site.btaThree Bulgarians Try to Smuggle Archaeological Artifacts out of Romania

Sixty-two coins from the Roman era and the Middle Ages and other artifacts, hidden in the luggage of three Bulgarians, were intercepted by border police in Southeastern Romania.

The suspected smugglers were travelling by car and arrived at the Negru Voda checkpoint on Romania's border with Bulgaria on Sunday afternoon. In addition to the cultural property items, the officers found three metal detectors, probably used to discover objects of archaeological value, the Romanian border guard said.

The Romanian authorities instituted a criminal case of attempted illegal export of cultural heritage and use of metal detectors in archaeologically important areas. Local investigators are trying to determine whether the suspects had been using the metal detectors legally for the purpose of archaeological exploration in Romania, and whether the area of their discoveries is on the national list of historical sites.

An inconclusive examination by an expert numismatist with the Museum of National History and Archaeology in Constanta identified the items as an arrow tip, three unusual objects which could be elements of a single set, and 62 bronze and silver coins of late Roman (4th century AD) and probably Ottoman origin. They may come from multiple archaeological sites.

The objects were handed over to the Constanta museum for safekeeping. Archaeologists at the museum will carry out conservation work and an expert examination, and will determine the value of the items and their place in the heritage of the historical region of Dobrudzha.