Rasho Rashev Introduction Рашо Рашев Увод н и дум и Christina Angelova, Mark. Stefanovich Henrieta Todorova Христина Ангелова, Марк Стефанович Хенриета Тодорова Кратка биография

of bis family - ancestors or future rulers, who should bave been buried in the same place.

Two ofthe additional rectangular premises flanquer the central monolithic chamber and are constructively closed. There the limerais of members of the dynastie family had been probably carried out. The premises had been immediately blocked up, which did not hinder their subséquent pillage. An antechamber is built up in front of the central chamber with two premises on its two sides, which are con­nected with it through entrances. The walls of the antechamber, its entrance from the south. and the entrances to its lateral Chambers, had been decorated with plastic ornamentation, from which too little bas been preserved. The thresholds had been covered with organic mat­ter, which has left pale brown imprints.

The southeastern premises is circulai" and some arch-like incisions are distinguished in the preserved 3-4 rows, which point out to its beehive shape". The premises had been pil-laged. The bones found bere, show that at least two horses were buried bere.

Fortunately the southwestern premises, which is almost square, turned out unplim-dered¹⁰. A borse skeleton, with its legs to the south and its skull to the east, was clearecl out in the southern part ofthe premises. Objccts ofthe blow-piei cing armament, with which the animal was killed, were found in the area of the ehest. Obviously the horse (stallion) had to accompany the Thracian king in lus afterlife. In the north-ern half of the chamber, a complete set of Silver Ornaments fòr horse am munition was put in a bag. The set is one ofthe few found in Thrace, both with its complete content and of such a high

semble a scene from the golden treasure from Panagyurishte (Marazov 1978, p. 104 ff. and lit.)⁶. One of the figures rests on a club and resembles Héraclès. There are also scènes of animal fìghts. that are typical for the traditional Thracian art (Venedikov/Gerassimov 1973, 119)⁷. Some fields are filled with plant Ornaments. AU "beams" are covered with a rich geometrie and plant décoration. The frescoes are painted in red, blue, yellow, and green, which is rarely found in such murais. Besicles, strokes had been used, as well as nuances, among the separate colors. In its original appearance, the ceiling ofthe central Chamber in the Shipka tomb had possessed higher artistic value than the frescoes of the Kazanluk tomb⁷, mostly because of the fact that the images are on fields, several times smaller, and contain much more détails on a significantly smaller area. Besides, the Shipka murais are at least half a Century older than the ones at Kazanluk and confirai the hypothesis about the existence of a Thracian artistic school in the Hellenistic and antique art of painting (Dimitrov 1966). Some of the portraits and scènes could be regarded as masterpieces ofthe art of painting, and reveal the high artistic and technical demands and capabilities of the Thra­cian society as early as the middle of IV Century BC.

The central monolithic Chamber of the Shipka tomb had existed separately for some time, maybe for about a decade. The other five premises were attached to it subsequently, and thus il acquired its final appearance of a mau-soleum⁸ of a Thracian king, who was deified meanwhile. Undoubtedly, bis image is drawn on the ceiling, as well as the images ofthe members

Fig. 5. A gold decorations on the inside walls о/ lite silver pillale from Sashova шоп ad. Ill-ll century BC. Photo: Georgi Kitov

Fig. 6. The first chamber with the entrance toward the centrai тот of the tomi) with polychrome decorations in the Sarafova monnd after opening the door. Photo: Georgi Kitov

Fig. 7. The antecliamber and the chamber of the tomb in Slavchova mound with partitioned wall

