Online journal of volunteer archaeology and training

August 2009

Past Horizons
Adventures in Archaeology
Zulu
Legends

Bulgarian
Frescoes

B r i s l ington
Project

Time Team
America

Looting
Bulgaria

Ratiaria
S
B y K rassimira Luk a

The Looting of

i t u a ted on the banks of the Danube in north w e s tern Bulgaria sits the ancient city of Colonia U l p ia Traiana Ratiaria, once considered one of t h e m o s t i mportant Roman and Early Byzantine centres i n t h e r e g ion. I t s d o w n f all came in the 440s when it was sacked by the H u n s , r e c overing briefly only to be devastated in 586 by t h e Av a r s . Now, some 1500 years later, the destruction o f t h e c i t y is nearly complete but this time Rataria is at t h e m e r c y of organised crime.
continued

The D a n u b e, w h e re i t f l ow s p a s t t h e t ow n o f V i d i n . Photo: K learchos K apoutsis Above: B ro n ze h e a d t h o u g h t t o b e o f E m p e ro r Tra j a n found at R ataria and later stolen from the Regional Heritage Museum of Vidin .

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Vidin

Romania

Ratiaria
Serbia Sophia

Bulgaria

Black Sea

FYROM
50 km

Greece

Turkey

30 mi
Daniel Dalet

Bulgaria

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Evidence of the scale of l o o t i n g a t Ra t i a r i a . T h e re d a r row i n t h e s e co n d i m a g e p o i n t s to a s k u l l t h a t h a s b e e n d i s ca rd e d by a tomb robber.

R a t i a ria lies cl ose t o t he vi ll age of A r ch ar i n t he Vidin regi on of B ulgar ia and wa s f ir st ex c a vated from 1958 - 1962 t he n f rom 1 9 7 6 1 99 1. However, si nce t hen no ar chaeo l og ic al w o rk h as tak en pl ace a t t he sit e. This i s at a t i me when all o ther s ignif i cant anc ien t cit ies i n Bulgaria are being st udi ed, conserv ed an d o pe ned to the publ ic as par t of a commi tme nt t o t he n ations c ult ural he ri ta ge w hic h th en b eg s the q u estion: w hy is Rat iar i bei ng le ft to t he mercy of the l ooter s?

Th er e h as b een n o cl ear an swe r. Th e d ut y l ies p ri mar ily wi th t h e R eg io n al H e ri t ag e M u seu m o f Vid in wh i ch is r esp o n s i b l e fo r a ll hi sto ri c si tes i n th e ar ea b ut s eem s t o d o n o th in g . H ig h li gh ti ng t hi s, t h e m os t rece nt d at a av ail ab le f ro m t he Bu l ga ri a n A cad em y o f Sci en ce s stu d y of a rc ha eo lo g ic al f i n d s an d e xc av at io ns i n 20 0 7 is ex tr eme l y rev ea l i n g . O f th e 2 9 5 site s in v esti g ate d i n B ul g ari a t ha t y ear on ly fo u r t oo k p la ce w i t hi n Vi di n a nd n on e w er e car r ied o ut b y t h e R eg i on al M u seu m. G ov er n men ta l leg isl ati o n s t at e s t h at

A rch i te c t u ra l fra gm e n ts wi th i n s cr ipt ion s fo un d du ring exca vt io ns f ro m 1976 - 1991.

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t h e r e m i t o f i t s r egional museums are to search f o r, s t u d y, c o l l ect, acquire, store, document a n d p o p u l a r i s e cultural monuments , and in a c c o r d a n c e w i t h the current Culture Heritage A c t t h e m a i n activity of the museum is to p r o t e c t a n d e x hibit movable and immovable c u l t u r a l a r t e f a c ts. T h e R e g i o n a l Museum, therefore, has a duty o f c a r e t o t h e monuments under its control. L o o k i n g a t R a t iaria the evidence of looting is t h e r e f o r a l l t o see but in actual fact there is n o n e e d t o e v e n visit the site. Recent aerial p h o t o g r a p h s a vailable on the internet show a l m os t t h e w h o le area scarred with bulldozer t r a c k s . R a t i a r ia is being systematically d e s t r o y e d u s i ng everything from shovels t o h e a v y - d u t y machinery with standing m o n u m e n t s r e d uced to rubble, tombs broken i n t o a n d h u m a n remains and pottery scattered a l l a r o u n d . I t i s in a precarious state yet noo n e w i l l t a k e r esponsibility for it.

