A thousands-year-old sarcophagus was discovered on a beach in Bulgaria
- By : Darkredowl
- Категория: Europe, News
A sarcophagus with rich relief decoration was found on the beach of the resort „St. St. Kostantin and Elena“, near Varna, reported the press center of the Ministry of the Interior. A former law enforcement officer noticed the sarcophagus and filed a report yesterday afternoon at the Fifth Regional Office in Varna. The sarcophagus was not far from a newly built but still non-working complex.
A police team was dispatched to the site and an inspection was carried out in the presence of specialists from the Archaeological Museum in Varna and a representative of the regional structure of the Main Directorate „Inspector for the Protection of Cultural Heritage“ at the Ministry of Culture.
According to the initial view of the experts, the cultural value is a sarcophagus without a lid, from the Roman era, with rich relief decoration, probably from the period of the II-III century AD, with approximate dimensions of 90 x 235 x 75 cm. Its four sides are decorated with characteristic relief stylized ornaments – garlands with hanging bunches, animal heads, rosettes, labris (double-edged axe), etc.
With the help of employees of the Regional Directorate „Fire Safety and Protection of the Population“, the heavy artifact was transported for storage in the Archaeological Museum of Varna, where the appointment of experts is pending.
The case was reported to a prosecutor at the Varna District Prosecutor’s Office, a pre-trial proceeding was initiated.
At the moment, we are removing the paint from the sarcophagus in certain places, we are making excavations to see what is under it, are there any remains of original coloring, what is the manufacturing method, which will give information on how authentic the sarcophagus is. This is what Milen Marinov, a restorer at the Regional History Museum in Varna, who is part of the team working on the sarcophagus, told BTA.
He added that nothing can yet be said about the attribution until enough discoveries are made that will inform whether it is old or new. At the moment, we are removing the paint with the most elementary physical methods, further there are other studies that can be done, explained Marinov.
„We’re just getting started, we can’t say anything yet. It can be authentic, it can be authentically finished, it can be something that someone ordered to be made for him, there are many ways to age something that was made in modern times,“ the expert also commented.
