3 Species of Treasure Hunters Are Destroying Archaeology in Bulgaria’s ‘Plunder Paradise’ worth up to USD 1 Billion a Year, New Book Reveals
Three “species" of treasure hunters dubbed “diggers", “yuppies" and “super experts", whose a total number is in the low six figures, are destroying the world archaeology and history heritage found in Bulgaria in a criminal industry worth up to 1…
46-Year-Old Treasure Hunter Suffocates in Makeshift Shaft during Search Gold Treasure in Northeast Bulgaria
A treasure hunter who was part of a group of three looters has died of suffocation after descending into a 12-meter-deep makeshift shaft while searching for a mythical gold treasure near the town of Prolaz, Targovishte Municipality, in Northeast Bulgaria.
Precious Caves in Northeast Bulgaria Get Destroyed by Car Thieves, Sheep Herders, Treasure Hunters
Numerous caves in the Ruse District in Northeast Bulgaria, which are valuable from an archaeological and environmental point of view, have been damaged by locals who have “utilized" them as car part hideouts, cattle and sheep barns, and camping places,…
Top 20: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in May 2019
Following are the 20 most popular stories with you, the readers of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com, during the month of May 2019.
Treasure Hunters Expose Necropolis of Burial Mounds after Their Arrest in Southern Bulgaria
Two treasure hunters have been arrested while digging near a chapel in Southern Bulgaria leading the archaeologists examining the site to discover that the looters had actually exposed a necropolis of ancient burial mounds.
Bulgaria’s Largest Thracian Mound Proves to Be Tower Tomb Like in Petra, Palmyra, Likely of Roman Emperor Philip I the Arab
The massive 3rd century AD Antiquity building exposed in July 2018 underneath the Maltepe Mound, Bulgaria’s largest Ancient Thracian burial mound ever, has turned out to be a tower tomb like the ones in ancient Middle East cities such as…
Top 50: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in Calendar Year 2018
Following are the 50 most popular stories with you, the readers of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com, during the calendar year of 2018.
Top 25: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in Fourth Quarter 2018
Following are the 25 most popular stories with you, the readers of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com, during the fourth quarter of 2018.
New Board Game Pits Archaeologists against Treasure Hunters in Archaeological Sites All across Bulgaria
A new board entitled “Archaeologists vs. Treasure Hunters", which pits the two groups against one another on a map featuring some of Bulgaria’s most remarkable archaeological sites, has been developed and released by a group of archaeologists.
Top 20: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in November 2018
Following are the 20 most popular stories with you, the readers of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com, during the month of November 2018.
Top 20 of the Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in the Third Quarter of 2018
Following are the 20 most popular stories among the readers of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com from July 1 until September 30, 2018, i.e. during the third quarter of 2018.
Top 20 of the Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in September 2018
Following are the 20 most popular stories among the readers of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com during the month of September 2018.
Smallest Ancient Thracian Brick Tomb Found near Bulgaria’s Rozovo, Thoroughly Looted by Treasure Hunters
The smallest Ancient Thracian brick tomb, out of a total of 14 Thracian tombs made of bricks that have been excavated so far in Bulgaria, has been found by archaeologists near the town of Rozovo near the town of Kazanlak,…
Treasure Hunters Found 5th Century BC Thracian King’s Burial worth USD 60 Million Back in 2002, Report Says
One of the largest hits ever of the numerous treasure hunters active across Bulgaria was the discovery back in 2002 of the burial of an Ancient Thracian King from the 5th century BC whose funeral inventory was sold of USD…
Bulgarian Archaeologists Tracking Treasure Hunters’ Raids Using Google Maps, Google Earth
Some Bulgarian archaeologists have found a novel way of tackling the damage done to the country’s tremendous archaeological heritage on a daily basis by ruthless treasure hunters by using Google Maps and Google Earth, an archaeologist reveals.
11,000 Coins, Archaeological Artifacts Seized on Bulgaria’s Border in Attempted Smuggling from Turkey into EU
Over 11,000 ancient coins as well as dozens of archaeological artifacts have been seized by customs officers at the Lesovo Crossing Point on Bulgaria’s border with Turkey in a car entering Bulgaria and the EU during a smuggling attempt.
2 Treasure Hunters Rescued from Self-made Mine in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains, Hospitalized in Critical Condition
Two treasure hunters who had dug up an entire underground gallery in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains have been rescued and hospitalized in critical condition in the southern city of Plovdiv.
