3 Species of Treasure Hunters Are Destroying Archaeology in Bulgaria’s ‘Plunder Paradise’ worth up to USD 1 Billion a Year, New Book Reveals

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…

359 Ottoman Turkish Cannonballs from Danube River Bastion Found by Accident in Bulgaria’s Ruse

359 Ottoman Turkish Cannonballs from Danube River Bastion Found by Accident in Bulgaria’s Ruse

A total of 359 cannonballs from the late period of the Ottoman Empire (Ottoman Turkey), i.e. the 18th – 19th century, have been discovered by chance during construction works in the Danube city of Ruse in Northeast Bulgaria.

Silver Medieval Venetian Coins Discovered in Rusocastro Fortress in Southeast Bulgaria

Silver Medieval Venetian Coins Discovered in Rusocastro Fortress in Southeast Bulgaria

A total of three silver coins minted in the medieval Republic of Venice, an Italian city-state that was a major power in the Mediterranean, have been discovered in very good condition by archaeologists excavating the fortress of Rusocastro in Southeast…

Bronze Horse Statuette Found in Bulgaria’s Rusocastro Fortress, Deemed Evidence of Roman Shrine

Bronze Horse Statuette Found in Bulgaria’s Rusocastro Fortress, Deemed Evidence of Roman Shrine

A rather well-preserved, beautiful 3rd century AD bronze statuette depicting a horse has been discovered in the largest medieval fortress in Southeast Bulgaria, the Rusocastro Fortress, and has immediately been interpreted as evidence that the place had a shrine in…

Sealed 16th Century Ottoman Looting Tunnel for Draft Animals Found inside Tower Tomb beneath Bulgaria’s Largest Thracian Burial Mound

Sealed 16th Century Ottoman Looting Tunnel for Draft Animals Found inside Tower Tomb beneath Bulgaria’s Largest Thracian Burial Mound

A huge tunnel for looting that fit large draft animals and was dug up in the 16th century, during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (r. 1521 – 1566) has been discovered by archaeologists inside the 3rd century…

15,000 Attend Grand Opening of World’s Largest Historical Park near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

15,000 Attend Grand Opening of World’s Largest Historical Park near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

More than 15,000 people have attended the grand opening of the world’s largest “Historical Park” for cultural tourism, education, and entertainment located in the town of Neofit Rilski, near the Black Sea city of Varna in Northeast Bulgaria.

Ancient Settlement Adjacent to Philipopolis Discovered in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv in Rescue Digs

Ancient Settlement Adjacent to Philipopolis Discovered in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv in Rescue Digs

A small settlement located outside the urban area of ancient Philipopolis, today’s Plovdiv in Central South Bulgaria, has been found by archaeologists conducting preliminary rescue excavations as part of a major railway rehabilitation project.

Precious Caves in Northeast Bulgaria Get Destroyed by Car Thieves, Sheep Herders, Treasure Hunters

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 Church of Second Bulgarian Empire nearly Flooded by Yantra River in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo

Top Church of Second Bulgarian Empire nearly Flooded by Yantra River in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo

The Holy Forty Martyrs Church, an early 13th century church in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo, which could probably be described as the most important temple in the Second Bulgarian Empire, has been almost flooded by the rising waters of the Yantra…

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.

Grand Opening of World’s Largest Historical Park Set for June 22 near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

Grand Opening of World’s Largest Historical Park Set for June 22 near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

The world’s largest “Historical Park” for cultural tourism, education, and entertainment purposes, which is located in the town of Neofit Rilski, near the Black Sea city of Varna in Northeast Bulgaria, is going to be officially opened on June 22,…

Culverin Cannonballs from Vlad Dracula’s 1461 Victory over Ottoman Turks Found in Danube Fortress Zishtova in Bulgaria’s Svishtov

Culverin Cannonballs from Vlad Dracula’s 1461 Victory over Ottoman Turks Found in Danube Fortress Zishtova in Bulgaria’s Svishtov

Cannonballs from culverins – primitive early medieval cannons – most probably used in 1461 during the conquest of the Zishtova Fortress by Wallacian Voivode Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, from the Ottoman Turks have been discovered…

Ottoman Gunpowder Magazine Restored near Baba Vida Fortress in Bulgaria’s Danube City Vidin

Ottoman Gunpowder Magazine Restored near Baba Vida Fortress in Bulgaria’s Danube City Vidin

A late medieval gunpowder magazine (storehouse) located near the medieval Bulgarian fortress Baba Vida in the Danube city of Vidin has been fully restored by the local authorities.