from soulh. Photo: Georgi Kitov

artistic value. It consists of a three-dimensional forehead-plate, six cheekpieces with an engraved décoration, a multitude of circular smooth ap­plications, rings, and a bridle. Plant ornaments are presented on the plate of the forehead-plate, which resembles the symbol of power in ancient societies - the double axe. These éléments are an echo of earlier animal images, which were modified meanwhile according to the tenden-cies of development of the Thracian art during this epoch (Kitov 1992, 71). The front part of the body of a griffin, which was a favorite mon-ster in Thrace - a combination of a lion's body and an eagle's head, is depicted in the middle. The stylistic traits of this griffin give us the Con­necting unit between similar earlier and later images in the Thracian art, which was miss-ing till now. The fact, that similar monuments, which were much more roughly made and with-otit an understanding of the initial meaning, are widespread in Scythia (Mozolf.vskii 1975, 166 ff.; Melilkova 1979, 37 ff. and lit.; 1981, 67 ff.), hints that their prototypes should be sought in the works of Thracian art. The forehead-plate of the Shipka tomb belongs to these prototypes. The rest of the applications of the horse ammu-nition have engraved animal images. On four of them there are three griffin heads, which are twisted spirally so that each bites in the mane of the previous one". The other two are variations of the "connected lion's paws", which are wide­spread in the Thracian subject-matter¹².

Two silver vessels were found in the west­ern chamber. The pitcher is of the so-called "Derveni" type¹³ - with a leaf-like décoration

" The closest analogy to the Shipka applications are the ones at the Mogilanska mound in Vratza (Vexedikov 1975, 18 ff.).

'-'The most characteristic similar applications, but carried out worse, are the ones at Panagyurishte and Bednya-kovo (now Stoyan Zaimovo, Chirpan région) (Fu.ov 1916. 18, 23, № 29, 30, 45).

'¹ This name originales from the village Derveni near Thes-salonica, where a pitcher with a leal-like décoration on its body, was found (andronicos 1975, 22). In fact, a pitcher with such a décoration was found already in the second hall of the last century in Rozovetz (former Rahmanli), between Bre/ovo and Pavel Banya, at about 35 km to the soutbeast of Shipka (Filov 1934, 170, № 3, table 11, 1).

¹¹ The only whole pectoral ol this type is the one at Mezek (Filov 1937, № 43). Two other similar, but fragmentée! pectorals are known from Vurbitza and Yankovo. L. Ognenova-Marinova made a successiti] attempi for their graphie restoration (ognenova-marinova 19(59, 407 ff.).

on its body, which is well-known from the large Rogozen treasure (Nikolo\'/Mashov/Ivanov 1988, 119, 143-153). The phiale has vertical embossed edges. A pectoral could be almost en-tirely restored from a multitude of silver frag­ments. It has an iron base and is covered with a silver, gilded foil with engraved plant and geometrie ornamentation. The overall outline of the pectoral is sickle-like. It had been used undoubtedly as a front collar of a chain-mail or an armor ^w. Other similar fragments are stili being processed and we cannot determine foi-sure whether they are pièces of a separate object or were used for the décoration of this chain-mail or armor, which is not preserved.

A sarcophagus-like grave, smoothed by huge stone blocks, was uncovered in front of the tomb. No archaeological materials were found in it although it turned out to be intact. Perhaps it had been a place for a symbolic funeral.

The last ones are acroteritun and six antefix-es. Ali of them are covered with plastic palmettes of a Thracian type, with leaves coiled inwards¹³, some of which resemble birds' or griffins' heads. Three of the antefixes are painted in pale pink and the other three in pale blue. Obviously they had crowned the edges of a fronton on a pleks. Judging from some analogies, the pink ones were along the eastern sides, and the blue along the western. Their placement and conscious ar­rangement out of the complex, which resembles a ritual "funeral", sets us before an unknown custom in the Thracian funeral practices, which needs further clarification¹⁶.

The Shipka tomb-mausoleum is a unique

Two more similar pectorals, but very fragmentée! were found in 1995 in Tzviatkova mound and Golyama Arsen-alka. They are in a process of restoration. So, three of the six similar pectorals originate from the Shipka-Sheynovo necropolis.

''This type of palmettes prevails over the monuments of Thracian art. Besicles on the architectural détails, they are modelée! on numerous ornaments and applications for horse ammunitions from the Shipka-Sheynovo ne­cropolis.

