of Kiev and two years later by the

Emperor, John Tzimisces.The City in Late Antiquity (Leicester-Nottingham Studies in Ancient Society) by John Rich (1996) p.191 Several techniques of jewelry making were used in producing adornments, buttons, appliques etc.: not limited to casting in moulds, welding of small gold balls (granules) or fine gold wire filigree, inlays of pearls and multi-colored enamel. The owner of the necklace (see on the left) was probably under the protection of

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

, who is portrayed on both central medallions. It is possible that Peter I of Bulgaria gave this beautiful jewelry as a wedding gift to his bride,

Irene Lekapene Irene Lekapene (born Maria; bg, Ирина Лакапина, el, Μαρία/Ειρήνη Λεκαπηνή, died ca. 966) was the Empress consort of Peter I of Bulgaria. She was а daughter of Christopher Lekapenos, son and co-emperor of Romanos ...

, the

princess, in 927 in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

. It is assumed that the necklace was a wedding present because the images of water-birds symbolize family happiness and fidelity.

References

External links

Website of the National Historical and Archaeological Museum Veliki Preslav
{{coord, 43, 10, N, 26, 49, E, type:city, display=title Byzantine art 10th century in Bulgaria 1978 archaeological discoveries Treasure troves in Bulgaria Treasure troves of Medieval Europe History of Shumen Province Preslav

See also

References

External links