{"version":2,"locale":"en","id":"story.simeon-golden-age","hasFind":true,"slug":"simeon-golden-age","url":"/en/stories/simeon-golden-age/","topic":"Simeon and the Golden Age","title":"Simeon: books and power","summary":"The monk Simeon becomes a ruler. The story leads to Preslav, the battle of Achelous and the books of John the Exarch and Constantine of Preslav.","cover":{"title":"Simeon: books and power","subtitle":"The pupil from Constantinople and the Golden Age","hook":"How does the monk Simeon become a ruler?","summary":"The monk Simeon becomes a ruler. The story leads to Preslav, the battle of Achelous and the books of John the Exarch and Constantine of Preslav.","takeaway":"Simeon fights wars and supports the making of books. Historians call the cultural flowering under him the Golden Age."},"sortYear":893,"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":"Preslav","date":"893–927","image":{"alpha":true,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-cutout-480.5fe2a637.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-cutout-960.5fe2a637.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-cutout-1600.5fe2a637.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#867460","h":1255,"w":2162,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-cutout-960.5fe2a637.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-cutout-960.5fe2a637.webp","id":"asset.sim.hexameron-cutout","alt":"Cut-out detail; background removed. Open book with a writing figure on the left and a red heading below two birds on the right. A later copy according to the Commons description.","objectCaption":"Hexameron copy","caption":"Commons describes this as a fifteenth-century Russian copy of the Hexameron from the Russian State Library. The exact shelfmark has not been verified.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Shakko · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","attribution":"Shakko. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Shakko. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_of_Bulgaria%27s_hexameron_(Moscow,_15th_c.,_RGB)_by_shakko.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0"},"scenes":[{"id":"simeon-golden-age.s1-monk-prince","number":1,"kind":"narrative","title":"The monk becomes a ruler","body":"Simeon studies in Constantinople, the capital of the neighbouring Byzantine Empire. His father is the Bulgarian ruler Boris-Michael. Young Simeon studies Greek books. He becomes a monk and promises to follow the rules of monastic life.\n\nIn 893 his brother Vladimir is removed from power. Simeon becomes ruler of Bulgaria. He exchanges monastic life for governing a country.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-walls-480.4aa4967b.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-walls-960.4aa4967b.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-walls-1600.4aa4967b.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#86877c","h":900,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-walls-960.4aa4967b.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-sim-walls-960.4aa4967b.webp","id":"asset.sim.walls","alt":"Modern photograph of a restored section of the walls in Istanbul. This is not the identified location of the meeting in 913.","objectCaption":"Modern photograph of a restored section of the walls in Istanbul. This is not the identified location of the meeting in 913.","caption":"Modern photograph of a restored section of the walls in Istanbul. This is not the identified location of the meeting in 913.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"en:User:Bigdaddy1204 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","attribution":"en:User:Bigdaddy1204. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"en:User:Bigdaddy1204. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walls_of_Constantinople.JPG","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":23.908291666666667,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.simeon-golden-age.simeon-golden-age.s1-monk-prince","duration":24.021,"src":"/audio/en/simeon-golden-age/s1-monk-prince.ed99fad7.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.sim.leszka2011"},{"id":"src.sim.leszka2018"}]},{"id":"simeon-golden-age.s2-two-capitals","number":2,"kind":"map","title":"Two capitals on the map","body":"Find Preslav on the map, inland in present-day northeastern Bulgaria. According to the Preslav museum, the capital moves here from Pliska in 893. Archaeologists also find earlier buildings. Under Simeon the city grows as a centre of government and bookmaking.