Pliska in the 8th century: problems and achievements

Abstract

Problems related to the chronology and character of the earliest monuments in Pliska, which are debatable in the Bulgarian historical and archaeological literature, are considered in the article. According to the author, there is no reason to believe Pliska capital of Danube Bulgaria from the time of Asparukh. Contrary to the opinion of R. Rashev and several other Bulgarian archaeologists, there is no evidence of the existence of Pliska as the old (proto)Bulgarian centre of Danube Bulgaria in the period from the late 7th to the end of the 8th century, All the buildings and other archaeological materials discovered in Pliska are dated to not earlier than the late 8th – early 11th century. The only written record about the foundation of Pliska byAsparukh is contained in the annals of a later time (late 11th – early 12th century) and cannot be considered reliable. Thus, it is argued that Pliska had become the leading center of public and cultural life of the Bulgarian state only in the late 8th century, while the majority of its monuments and related materials refer to the 9th century. According to the historical, archaeological and numismatic data available, the national center of Danubian Bulgaria was situated in the vicinity of contemporary Varna in the late 7th through 8th century.

Keywords

• Danube Bulgaria
• the Early Middle Ages
• Pliska
• (proto) Bulgarians
• Asparukh
• Krum
• Omurtag
• fortification
• necropolis
• archaeological data