{"version":2,"locale":"en","id":"story.pliska-capital","hasFind":true,"slug":"pliska-capital","url":"/en/stories/pliska-capital/","topic":"Pliska","title":"Pliska: the rampart, palace and inscription","summary":"Fields conceal a vast enclosure. Walls, an inscription and a basilica reveal how Bulgaria’s first capital changed, and where reconstruction begins.","cover":{"title":"Pliska: the rampart, palace and inscription","subtitle":"Pliska: earth ramparts, stone palaces and a church","hook":"What lies beneath Pliska’s fields?","summary":"Fields conceal a vast enclosure. Walls, an inscription and a basilica reveal how Bulgaria’s first capital changed, and where reconstruction begins.","takeaway":"An excavated remain, a scholarly interpretation and a modern restoration are different kinds of evidence."},"sortYear":822,"firstActivity":5,"epoch":{"id":"epoch.tsardom1","styleId":"tsardom1","sortOrder":5,"title":"First Bulgarian Tsardom","dateLabel":"681–1018","eraShort":"First Tsardom","slug":"tsardom1","fill":"#A68A68","ink":"#221616","raised":"#B39C7F","dark":"#786546"},"epochId":"epoch.tsardom1","placeShort":"Pliska","date":"7th–10th c.","image":{"alpha":true,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-jug-cutout-480.ee3d41f3.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-jug-cutout-802.ee3d41f3.avif","w":802}],"dominant":"#a38168","h":1223,"w":802,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-jug-cutout-802.ee3d41f3.webp","w":802}],"src":"/media/asset-pli-jug-cutout-802.ee3d41f3.webp","id":"asset.pli.jug-cutout","alt":"Cut-out detail; background removed. Museum case at Pliska: a broken handled vessel on the left and a ceramic fragment on the right. Exact dates and find contexts of individual objects have not been established.","objectCaption":"Jug fragment","caption":"Museum case at Pliska: a broken handled vessel on the left and a ceramic fragment on the right. Exact dates and find contexts of individual objects have not been established.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Vislupus · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Photo: Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cut-out detail; background removed.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pliska_Museum_031.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0"},"scenes":[{"id":"pliska-capital.s1-field","number":1,"kind":"narrative","title":"What does the field conceal?","body":"At first glance these are fields near Shumen. Beneath them lie traces of Pliska, the first capital of the early medieval Bulgarian state. An enormous earth rampart encloses about 22 square kilometres. A rampart is a long raised bank of earth. A ditch in front makes crossing harder.\n\nIn the areas studied, archaeologists find separate clusters of homes. The large enclosure does not mean the whole area was built over. Its size alone therefore cannot tell us how many people lived here.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-foundations-480.6059760f.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-foundations-960.6059760f.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-foundations-1600.6059760f.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#5e644e","h":1200,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-foundations-960.6059760f.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-pli-foundations-960.6059760f.webp","id":"asset.pli.foundations","alt":"Exposed foundations and low walls at Pliska. Modern photograph of a conserved site; the extent of additions is not established.","objectCaption":"Exposed foundations and low walls at Pliska. Modern photograph of a conserved site; the extent of additions is not established.","caption":"Exposed foundations and low walls at Pliska. Modern photograph of a conserved site; the extent of additions is not established.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Vislupus · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Photo: Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pliska_Fortress_008.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":30.734958333333335,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.pliska-capital.pliska-capital.s1-field","duration":30.848,"src":"/audio/en/pliska-capital/s1-field.99d5b63e.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.pli.filzwieser2019"}]},{"id":"pliska-capital.s2-enclosures","number":2,"kind":"map","title":"An enclosure within an enclosure","body":"The map marks two places: the palace centre and the Great Basilica. Both stand inside the great earth enclosure.\n\nNear its middle stands a stone fortress. We call it the Inner City. Inside it is a smaller brick enclosure. This separates the citadel, the protected area containing the ruler’s homes.\n\nOutside the stone fortress, but behind the earth rampart, there are more modest homes too. Some are sunken-floor houses: their floors are dug into the ground, with a stone stove in a corner.","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[{"note":"Pliska is an early medieval centre. Its stone buildings do not establish a capital under Asparuh.