Българският надпис от Василика от IX век
The Bulgarian inscription from Vasilika from the 9th century

Summary/Abstract: The Vasilika inscription provides information about Bulgarian and Byzantine history that is unknown from other sources, and therefore clarifying its content is of great importance. Due to the shallow engraving of the letters and the poor state of preservation of the inscription, the reading and interpretation of the lapidary document proposed here are not entirely certain. Based on the analyses presented here, it can be inferred that the epigraphic monument was engraved on the commission of an individual (probably named Dukum), who was the brother of the then bula kulubr and of the then archon (king) of the Bulgarians. The first-mentioned, by the will of the second, travelled from an unknown location in Bulgaria to the Byzantine city of Thessaloniki with the purpose of offering certain goods owned by the bula kulubr on the local market. According to the clarifications presented, the most plausible hypothesis is that the three brothers mentioned in the Vasilika inscription are identical to the three brothers mentioned in one of the notes contained in the Cividale Gospel. Accordingly, the anonymous ruler of the Bulgarians mentioned in the epigraphic source should be identified as Boris/Michael, the anonymous bula kulubr as Doks, and Dukum as Gabriel (that is, Gabriel could have been the Christian name of Dukum). The production of the inscription was most probably intended to express a complaint against the actions of the Thessalonian administration, manifested in the restriction of Bulgarians’ access to the local marketplace, as well as a warning against the recurrence of such cases in the future. It is evident that the author of the lapidary text sought to emphasize that the interests of a particularly high-ranking individual – a member of the Bulgarian ruling family – had been affected. The inscription under discussion (if the reading and interpretation presented here are accepted) should be regarded as the earliest source attesting trade – or an attempt at trade – between Bulgarians and Byzantines in Thessaloniki. In terms of origin and character, the epigraphic monument from Vasilika should be classified among the Bulgarian chronicle inscriptions. Its original location was most probably in the vicinity of Thessaloniki, and the column appears to have been transferred to Vasilika at a later date (perhaps for reuse in construction or domestic purposes). According to the chronological clarifications reached in the study, the creation of the epigraphic source should be dated to the period between the mid-860s and the late 880s AD.

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