BURGAS, BULGARIA—Archaeology in Bulgaria reports that disc-shaped copper ingots have been recovered from a Late Bronze Age shipwreck located near the Maslen Nos cape on southeastern Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. Archaeologist Miroslav Klasnakov said Late Bronze Age ingots unearthed inland are shaped like a stretched-out ox skin. These ingots, however, are similar to those recovered from ancient shipwrecks along southern Anatolia’s Mediterranean coastline. The shape of the copper ingots indicates that ancient Thracians had maritime trade contacts with peoples living near Turkey’s southern coast, Klasnakov explained. The ingots could also offer researchers information about mining and metallurgy in the Strandzha Mountains, he added. To read about two ancient shipwrecks whose cargoes included Bronze Age ingots, go to "History's 10 Greatest Wrecks: Cape Gelidonya and Uluburun."
