--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Sergejus Tarasovas"
<S.Tarasovas@...> wrote:
> >The Slavic names of
> > even the first Bulgar capitals - Pliska (Pl&skova, assuming it is
> > Slavic)
>
> Cf. Old Russian (Northern Krivichian) center <PlIskovU> (<*plIs(k)-
~
> *ple^s(k)- 'bald'), now <Pskov>.
>
> Sergei
Below is the Slavic etymology suggested in one Bulgarian
archaeological description of Pliska (which I am currently
translating :).
Regards,
Vassil
***********
The name 'Pliska' is Slavic in origin. According to the linguists it
is cognate with the Old Russian word 'pleso', 'pljos', meaning a
lake, a swamp. Probably the Slavs had given this name to the drained
nowadays swamp near the town of Kaspichan or to some of the rivers
running along the later built capital (of Bulgaria). Similar names
are known throughout the Slavic area. Even now, there is a small town
called Pliskov in Central Ukraine, in the Vinicka district. This town
is situated at the border between two archaeological cultures of the
VI-VII c. AD, which are connected with the early Slavs - the Penkovo
and the Prague-Korchak.
Pliska (under the form of Pljuska) is mentioned for the last time in
the Apocriphal Bulgarian Chronicle of the XI c. Notwithstanding the
fact that import historical events occurred in its vicinity at the
time of the Second Bulgarian Empire, its name does not appear in
either Bulgarian or foreign sources. But the name wasn't forgotten,
it was even known in Western Europe. It appeared for the first time
on a geographical map printed in 1688 AD in Amsterdam. A little bit
later it appeared on other Western European maps. ...
...[In 1905] Rafail Popov, excavated a large half-buried stone column
in the field to the west of the then village of Chatalar, at 6 km to
the north of Preslav, on the road towards Pliska. The 25-lines of
Greek text on this column informed about a palace, which Omurtag
built along the river Ticha in 821-822 AD. In the inscription Omurtag
called his residence 'the military camp Pliska'. Thus we came to know
the name of the first capital. A little bit later the Bulgarian
Apocriphic Chronicle from the XI c. was also discovered. The
chronicle attributed the foundation of Pliska to tsar Ispor
(Asparukh).
(from: R. Rashev, J. Dimitrov, Pliska - 100 years of archaeological
excavations, 1999)
**********