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…
Roman Woman’s Bronze Statuette, 300 More Artifacts Seized from Treasure Hunters Showcased in Exhibition in Bulgaria’s Pazardzhik
A total of 300 archaeological artifacts from different ages, including a 2nd-3rd century AD Ancient Roman bronze figurine of a woman, which have been seized from treasure hunters in Bulgaria’s southern Pazardzhik District, have been showcased in a special exhibition…
Treasure Hunters Raid Bronze Age Burial Mound in Denmark’s Jutland
In a related news story, treasure hunters have robbed a burial mound in Denmark’s Jutland Peninsula (Cimbric or Cimbrian Peninsula), which is believed to have dated back to the Bronze Age, The Copenhagen Post Online reports citing Nordjyske.
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…
Bulgaria’s Primorsko to Build Special Vault to Exhibit Newly Found Ancient Thracian Gold Treasure
The Ancient Thracian gold treasure, which was discovered recently near Bulgaria’s Black Sea resort of Primorsko, is to be exhibited in a special safety vault to be built with local funding.
Ancient Thracian Gold Treasure Discovered in Rescue Digs of Burial Mound near Bulgaria’s Primorsko
An Ancient Thracian gold treasure “from the time of Alexander the Great” has been discovered by archaeologists during the rescue excavations of a Thracian burial mound near the Black Sea resort of Primorsko in Southeast Bulgaria.
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…
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…
Archaeologists Find Byzantine General’s Seal, Medieval Necropolis in Lyutitsa Fortress near Bulgaria’s Ivaylovgrad
A well preserved lead seal of a medieval Byzantine general is just one of the numerous artifacts which have been discovered by the archaeologists excavating the Late Antiquity and medieval fortress Lyutitsa near the town of Ivaylovgrad in Southern Bulgaria.
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…
Archaeologists Find Perfectly Preserved Gold Coin of Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas in Bulgarian Black Sea Resort Balchik
A perfectly preserved gold coin of 10th century Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus II Phocas (r. 963-969) has been discovered during archaeological excavations of the medieval fortress Karvuna in the Bulgarian Black Sea town of Balchik.
Archaeologists Start First Ever Excavations of Buzovo Kale Fortress near Bulgaria’s Kazanlak
A team of archaeologists has started the first ever excavations of the Early Byzantine, and medieval Bulgarian fortress of Buzovo Kale near the towns of Buzovgrad and Kazanlak in Central Bulgaria.
Roman Era Getae-Dacian Family Tomb Discovered in Bulgaria’s Velikovo in Rescue Excavations after Treasure Hunting Raid
A Roman Era family tomb with Getae-Dacian, i.e. Thracian features has been discovered near the town of Velikovo, General Toshevo Municipality, in Bulgaria’s northeastern Dobrich District.
Unseen Prehistoric Arms, Ancient & Medieval Swords Made Public for the First Time in Special Exhibit in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv
A medieval sword depicting the Holy Mother of God (Virgin Mary) and hundreds of other samples of prehistoric, ancient, and medieval arms originating in Bulgaria, which have never been made public before, have been exhibited by the Museum of Archaeology…
Bulgaria’s Dimovo to Finally Build Open-air Museum of Ratiaria – Huge Ancient Roman Danube Colony Obliterated by Looters
The Town Council of Dimovo Municipality on the Danube in Northwest Bulgaria has voted to establish an open-air museum at the Ancient Roman colony Ratiaria, a huge Roman arsenal city which has been brutally destroyed by treasure hunters over the…
Police Seize over 400 Archaeological Artifacts from Treasure Hunter in Northwest Bulgaria
Over 400 archaeological artifacts acquired through illegal excavations have been seized from a treasure hunter by the police in the town of Slatina, Berkovitsa Municipality, Montana District, in Northwest Bulgaria.
Stolen Thracian-Roman Silver Mask Helmet Restored, Showcased in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv 21 Years after Theft
A very rare Thracian-Roman mask helmet made of iron and silver, which was stolen in a brazen museum robbery back in 1995, and was recovered by the Bulgarian intelligence in 2015, has now been restored and showcased once again at…
Some 500,000 Treasure Hunters Destroying Bulgaria’s Archaeological Heritage on Daily Basis, Archaeologist Estimates
About 500,000 people in Bulgaria are dealing with treasure hunting and thus destroying the country’s archaeological, historical, and cultural heritage, an archaeologist estimates.
Police Bust Treasure Hunters with 400 Archaeological Artifacts from Ancient Roman City Ulpia Oescus in Northern Bulgaria
A total 387 archaeological artifacts have been seized from two men residing near the Ancient Roman city of Ulpia Oescus by the police in Pleven District in Northern Bulgaria.
Treasure Hunters Get Away with Suspended Sentences in High Profile Trial in Bulgaria’s Pazardzhik
Three men have been found guilty of treasure hunting and antiques trafficking in a high profile trial in the southern Bulgarian city of Pazardzhik but have gotten away with suspended sentences.
USD 1 Billion Worth of Archaeological Artifacts Smuggled Out of Bulgaria Annually, Archaeologist Claims
The archaeological artifacts extracted and exported from Bulgaria through treasure hunting and illegal trafficking of antiques are worth about USD 1 billion annually, according to Assoc. Prof. Konstantin Dochev, head of the Veliko Tarnovo Office of the Sofia-based National Institute…
Senior Bulgarian Civil Servant Caught with Diverse Collection of Archaeological Artifacts, Coins in Anti-Treasure Hunting Raid
A senior Bulgarian civil servant has been arrested together with an accomplice for alleged treasure hunting and illegal possession of valuable archaeological artifacts and coins, some of which said to be dating back to 2,500 BC.
Bulgarian, Greek Treasure Hunting Gang Busted by Border Police
A gang of Bulgarian and Greek treasure hunters has been arrested near the town of Huhla, Ivaylovgrad Municipality, in Southern Bulgaria.
Rogozen Treasure Phiale with Auge and Heracles (Hercules) Shows Thracian Aristocracy Valued Art of Classical Greece, Bulgarian Archaeologist Says
One of the most interesting vessels from the Ancient Thracian Rogozen Treasure, a phiale depicting Auge and Heracles (Hercules) in a famous scene of ancient mythology, shows that the aristocracy of Ancient Thrace had appreciation for the classical art of…
Medieval Reliquary Discovered at Christian Monastery Looted by Treasure Hunters ahead of Archaeological Excavations
A medieval reliquary and a piece of a bronze cross have been found at the ruins of a monastery from the 11th-12th century located near the town of Dobromirtsi in Bulgaria’s southernmost municipality Kirkovo.
Bulgaria’s Kirkovo to Excavate Medieval Christian Monastery in Search of Grave of Last Patriarch of Second Bulgarian Empire
Kirkovo, Bulgaria’s southernmost municipality bordering Greece, and located some 20 km north of the Aegean coast, is going to restart the archaeological excavations of a medieval Christian monastery in search of the grave of St. Patriarch Evtimiy (Euthymius) of Tarnovo…
Treasure Hunters Destroy Ancient Roman Bridge near Bulgaria’s Drangovo in Search of Legendary Gold Treasure
An old arch bridge located in the picturesque Rhodope Mountains in Southern Bulgaria, which was built by the Ancient Romans back at the time of the Roman Empire, has been shattered by ruthless modern-day Bulgarian or Greek treasure hunters who…
