Underwater Archaeology in the Black Sea 2026 (Balkan Heritage Field School)

Balkan Heritage Foundation (BHF) in collaboration with the Centre for Underwater Archaeology (CUA), Bulgaria, and New Bulgarian University.

The field school provides a comprehensive introduction to and training in underwater archaeology through participation in an ongoing research project – discovering the submerged heritage of ancient Mesambria, present-day Nessebar (UNESCO World Heritage Site) on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The training will include various underwater archaeology and interdisciplinary practices: underwater reconnaissance survey, archaeological excavations, underwater photography, photogrammetry and 3D modeling, mapping and recording of submerged archaeological structures and monuments, marine geophysical survey, etc. Our research aims to fill in the gaps in our scientific knowledge about the fortification system of Mesambria and its harbors, the coastal landscape changes and the Black Sea level fluctuation in Antiquity and Medieval Ages as well as the human adaptation.