Bulgaria’s Police Seize 95 Archaeological Artifacts from ‘Organized Crime’ Treasure Hunters
Bulgaria’s police have announced they have cracked down on an organized crime group dealing with treasure hunting and trafficking of antiques, and have seized a total of 95 archaeological artifacts dug up illegally.
Bulgaria’s Archaeology Faces Grave Danger of ‘Privatization’, National Museum Director Raises Alarm
Bulgaria’s archaeology and archaeological, historical, and cultural heritage faces a potential collapse if proposed amendments to the Cultural Heritage Act are adopted, Assoc. Prof. Lyudmil Vagalinski, Director of the National Institute and Museum of Archaeology in Sofia, has warned.
Archaeologists Find Ancient Thracian Fortress near Bulgaria’s Burgas Bulldozed by Treasure Hunter
An Ancient Thracian fortress from the Late Hellenistic Period (2th-1st century BC) has been discovered by archaeologists near the town of Izvor, Burgas District, in Southeast Bulgaria, after the site had been damaged by a treasure hunter.
Large Medieval Gold Treasure Found by Accident by Police, Seized from Treasure Hunters in Bulgaria’s Kazanlak
A large medieval gold treasure consisting of adornments made of the precious metal and semi-precious stones has been discovered by accident by the police in the town of Kazanlak in Central Bulgaria inside the car of what appear to be…
Archaeologists Surprisingly Find Western Fortress Wall of Roman Colony Ratiaria in Northwest Bulgaria Has Survived Treasure Hunters’ Bulldozers
Archaeologists excavating the Ancient Roman city of Ratiaria in Northwest Bulgaria, which has been brutally looted and destroyed by treasure hunters in the 1990s and 2000s, have surprisingly discovered that the Roman colony’s western fortress wall has survived almost intact…
Bulgarian, Turkish Man Sentenced in Shumen for Trafficking Roman Artifacts from Middle East
A Bulgarian and a Turkish citizen have confessed their guilt in the smuggling of dozens of Ancient Roman artifacts, and possibly a Sumerian slab, after their arrest in a police operation almost two years ago generated international interest.
Bulgarian Archaeologists Seek to Restore 1980s Research Cooperation with Italy in Bid to Save Looted Ancient Roman City Ratiaria
The Ancient Roman city of Ratiaria in Northwest Bulgaria, which has been brutally looted and destroyed by treasure hunters over the past 25 years, could still be rescued, and a renewed research cooperation with Italy, which existed back in the…
Ancient Apollo Head Sculpture ‘Found in Field’, ‘Donated’ to Bulgaria’s National Museum of History
A head from an ancient stone sculpture believed to depict Ancient Greek, Thracian, and Roman god Apollo wearing a wreath has been turned in Bulgaria’s National Museum of History in Sofia.
Archaeologists Discover Italian Red Pottery, First Doric Capital in Looted Ancient Roman City Ratiaria in Northwest Bulgaria
Red pottery (terra sigillata) imported from the Italian Peninsula and for the first time a Doric capital have been discovered by archaeologists during the brief and underfunded 2016 excavations of the Ancient Roman city of Ratiaria in Northwest Bulgaria, an…
Suspected Arson by Treasure Hunters Destroys Ruins of Glorious Roman City Ulpia Oescus near Bulgaria’s Gigen
The ruins of Ulpia Oescus, a colony of Ancient Rome and one of the most important Roman cities in today’s Bulgaria, whose ruins are located near Gigen, Pleven District, in Northern Bulgaria, have been badly damaged by two fires, apparently…
Authorities Seek to Reassure Archaeologists of Policing of Utterly Looted Ancient Roman City Ratiaria
Local authorities and the police in the Vidin District in Northwest Bulgaria have sought to reassure of their policing efforts the archaeologists working on the excavation of the huge Ancient Roman city of Ratiaria, an archaeological site which has been…
Museum Workers Urge Special Permits for Metal Detectors to Combat Bulgaria’s Rampant Treasure Hunting
Special permits for the ownership and usage of metal detectors must be introduced in Bulgaria as a measure designed to crack down on the rampant treasure hunting destroying thousands of archaeological, historical, and cultural monuments, museum workers have urged.
5 Treasure Hunters Arrested While ‘Trenching’ Late Antiquity Settlement with Tractor near Bulgaria’s Petarnitsa
A group of five treasure hunters has been arrested on the spot while plowing a field where a Late Antiquity and early medieval settlement was located near the town of Petarnitsa, Pleven District, in Northern Bulgaria, in order to extract archaeological…
