A lead plate amulet bearing an inscription in Cyrillic dating from the times of Tsar Simeon the Great was discovered in the fortification "Balak Dere" near the village of Huhla, Ivaylovgrad Municipality, said Ivaylo Kanev, member of the archaeological team with National Museum of History.
There are seven lines on the inside and four lines on the inside. The names of the supplicants, Nikola and Pavel, were successfully deciphered on the lead plate amulet, the BTA reported. The amulet was discovered in a cultural layer attributable to the beginning of the 10th century. This gives scientists reason to assume that they have found one of the earliest known Cyrillic texts. The geographically closest similar artefacts are two 10th-11th century amulets found near Kardzhali and Haskovo. According to Ivaylo Kanev, there was a Bulgarian garrison at Balak Dere during Tsar Simeon’s march on Constantinople, and the lead plate amulet belonged to his warriors.
Translation and publication by K. Atanasov
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