За християнската символика на знака „ипсилон” в старобългарската култура
Of Christian Symbolism of the ‘upsilon’ Sign in Old Bulgarian Culture

Summary/Abstract: The article offers an overview of the opinions of the geographic spread, dating, origins, palaeography and symbolism of the rune-like ‘upsilon’ symbol in Old Bulgarian culture. The study seeks to present all the known for the time being monuments, featuring the symbol, and in a context too allowing for its interpretation as a theonym. For that reason, only monuments of the Christian period of Old Bulgarian culture were selected that could more or less prove this interpretation: seals (Fig. І, 1-3), coins (Fig. І, 4-5), medallions (Fig. ІІІ), crosses worn next to the skin, marble slabs, blocks and building ceramics used for the construction of churches, graffiti from monastic complexes (Fig. ІІ, VІІ), headstones (Fig. VІ, 1-2), etc. The conclusions of its possible symbolism as an ethnoreligious sign or a sign of the σφραγίς Θεου type would allow also for clarifying retrospectively its significance in the early pagan period.

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