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.pliska","name":"Pliska","latitude":43.387,"longitude":27.132,"accuracy":"approximate","sourceIds":["src.preslav.wikidata-places","src.preslav.osm-places","src.preslav.britannica-boris","src.asp.coord.pliska","src.pli.coord.q12287850"],"radiusMeters":3000,"short":"Pliska","guideUrl":null,"slug":"pliska","url":"/en/map/#pliska"},{"note":"The Great Basilica at Pliska belongs to Bulgaria’s Christian history, later than the Madara relief.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.madara.pliska-basilica","name":"Pliska — Great Basilica","latitude":43.39861111,"longitude":27.13888889,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":50,"sourceIds":["src.madara.wikidata.basilica","src.madara.georgiev.pliska","src.pli.coord.q5598716","src.bor.coordinates-pliska"],"short":"Pliska","guideUrl":"https://travel-guide-bulgaria.zydeno.com/en/place/#great-basilica-pliska","slug":"madara.pliska-basilica","url":"/en/map/#madara.pliska-basilica"}],"map":{"light":{"src":"/assets/maps/relief@3x.jpg?v=075869a7dd","w":3072,"h":1987,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-2x-1024.4c826249.avif","w":1024},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-3x-1536.8876519a.avif","w":1536},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-2x-2048.4c826249.avif","w":2048},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-3x-3072.8876519a.avif","w":3072}]},"dark":{"src":"/assets/maps/relief-dark@3x.jpg?v=0941a59d06","w":3072,"h":1987,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-2x-1024.73ab39a9.avif","w":1024},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-3x-1536.4f3ca147.avif","w":1536},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-2x-2048.73ab39a9.avif","w":2048},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-3x-3072.4f3ca147.avif","w":3072}]},"places":[{"note":"Pliska is an early medieval centre. Its stone buildings do not establish a capital under Asparuh.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.pliska","name":"Pliska","latitude":43.387,"longitude":27.132,"accuracy":"approximate","sourceIds":["src.preslav.wikidata-places","src.preslav.osm-places","src.preslav.britannica-boris","src.asp.coord.pliska","src.pli.coord.q12287850"],"radiusMeters":3000,"short":"Pliska","guideUrl":null,"slug":"pliska","url":"/en/map/#pliska","number":1,"x":70.4,"y":32.5942,"inside":true,"viewX":63.334193548387105,"viewY":41.78366154838711},{"note":"The Great Basilica at Pliska belongs to Bulgaria’s Christian history, later than the Madara relief.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.madara.pliska-basilica","name":"Pliska — Great Basilica","latitude":43.39861111,"longitude":27.13888889,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":50,"sourceIds":["src.madara.wikidata.basilica","src.madara.georgiev.pliska","src.pli.coord.q5598716","src.bor.coordinates-pliska"],"short":"Pliska","guideUrl":"https://travel-guide-bulgaria.zydeno.com/en/place/#great-basilica-pliska","slug":"madara.pliska-basilica","url":"/en/map/#madara.pliska-basilica","number":2,"x":70.48611,"y":32.28533,"inside":true,"viewX":72.3341935483871,"viewY":47.78366154838711}],"extent":[0,0,1,1],"orientation":[{"name":"Sofia","kind":"town","x":22.774,"y":50.826,"viewX":4.3394064516128985,"viewY":65.15565290322583},{"name":"Plovdiv","kind":"town","x":40.566,"y":65.549,"viewX":26.378529032258065,"viewY":84.02958903225807},{"name":"Varna","kind":"town","x":80.184,"y":37.187,"viewX":75.45372903225807,"viewY":47.67133483870968},{"name":"Burgas","kind":"town","x":74.532,"y":55.892,"viewX":68.45254193548386,"viewY":71.64993806451615},{"name":"Ruse","kind":"town","x":55.821,"y":20.617,"viewX":45.275045161290315,"viewY":26.42966387096775},{"name":"Veliko 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Its construction is traditionally associated with the ruler Omurtag. The hall has an apse, a semicircular recess for the throne.\n\nThe earlier palace is often linked to the ruler Krum and the fire of 811. But accounts of the campaign do not name Pliska. The photograph shows masonry after conservation: work to protect remains from decay. The photograph alone cannot show who commissioned each wall.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-masonry-480.bcd770b5.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-masonry-960.bcd770b5.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-masonry-1600.bcd770b5.avif","w":1600},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-masonry-2400.bcd770b5.avif","w":2400}],"dominant":"#6d6853","h":1800,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-masonry-960.bcd770b5.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-pli-masonry-960.bcd770b5.webp","id":"asset.pli.masonry","alt":"Courses of stone at Pliska, photographed after conservation. The image does not establish that every block is in its original position.","objectCaption":"Courses of stone at Pliska, photographed after conservation. The image does not establish that every block is in its original position.","caption":"Courses of stone at Pliska, photographed after conservation. The image does not establish that every block is in its original position.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Vislupus · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Photo: Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pliska_Fortress_030.