In the spring of 1899, an expedition of the Russian archaeological institute at Constantinople started the first archaeological excavations near the village of Aboba (later renamed Pliska). Russian and Bulgarian scientists supposed that the place of incredible ancient ruins near the village was the first Bulgarian Pagan capital, Pliska. The remains are impressive. The ancient town covers an area of 24 square km. enclosed with a rectangular earthen rampart and moat. At its centre was erected a stone castle built with large rectangular blocks of white limestone, the joints filled with red mortar made of crushed bricks. During this first excavation, the stone castle's walls, towers and gates, as some of the administrative buildings and churches of a palace complex, were surveyed. Also, north-eastwards of the castle were discovered an enormous basilica. The expedition found that some stones, bricks, roof tiles and ceramic pieces are engraved characters of the unknown writing sy...