Bulgaria Celebrates Day of Bulgarian (Cyrillic) Alphabet and Culture (Day of St. Cyril & St. Methodius): May 24

Bulgaria Celebrates Day of Bulgarian (Cyrillic) Alphabet and Culture (Day of St. Cyril & St. Methodius): May 24

Bulgaria and Bulgarians around the world celebrated on May 24, 2019, the Day of St. Cyril and St. Methodius, i.e. the Day of the Bulgarian Alphabet (more widely known internationally as the Cyrillic Alphabet) and Bulgarian Culture.

For the First Time Fortress Gate of Ancient Odessos Discovered in Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

For the First Time Fortress Gate of Ancient Odessos Discovered in Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna

Archaeologists have discovered for the first time one of the fortress gates of the Ancient Thracian, Greek, and Roman city of Odessos (Odessus), namely, its southwestern gate, in Varna, the largest modern-day city on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.

Late Bronze Age Settlement Discovered in Northwest Bulgaria in Turkish Stream Gas Pipeline Rescue Digs

Late Bronze Age Settlement Discovered in Northwest Bulgaria in Turkish Stream Gas Pipeline Rescue Digs

A settlement originally dating back to the Late Bronze Age, which was also subsequently inhabited in the Thracian and Roman Antiquity, and the Middle Age, has been discovered by archaeologists near Rasovo in Northwest Bulgaria during rescue excavation on the…

Ancient Thrace’s Largest Gold Treasure, Valchitran Treasure, to Be Shown in Bulgaira's Black Sea City Burgas for the First Time

Ancient Thrace’s Largest Gold Treasure, Valchitran Treasure, to Be Shown in Bulgaira’s Black Sea City Burgas for the First Time

The largest gold treasure from Ancient Thrace, the Valchitran Gold Treasure, which dates back to the end of the Late Bronze Age, is to be showcased for the first time in Bulgaria’s Black Sea city of Burgas.

162-Year-Old Church with Valuable Original Iconostasis Gets Fully Renovated in Bulgaria’s Plakovo

162-Year-Old Church with Valuable Original Iconostasis Gets Fully Renovated in Bulgaria’s Plakovo

A 162-year-old church with an original iconostasis built back when Bulgaria was still part of the Ottoman Empire has been completely renovated, and literally reborn, in the town of Plakovo, Veliko Tarnovo District, as a result of a 13-year-long effort,…

World’s Largest 'Historical Park' to Be Opened near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna in Spring 2019

World’s Largest ‘Historical Park’ to Be Opened near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna in Spring 2019

A “Historical Park” for cultural tourism, education, and entertainment purposes described as “the world’s largest and first of its kind” by its creators is going to open doors in the spring of 2019 in the town of Neofit Rilski, near…

Baby Burial in Clay Pot Found in 1330s Church in Trapesitsa Fortress in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo

Baby Burial in Clay Pot Found in 1330s Church in Trapesitsa Fortress in Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo

An odd burial in which a very young child, or a baby, was buried inside a clay pot has been discovered together with over 50 other graves under the floor of a 14th century church in the Trapesitsa Fortress in…

Bulgaria’s Nikopol to Build Fishing Settlements from Paleolithic till Middle Ages in New Danube Archaeological Park

Bulgaria’s Nikopol to Build Fishing Settlements from Paleolithic till Middle Ages in New Danube Archaeological Park

An archaeological park with a total of five fishing settlements recreating fishermen’s in the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age), Chalcolithic (Copper Age, Aeneolithic), the Bronze Age, the Roman Antiquity, and the Middle Ages will be built by the Danube town of…

Bulgaria’s National History Museum Extends Exhibition of 2018 Archaeological Discoveries

Bulgaria’s National History Museum Extends Exhibition of 2018 Archaeological Discoveries

Bulgaria’s National Museum of History in Sofia has extended by one month its exhibition showcasing for the first time artifacts discovered by its own archaeologists during the 2018 archaeological season.

