site.btaVacationer Finds Roman Sarcophagus on Beach Near Varna

A vacationer found a Roman sarcophagus on a beach on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast Tuesday, said the Interior Ministry on Wednesday.

The man, a former law-enforcer on holiday at the Sts. Konstantin and Elena resort, spotted the sarcophagus on the beach near a recently finished construction site, and called the police. A police patrol arrived together with specialists from the Varna Archaeological Museum and a representative from the local office of the Culture Ministry Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. Upon inspection, they established that the sarcophagus dates back to Roman times, probably from the 2-3 century AD. It has a rich relief decoration, with characteristic stylized ornaments including garlands, leaves, grapes and animal heads, on all four sides.

The sarcophagus measures 90 х 235 х 75 cm. 

After the inspection the heavy artefact was transported for storage in the Varna Archaeological Museum, where further examinations will be made.

Milen Marinov, an expert with the local history museum, who is part of the team to examine the sarcophagus, told BTA that they have started removing paint from it. "We want to see what is under it, whether any of the original colouring has remained, what technique was used to make it - all of the information that will tell us if the sarcophagus is authentic. We have just started, we can't say anything for sure," he said.

The museum expert explained that the sarcophagus could be "authentic, touched-up authentic or something that somebody has ordered to be made for them" to look old. "There are many ways to make something new look ancient," he added.