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.