\n\nTo the southeast is Constantinople, present-day Istanbul. It is the neighbouring empire’s capital. Look for the Achelous river by the Black Sea too. The markers show places, not the borders of states at that time.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-palace-480.8ff4c52a.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-palace-960.8ff4c52a.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-palace-1600.8ff4c52a.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#828184","h":1200,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-palace-960.8ff4c52a.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-sim-palace-960.8ff4c52a.webp","id":"asset.sim.palace","alt":"Preslav palace complex today. Surviving and conserved remains; this does not show the palace at its original height.","objectCaption":"Preslav palace complex today. Surviving and conserved remains; this does not show the palace at its original height.","caption":"Preslav palace complex today. Surviving and conserved remains; this does not show the palace at its original height.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Камен Ханджиев · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Камен Ханджиев. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Камен Ханджиев. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bulgaria_-_Shumen_Province_-_Veliki_Preslav_Municipality_-_Town_of_Veliki_Preslav_-_Veliki_Preslav_Medieval_Palace_Complex_(1).jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[{"note":"Approximate area of work with books, not a particular building or a stop on a proven route.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.abc.preslav","name":"Preslav","latitude":43.160509,"longitude":26.811977,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":3000,"sourceIds":["src.abc.coordinates.preslav","src.abc.ibl","src.abc.cheshmedzhiev","src.sim.coordinates.preslav","src.sim.preslav.history","src.sim.preslav.hall"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"abc.preslav","url":"/en/map/#abc.preslav"},{"note":"Constantinople, now Istanbul, was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.asp.constantinople","name":"Constantinople","latitude":41.01224,"longitude":28.976018055555553,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":5000,"sourceIds":["src.asp.coord.constantinople","src.asp.council681","src.asp.todorovski2024","src.sim.coordinates.constantinople","src.sim.leszka2011","src.ind.coordinates-istanbul","src.ind.protocols","src.bor.coordinates-constantinople","src.kal.coordinates.constantinople"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"asp.constantinople","url":"/en/map/#asp.constantinople"},{"note":"Reference at the river mouth. The zone does not define an established battlefield or troop movements.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.sim.achelous","name":"Achelous river area","latitude":42.634444444444,"longitude":27.640277777778,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":8000,"sourceIds":["src.sim.coordinates.achelous","src.sim.paron2021"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"sim.achelous","url":"/en/map/#sim.achelous"}],"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":"Approximate area of work with books, not a particular building or a stop on a proven route.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.abc.preslav","name":"Preslav","latitude":43.160509,"longitude":26.811977,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":3000,"sourceIds":["src.abc.coordinates.preslav","src.abc.ibl","src.abc.cheshmedzhiev","src.sim.coordinates.preslav","src.sim.preslav.history","src.sim.preslav.hall"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"abc.preslav","url":"/en/map/#abc.preslav","number":1,"x":66.39971,"y":38.60741,"inside":true,"viewX":58.378995612903225,"viewY":21.298660432258053},{"note":"Constantinople, now Istanbul, was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.asp.constantinople","name":"Constantinople","latitude":41.01224,"longitude":28.976018055555553,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":5000,"sourceIds":["src.asp.coord.constantinople","src.asp.council681","src.asp.todorovski2024","src.sim.coordinates.constantinople","src.sim.leszka2011","src.ind.coordinates-istanbul","src.ind.protocols","src.bor.coordinates-constantinople","src.kal.coordinates.constantinople"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"asp.constantinople","url":"/en/map/#asp.constantinople","number":2,"x":93.45023,"y":94.57164,"inside":true,"viewX":91.88673651612903,"viewY":93.04119269677419},{"note":"Reference at the river mouth. The zone does not define an established battlefield or troop movements.