THREE LEAD AMULETS FROM THE PERIOD OF THE FIRST BULGARIAN EMPIRE

Abstract

This article discusses three lead amulets from the period of the First Bulgarian Empire (9th – 11th c. AD), inscribed in Cyrillic. The texts of the inscriptions are followed by a translation and brief information about the place and date of the carving of the inscription, as well as the place and date of discovery of each amulet, and paleographic notes. The first part of the study gives an extralinguistic commentary on the impact of the new Christian religion and the influence of the Byzantine culture on the First Bulgarian Empire. The other part provides an analysis of the linguistic peculiarities. Attention is paid to the lexical repertoire of the amulets and the graphics. The information given on the phonetic and morphological level of the word forms and inflections used in the amulets shows the beginning of processes which will be unfolded in the future. The insufficient amount of text on the amulets prevents us from reaching definite conclusions in the field of syntax.