Three Bulgarians caught while trying to flee Romania with rare treasure, hidden in a bottle

More than 60 coins from the Roman and medieval period were found by the Constanta border policemen in the luggage of some Bulgarian treasure hunters, these being discovered in several archaeological sites in Romania.

The Coast Guard announced, on Tuesday, through a press release, that the unusual discovery was made by the border police from Negru Vodă, on Sunday afternoon.

A car registered in Bulgaria arrived at the border control point, in which there were three people, all Bulgarian citizens. The police officers who carried out the check found 62 coins with inscriptions in Latin in a plastic bottle, as well as four other items.

Also, three used metal detectors were found, most likely used to discover archaeological treasures, the representatives of the Coast Guard specified.

In the case, a criminal case was opened for the illegal export of heritage goods and access with metal detectors or their use in areas with archaeological heritage.

At the same time, the investigators are conducting research to verify whether Bulgarian citizens were legally using metal detectors for archaeological discoveries on Romanian territory, and the area where the discovery was made is registered as an archaeological site in the List of Historical Monuments.

“A numismatics expert from the Constanţa Museum of National History and Archeology carried out a preliminary examination of the objects discovered by the border police, stating that the four objects (an arrowhead, three atypical elements that may represent parts of an ) and 62 bronze and silver coins are of Roman origin (4th century AD), with inscriptions in Latin, respectively of medieval origin (probably Ottoman). They can come from several archaeological sites”, the border police also sent.

The representatives of the Coast Guard also specified that the objects and coins were left in the custody of archaeologists from the Constanţa National History and Archeology Museum, who will carry out preventive conservation measures, will expertize the objects and establish their value and importance for Dobrogean heritage.