Replacing a bar counter: a precious Roman sarcophagus was accidentally found on a beach in Bulgaria

The sarcophagus is estimated to be 1700 years old, but this did not faze the owner of a Bulgarian beach bar, who used the ancient Roman coffin as a table.

The abandoned sarcophagus was noticed by a former police officer who was vacationing on a beach in northwestern Bulgaria. He immediately notified the local authorities, and later representatives of the Varna Regional History Museum and the Cultural Heritage Protection Office arrived at the site.

After a detailed examination, the experts confirmed that the find was indeed a precious Roman artifact dating back to 1700 years. Subsequently, Bulgarian journalists tracked down «movement» sarcophagus and discovered that as late as 2020 it was used as a table in a local beach bar.

The photo shows people sitting around a sarcophagus decorated with flowers and a bar in the background. It is not known how the artifact got there and why it was later abandoned in the middle of the sand — The owner declined to comment.

Currently, the sarcophagus is being transported to the Varna Archaeological Museum using heavy equipment and the fire department.

After removing the paint on the facade, archaeologists discovered shell limestone and garland-like patterns — a common motif in ancient Roman funerary art.

At the same time, the design does not match the aesthetics of other Roman artifacts found in Varna, so it was most likely imported from another region of Bulgaria. Varna was a Thracian settlement, then an ancient Greek colony, and became part of the Roman Empire in 15 AD.

Source: Interesting Engineering