Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari
The Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari is a burial site with a unique mausoleum decoration 2.5 km southwest of the Bulgarian village of Sveshtari. The tomb was discovered relatively recently – in 1982, during excavations of the settlement. It dates back to the 3rd century BC. On the walls of the Thracian tomb are well preserved multicolored plant drawings and bizarrely shaped statues of women. Ten female figures carved on the walls of the central burial chamber are unique and have never been seen in Thracian lands. They are evidence of Thracian contacts with ancient Hellenes.
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General information
The Sveshtara Tomb received its place on UNESCO’s list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites in 1985. It is part of the Sborjanovo Historical and Archaeological Reserve, located 8 km northwest of the town of Isperiha.
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The tomb is impressive in its architecture and decoration. A Thracian ruler from the Getae tribe and his wife were buried here. The ceiling of the burial chamber is supported by statues of women with raised arms – caryatids, on whose faces and hair there are still traces of colored decoration.
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The bones scattered in the mausoleum allowed archaeologists to recover the skeletons of a young woman and two men – young and old. A side room of the Sveshtara tomb, presumably used to store valuables, was empty, so it is believed that the mausoleum was looted. However, it remains unclear when and why the looters cemented the entrance behind them after taking out the valuables.
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Interesting and the technology of construction of the tomb: used characteristic for the Thracians “dry” masonry (without any binding mortars), and limestone slabs are fitted so tightly that in the gap will not penetrate even the blade of a knife.
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Another 26 barrows of different sizes were found within a radius of 2 km.
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