The Treasure Room of the Archeological Museum - “Veliki Preslav” was designed as far back as the construction work of the new building for the museum was started in 1980. However, the issue of equipping the Treasure Room with contemporary security system and technical means was put forward no sooner than the museum was set up as an independent establishment to Veliki Preslav municipality. This crucial step was the major precondition for returning to Preslav all our exhibits that had been placed at the disposal of national museums for decades. In 1998, the Treasure Room was modernized. The exhibits are kept under a constantly controlled humidity of the air. This is the way we preserve precious items like: the Preslavian Golden Treasure, finds from The Palace and a collection of lead seals which are extremely susceptible to atmospheric conditions.

The precious finds are exhibited in beautifully decorated wood-carved glass cases, which were given as a present by Boris III for the unified exhibition of the museum in 30s during the last century. Experts are particularly satisfied today because now they are able to show in their natural environment the most significant monuments of The Golden Age of Bulgarian history, to provide dependable preservation, as well as to organize participation in international exhibitions.

 
Preslavian Golden Treasure

The golden treasure is a brilliant illustration of life in Preslavian castles. It was discovered in 1978 in Castana, an area nearby the ancient town, during agricultural work. More than 170 golden, silver and bronze objects, decorated with cellular enamel, precious stones and pearls were found in the rescue researches that followed. A thorough analysis of the finding showed its collective nature. It consists of 10th - century ladies’ jewels made in Konstantinopolus and Preslav, but it also includes artifacts dating far back to the period between 3rd and 7th centuries. The latter suggests their owners’ taste to old and luxurious articles.
The excavations helped explain some curious and important facts. First, there was an old-Bulgarian settlement in Castana, which was a suburb of the capital, Preslav. Second, there are signs of the town being destroyed by fire for which we find proof in the records of Byzantine authors who were contemporaries of the town’ s conquering in 972. Third, the valuable articles from the treasure were hidden in a mason furnace of a humble poor man’s hut in the village. Judging from the rich nature of the finding and the 15 Byzantine coins belonging to Constantine VII and Roman II (945 and 959) which were found in the treasure, we have the right to assume that the luxurious jewelry somehow got there in the turbulent events between 969 and 972. This was the time when Preslav was besieged and conquered first by Kiev royal prince, Svetoslav and two years later by the Byzantine Emperor, John Tzimisshi. We could only make conjectures on whether the treasure was hidden by a faithful servant of the ruler or was plundered during the attack of the Palace.
 

 Double - sided necklace, cloisonné enamel, rock-crystal, amethysts - 10th c.

 

 
The owner of the necklace was probably under the protection of Virgin Merry, who is portrayed on both central medallions. Perhaps, tzar Petar gave this beautiful jewelry as a present to his bride, Maria-Irina - the Byzantine princess - on their wedding ceremony in 927 in Konstantinopolus. We assume that the necklace was a wedding present because the water-birds images on it symbolize family happiness and fidelity.

 
Diadem plates (?) - gold, cloisonné enamel - 10th c.


The scene “The Ascension of Alexander the Great”, which is traditionally related to the cult to the Emperor, as well as the portrayed senmurves (‘flying dogs’), eagle-headed and loin-headed griffins are a symbol of mighty power. Thus, all these images on the Preslavian diadem unconditionally prove their royal semantics. On the other hand, this proves the connection between the treasure and Bulgarian rulers’ family.

 

 
Earring - gold, cloisonné enamel, pearls - 10th c.

 


In the Middle Ages, such earrings were one of the most recommendable and sometimes obligatory jewelry to eminent ladies’ official attire. The earrings are very solid because of their luxurious decoration. They were attached to a hat or hung in a pearl string (or chain) for decorating the head.

 
Medallions - gold, amethysts, emeralds, pearls - 10th c.

 


The two Byzantine empresses - Theodora and Zoya were portrayed with jewels of that kind in some preserved mosaics. The form of the medallions, as well as their position suggests the role of the august wife for procreation of the ruler’s lineage. The inlaid amethysts and emeralds strengthened the meaning of these peculiar amulets. They were thought to bring their owner submissive and composed spirit, God-abiding, youth and longevity.

 
Earrings - gold, emeralds, amethysts, pearls - 10th c.

 


These earrings and the three medallions, decorated with identical precious stones, comprised a group of jewelry set.

 
Earring - gold, pearls - 10th c.

 


We get our idea of exquisiteness from those kinds of earrings made of thin beading pieces of wire.

 
Necklace - gold, pearls (provisional restoration) - 10th c.

 

Filigreed and grained beads and pendants once composed the original shape of the necklace, which unfortunately we are not able to see today.
 

 
Gem-stamp with the scene of Annunciation - gold, rock crystal (from 5th c. to the beginning of 7th c.)

The gem-stamps are processed precious stones or semi-precious stones (most often pyramidal in shape), on the working surface of which there are carefully cut precise images or signs. They were used for sealing wax stamps / kerovulos /. The latter were mainly used for stamping personal correspondence and signified possession, etc. They were hung up on a chain round the neck and they also played the role of an amulet and of impressive jewel, too. They were characteristic of the Antique and early Christian art; therefore, they could be rarely seen in the Middle Ages. During that era, some of the items were secondarily used and they were often covered with additional gold or silver facing. The gem-stamp from the Preslavian Golden Treasure is of the second type. The scene of Annunciation and the iconography of the represented two - Archangel Gavrail and the Virgin Merry, relate to the so-called monument far back to the period ranging from the end of 5th and the beginning of 7th centuries. Several centuries later, the owner of the treasure put the stamp in a special frame, decorated with pseudobeads and an eye for stringing the frame up in a chain.

 

FINDINGS FROM THE PALACE
The findings in the museum were discovered during regular archeological excavations in the Palace center in Preslav. They are set together in a group, which is incorporated according to location, precise workmanship as well as expensive materials and techniques used.

 

A crown plate (?) – gold, cellular enamel – 10th c.
The form of the plate resembles very much the long things on Byzantine crowns periphery – the kind with which Byzantine emperors from 6th to 11th centuries were portrayed.

An application of a water bird image – gold, cellular enamel  - 10th c.
It was discovered in the south parts of the Palace site. The application was most probably a part from a jewelry set or maybe it was used for decorating expensive clothing.

Medallions with lion and peacock images – gold, pearl – 10th c.

 

According to experts, the two medallions must have been attached to some kind of clothing or a hat and thus, they represented part of the attire decoration.

 

The jewelry from the Palace center, all decorated with cellular enamel, pearls and animal figures, seem to be one more strong proof that Preslavian golden treasure is not an accidental finding and that it cannot be studied separately from life of Preslav as a capital city.