Preslav Treasure
The treasure of Preslav ( Bulgarian Преславско съкровище ) is an archaeological find from Veliki Preslav in the ostbulgarischen Oblast Shumen. It consists of ornate decorative objects of a woman that were made in Constantinople and Opel in Preslav in the 10th century, as well as other artefacts dating from the 3rd to the 7th century.
Locality
Parts of the depot discovery were discovered by farmers when creating a vineyard in Kastana, 3 km northwest of Preslav, the former capital of the first Bulgarian Empire in the fall of 1978. The treasure was found in the following archaeological excavations in the ruins of a primitive hut of the then Preslawer suburb Kastana in a brick oven.
History
Excavations 170 golden, silver and bronze objects, including 15 silver Byzantine coins of the Emperor Constantine VII and Romanus II and other finds from the 3rd to the 7th century, were unearthed.
The treasure trove of Preslav was probably 970 and 972 deposited during the events of the years, as Preslav was first conquered by the Kievan prince Svyatoslav I. and two years later by the Byzantine Emperor John Tzimiskes.
Description
Various techniques of jewelery making have been used for the manufacture of ornaments, buttons, patches, etc.: champleve technique, granulation with mote large gold beads, filigree with fine gold wire and inlay techniques of pearls and colorful enamel.
One of the finds from the treasure trove of Preslav is a double-sided necklace made of 13 gold, strung on a gold chain plates. At this chain hang, turn on chains, seven teardrop-shaped medallions. On both of them and on the plates there are different representations of the Virgin Mary and other saints in colored enamel, as well as birds, leaves and other ornaments. The winner of the necklace was probably under the protection of the Mother of God, which is reproduced on both sides of the central medallions. It is possible that the piece of jewelry, a wedding gift of Tsar Peter I to his bride Maria- Irina of Byzantium, the granddaughter of the Byzantine Emperor Romanus I Lakapenos was. The assumption that it was a wedding gift based on the fact that the water birds depicted symbolize happiness in the family and marital fidelity. Florin Curta suspected from the University of Florida that the jewelry one of the two daughters Maria- Irina was one that got him on a trip with her mother to Constantine Opel in the year 940.
A second piece of jewelry is a diadem of several golden plaques with a decor of colored cloisonné enamel. Some plaques have not survived. The middle panel shows the Macedonian king Alexander the Great ascending with two gripping, in a car at the sky. This motif is often used in Byzantine art, and has been found from there in the Bulgarian art entrance. The other panels show fabulous and mythological images, including depictions of winged dogs.
Both are Byzantine jewel work.