Archaeology: Sunken glass treasure found near Bourgas on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast
Part of the largest sunken glass treasure on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast has been found off Bourgas, according to a media statement by Bourgas municipality.
The statement said that for years, archaeologists had known about finds of such artefacts by divers, but not the specific location of the treasure.
With the support of Bourgas municipality, research was carried out on shore and underwater in the area of Chengene Skele bay, near Cape Chiroza, leading to interesting discoveries, the statement said.
The finds include dozens of parts of glass vessels of exceptional quality, which were displayed at a news conference on October 1 at Bourgas’s Ethnographic Museum.
Most are wine glasses. Archaeologists do not want to speculate, but suggest that they were made in the 17th century, probably somewhere in Italy.
The archaeologists theorise that the glass treasure had been on board a ship that struck a reef and sank near Cape Chiroza. They believe that if the underwater research continues, the ship itself and more of its cargo may be found.
The statement said even with the glass vessels found so far, the Bourgas Regional History Museum now possesses more luxury glass than Bulgaria’s National History Museum and many other museums in Europe.
Bourgas mayor Dimitar Nikolov said that only three to four per cent of Chengene Skele bay of interest for scientific research had been explored so far.
“We expect more interesting finds. We will continue to help archaeologists financially and logistically,” Nikolov said.
He said that the municipality suspected that some interesting finds from the site already had been made by divers over the years “so I urge people who have such objects in their homes to return them to the museum, so that we can have an impressive exhibition”.
“I officially declare that the municipality of Bourgas will provide funds to buy them,” he said.
(Photos: Bourgas municipality)
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