Sandanski, Bulgaria

The museum was founded in 1936 and was built over the foundations of the basilica of Bishop John, which was found later. It is one of four museums that specialize in antique archeology and has a unique collection of Roman  marble tombstone plastics. The collection includes artifacts like plates of Julius Maximum  and Asclepius, a collection of mosaics from the early Christian period, including a unique inscription in Greek, proving that beneath the museum building is the basilica of Bishop John. Other important items included in the museum collection are different votive tablets of Artemis, Aphrodite, Zeus and local deity  Theos Salenos.  It holds over 5,500 archaeological and ethnographic materials.