Sunday, November 26, 2006

Scandal! National Geographic Article Stirs up Scandal in Bulgaria
Bulgaria's top archaeologists reacted strongly to an article on Thracian heritage in the National Geographic latest issue, saying it aims to discredit the country and drive foreigners away.

The article, entitled "Bulgaria's Gold Rush", said that the country's rich history left artefacts that now mean money in the bank for anyone who succeeds in digging them up. "For looters, Bulgaria is El Dorado, a vast trove of buried treasure where some graves have harbored gold since at least 4000 B.C.," the National Geographic wrote.

"I am deeply displeased by the article," said Prof Nikolay Ovcharov, featuring wrongly in the article as "Bulgaria's Indiana Jones". Ovcharov joined Wednesday a press conference of some of the country's most prominent archaeologists, who denounced publicly the article. "Were I a foreigner, I would not have made anything of it. The article is meant to drive away, rather than attract foreigners."


But there's another guy who's the real Indiana Jones of Bulgaria.