Lead Seal of Tsar Simeon Discovered at George Syncellus Monastery near Veliki Preslav

During excavations at a significant religious complex near Veliki Preslav, archaeologists have uncovered a lead seal belonging to Tsar Simeon.

The seal belonged to the ruler of Preslav and was used in correspondence with a senior official at the monastery. It is the second seal to be discovered by researchers during excavations at the monastic complex near Bulgaria's second medieval capital.

The context in which the artefact was found leaves archaeologists in little doubt that it belonged to Tsar Simeon. The imagery on the seal also confirms that it was used by the ruler of the capital, Preslav.

Assoc. Prof. Rosina Kostova, archaeologist: "This is a seal of Tsar Simeon bearing the inscription, 'Many years to the peace-bringing Basileus.' His portrait and this inscription appear on the reverse of the seal, while the obverse depicts the Holy Virgin holding before her a medallion bearing the image of Jesus Christ."

The discovery of the rare artefact is considered significant because the monastic complex played an important role in medieval Bulgaria.

Assoc. Prof. Rosina Kostova, archaeologist: "It is important for Bulgarian medieval history because it brings back into the historical record two significant figures – the ichirgu-boil Mostich and George Syncellus. They are not known from written sources, yet they played a key role during the 10th century, in Bulgaria's Golden Age."

George Syncellus was a Bulgarian nobleman who donated his land to the ichirgu-boil Mostich for the establishment of the monastery, before later taking monastic vows himself.

Archaeologist Rosina Kostova believes that the site's greatest value lies in its history – the story of an aristocratic family from Bulgaria's Golden Age.