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The dissertation pays special attention to the early medieval swords, sabers and daggers from the Bulgarian lands and their parallels, both from the adjacent territories and from lands at a considerable distance from the Balkans. Their analysis, apart from a pure research point of view, is also important due to the fact that a large part of the early medieval finds of cold weapons, South of the Danube, are out of context (accidental finds). This creates serious difficulties related to accurate dating and their interpretation. Therefore, it is necessary to associate them with weapons with similar morphological characteristics, found in a well-dated archaeological context. The typological comparison of the local finds of swords, sabers, and daggers with "foreign" specimens is extremely important for their study. This is due to the fact that until now there is no reliable archaeological data for their production during the Early Middle Ages in today's Bulgarian lands. The data from the written sources and artistic images are thoroughly examined, with special attention paid to the Byzantine narratives and artistic monuments. It is in them that the development of offensive armaments from the Balkans during this period is reflected in the most detail. In a more detailed study of the pictorial medieval monuments from Southeast Europe, it is noticeable that the warriors are represented mainly armed with spears, while with swords and sabers are depicted mostly rulers and persons of high military rank. This, in turn, presupposes the existence of a certain symbolism towards this kind of weapon and its definition as an insignia of elite, power, and prestige. In the study notes that the blades of swords and sabers were not within the power of the common blacksmith, but were manufactured by highly skilled craftsmen who were in direct contact with (or even directly under the control of) the ruling elite.
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