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0"}],"hotspots":[{"id":"h-pli-block","x":0.73,"y":0.29,"title":"Dressed block","body":"The block has shaped faces. Dressed means worked with tools, rather than simply collected from the ground.","sourceIds":["src.pli.photo.masonry"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-pli-joint","x":0.515,"y":0.342,"title":"Joint","body":"A joint is the narrow space between two stone blocks.","sourceIds":["src.pli.photo.masonry","src.pli.neikov1981"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-pli-course","x":0.42,"y":0.65,"title":"Stone course","body":"The blocks form a horizontal course. Surviving walls do not all retain their original height.","sourceIds":["src.pli.photo.masonry","src.pli.neikov1981"],"certainty":"source_reported"}],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":31.210958333333334,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.pliska-capital.pliska-capital.s3-palace","duration":31.317,"src":"/audio/en/pliska-capital/s3-palace.2fe570cd.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.pli.rashev1999"},{"id":"src.pli.filzwieser2019"},{"id":"src.pli.neikov1981"},{"id":"src.pli.photo.masonry"}]},{"id":"pliska-capital.s4-inscription","number":4,"kind":"narrative","title":"Omurtag leaves words on stone","body":"The Chatalar inscription names the ruler Omurtag. It is carved on a limestone column, in Greek. The museum catalogue dates it to about 822. It says the ruler lives in Pliska’s camp and builds another on the Ticha River. Here a camp means an enclosed place for the ruler and army.\n\nThis does not describe Pliska’s Throne Palace. The photograph shows a museum copy of the column. The original is at the National Archaeological Museum.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-column-copy-480.578b7f14.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-column-copy-960.578b7f14.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-column-copy-1216.578b7f14.avif","w":1216}],"dominant":"#464235","h":1600,"w":1216,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-column-copy-960.578b7f14.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-pli-column-copy-960.578b7f14.webp","id":"asset.pli.column.copy","alt":"Museum copy of a column with Greek letters. The dark photograph does not allow the whole inscription to be read.","objectCaption":"Copy of the Chatalar inscription in Pliska Museum. The story’s text follows the museum catalogue. The original is at the National Archaeological Museum, inventory number 697.","caption":"Copy of the Chatalar inscription in Pliska Museum. The story’s text follows the museum catalogue. The original is at the National Archaeological Museum, inventory number 697.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Copy_of_Chatalar_Inscription.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-self"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":27.159083333333335,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.pliska-capital.pliska-capital.s4-inscription","duration":27.264,"src":"/audio/en/pliska-capital/s4-inscription.ecf0c828.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.pli.naim2017"},{"id":"src.pli.photo.column.copy"}]},{"id":"pliska-capital.a1-inscription","number":5,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: read the inscription","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.pli.inscription","kind":"single_choice","prompt":"Where is the new camp mentioned in the inscription?","sourceIds":["src.pli.naim2017"],"items":[{"id":"opt-ticha","label":"On the Ticha River"},{"id":"opt-throne","label":"Inside the Throne Palace","whyWrong":"The text does not describe Pliska’s Throne Palace."},{"id":"opt-basilica","label":"Under the Great Basilica","whyWrong":"The new camp is by a river, not beneath this church."}],"explanation":"The ruler resides at Pliska and builds another camp on the Ticha.","correctItemId":"opt-ticha","sources":[{"id":"src.pli.naim2017"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.26575,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.pliska-capital.pliska-capital.a1-inscription","duration":3.371,"src":"/audio/en/pliska-capital/a1-inscription.9a76ccd3.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.pli.naim2017"}]},{"id":"pliska-capital.s5-basilica","number":6,"kind":"artifact","title":"A church above a cross-shaped building","body":"Under the ruler Boris, the state adopts Christianity. Here we use 864 as this period’s beginning. The Great Basilica stands outside the stone fortress, inside the earth enclosure. Here, basilica means a long church. Its spaces form a central nave and two side aisles. Nearby live monks, people devoted to their faith.\n\nBeneath it, archaeologists find an earlier cross-shaped building. What was it for? Suggestions include a church, a temple for non-Christian gods or a building for burials. Its purpose remains disputed.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-basilica-480.32e78e3d.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-basilica-960.32e78e3d.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-basilica-1600.32e78e3d.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#6e6e72","h":1824,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-basilica-960.32e78e3d.