site.btaPolish Treasure Hunters Arrested at Heraclea Sintica

Petrich police officers detained treasure hunters in the area of ​​the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica, the press centre of the Blagoevgrad Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry said on Thursday. The treasure hunters are Polish citizens, aged 19 and 51 years old.

Three metal detectors were found and seized from their possession as well.

The Regional Prosecutor's Office has been notified and pre-trial proceedings have been initiated in the case.

Professor Dr. Lyudmil Vagalinski, who is leading the excavations in the ancient city, noted that the treasure hunters were noticed by the guards of Heraclea Sintica. He pointed out that treasure hunting is the same as plundering the history and the future of the people, as the country's economy is also affected.

"We are talking about cultural tourism, and we cannot protect our sites. We are talking about treasure hunters who have been searching in the Heraclea region, a site that attracts many visitors," Vagalinski added, stressing that such raids by treasure hunters threaten the site and are an obstacle to Bulgarian archaeology.

Vagalinski emphasized that if there is political will for this, treasure hunting can be significantly reduced and that such cases should not be hidden from the public. "The fact that foreigners come here to search is very indicative. This shows to what extent we are a degraded yard and how safe they (treasure hunters) feel, because they would not allow such an attitude to search for treasures in Greece, let alone in Turkiye, for example", the professor stressed, adding that this is why such events must be publicized. "If it is not publicized, we cannot reduce this process," he concluded.