South Stream
The project “South Stream” is the first large-scale marine archaeological research initiative in Bulgaria, related to newly constructed infrastructure at sea, and employing a wide range of non-destructive research methods.
It covers the area of the adjacent marine waters of the Republic of Bulgaria along the planned route of the “South Stream” gas pipeline – the entire 12-nautical-mile maritime zone up to the edge of the territorial waters.
It officially started in April 2014, following several years of preparation, and ended with the termination of the “South Stream” project.
Between May and July 2014, intensive survey missions were carried out using a complex of non-destructive remote sensing methods, including: multibeam echosounder scanning, single-beam echosounder, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiler, magnetometer/gradiometer, marine electrical resistivity technique, and diver inspections.
Diver inspections were conducted in a series of missions between August and September 2014.
The total surveyed area amounts to approximately 40 sq. km – a strip 24 km long and between 1 and 3 km wide in different zones.
During the project, new standards for survey density and detail were achieved, significantly exceeding the regulatory requirements in force at the time. This represented a pioneering achievement for the CUA at that period. Numerous innovative solutions were also applied in various areas, including the use of hydrographic and geophysical equipment, applied methods, and obtained results.
Over the course of the work, more than 100 seabed targets were identified, over 40 of which were assessed as having archaeological potential, and more than 20 were investigated through diver inspections and video recording.
One shipwreck of a sailing vessel was conclusively identified; however, due to the termination of the project, it was not investigated in detail.
The presence of old naval mine barrier lines was also documented, some of which were subsequently neutralised by the Naval Forces.
In parallel, the geology and sedimentology of the area were studied in detail. The data obtained enriched numerous other scientific disciplines beyond archaeology with factual material.
Based on this information, a comprehensive database was created, which was later used for various purposes by different specialisations.
Although the project was practically left unfinished, it played a decisive role in the development of non-destructive survey methods for archaeological purposes – both nationally and internationally. In practice, numerous remote methods were applied, both for directly locating sites and assessing their archaeological potential, and for indirect data gathering that contributed to archaeological knowledge. These included the sub-bottom profiler and electrical resistivity methods, which formed the basis for hypotheses on the reconstruction of palaeolandscapes in the area and subsequently for the development of predictive models for potentially suitable locations of prehistoric settlements, for which data had also been obtained from other research.