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.sim.achelous","name":"Achelous river 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seal. Seals authenticated documents. The catalogue attributes it to Simeon. Its sides show Christ and Mary, Jesus’s mother. Simeon wants an imperial title: ruler of an empire.\n\nIn 913 he meets Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, a senior Church leader, near Constantinople. An old account describes prayer and a covering placed on Simeon’s head. Was this a coronation or a blessing? Some historians see coronation, others a Church blessing. Simeon wants the Byzantine emperor’s title. That does not mean the Byzantine court recognises his claim.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-seal-480.e231e79f.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-seal-500.e231e79f.avif","w":500}],"dominant":"#9b8f84","h":239,"w":500,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-seal-500.e231e79f.webp","w":500}],"src":"/media/asset-sim-seal-500.e231e79f.webp","id":"asset.sim.seal","alt":"Lead seal attributed to Simeon I in the CNG catalogue. Christ is on the left, the Virgin on the right. This is not a coin.","objectCaption":"Lead seal attributed to Simeon I in the CNG catalogue. Christ is on the left, the Virgin on the right. This is not a coin.","caption":"Lead seal attributed to Simeon I in the CNG catalogue. Christ is on the left, the Virgin on the right. This is not a coin.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. (www.cngcoins.com) · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 2.5","attribution":"Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. (www.cngcoins.com). Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.5. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. (www.cngcoins.com). Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.5. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seal_of_Simeon_I_of_Bulgaria.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5"}],"hotspots":[{"id":"h-sim-christ","x":0.24,"y":0.48,"title":"Christ","body":"Christ is depicted on the left.","sourceIds":["src.sim.cng.seal","src.sim.image.seal"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-sim-virgin","x":0.74,"y":0.49,"title":"The Virgin","body":"The right side shows the Virgin. This face is not a portrait of Simeon.","sourceIds":["src.sim.cng.seal","src.sim.image.seal"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-sim-letters","x":0.25,"y":0.11,"title":"Letters around the edge","body":"There is an inscription around the edge. Not every letter is clear in this small photograph.","sourceIds":["src.sim.image.seal"],"certainty":"source_reported"}],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":37.97958333333333,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.simeon-golden-age.simeon-golden-age.s3-seal-and-title","duration":38.101,"src":"/audio/en/simeon-golden-age/s3-seal-and-title.dc600464.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.sim.loud1978"},{"id":"src.sim.mladjov2015"},{"id":"src.sim.leszka2018"},{"id":"src.sim.cng.seal"},{"id":"src.sim.image.seal"},{"id":"src.sim.preslav.seals"}]},{"id":"simeon-golden-age.s4-achelous","number":4,"kind":"narrative","title":"Victory by the river","body":"On 20 August 917, Bulgarian and Byzantine armies fight at Achelous, near the Black Sea coast. The Byzantine army, commanded by Leo Phokas, suffers a severe defeat.\n\nFor Simeon this is an important victory over the neighbouring empire. Yet victory does not settle the dispute over his title. The walls shown here are restored remains in present-day Istanbul. They show us the capital, which Simeon does not capture. The struggle also continues through negotiation.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-walls-480.4aa4967b.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-walls-960.4aa4967b.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-walls-1600.4aa4967b.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#86877c","h":900,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-walls-960.4aa4967b.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-sim-walls-960.4aa4967b.webp","id":"asset.sim.walls","alt":"Modern photograph of a restored section of the walls in Istanbul. This is not the identified location of the meeting in 913.","objectCaption":"Modern photograph of a restored section of the walls in Istanbul. This is not the identified location of the meeting in 913.","caption":"Modern photograph of a restored section of the walls in Istanbul. This is not the identified location of the meeting in 913.