Royal Seal Offering New Clues to Medieval Bulgaria Found at Perperikon

Jerusalem, 18 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Perperikon, Southern Bulgaria (BTA) – A royal seal, testifying to the weddings of Tsar Ivan Asen II and the establishment of the Bulgarian Patriarchate in 1235, has been discovered at the Perperikon archaeological complex (Eastern Rhodope Mountains), the head of the excavations, Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov, told BTA on Tuesday.

He added that the find will be officially displayed and presented on August 20, adding that it is undergoing a cleaning process and that it “rewrites medieval history”.

The discovery comes after two other significant finds during this year’s research of the archaeological site. One is the discovered rotunda type stone mausoleum of an influential citizen from the late Roman era (3rd–5th century CE), in the so-called Area Sacra in the Southern Quarter of Perperikon. The second significant find is the discovery of a stone sarcophagus from the same period, which was believed to be a continuation of an ancient tradition in the Eastern Rhodopes Mountains of hewing rock tombs and graves.