Organised crime police have recovered six intact vessels from the Black Sea. On 16 October 2026 they handed them to the National History Museum, where they will go on display. Museum specialists helped with the search.
The finds are one late antique jug and five amphorae. The amphorae date from Roman times, late antiquity (5th–6th century) and the Middle Ages (10th–12th century).
Experts say vessels like these are very rare and have high archaeological value because they are undamaged.
How they were found is not known exactly. The information gathered so far suggests they were most likely hauled up from deep water by a trawl, when fishing nets snagged sunken ships that had sailed the open sea. The likely site is off ancient Dionysopolis, today's Balchik.
The statement said the case shows that Bulgaria's territorial waters need more deep-sea archaeological surveys and more work in marine archaeology. It also shows the damage that mobile fishing gear does to the seabed.
According to scientific studies, trawls are the most common cause of damage to objects from ships. About 5% are damaged when a ship sinks, but over 60% when trawling takes place.