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"en:User:Bigdaddy1204 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","attribution":"en:User:Bigdaddy1204. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"en:User:Bigdaddy1204. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walls_of_Constantinople.JPG","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[{"note":"Reference at the river mouth. The zone does not define an established battlefield or troop movements.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.sim.achelous","name":"Achelous river area","latitude":42.634444444444,"longitude":27.640277777778,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":8000,"sourceIds":["src.sim.coordinates.achelous","src.sim.paron2021"],"guideUrl":null,"slug":"sim.achelous","url":"/en/map/#sim.achelous"}],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":32.046875,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.simeon-golden-age.simeon-golden-age.s4-achelous","duration":32.171,"src":"/audio/en/simeon-golden-age/s4-achelous.00092083.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.sim.paron2021"},{"id":"src.sim.leszka2018"},{"id":"src.sim.coordinates.achelous"}]},{"id":"simeon-golden-age.a1-ceremony","number":5,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: what remains disputed?","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.sim.ceremony","kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What do historians dispute about the meeting in 913?","sourceIds":["src.sim.loud1978","src.sim.mladjov2015","src.sim.leszka2011","src.sim.cng.seal"],"items":[{"id":"opt-meaning","label":"Whether the ceremony meant coronation or blessing"},{"id":"opt-river","label":"Whether Simeon studied at Achelous","whyWrong":"Simeon studied in Constantinople; this is not the dispute about the ceremony."},{"id":"opt-coin","label":"Whether the pictured object is a coin","whyWrong":"The catalogue describes the object as a seal; this dispute concerns the meeting."}],"explanation":"We know about the meeting from old accounts. But historians interpret the ceremony differently: as a coronation or a Church blessing. Its meaning therefore remains disputed.","correctItemId":"opt-meaning","sources":[{"id":"src.sim.loud1978"},{"id":"src.sim.mladjov2015"},{"id":"src.sim.leszka2011"},{"id":"src.sim.cng.seal"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":4.6125,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.simeon-golden-age.simeon-golden-age.a1-ceremony","duration":4.736,"src":"/audio/en/simeon-golden-age/a1-ceremony.c34e2270.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.sim.loud1978"},{"id":"src.sim.mladjov2015"},{"id":"src.sim.leszka2011"},{"id":"src.sim.cng.seal"}]},{"id":"simeon-golden-age.s5-books","number":6,"kind":"artifact","title":"A book that keeps being copied","body":"Commons describes this as a fifteenth-century Russian copy of the Hexameron. A manuscript copy is made by hand. This book is much later than Simeon.\n\nIn the Hexameron, John the Exarch explains the Bible’s account of the world’s creation. He combines Greek works with his own writing. Constantine of Preslav compiles the Didactic Gospel, with teachings about the accounts of Jesus Christ. He uses Greek interpretations and adds his own addresses and explanations.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-480.9fc726f0.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-960.9fc726f0.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-1600.9fc726f0.avif","w":1600},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-2400.9fc726f0.avif","w":2400}],"dominant":"#5e5549","h":1398,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-960.9fc726f0.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-960.9fc726f0.webp","id":"asset.sim.hexameron","alt":"Open book with a writing figure on the left and a red heading below two birds on the right. A later copy according to the Commons description.","objectCaption":"Hexameron copy","caption":"Commons describes this as a fifteenth-century Russian copy of the Hexameron from the Russian State Library. The exact shelfmark has not been verified.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Shakko · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","attribution":"Shakko. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Shakko. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_of_Bulgaria%27s_hexameron_(Moscow,_15th_c.,_RGB)_by_shakko.