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-pli-basilica-960.32e78e3d.webp","id":"asset.pli.basilica","alt":"Great Basilica at Pliska. The tall arches form part of modern restoration. The columns show an arrangement, not an intact building.","objectCaption":"Great Basilica at Pliska. The tall arches form part of modern restoration. The columns show an arrangement, not an intact building.","caption":"Great Basilica at Pliska. The tall arches form part of modern restoration. The columns show an arrangement, not an intact building.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Basilika,Pliska_4.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-self"}],"hotspots":[{"id":"h-pli-arch","x":0.685,"y":0.51,"title":"Restored arch","body":"The tall arch belongs to the modern presentation of the basilica. The restoration project distinguishes ancient remains from new additions.","sourceIds":["src.pli.photo.basilica","src.pli.theophilov1981"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-pli-columns","x":0.35,"y":0.64,"title":"Columns in a row","body":"The columns help explain the arrangement of space. They are shown after restoration, not as they were found in excavation.","sourceIds":["src.pli.photo.basilica","src.pli.theophilov1981"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-pli-low-wall","x":0.19,"y":0.61,"title":"Low wall","body":"There are low walls in the photograph too. The age of each individual block cannot be established from appearance alone.","sourceIds":["src.pli.photo.basilica","src.pli.theophilov1981"],"certainty":"source_reported"}],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":34.42691666666666,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.pliska-capital.pliska-capital.s5-basilica","duration":34.517,"src":"/audio/en/pliska-capital/s5-basilica.007c1d78.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.pli.filzwieser2019"},{"id":"src.pli.rashev1999"},{"id":"src.pli.theophilov1981"},{"id":"src.pli.photo.basilica"}]},{"id":"pliska-capital.a2-timeline","number":7,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: put events in order","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.pli.timeline","kind":"sequence","prompt":"Order the events from earliest to latest.","sourceIds":["src.pli.naim2017","src.pli.filzwieser2019"],"items":[{"id":"ev-column","label":"Omurtag’s inscription"},{"id":"ev-christian","label":"Christian period begins"},{"id":"ev-preslav","label":"Capital moves"}],"explanation":"Here we use 864 as the Christian period’s beginning. 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Other instruments measure changes in the earth’s magnetic field. These methods seek buried remains without digging. Measurements reveal outlines that still need explaining.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-pottery-480.da7ab9fa.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-pottery-960.da7ab9fa.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-pli-pottery-1600.da7ab9fa.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#797670","h":1200,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-pli-pottery-960.da7ab9fa.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-pli-pottery-960.da7ab9fa.webp","id":"asset.pli.pottery","alt":"Ceramic vessels in Pliska Museum. Arranged for display; the photograph does not show how they were found.","objectCaption":"Ceramic vessels in Pliska Museum. Arranged for display; the photograph does not show how they were found.","caption":"Ceramic vessels in Pliska Museum. Arranged for display; the photograph does not show how they were found.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Vislupus · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Photo: Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. 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The inscription records building activity. The tall arches show modern restoration.","sources":[{"id":"src.pli.filzwieser2019"},{"id":"src.pli.naim2017"},{"id":"src.pli.theophilov1981"}],"columns":["Item","Description"]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.4863333333333335,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.pliska-capital.pliska-capital.a3-matching","duration":3.584,"src":"/audio/en/pliska-capital/a3-matching.b597161f.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.pli.filzwieser2019"},{"id":"src.pli.naim2017"},{"id":"src.pli.theophilov1981"}]}],"minutes":4,"sources":[{"year":2019,"url":"https://be-ja.org/index.php/journal/article/view/be-ja-9-2-2019-229-261","institutionOrAuthor":"Roland Filzwieser; Andrey Aladzhov; Jona Schlegel; Alois Hinterleitner; Nives Doneus; Hannes Schiel; Janko Dimitrov; Martin Gamon; Falko Daim; Wolfgang Neubauer","id":"src.pli.filzwieser2019","title":"Pliska – integrated geophysical prospection of the first Early Medieval Bulgarian capital","container":"Bulgarian e-Journal of Archaeology","volume":"9","issue":"2","pages":"229–261","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Earthworks, inner fortress, citadel; settlement clusters, post-capital occupation, methods and limits; 811 identification explicitly debated."