Another find appeared on "Perperikon" - belt appliqué made of bronze with an exquisitely executed relief image of a lion.
This was announced by Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov. According to him, this is not an ordinary image, but a heraldic symbol, which raises the question of whether a new variant of the Bulgarian royal coat of arms from the 14th century has been discovered.
"The rock city of Perperikon is also being worked on this archaeological summer, as a campaign has been taking place there for a month, aiming to explore the entire space from the Acropolis to the Great Basilica in the South Quarter," added Ovcharov.
According to him, the image of a lion on the found belt appliqué in heraldry corresponds to lion passant or “lion in motion” and is found in the coats of arms of various Western European nobles from the XIII-XIV centuries
"Absolutely identical to the Perperikon lion discoveries are those from the coats of arms of the English baron Sir John Gifford and the German Counts Von Stauffenberg from the same era," comments Prof. Ovcharov.
He pointed out that the similarity is in the posture of the hind and front paws raised in a dashing movement, the characteristic curved tail with a tassel at the end and especially - in the sticking out tongue.
"The question of the appearance of heraldry in Bulgaria in the 13th-14th centuries has not been resolved unequivocally, but it is certain that in a whole series of Western European heraldic books from the 15th-17th centuries, the coat of arms of the Bulgarian kingdom is unanimously depicted as three placed one above the other another heraldic lion", added Prof. Ovcharov.
He pointed out that the same composition can be seen in the description and drawing of an anonymous Arab traveler who passed through Tarnovgrad at the end of the 14th century. "There you can clearly see the shields of the soldiers of the guard of Tsar Ivan Shishman, on which three red heraldic lions are shown on a golden background", explains the archaeologist.
According to him, most researchers already accept as a proven fact that under Tsar Ivan Shishman, a coat of arms with three heraldic lions was formed. "At the same time, it is known that some series of coins of the same king, as well as on other objects, appear images of heraldic lion rampant or “furious attacking lion” in an attacking position, standing on his hind legs and furiously extending his front legs", recalls Prof. Ovcharov.
According to Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, with the find, another version of the heraldic lion appears, which is probably also used by Western European coats of arms.
A few days ago, another silver coin of Tsar Ivan Alexander was found on Perperikon.
It testifies to Bulgaria's successful war against the Byzantine Empire in 1344, when the Eastern Rhodopes were captured, and a royal archon was appointed in Perperikon, informed Prof. Ovcharov. This Bulgarian military action is evidenced by the golden seal discovered in the rock city, which fastened the royal charter of the great ruler, the archaeologist specified.
Perperikon's campaign will last four months. Archaeologists are now studying the upper layers, where one of the medieval quarters of Perperikon from the era of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom was discovered.