The artifact was found in Saint Constantine and Helena, a resort town on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, and was confirmed by experts from the Regional History Museum in the nearby city of Varna to be a genuine Roman relic.

After removing its facade paint, archaeologists were able to attribute the find to so-called garland sarcophagi, typical of Roman funerary art, which are characterized by elaborate animal heads, rosettes, and a double-edged ax.

Archaeologists say that it is made from Shelly limestone, which is characteristic of north-western Bulgaria.

A former police officer, who was on holiday in the area this summer, reported the artifact to the local authorities at the end of July.

According to social media posts, the sarcophagus was spotted lying unattended on the beach and was used as a bar in one of the popular beach establishments in the resort.

The find and how it came to be on the beach have raised concerns about the preservation of cultural heritage in Bulgaria.

“Every object that has archaeological value, regardless of where, when, and by whom it was found, belongs to the state,” archaeologist Alexander Minchev from the Regional History Museum in Varna told state broadcaster Bulgarian National Television.

“It is the job of the police, possibly the prosecutor’s office, who must investigate how this sarcophagus ended up in Varna and on the beach. That is something to be done by the relevant authorities, and it must be done because this is probably not an isolated case,” he said.

Scientists in Bulgaria, one of the EU’s poorest countries, have struggled to fund excavations, which has resulted in looters pillaging some of the country’s archaeological treasures and selling them on the international black market.

Varna is a key archaeological site in world prehistory because of its advances in metalwork. The city became part of the Roman Empire in 15 CE. The Roman baths in Varna were constructed in the 2nd century and are among the largest preserved in Europe.