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0"}],"hotspots":[{"id":"h-sim-writer","x":0.413,"y":0.53,"title":"A writing figure","body":"The left page depicts a person writing. This is a drawing in the later manuscript.","sourceIds":["src.sim.image.hexameron"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-sim-heading","x":0.658,"y":0.35,"title":"A red heading","body":"Red letters separate the heading from the dark lines below it. Commons describes the book as a fifteenth-century copy of the Hexameron.","sourceIds":["src.sim.image.hexameron","src.sim.miltenova.exarch"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-sim-birds","x":0.649,"y":0.247,"title":"Bird decoration","body":"Two birds face one another above the heading. They decorate this page. We do not know whether books from Simeon’s time had this decoration.","sourceIds":["src.sim.image.hexameron"],"certainty":"source_reported"}],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":29.016666666666666,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.simeon-golden-age.simeon-golden-age.s5-books","duration":29.141,"src":"/audio/en/simeon-golden-age/s5-books.aacc062d.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.sim.miltenova.exarch"},{"id":"src.sim.taseva2024"},{"id":"src.sim.mitov.catenae"},{"id":"src.sim.image.hexameron"}]},{"id":"simeon-golden-age.a2-chronology","number":7,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: put events in time","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.sim.chronology","kind":"sequence","prompt":"Put these events in order, earliest first.","sourceIds":["src.sim.leszka2011","src.sim.loud1978","src.sim.paron2021"],"items":[{"id":"ev-accession","label":"Simeon becomes ruler"},{"id":"ev-ceremony","label":"Meeting with the patriarch"},{"id":"ev-battle","label":"The battle of Achelous"}],"explanation":"893 precedes 913, and 913 precedes 917. Disagreement over the ceremony’s meaning does not change this order.","correctOrderIds":["ev-accession","ev-ceremony","ev-battle"],"sources":[{"id":"src.sim.leszka2011"},{"id":"src.sim.loud1978"},{"id":"src.sim.paron2021"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.509541666666667,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.simeon-golden-age.simeon-golden-age.a2-chronology","duration":3.627,"src":"/audio/en/simeon-golden-age/a2-chronology.c2ee3130.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.sim.leszka2011"},{"id":"src.sim.loud1978"},{"id":"src.sim.paron2021"}]},{"id":"simeon-golden-age.s6-golden-age","number":8,"kind":"narrative","title":"Books after Simeon","body":"Historians call the cultural flowering under Simeon the Golden Age. Books are written and translated during this period. The name is a later judgement by historians. It does not mean exactly a hundred years. Nor does it prove everyone lived well: there are wars too.\n\nSimeon dies in 927. Peter rules after him. Books continue to be copied much later. Simeon supports literary work; John the Exarch and Constantine of Preslav create and translate works.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-palace-detail-480.8db93287.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-palace-detail-960.8db93287.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-sim-palace-detail-1600.8db93287.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#88817d","h":1200,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-sim-palace-detail-960.8db93287.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-sim-palace-detail-960.8db93287.webp","id":"asset.sim.palace-detail","alt":"Stone walls of the palace complex at Preslav today.","objectCaption":"Stone walls of the palace complex at Preslav today.","caption":"Stone walls of the palace complex at Preslav today.","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Камен Ханджиев · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 4.0","attribution":"Камен Ханджиев. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Камен Ханджиев. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Unmodified. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bulgaria_-_Shumen_Province_-_Veliki_Preslav_Municipality_-_Town_of_Veliki_Preslav_-_Veliki_Preslav_Medieval_Palace_Complex_(3).jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":30.305375,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.simeon-golden-age.simeon-golden-age.s6-golden-age","duration":30.421,"src":"/audio/en/simeon-golden-age/s6-golden-age.5fd6bb5d.