Archaeologist Metodi Zlatkov, who has been researching topics related to Tsar Samuel and the era of the Bulgarian Middle Ages for years, continues his work. His connection with the topic began back in 2013, when Bulgaria was preparing to mark the 1000th anniversary of the death of Tsar Samuel. At that time, an organizing committee was created to prepare a number of events, conferences and exhibitions.
„In 2013, when the activities to mark the 1000th anniversary of the death of Tsar Samuel were organized, there was an organizing committee that prepared a number of events, conferences and exhibitions related to the celebration of this anniversary. I was the secretary of the organizing committee and was responsible for the preparation of two exhibitions to mark this anniversary“, says Zlatkov.
According to him, working on the exhibitions gives him the opportunity to follow many places related to the life of Samuil and the struggles of the Bulgarian state against Byzantium.
„Many things have been said about Samuil, many true things have been said. He is truly, for me personally, one of the most heroic and exceptional rulers in our medieval history. Many details can be said about various objects that are related to him. We had the opportunity then and our exhibition aimed to show the places where Samuil was. We have also published a popular science book in which we have presented over 10 places that are directly related to his life and the struggles of that time“, explains the archaeologist.
According to Zlatkov, however, the significance of the era of Samuil is not limited to military defeats and the loss of statehood.
“What is certainly perhaps the most important is that these are 50 years of struggle, which, although in the end it is negative for Bulgaria and we lose this serious war, these 50 years have had a great impact on the entire state and on the people. In my opinion, they give and put such a furrow between us and others that this leads to the strengthening of our national self-consciousness“, explained the scientist.
Zlatkov defines the period as a time of prolonged opposition, in which the Bulgarian state faced one of the most powerful forces in the world at that time – The Byzantine Empire. According to him, the tragic end of Samuil's state is one of the reasons why the image of the ruler continues to attract the attention of historians, archaeologists and researchers.
„Samuil is a Shakespearean hero, because we know that Shakespeare uses elements of Samuil's drama in his play „The Tempest“. This has long been a known fact. So I think we do not focus only on the tragedies. We are certainly proud of Simeon. We talk about our victories, and about Klokotnitsa, and about our other great victories, and about the expansion of the state.“
But the time of Samuil is different - this is a period in which Bulgaria confronts Byzantium at a time of its rise.
„The time of Samuil is definitely a difficult time in which we oppose Byzantium, which is then gaining strength. This is a period of rise for one of the most significant Byzantine emperors - Basil II, considered one of the best Byzantine emperors. He defeated not only the Bulgarians, thereby moving the border of Byzantium back to the Danube for the first time since the 7th century, but also won a number of battles with the Arabs in the east,“ notes Zlatkov.
It is the long-term resistance of the Bulgarian state that, according to him, makes the period significant not only for Bulgarian history. The archaeologist points out that the significance of the clash between Bulgaria and Byzantium has also been noted by foreign historians and philosophers of history. After the return of the mortal remains to Bulgaria, a new stage of their study is ahead. According to Zlatkov, it is important to use the modern scientific methods that archaeology and anthropology have today.
Methods Zlatkov, archaeologist: “Anthropologists have already said that there are possibilities for studying the bones. I am sure that they were carefully examined by the Greek colleagues before they were returned to Bulgaria. But now I hope that all possible modern methods will be undertaken to examine the bone remains and that we will have a modern study of them. There are many questions that can still be investigated. There are many sites that can be studied - both in Greece and in Bulgaria.“
Zlatkov also defines the return of the remains as an important gesture in relations between Bulgaria and Greece.
„This is certainly a gesture of goodwill and of solving a problem, in my opinion. Now, of course, there can be and are different interpretations. Some of the Bulgarians say: why did we give some artifacts in return for this? There are certainly Greeks who say: we took very little in return for this deal. But for me, we have categories here that are different.“
According to the archaeologist, one cannot put an equal sign between material archaeological values and human remains.
Methodi Zlatkov, archaeologist: „On the one hand, the remains of Samuil are certainly something that has no price, especially for us. Because he is the only, actually the only Bulgarian medieval ruler, about whom we know and for whom we have the opportunity to study his remains in this way. And marking and preserving his memory is a very important issue.“
When asked what the significance of Tsar Samuil is for today's Bulgarians, Zlatkov answers:
„Certainly Tsar Samuil is one of the most striking figures in our medieval history. And I think there is no Bulgarian who does not know about him.“
The history of Samuil's time contains not only military clashes and heroism, but also internal conflicts, political struggles and tragic events.