The problem is not new, however. I t h a s b e e n ongoing for at least 10 years and o c c a s i o n a l l y the Bulgarian government is f o r c e d i n t o taking action. In 2001, in respon s e t o p u b l i c pressure, the government set o u t a s e r i e s of recommendations requirin g Dimovo Municipality and the Region a l H e r i t a g e Museum of Vidin to take actio n r e g a r d i n g Ratiaria. Of course,they are only recomme n d a t i o n s a n d the various bodies involved are n o t o b l i g e d to act upon them. Indeed, promis e s t o b u i l d a police station on the site never m a t e r i a l i s e d and funding for a monument war d e n w a s c u t . Of those actually caught in the a c t o f i l l e g a l excavation and tried before the re g i o n a l c o u r t in 2000 and 2001 each persons c h a rg e s w e r e dropped. Eight years later, despit e e x t e n s i v e coverage by the Bulgarian new s p a p e r s t o highlight the problem, not one o f t h e 2 0 0 1 directives has been implemented . T h e o n l y
continued

G overnment recommendations fo r D i m ovo M u n i c i p a l i t y a n d t h e R e g i o n a l H e r i t a g e Museum of Vidin Cons truc tion of a police st at i o n o n t h e s i te The implementation of all l o c a l l a n d u s e l aws The creation of a database o f l o c a l l a n d ow n e r s Monument boundar y to be d e f i n e d Repair of fences and signa g e Archaeologic al salvage wo r k to b e u n d e r t a ke n Backfilling of looter trench e s Obtain protec ted status fo r R at i a r i a Carr y out regular archaeol o g i c a l exc avat i o n s

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p e o p l e w h o b e nefit from the inactivity of t h e l o c a l a u t h o rity and the Regional Historic M u s e u m o f Vi d in are those who plunder and t r a d e i n a n c i e n t artefacts. D e s p i t e n e w government laws explicitly l a y i ng o u t h o w sites should be protected the t e m p t a t i o n t o earn substantial amounts of h a r d c u r r e n c y i s simply too great. Organised c r i m i n a l s t r a n s port artefacts through Germany a n d t h e n o n t o the world collectors market w h e r e B u l g a r i an antiquities are in high d e m an d . R a t i a r ia, it seems, is the tip of the i c e b e rg . S a d l y, Bulgaria is being drained of i t s h e r i t a g e a t s uch a rate that the antiquities m a r k e t i s n o w flooded. Volodia Velkov, head o f t h e B u l g a r i an police unit charged with c o m b a t i n g o rg a nised crime, said in 2 007 that t h e l o o t i n g o f h istoric monuments in Bulgaria g e n e r a t e s b i l l i ons of dollars per year. The p o t e n t i a l t o e a r n such vast sums of money leads t o t h e c o n c l u s i on that unless there is proper p r o t e c t i o n , v u l nerable sites like Ratiaria will n o t s u r v i v e t h e onslaught.

Those who want to see this situa t i o n c h a n g e must act immediately, directly an d p o s i t i v e l y. The Bulgarian Archaeological A s s o c i a t i o n along with other interested grou p s h a v e s e t themselves the goal of attracting t h e a t t e n t i o n of the international community a n d t o r a i s e funds to protect Ratiaria in the s h o r t t e r m . In the longer term it is hoped t o i m p l e m e n t a programme of research, interp r e t a t i o n a n d consolidation. The potential to save this site l i e s w i t h a l l of us but unfortunately it is nea r l y t o o l a t e . Bulgaria still has many wonderf u l t r e a s u r e s to be proud of but these resour c e s a r e b o t h fragile and finite. It is important t o s u p p o r t t h e fight to protect Colonia Ulpia Trai a n a R a t i a r i a and ensure this significant archae o l o g i c a l s i t e survives this terrible destruction.
K ra s s i m i ra Lu ka i s t h e d i re c to r o f t h e B u l g a r i a n A rchaeologocal Association (BAA)which was formed i n 2 0 0 0 w i t h t h e a i m o f s t i mu l a t i n g a rc h a e o l o g i ca l re s e a rc h i n B u l g a r i a a n d t h e B a l ka n s.

Ever y year the B AA organises an international field school based around the subjec t of Roman archaeology Find B AA at: http://w w w.archaeology.archb g.net

I f you are viewing this magazine on SCRIBD, then you will not be able to see the video. You can view it on either the full flip page version of the magazine: w w w.pasthor izons.com/magazine or http://w w w.youtube.com/watch?v=8jD j4j2XecA

Watc h the video - Al Jazeera investigates antiquit y looting in Bulga r i a past horizons

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YO U C A N H E L P S AV E R AT I A R I A
The BAA is ask ing for a 1 donation per person to help save R atiar ia. To donate please go to:
http://w w w.archae o l o g y. a rc h b g. n e t / fs _ e xc avat i o n s _ rat i a r i a . ht ml

and sign the petition:

http://w w w.ipetitio n s. co m / p e t i t i o n / rat i a r i a / i n d e x . ht ml

3rd centur y Roman v i l l a m o s a i c f ro m Ra t i a r i a

2 n d ce n tu r y R o m a n co in o f Pe r t in a x f o u n d a t A rch a r.

2 n d ce n tu r y m a rb l e s ta t ue of Heracles f o u n d a t Ra t ia r ia a n d s tolen from the R e gi o n a l H er it a ge M u s eum of Vidin.

( c ) 2 0 0 9 G o o g l e - I m a g e r y ( c ) D i g i t a l G l o b e, Cn e s / S p o t I m a g e, G e o Eye, M a p D ata (c)2009 Tele Atlas

A rea of Ra t i a r i a h e a v i l y- s ca r re d w i t h b u l l d oze r a c tivit y.

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