PARTS OF ARMS AND ACCOUTREMENTS FROM THE “PALACE CENTER – EAST” SITE AT PLISKA

Abstract

This paper presents parts of arms and accoutrements discovered during archaeological excavations of the “Palace Center – East” site at Pliska. The site is located in the immediate vicinity of the monumental palace complexes and reflects the dynamics of life in the heart of the medieval city. Various parts of arms and accoutrements were found during the excavations: arrowheads, а saber guard, a plate from chain armor, a bit shank, a triple distributor, and a bone ball from a flail, which evidence the presence of soldiers at Pliska from the 10th up to the mid-11th c. The finds originate from well-dated stratigraphic contexts, which allows the development of a clearer chronology of use for the site and the discernment of a final date of use for the weapons before they found their place in a cultural layer. Artifacts are most numerous in Horizon III, which indicates increased military activity in the city around and after the 1030s/1040s. These dates correspond to the results of other archaeological studies that have documented numerous traces of fires on and repairs to Pliska’s fortress walls and gates. This dating is also corroborated by historical sources that describe the tense military and political situation in the region in the period from the late 1020s to the end of the 1040s.