Late Bronze Age Copper Discs Recovered from Black Sea

News April 24, 2020

(Courtesy Miroslav Klasnakov)
SHARE:
Copper Ingot
(Courtesy Miroslav Klasnakov)

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.”

  • Features March/April 2020

    Remembering the Shark Hunters

    Unique burials show how ancient Peruvians celebrated dangerous deep-sea expeditions

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Gabriel Prieto)
  • Letter from the Four Corners March/April 2020

    In Search of Prehistoric Potatoes

    Native peoples of the American Southwest dined on a little-known spud at least 10,000 years ago

    Read Article
    (©2020/Jerry Redfern)
  • Artifacts March/April 2020

    Gravettian “Venus” Figure

    Read Article
    (Courtesy INRAP)
  • Digs & Discoveries March/April 2020

    Ancient Academia

    Read Article
    (© The Trustees of the British Museum)