Forty silver coins  have been found in the forum at the Odeon site in the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. The Roman coins date to the third century and bear images of emperors from the Severan dynasty. More than 600 coins have been excavated from the site so far, in addition to a marble eagle that was probably from the interior of a public building.

In northern Bulgaria, archaeologists have uncovered a necropolis in the path of a planned gas pipeline to Romania. The more than 100 tombs span the Thracian period to the First Bulgarian Kingdom, which is marked by high-status burials of individuals with modified skulls. Wooden coffins, and ceramics and glass from the Roman period, have also been found.

A Native American site in central Arizona has been damaged. The local authorities were asked to investigate a trespassing incident on the fenced private property, which is owned by the Archaeological Conservancy. The sheriff’s deputies found two freshly dug holes. Digging tools, screens, and a bucket were recovered from the scene.

An antiques dealer has been fined $15,000 for digging up bottles  from an archaeological site in Hamilton, New Zealand. Archaeologists had stopped work at the site because of heavy rainfall, but one of them later spotted the man digging up a bottle and pushing it through the fence surrounding the site. The archaeologists found other bottles in the weeds after the dealer ran away. He plans to appeal his conviction and the fine.

A planned excavation in Myanmar could yield 36 war planes. The Spitfires  were shipped to a British Royal Air Force base in Burma during World War II, but they were buried in their crates rather than assembled and flown. Aviation enthusiast David Cundall has been collecting eyewitness testimony and conducting research into lost military items for the past 20 years. He found this particular site, marked by electrically conductive material found during a geophysical survey, with the assistance of Roger Clark of the University of Leeds, and Adam Booth of Imperial College London. “Finding the right people to support me has been one of the most important aspects of this project.… I am looking forward to returning to Myanmar and hope to bring these legendary warbirds back to the U.K.,” Cundall said.

This entry was posted by Jessica E. Saraceni on Wednesday, November 28, 2012. Discussion of this blog entry is now closed.

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