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.sim.dobrev2016"},{"id":"src.sim.leszka2018"},{"id":"src.sim.miltenova.exarch"}]},{"id":"simeon-golden-age.a3-people-and-works","number":9,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: match the pairs","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.sim.people-and-works","kind":"matching","prompt":"Match each person with his role in the story.","sourceIds":["src.sim.leszka2018","src.sim.miltenova.exarch","src.sim.mitov.catenae"],"items":[{"id":"m-simeon","label":"Simeon","pairedLabel":"Ruler who supports literary work"},{"id":"m-john","label":"John the Exarch","pairedLabel":"Author of the Hexameron"},{"id":"m-constantine","label":"Constantine of Preslav","pairedLabel":"Compiler of the Didactic Gospel"}],"explanation":"Simeon is the ruler supporting literary work. John the Exarch combines sources and his own writing in the Hexameron. Constantine compiles the sermons in the Didactic Gospel.","sources":[{"id":"src.sim.leszka2018"},{"id":"src.sim.miltenova.exarch"},{"id":"src.sim.mitov.catenae"}],"columns":["Person","Role"]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.05675,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.simeon-golden-age.simeon-golden-age.a3-people-and-works","duration":3.157,"src":"/audio/en/simeon-golden-age/a3-people-and-works.93c03fbc.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.sim.leszka2018"},{"id":"src.sim.miltenova.exarch"},{"id":"src.sim.mitov.catenae"}]}],"minutes":4,"sources":[{"year":2010,"url":"https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=167235","institutionOrAuthor":"Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.","id":"src.sim.cng.seal","title":"Seal of Simeon I: Electronic Auction 236, lot 545","container":"CNG Research Coins catalogue","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Primary object catalogue: lead seal attributed to Simeon I, reign 893–927, Christ on obverse and Virgin on reverse; reference Iordanov Type III.2.A. Catalogue attribution is not a new scholarly authentication by this pack."},"authors":["Classical Numismatic Group, Inc."],"accessed":"2026-11-02"},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3623138","institutionOrAuthor":"Wikimedia geographical database contributors","id":"src.sim.coordinates.achelous","title":"Achelous river area: geographical records","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Coordinates only. CC0 structured data; approximate contextual marker, no historical boundaries."},"authors":["Wikimedia geographical database contributors"],"accessed":"2026-11-02","container":""},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16869","institutionOrAuthor":"Wikimedia geographical database contributors","id":"src.sim.coordinates.constantinople","title":"Constantinople, present-day Istanbul: geographical records","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Coordinates only. CC0 structured data; approximate contextual marker, no historical boundaries."},"authors":["Wikimedia geographical database contributors"],"accessed":"2026-11-02","container":""},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q243616","institutionOrAuthor":"Wikimedia geographical database contributors","id":"src.sim.coordinates.preslav","title":"Preslav: geographical records","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Coordinates only. CC0 structured data; approximate contextual marker, no historical boundaries."},"authors":["Wikimedia geographical database contributors"],"accessed":"2026-11-02","container":""},{"year":2016,"url":"https://conf.uni-ruse.bg/bg/docs/cp16/11/11-22.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Petko Dobrev / Петко Добрев","id":"src.sim.dobrev2016","title":"“The Golden Age” of Simeon – Myth or Reality / „Златният век“ на Симеон – мит или реалност","container":"Proceedings of University of Ruse / Научни трудове на Русенския университет","volume":"55","issue":"11","pages":"101–105","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Golden Age as a historiographical concept. The introduction links the expression with nineteenth-century historical writing. This pack does not claim it was the people’s own name for the period."},"authors":["Petko Dobrev / Петко Добрев"],"accessed":"2026-11-02","isPdf":true,"fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg","container":"bg"}},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_of_Bulgaria%27s_hexameron_(Moscow,_15th_c.,_RGB)_by_shakko.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Shakko","id":"src.sim.image.hexameron","title":"John of Bulgaria’s Hexameron: Moscow copy, 15th century","container":"Wikimedia Commons","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Photograph provenance, licence and visible features. Fifteenth-century Russian Hexameron/Russian State Library identification is reported by the Commons filename, not independently confirmed by a manuscript catalogue. Miltenova supports transmission only."