},"accessed":"2026-11-03","authors":["Roland Filzwieser","Andrey Aladzhov","Jona Schlegel","Alois Hinterleitner","Nives Doneus","Hannes Schiel","Janko Dimitrov","Martin Gamon","Falko Daim","Wolfgang Neubauer"]},{"year":2017,"url":"https://catalogues.naim.bg/index.php/catalogues/issue/download/Catalogue-5-2017/Catalogue-5-2017","institutionOrAuthor":"National Archaeological Institute with Museum, BAS; editors Metodi Daskalov, Snezhana Goryanova, Milena Raycheva, Galina Grozdanova; entry signed КК (initials as printed)","id":"src.pli.naim2017","title":"Езическа България. Власт и общество / Pagan Bulgaria. Power and Society","container":"Национален археологически музей. Каталози / National Archaeological Museum Catalogues; Sofia: NAIM–BAS","volume":"V","pages":"166–167, catalogue no. 75","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Limestone column; Greek text; ca. 822; Pliska camp versus separate construction on Ticha; inv. 697."},"accessed":"2026-11-03","authors":["National Archaeological Institute with Museum, BAS","editors Metodi Daskalov, Snezhana Goryanova, Milena Raycheva, Galina Grozdanova","entry signed КК (initials as printed)"],"isPdf":true,"fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg","container":"bg"}},{"year":1981,"url":"https://www.icomos.org/public/monumentum/vol23-24/vol23-24_4.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Valentin Neikov","id":"src.pli.neikov1981","title":"The Grand Palace in Pliska: Conservation and Presentation","container":"Monumentum (ICOMOS)","volume":"23–24","pages":"29–33","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Palace conservation, surviving low masonry versus proposed modern additions; not a block-by-block survey of this photograph."},"accessed":"2026-11-03","authors":["Valentin Neikov"],"isPdf":true},{"year":2010,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Basilika,Pliska_4.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Izvora","id":"src.pli.photo.basilica","title":"Old Basilika,Pliska 4.jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Visual appearance and image licence only. Great Basilica at Pliska. The tall arches form part of modern restoration. The columns show an arrangement, not an intact building."},"accessed":"2026-11-03","authors":["Izvora"]},{"year":2010,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Copy_of_Chatalar_Inscription.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Izvora","id":"src.pli.photo.column.copy","title":"Copy of Chatalar Inscription.jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Photograph explicitly described as a museum copy in Pliska; Greek lettering visually cross-checked with text of NAIM 2017 no. 75. PD-self release."},"accessed":"2026-11-03","authors":["Izvora"]},{"year":2016,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pliska_Fortress_030.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Vislupus","id":"src.pli.photo.masonry","title":"Pliska Fortress 030.jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Visual appearance and image licence only. Courses of stone at Pliska, photographed after conservation. The image does not establish that every block is in its original position."},"accessed":"2026-11-03","authors":["Vislupus"]},{"year":2016,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pliska_Museum_019.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Vislupus","id":"src.pli.photo.pottery","title":"Pliska Museum 019.jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Visual appearance and image licence only. Ceramic vessels arranged for display in Pliska Museum; the photograph does not establish how they were found."},"accessed":"2026-11-03","authors":["Vislupus"]},{"year":1999,"url":"https://protobulgarians.com/Kniga%20Pliska/Rasho%20Rashev%20-%20Pliska,%20100%20years%20of%20excavations%20-%203_2.htm","institutionOrAuthor":"Rasho Rashev; Yanko Dimitrov","id":"src.pli.rashev1999","title":"Pliska – 100 years of archaeological excavations","container":"Book, online English transcription; III.2 Architectural monuments","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Palace foundations, traditional Krum/Omurtag attribution; baths, basilica plan and competing identifications of earlier cross-shaped building."},"accessed":"2026-11-03","authors":["Rasho Rashev","Yanko Dimitrov"]},{"year":1981,"url":"https://www.icomos.org/public/monumentum/vol23-24/vol23-24_5.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Théophile Théophilov","id":"src.pli.theophilov1981","title":"La Grande Basilique de Pliska. 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The image does not establish that every block is in its original position.","credit":"Vislupus · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Photo: Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pliska_Fortress_030.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"}},{"id":"asset.pli.column.copy","src":"/media/asset-pli-column-copy-960.578b7f14.webp","alt":"Museum copy of a column with Greek letters. The dark photograph does not allow the whole inscription to be read.","w":1216,"h":1600,"caption":"Copy of the Chatalar inscription in Pliska Museum. The story’s text follows the museum catalogue. The original is at the National Archaeological Museum, inventory number 697.","credit":"Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Copy_of_Chatalar_Inscription.