Ancient Panacea Theriac Meddled ‘Successfully’ in One of the Last Wars of the Bulgarian and Byzantine Empires in 1323

Ancient Panacea Theriac Meddled ‘Successfully’ in One of the Last Wars of the Bulgarian and Byzantine Empires in 1323

Theriac is a legendary heal-all from the Antiquity and the Middle Ages, whose panacea effects seem doubtful, including because it was often forged, but which nonetheless made a supposedly “successful” appearance in 1323, in one of the last episodes of…

Wooden Buildings from Ancient Thrace, Colorful Roman Building Discovered at Nebet Tepe Fortress in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv

Wooden Buildings from Ancient Thrace, Colorful Roman Building Discovered at Nebet Tepe Fortress in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv

The foundations of wooden buildings from Ancient Thrace dating to the 1st millennium BC and a colorful Ancient Roman building above them have been discovered by archaeologists excavating a private property at the Nebet Tepe Fortress, a prehistoric, ancient, and…

Ivanovo Rock Churches near Bulgaria’s Danube City Ruse Attract Double Number of Foreign Tourists in 2018

Ivanovo Rock Churches near Bulgaria’s Danube City Ruse Attract Double Number of Foreign Tourists in 2018

The number of foreign tourists who visited the Ivanovo Rock-Hewn Churches, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near the Danube city of Ruse in Northeast Bulgaria, doubled in 2018 compared with 2017.

5 Incredible Underwater Discoveries by Black Sea MAP in Bulgaria’s Zone: From Ancient Sunken Ships to the Biblical Deluge

5 Incredible Underwater Discoveries by Black Sea MAP in Bulgaria’s Zone: From Ancient Sunken Ships to the Biblical Deluge

2018 was the third and last year of the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project (Black Sea M.A.P.), an international research endeavor which has made previously unimaginable underwater archaeology discoveries, in terms of ancient sunken ships and not only, in Bulgaria’s…

Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo Sees Big Hikes in Numbers of Chinese, American, French Tourists in 2018

Bulgaria’s Veliko Tarnovo Sees Big Hikes in Numbers of Chinese, American, French Tourists in 2018

The archaeological, historical, and cultural tourism sites from the Antiquity, Middle Ages and the Modern Age in the city of Veliko Tarnovo, including Bulgaria’s most popular landmark, the Tsarevets Fortress, saw major increases in the numbers of foreign tourists from…

8-Year-Old Girl Becomes First Visitor of Tsarevets Fortress, All of Bulgaria’s Landmarks for 2019

8-Year-Old Girl Becomes First Visitor of Tsarevets Fortress, All of Bulgaria’s Landmarks for 2019

An 8-year-old girl, Boyana Tsanevska from Varna, has become the first visitor for 2019 of Bulgaria’s most popular archaeological and historical site, the Tsarevets Hill Fortress in Veliko Tarnovo.

Top 50: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in Calendar Year 2018

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.

Weird 15th Century Miners’ Burials, Venetian Theriac Cap Found in Bulgaria’s Kremikovtsi Monastery near Sofia

Weird 15th Century Miners’ Burials, Venetian Theriac Cap Found in Bulgaria’s Kremikovtsi Monastery near Sofia

Dozens of weird Christian burials in which 15th and 16th century local miners were buried with bricks on their heads have been discovered in a late medieval necropolis at the Kremikovtsi Monastery right outside of Bulgaria’s capital Sofia.

Top 25: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in Fourth Quarter 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.

Top 20: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in December 2018

Top 20: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in December 2018

Following are the 20 most popular stories with you, the readers of ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com, during the month of December 2018.

Bulgaria’s Early Renaissance Boyana Church Gets Improved Lighting ahead of 40th UNESCO World Heritage Site Anniversary

Bulgaria’s Early Renaissance Boyana Church Gets Improved Lighting ahead of 40th UNESCO World Heritage Site Anniversary

The Early Renaissance Boyana Church in the Boyana quarter of Bulgaria’s capital Sofia, best known for its absolutely unique 1259 murals, has been equipped with brand new and improved lighting as it is about to celebrate the 40th anniversary since…

14th Century Tatar Plunder Treasure Pot Shown for the First Time in 2018 Archaeological Discoveries Exhibition

14th Century Tatar Plunder Treasure Pot Shown for the First Time in 2018 Archaeological Discoveries Exhibition

The treasure pot with Tatar plunder from ca. 1400 discovered in August 2018 in the Kaliakara Cape Fortress on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast has been exhibited for the first time for the general public at the National Museum of History…

Top 20: Most Popular Stories on ArchaeologyinBulgaria.com in November 2018

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.

Archaeology in Bulgaria. and Beyond