VIKINGS IN THE PALACE CENTER OF VELIKI PRESLAV. NEW EVIDENCE

Abstract

This article examines four remarkable finds discovered during archaeological excavations at the “Ruller’s Church” in Veliki Preslav and the sector north of it, where the so-called “Building IV” is located. The details of these finds unequivocally distinguish them from known “characteristic” monuments of Old Bulgarian culture and generally from those belonging to the Byzantine art circle. The attempt here to assign them to an ethno-cultural identity undoubtedly attributes at least three of them to Northern European (Scandinavian) metalwork and possibly bone carving. Such finds have not yet been discovered in the territory of Bulgaria, especially in an archaeological context, but despite being unusual, the identification made here appears legitimate in light of the archaeological-historical context to which the finds belong.