Gaby
An ancient Roman sarcophagus has been found at one of Bulgaria’s oldest seaside resorts, just six kilometers from Varna. Since 2020, the coffin had been used as a table.
A former police officer vacationing at the St. Constantine and Helena resort noticed the unusual piece of furniture and reported his suspicions to local authorities. Authorities called in archaeologists, who confirmed that the object was a historical artifact.
Archaeologists from the Regional Historical Museum confirmed that the shell-limestone coffin dates to the Roman Empire. It belongs to a type known as a garland sarcophagus, distinguished by rich decoration. The reliefs include stylized garlands with clusters, rosettes, animal heads, and a double-headed axe, the labrys. While it served as a beach-bar table, the original lid had been swapped for a stone slab, the Daily Mail reported.
Archaeologist Alexander Minchev’s team dated the stone structure and the sarcophagus interior to the 2nd century AD. The artifact, about 2.5 meters long, has been moved to the Archaeological Museum in Varna for further study.
Minchev said that in Bulgaria every object of archaeological value—regardless of where, when, or by whom it was found—belongs to the state. That means anyone who finds such an object must hand it over to the nearest museum.
The case involving the sarcophagus that served as a bar table has been transferred to the Varna District Prosecutor’s Office. Prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation to determine how the sarcophagus ended up on the beach and why it was repurposed as beach-bar decor.
