Balgarianovinite.com In July 1981, the Home News Desk of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) ran a series of reports devoted to archaeological discoveries made in Pliska, the first capital of medieval Bulgaria.
The excavations, led by Professor Rasho Rashev, focused primarily on shedding light on the everyday life of the ordinary inhabitants of the Outer City, while also carrying out a detailed investigation of the Palace Complex.
A report published on July 5, 1981, traces the history of archaeological research around the palace of Khan Krum. It recalls the work of Academician Krastyu Miyatev, who in the 1930s uncovered the foundations of a monumental stone building beneath the remains of the Palace of Omurtag. The structure became known in archaeological literature by the conventional name Krum’s Palace. Miyatev’s expedition to Pliska marked the first archaeological campaign after a thirty-year interruption in research that had originally begun at the end of the nineteenth century under Karel Skorpil and the Russian Archaeological Institute of Constantinople.
The BTA archives also contain reports on the discovery of circular dwellings of the yurt type, valuable Byzantine coins, and artefacts associated with medieval falconry. Among the most remarkable finds are stone carvings depicting birds with outstretched wings and curved beaks. According to archaeologists, these images confirm that falconry was already widespread among the Bulgarians as early as the eighth century.
The archaeological campaigns at Pliska during the 1970s and the early 1980s were conducted within the framework of the national celebrations marking the 1300th Anniversary of Bulgaria. During this period, all of Bulgaria’s early medieval capitals, including Pliska, Preslav, and Madara, became the focus of extensive archaeological research and restoration.
Below are reports from the BTA Home News bulletins covering the excavations at Pliska.
Pliska: Evidence of Tents and Yurts
Pliska, July 2, 1981 (BTA) – During excavations near the palaces at Pliska, archaeologists uncovered the remains of wooden buildings beneath what had once been the palace square, dating to the earliest period in the capital’s history.
A circular structure measuring 14 metres in diameter has been fully excavated. Within it, archaeologists identified a second, smaller circle approximately 7 metres across. The building is clearly defined by postholes where large wooden posts had been driven deep into the ground. Its layout is characteristic of the dwellings of nomadic peoples, while its size and robust construction indicate an important function.
The head of the expedition Rasho Rashev identifies the structure as a ceremonial tent belonging either to the khan himself or to one of his highest-ranking nobles. Nearby, archaeologists also discovered a circular yurt inhabited by ordinary members of the settlement.
Based on the associated archaeological material, both the ceremonial tent and the yurt can be broadly dated to the eighth century, the period when Pliska evolved from a temporary encampment into the permanent residence of the Bulgarian khans.
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Krum’s Palace at Pliska
Pliska, July 5, 1981 (BTA) – Krum’s Palace at Pliska continues to attract the attention of historians and archaeologists. Fifty years ago, Academician Krastyu Miyatev was the first to uncover the remains of a large, previously unknown building. Its impressive dimensions and substantial foundations suggested that he had discovered the palace of Khan Krum, burned by the Byzantines during their campaign of AD 811.
Systematic excavations began in 1976 and confirmed that the building followed a rectangular plan measuring 74 metres by 60 metres. Two towers stood on both the eastern and western facades, while intersecting internal walls divided the structure into sixty-three rectangular rooms.
The enclosed rectangle surrounded a spacious central courtyard. The upper floor opened onto the courtyard through wooden balconies, while staircases housed within the towers connected the ground and upper levels. In this form, the complex represented a genuine fortified palace-castle.
Nothing of the original stone superstructure has survived. The destruction caused by the fire was so extensive that a new building was later erected on the ruins. Although it partially followed the plan of the earlier palace, it differed significantly in its architectural design. According to researchers, this later structure is the famous Palace of Omurtag.
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Ten Centuries Ago – Hunting with Falcons
Shumen, July 9, 1981 (BTA) – Archaeological excavations at the former capitals of Pliska and Veliki Preslav have yielded unique discoveries in Bulgaria connected with medieval falconry.
Among the finds are stone carvings depicting birds with outstretched wings, downward-curving raptorial beaks, and the characteristic posture of trained hunting falcons.
Particularly significant is a recently discovered limestone block from Pliska, which provides compelling evidence that falconry was already widely practised by the Bulgarians from the earliest years of their state. Alongside well-preserved carved branches and decorative lines, the stone depicts a bird holding a four-legged animal, probably a hare, in its sharp beak.
Beneath the bird’s head is a collar, indicating that it was tethered to a human hand. The carving closely resembles a series of comparable monuments from Volga Bulgaria. Based on the archaeological layer in which it was found and the associated artefacts, the Pliska falcon relief is dated to between the ninth and tenth centuries.
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A Valuable Coin
Pliska, July 13, 1981 (BTA) – Archaeologists working in the old capital have discovered a copper coin of Byzantine emperor Nikephoros I Genikos. The obverse depicts Nikephoros together with his son Staurakios, both shown with the full insignia of imperial authority.
The discovery is exceptionally important because no other Byzantine coins dating from the seventh to the tenth centuries had previously been found at Pliska. The presence of this coin provides indirect evidence of the emperor’s presence, together with his army, in the Bulgarian capital during the Byzantine invasion of AD 811. BTA Reports on Archaeological Discoveries in Medieval Bulgarian Capital Pliska in July 1981 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-05 10:11:48 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law