Pages: 189-204

Systematic archaeological excavations over the last decade led to discovery of three production complexes in the vicinity of Preslav (the second Bulgarian capital). No similar specialized jewelry centers had been known on the territory of Bulgaria. This discovery marked the beginning of a new direction in the Bulgarian medieval archaeology, which will find a proper place for the studies of the well organized process of metal art. The importance of this activity is suggested not only by the territorial distribution of the jewelry complexes across the area from 40 acres (the jewelry complex in Zlatar) to 170 acres (the jewelry complex in Novosel), but also by other artefacts uncovered during the excavations. More than 3,000 metal objects were found. They give an impression about the leading trends in the development of metal art in the 9th — 10th centuries. The three production centers functioned in the first half and the middle of the 10th century.

Keywords: First Bulgarian Empire, Preslav, production complexes, medieval metal art, workshop, jewelry

Information about author:

Stela Doncheva (Shumen, Bulgaria). Doctor of History. National Institute of Archaeology, Shumen Branch. Gen. Toshev St., 4, Shumen, 9700, Bulgaria
E-mail: [email protected]