},"authors":["Shakko"],"accessed":"2026-11-02"},{"year":null,"url":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seal_of_Simeon_I_of_Bulgaria.jpg","institutionOrAuthor":"Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. (www.cngcoins.com)","id":"src.sim.image.seal","title":"Seal of Simeon I of Bulgaria.jpg","container":"Wikimedia Commons imageinfo API; original provider in Credit","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Visual identity, provenance and licence of asset.sim.seal. Does not independently verify all historical claims in a caption."},"authors":["Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. (www.cngcoins.com)"],"accessed":"2026-11-02"},{"year":2011,"url":"https://doi.org/10.18778/2084-140X.01.04","institutionOrAuthor":"Mirosław J. Leszka; English translation: Katarzyna Gucio","id":"src.sim.leszka2011","title":"The Monk versus the Philosopher: From the History of the Bulgarian-Byzantine War 894–896","container":"Studia Ceranea","volume":"1","pages":"55–70","doi":"10.18778/2084-140X.01.04","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Simeon, son of Boris-Michael, studied in Constantinople, took religious vows, returned to Bulgaria; accession in 893. Three wartime letters survive. A proposed future church leadership is the historian’s inference."},"authors":["Mirosław J. Leszka; English translation: Katarzyna Gucio"],"accessed":"2026-11-02"},{"year":2018,"url":"https://www.press.uni.lodz.pl/index.php/wul/en/catalog/download/1057/5308/2993?inline=1","institutionOrAuthor":"Mirosław J. Leszka","id":"src.sim.leszka2018","title":"Bulgarian-Byzantine Relations during the Reign of Symeon I the Great (893–927)","container":"The Bulgarian State in 927–969. The Epoch of Tsar Peter I. Byzantina Lodziensia XXXIV. Łódź–Kraków: Łódź University Press / Jagiellonian University Press","pages":"35–46","doi":"10.18778/8142-115-7.04","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Reign 893–927; development of Preslav and literature; diplomacy and military rivalry; imperial title; Constantinople was not captured. Opposing interpretations of a plan to seize Constantinople versus achieving parity in the Balkans."},"authors":["Mirosław J. Leszka"],"accessed":"2026-11-02","isPdf":true},{"year":1978,"url":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jts/XXIX.1.109","institutionOrAuthor":"G. A. Loud","id":"src.sim.loud1978","title":"A Re-examination of the ‘Coronation’ of Symeon of Bulgaria in 913","container":"The Journal of Theological Studies, New Series","volume":"XXIX","issue":"1","pages":"109–120","doi":"10.1093/jts/XXIX.1.109","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Ceremony with Nicholas Mystikos in 913; chronicles describe a prayer and patriarchal head covering, not the ordinary imperial crown. Reports blessing/spiritual adoption interpretation (Dölger/Karlin-Hayter), argues instead for imperial coronation. No scholarly consensus claimed."},"authors":["G. A. Loud"],"accessed":"2026-11-02"},{"year":null,"url":"https://sesdiva.eu.bgrech.eu/virtualni-stai/kulturen-obmen/item/117-john-exarch-in-russian-medieval-literature","institutionOrAuthor":"Анисава Милтенова","id":"src.sim.miltenova.exarch","title":"Йоан Екзарх в руската средновековна литература","container":"SESDIVA: Bulgarian-Russian cultural exchange digital research project","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"John the Exarch combined Greek works and original material in Hexameron; biblical creation; prologue addresses Simeon. Later copies preserve the work. Dating before 913 is a hypothesis linked to a disputed title chronology, not adopted as an exact date."},"authors":["Анисава Милтенова"],"accessed":"2026-11-02"},{"year":2022,"url":"https://palaeobulgarica.eu/581/vizantijskite-novozavetni-kateni-i-uchitelnoto-evangelie-na-konstantin-preslavski-ot-katenata","institutionOrAuthor":"Георги Митов","id":"src.sim.mitov.catenae","title":"Византийските новозаветни катени и Учителното евангелие на Константин Преславски: от катената към хомилията (Предварителни наблюдения)","container":"Palaeobulgarica / Старобългаристика (Кирило-Методиевски научен център при БАН)","volume":"46","issue":"2","pages":"29–41","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Greek biblical commentaries as sources of Constantine’s sermons; added introductions, addresses and conclusions. “Catena” means a chain of commentaries, “homily” a sermon."