Underwater Archaeologists Find Centuries-Old Glass Vessels Off The Coast Of Bulgaria

Experts suspect that the glass objects may have been part of a cargo spillage, or perhaps evidence of a shipwreck.

Regional Historical Museum BurgasAn archaeologist holds up some of the glass objects found off the coast of Bulgaria.

Hundreds of years ago, waves swelled off the coast of Burgas, Bulgaria, battering a ship. At some point, the ship lost its cargo — including hundreds of glass objects — which made their way to the bottom of Chengene Skele Bay. Now, archaeologists have brought them to the surface.

Many questions about the ship remain, including what exactly happened to the vessel on the night it lost hundreds of glass objects to the sea.

Discovering Glass Vessels In Chengene Skele Bay

Regional Historical Museum BurgasA fraction of the hundreds of glass objects that have been found in Bulgaria’s Chengene Skele Bay since 2020.

Archaeologists first became aware of the glass objects in Chengene Skele Bay in 2020. Dives that year, and in 2021, uncovered over 300 glass objects from the seafloor. A more recent dive in June 2024 revealed 112 more objects, according to the Regional Historical Museum Burgas (RHM Burgas).

The search for glass objects was led by Professor Ivan Hristov of RHM Burgas, and involved dives in five different parts of the bay.

“Dozens of fragments of glass objects were found here in 2020 and 2021,” the museum stated. “[I]n June 2024, 112 new whole and fragmented glassware have been discovered. The success of the diving team is the localization of the area with the greatest concentration of glass findings.”

Researchers believe that the glass vessels were probably manufactured on the Venetian island of Murano, sometime in the late 16th century or the beginning of the 17th century. As such, they’re “an important source of information on the poorly researched topic of consumption, trade, and production of glass in the Balkans during the Late Ottoman Period.”

Regional Historical Museum BurgasOne of the glass objects — this one in remarkable condition — which were located on the seafloor off the coast of Bulgaria by underwater archaeologists.

But many questions about the find still remain. Namely, what happened to the ship that was carrying the glass objects? And where is it now?

What Happened To The Ship?

Regional Historical Museum BurgasA piece of glassware recovered by underwater archaeologists, possibly from a centuries-old shipwreck.

According to RHM Burgas, there are two hypotheses about the ship that was carrying the glassware. The first is that the vessel hit rough seas and that its glass cargo spilled over its side and into the water. The second is that the ship went down in a storm alongside the glassware.

“The probability that the wreckage of the ship carrying glassware is near the place where the glass fragments were discovered is very high,” RHM Burgas noted in their Facebook post about the underwater find.

Though no shipwreck has been found yet, there seems to be evidence nearby. As RHM Burgas explained, underwater archaeologists have also discovered “iron anchor chains” and “heavily fragmented ceramic vessels,” possibly dating from the “Late Middle Ages and Renaissance.”

Regional Historical Museum BurgasThough objects on the seafloor hint at a shipwreck, underwater archaeologists have yet to find the wreck itself.

The latest excavation of the bay is complete — the glassware will be exhibited at the museum after conservation work — but underwater archaeologists are eager to explore more of the region.

“The researches conducted in the summer of 2024 add to the history of Chengene Bay Scaffold with new data and findings,” RHM Burgas explained on Facebook. “An extremely promising area for underwater excavation in the southeast of the bay is being set.”

After reading about the glass objects found off the coast of Bulgaria, discover the fascinating and haunting stories of sunken cities from around the world. Or, learn about Baiae, the sunken party town of ancient Rome.