Andreas Gkoutzioukostas, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Alexandra-Kyriaki Wassiliou-Seibt, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki/Austrian Academy of Sciences

Seals with known findspot in the territory of modern Bulgaria, corresponding largely to Byzantine Thrace, were examined in the framework of the project “Lead Seals in Byzantine Thrace: Re-examination of data, mapping the distribution of findings and tracing the communication networks (LSByT)” funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) for three and a half years. In this paper, we examine seals found along the Danube, mainly in the area of Dorostolon, dating from the late 7th to the 9th century and published by I. Barnea and I. Jordanov. Some of these seals have been used in conjunction with the evidence of narrative sources to document the continuity of Byzantine rule on the Danube, in the local towns and fortresses from Dorostolon to the Danube Delta, despite the creation of the first Bulgarian state. The present paper attempts a critical approach to the above view through the re-examination, re-dating, and interpretation of the distribution of all seals found in the above-mentioned area.