},"authors":["Георги Митов"],"accessed":"2026-11-02","fieldLanguages":{"title":"bg","container":"bg"}},{"year":2015,"url":"https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hic3.12228","institutionOrAuthor":"Ian Mladjov","id":"src.sim.mladjov2015","title":"The Crown and the Veil: Titles, Spiritual Kinship, and Diplomacy in Tenth-Century Bulgaro–Byzantine Relations","container":"History Compass","volume":"13","issue":"4","pages":"171–183","doi":"10.1111/hic3.12228","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Diplomatic equality and prestige; author interprets 913 as incomplete accommodation of a non-Roman emperor. Not evidence of universal acceptance or uncontested ceremony."},"authors":["Ian Mladjov"],"accessed":"2026-11-02"},{"year":2021,"url":"https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/gdc/gdcebookspublic/20/21/01/58/48/2021015848/2021015848.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Aleksander Paroń; translated by Thomas Anessi","id":"src.sim.paron2021","title":"The Pechenegs: Nomads in the Political and Cultural Landscape of Medieval Europe","container":"East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 450–1450. Leiden–Boston: Brill","volume":"74","pages":"259–263","doi":"10.1163/9789004441095","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Date and outcome of Anchialos/Achelous battle; diplomacy involving Pechenegs; Byzantine commander Leo Phokas. No precise troop or casualty totals used."},"authors":["Aleksander Paroń; translated by Thomas Anessi"],"accessed":"2026-11-02","isPdf":true},{"year":null,"url":"https://en.museum-velikipreslav.com/exposition/hall.html","institutionOrAuthor":"Archaeological Museum “Veliki Preslav”","id":"src.sim.preslav.hall","title":"Exposition hall. Archaeological Museum \"Veliki Preslav\", official website, English version","container":"Official museum website","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Preslav existed before 893. Archaeology superseded the idea that it was founded from nothing in 893; pre-capital phases and buildings under capital-period structures."},"authors":["Archaeological Museum “Veliki Preslav”"],"accessed":"2026-11-02"},{"year":null,"url":"https://en.museum-velikipreslav.com/for-the-museum/history-of-preslav.html","institutionOrAuthor":"Archaeological Museum “Veliki Preslav”","id":"src.sim.preslav.history","title":"History of Preslav. Archaeological Museum \"Veliki Preslav\", official website, English version","container":"Official museum website","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Museum’s conventional dating of capital transfer from Pliska to Preslav to 893, Simeon’s enthronement; John the Exarch’s description of a princely court. Council wording treated as later historical reconstruction, not a surviving verbatim decree."},"authors":["Archaeological Museum “Veliki Preslav”"],"accessed":"2026-11-02"},{"year":null,"url":"https://en.museum-velikipreslav.com/treasure-room/seals.html","institutionOrAuthor":"Archaeological Museum “Veliki Preslav”","id":"src.sim.preslav.seals","title":"Seals","container":"Official museum website, Treasure-room","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"General function and material of seals only (S3). The page’s categorical coronation dating is not adopted; the ceremony remains disputed under Loud and Mladjov."},"authors":["Archaeological Museum “Veliki Preslav”"],"accessed":"2026-11-02"},{"year":2024,"url":"https://palaeobulgarica.eu/903/zhivoty-zhitiue-i-zhiznj-v-uchitelnoto-evangelie-na-konstantin-preslavski","institutionOrAuthor":"Лора Тасева","id":"src.sim.taseva2024","title":"Животъ, житиуе и жизнь в Учителното евангелие на Константин Преславски","container":"Palaeobulgarica / Старобългаристика (Кирило-Методиевски научен център при БАН)","volume":"48","issue":"2","pages":"35–58","doi":"10.59076/2603-2899.2024.2.03","accessedOn":"2026-11-02","supports":{"en":"Didactic Gospel at the end of the ninth century; translated and original portions; Constantine distinguished shades of meaning when translating Greek words into Slavonic."},"authors":["Лора Тасева"],"accessed":"2026-11-02","fieldLanguages":{"title":"bg","container":"bg"}}],"credits":[{"id":"asset.sim.hexameron-cutout","src":"/media/asset-sim-hexameron-cutout-960.5fe2a637.webp","alt":"Cut-out detail; background removed. Open book with a writing figure on the left and a red heading below two birds on the right. A later copy according to the Commons description.","w":2162,"h":1255,"caption":"Commons describes this as a fifteenth-century Russian copy of the Hexameron from the Russian State Library. The exact shelfmark has not been verified.","credit":"Shakko · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY-SA 3.0","attribution":"Shakko. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Shakko. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0. Unmodified. 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