Bulgaria ups funding for archaeology in 2014 amid criticism over scant cash
Bulgaria’s cabinet approved additional spending of 1.5 million leva (about 750 000 euro) in the budget of the culture ministry for 2014, with the money to go to archaeological excavations and field preservation of finds.
The move, decided at a cabinet meeting on July 16, comes after numerous reports from around Bulgaria – a country rich in archaeological heritage – that digs in 2014 either could not go ahead or were being cut back because of under-funding by the state. It remains to be seen whether the additional money will allay criticisms.
A cabinet statement said that the additional money was being provided in part by restructuring costs.
Before the cabinet statement, archaeologist Professor Nikolai Ovcharov, well-known for his work Bulgaria’s Perperikon site and popularly dubbed “the Bulgarian Indiana Jones” said that excavations at the site this summer would start only on August 4.
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(Photo of Perperikon: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