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-self","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"}},{"id":"asset.pli.basilica","src":"/media/asset-pli-basilica-960.32e78e3d.webp","alt":"Great Basilica at Pliska. The tall arches form part of modern restoration. The columns show an arrangement, not an intact building.","w":2400,"h":1824,"caption":"Great Basilica at Pliska. The tall arches form part of modern restoration. The columns show an arrangement, not an intact building.","credit":"Izvora · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Photo: Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Izvora, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Basilika,Pliska_4.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-self","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"}},{"id":"asset.pli.pottery","src":"/media/asset-pli-pottery-960.da7ab9fa.webp","alt":"Ceramic vessels in Pliska Museum. Arranged for display; the photograph does not show how they were found.","w":1600,"h":1200,"caption":"Ceramic vessels in Pliska Museum. Arranged for display; the photograph does not show how they were found.","credit":"Vislupus · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Photo: Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Vislupus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. 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Its stone buildings do not establish a capital under Asparuh.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.pliska","name":"Pliska","latitude":43.387,"longitude":27.132,"accuracy":"approximate","sourceIds":["src.preslav.wikidata-places","src.preslav.osm-places","src.preslav.britannica-boris","src.asp.coord.pliska","src.pli.coord.q12287850"],"radiusMeters":3000,"short":"Pliska","guideUrl":null,"slug":"pliska","url":"/en/map/#pliska"}],"find":null,"next":[{"storyId":"story.asparuh-681","title":"Asparuh: why 681?","topic":"Asparuh and 681","eyebrow":"Asparuh and 681 · Lower Danube","url":"/en/stories/asparuh-681/","reason":"Return to the beginnings of Danubian Bulgaria.","image":{"alpha":true,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-asp-coin-obverse-cutout-480.7bc55739.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-asp-coin-obverse-cutout-960.7bc55739.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-asp-coin-obverse-cutout-1053.7bc55739.avif","w":1053}],"dominant":"#b79861","h":1066,"w":1053,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-asp-coin-obverse-cutout-960.7bc55739.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-asp-coin-obverse-cutout-960.7bc55739.webp","id":"asset.asp.coin-obverse-cutout","alt":"Cut-out detail; background removed. Gold coin. Constans II is on the left, the smaller Constantine IV on the right. It predates the campaign; no link to the treaty payment is established.","objectCaption":"Coin with two emperors","caption":"Gold coin. Constans II is on the left, the smaller Constantine IV on the right. It predates the campaign; no link to the treaty payment is established.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC0","attribution":"Cleveland Museum of Art (photograph); Byzantine mint (object maker not individually recorded); Wikimedia Commons; CC0. Gold coin. Constans II is on the left, the smaller Constantine IV on the right. It predates the campaign; no link to the treaty payment is established. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Cleveland Museum of Art (photograph); Byzantine mint (object maker not individually recorded); Wikimedia Commons; CC0. Gold coin. Constans II is on the left, the smaller Constantine IV on the right. It predates the campaign; no link to the treaty payment is established. Cut-out detail; background removed.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Byzantium,_7th_century_-_Solidus_of_Constans_II_and_Constantine_IV_-_2012.22_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.tif","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en"},"minutes":5,"sceneCount":9},{"storyId":"story.georgi-ivanov-1979","title":"Into orbit, without docking","topic":"Georgi Ivanov","eyebrow":"Georgi Ivanov · Baikonur","url":"/en/stories/georgi-ivanov-1979/","reason":"","image":{"alpha":true,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-cosmos-capsule-cutout-480.e61f7ab3.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-cosmos-capsule-cutout-960.e61f7ab3.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-cosmos-capsule-cutout-1600.e61f7ab3.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#66584e","h":1781,"w":1618,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-cosmos-capsule-cutout-960.e61f7ab3.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-cosmos-capsule-cutout-960.e61f7ab3.webp","id":"asset.cosmos.capsule-cutout","alt":"A spacecraft descent capsule in a museum, isolated from the photograph.","objectCaption":"Soyuz 33 capsule","caption":"","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Scroch · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Photo: Scroch / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Photo: ","lang":"en"},{"text":"Scroch / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. 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