The Kosmatka Tomb, Kazanlak
 In
the summer of 2004 a team of Bulgarian archeologists unearthed a large,
intact Thracian mausoleum dating back from the fifth century BC near the
central Bulgarian town of Shipka.
"This is probably the richest tomb of a Thracian king ever discovered in
Bulgaria. Its style and its making are entirely new to us as experts,"
said Georgy Kitov, the head of the team.
"This unique find will broaden our knowledge of the masterful goldsmith
skills of the Thracians", he told AFP.
According to Kitov, the mausoleum "features an incredible architecture
and is laden with golden, silver, bronze and earthenware objects." The
tomb probably dates back from the times of the dynasty founded by Seutus
III and includes a 13-meter (40-foot) corridor leading to three rooms,
one of them a huge granite block hollowed out to form a death chamber,
its floor strewn with more than 70 gold, silver, bronze and clay
objects. Inside one of the rooms the team found a golden crown of oak
leaves and acorns, the first such object found in a Thracian temple.
Also found were a complete bronze body armor adorned with goddesses, a
sword with a gold-studded pommel, crafted ceramics and three big wine amphoras.
The tomb is equipped with a marble door on the second chamber decorated
with a female head and the God Apollo.
The big Arsenalka Tomb, Kazanlak
The Kazanluk Tomb in south Bulgaria is famous for
its beautiful wall paintings of the early 3rd century BC, one of
the most unique masterpieces of Early Hellenistic pictorial art.
Despite the small surface containing the decorative friezes, the
unknown artist has created an exceptional work of art. This tomb
was built during the reign of king Seuthes III, either for him
personally or for close relatives among the nobility.
The facade of a tomb 5th - 4th sentury BC.
Mogila Goliama Arsenalka near Sheinovo, Kazanlak.
Sveshtari Tomb
 It is situated 2,5 km south-west of Sveshtari (a
village 42 km north-east of Razgrad). Uncovered during excavations
of a sepulchral mound. Dating back, in approximation, to the first half
of the 3rd century BC. The central camera of the vault is rich in
decoration - it is designed as a facade of a temple with the image of a
horseman, being bestowed with a golden wreath by a goddess, and a
religious procession; on three of the walls - a high relief with 10
stone statues of clad women figures. The funeral rites, the building
technique, the architectural design and the decoration, distinguished
for Hellenistic models, provide evidence that a Thracian ruler has been
buried there.
Helvetia Tomb, ShipkaOn July 29, 1996 a
Thracian tomb of the 4th century BC was uncovered
near the town of Shipka, in the south foothills of the Balkan Range.
Large regular stones were used to build the tomb, situated five meters
underground. The metal part of a Roman soldier's shoe found at the site
indicates that the tomb may have been plundered as early as in Roman
times. The Shipka Tombs are seven in total on an area of Central
Bulgaria considered to have been the Valley of the Thracian Kings.
Thracian temple - dromos and facade
Satyr on a bronze situla 4th century BC.
Small Shipka tomb, Kazanlak region.
Museum of History, Kazanlak.
Starossel Tomb
 Teams of Bulgarian archeologists have made phenomenal discoveries in the summer
of year 2000. One of the major discoveries was the grave of what is
believed to be a Thracian ruler. The site, at the village of
Starossel near Plovdiv in southern Bulgaria, has been dated from the
forth or fifth century BC. The two-chamber grave is approached by monumental stairs
and a corridor. It is surrounded by a wall made out of some 4 000
stone blocks and was hidden under a 20-meter high mound of earth.
Within, archeologists found a magnificent trove of relics, including
a large gold funerary wreath, other gold jewelry, bronze shields,
helmets and swords, and two sets of silver decorations for horses.
The grave and its surroundings are also thought to have been an
important religious site for Thracians.
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