Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak In Bulgaria

Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak - Bulgaria

Short Report

Discovered in 1944, this grave dating from the Hellenistic period, around the end of the 4th century BC. It is located near Seutopolis, the capital of the Thracian king Seutes III, and is part of a large Thracian necropolis. The tholos has a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both with murals of Thracian burial rituals and culture. These paintings are Bulgaria the best preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic period.

Wonderful Universal Importance

The Thracian tomb of Kazanlak is a unique aesthetic and artistic work, a masterpiece of the Thracian creative spirit. This monument is the only one of its kind in the world. The exceptionally well-preserved frescoes and the original condition of the structure shows the remarkable evolution and high level of culture and art collections in Hellenistic Thrace.

The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak is the masterpiece of the Thracian creative spirit. The Kazanlak frescoes witnesses of high level of culture collections art in Thracia. The Kazanlak frescoes represent an important stage in the development of Hellenistic and art.

Integrity

The integrity of the site is intact. The defined boundaries and buffer zone, and the location of the Tombs in a park, provides a secure environment for the property. The property includes within its boundaries all the components that the reported outstanding universal value. The Graf is protected against the negative effects of visitors, by providing access to the nearby museum contains a copy of the tomb architecture and decoration frescoes.

Authenticity

The tomb meets the requirements for authenticity as the construction and the walls remain in their original state, without modification or addition, and the frescoes are very well preserved. At the time of registration, the grave was under a permanent protective building and the cultural value - the exclusive art wall decoration - was fully preserved. In this process, the murals were cleaned and strengthened. Using techniques that are not in conflict with their authenticity, they were not developed or completed. Air Conditioning is installed to provide a constant temperature.

Wide Report

In 1942 a tomb dating back to the 3rd century BC was discovered in Kazanlak in the romantic valley of Roses, near the old town Teutopolis. The Kazanlak Tomb is a highlight in the development of Hellenistic art; it is an important contribution to the art of the entire Hellenistic world. The numerous burial mounds in Kazanlak area (more than 500), Together with the remains of Thracian settlements, including Seuthopolis, the only Thracian city that is fully excavated, preserved and studied, shows that the area was populated by a large Thracian population, the height of the cultural development in the 5th to 3rd century BC.

Seuthopolis was founded by the Thracian King Seuth III at the end of the 4th century BC. The city was enriched, with a classification on the basis of the principles of the Greek polis. Monumental work of Thracian architecture are found in Seuthopolis, such as the palace-temple, interior is decorated with murals, and the temples of Dionysius and the Large Thracian Gods. Seven stone graves were discovered in the necropolis, of which four of the bijenkorf. The use of masonry in the making of graves is typical for the area of Seuthopolis: nowhere else in Thrace were bricks used as strong in building.

The tomb is on the top of a rocky hill, and was set up without deep foundations. It consists of the three chambers necessary by the Thracian cult of the dead: an antechamber for the chariot, horses, or slaves who accompanied the dead man in the after-life; a corridor (dromos), that was a small room for the things that are needed in the after-life; and a burial chamber of the body itself. The three components are different shapes and sizes.

The murals are the main asset of the Kazanlak Tomb, because they were the only completely preserved work of Hellenistic art that is found in exactly the same condition in which it was originally designed and implemented. They start from the waiting room. The walls are of a light ochre color, against which large stones are outlined with dark blue lines, in the wake of the squared masonry, which a solemn atmosphere before entering the corridor and burial chamber. Only a small part of this device is preserved, high on the east wall of the waiting room. The entrance of the hallway has a painted dark ochre frame. The painting in the hallway and the burial chamber in fact a monumental facade. It starts with a high podium, then follows the neutral load-bearing wall, and then the composition ends in architectural details of photos between them.

The artwork in the Graf reach their peak in the burial chamber. The floor is painted in Pompeian red. The stage is on the circle of the mattress and is at the top with a broad black band. Mattress mimics pink marble with light blue veins. The stage consists of eight squares divided with grooves mimic marble. The load-bearing wall painted in Pompeian red follows above the black band. The composition in the burial chamber is designed with lots of knowledge and skill of the architectural elements of the Ionic entablature. However, the painter has intentionally infringed the Ionic ratios with the large figure fries. That is why he an exceptional influence by the entire composition in a colorful image of the architectural motifs.

The murals were carried out on the basis of a preliminary draft to the final thin coat of plaster. Today Even vague lines cut on the wet plaster can be distinguished, concentrate Plinths are and the contours of the archive. The pattern of the Kazanlak Tomb paintings show that they are not painted spontaneously: the paintings are the result of carefully devised artistic composition performed on the basis of a specific project. The architecture and the pattern of the composition were prepared together as an integrated artwork. It is clear that both were the work of one person - an artist-architect.

Source:whc/unesco