"' The cases at Strelcha and Sveshtari are the most indica­tive ones. A chariot is buried in Iront of the beehive tomb in Zhaba-mound. It is covered up carefully with stones, so that its wheels could stand upright. Among the stones there are two acroteriums with highly artistic images, as well as pièces of a stone door with a plastic décoration. Similarly, architectural détails, for which it is assumée! that they have not been scatterecl by plunclerers, were found in front of the tomb in Gintna mound, near Sveshtari.

Fig. S. Thefägade ofthe domed torrib in the Goliama Arsenali;// mound with fallen down leaf frinii the two-leaved doorand a pari frani partiiioned w/ill. Pilota: Georgi Kilo,'

Fig. 9. A small si her jag and siher pliiate frani Lesimi kova mound. End ofthe 5th Century BC. Photo: Georgi Kitov

monument of the Thracian tomb architecture and of the art of painting, also because ol the invested in it ideas. It has suggested what unex-pected discoveries could be anticipated in the Kazanluk valley. And they were not late. In 1994 a tomb, which is particular!)- important from a scientific viewpoint, was found but, however, it did not reveal attractive building techniques or archaeological malcriáis. It is in a way a tomb in a negative. It has a circular shape with a beehive cover and a corridor. The interior, however. is entirely filled with sumes, which were firmly coated with a mud solution (Kitov 1995b, 65). The device had been pillaged during ancient times. Onlv fragmented objects of armament and clay vessels were found, which allow us to say that it dates back to the end of 4^lh or the beginning of 3"' Century BC¹⁷.

The following year, 1995, turned out to be the most successful in the history of Thracian archaeology¹⁸. The series of sensational discov­eries continued with the discovery and research of four monumental, completcly preserved

'"This device obviously belongs to the necrópolis ol the capital of Sevt III, which has exisied in the end of IV and the beginning of II I ceniur\ - Se\ lopolis. Nowadavs it is at the bottom ofthe "Koprinka" dam. Most ofthe moimcls, which bave been investigateci in the last years ili the région of Kazanluk. are out of the chronological frames of Sevtopolis. Iniposing graves and tombs date back between VIII and I Century BC. which is an évi­dence for the existence of another important city center in the région, which has not been locali/ed yet. The lit-eralure about Sevtopolis is by D. Nikolov (Xikolov 1091. 71 ff.); about other centers (KlTOV 1994, 89.)

" I mean that other impôt tant monuments of Thracian antiquity like the treasures from Vulchitrun, Fanagv-urishte, Lukovit, Letnitza, etc., as well as the tombs near Kazanluk and Me/ek, for example, were found by chance. Here, for the Tust lime a short review ofthe re­search in 1993 is made. Silice a little more than a mouth has passed sincc the end ofthe excavations, it is natural that some formulations are not precise, and that the dat-ing is liable to further précision. I was heading the inves­tigation, while G. Lazov, F.. Dochcva, and (.'•. Vuzvuzova from the National Histórica! Museum, K. Zafirov and F. Dimitrova from Historical Museum "Iskra", Kazanluk, the gcophysicists I. Katevski and N. Tonkov from AIM at the Bulgarian Academy of Science, other specialists, students and technical collaboratore, were participât!ng.

" Iti contras! with the typical tombs with a semi-cylindrical arch, where the entrance is on the narrow side and the

Thracian tombs and over 450 objects of musé­um value, a large part of which ate unique. Lots of new data about the Thracian antiquity was obtained, some of which woidcl probably cause changes in the traditional interprétation ofthe Thracian history, culture, and religion.

An iron chain-mail²³ lies on his breast. The becl and the wall have fallen, a huge iron sword, an iron umbo for a shield with arch-like incisions, with which he resembles the symbol of the king's power - the double axe. A small bronze pitcher, with an egg-like body and an embossed image of a human head on the lower part of the handle, was also found there²⁴. A silver phiale of an un-known type lay near the pitcher. A 12-leaf star is modeled from gold on its bottom. It resembles the Macedonian star from the tomb of Philip of Macedon in the mound near Vergina in North­ern Greece²³. The interior part of the walls of the phiale is decorated with three golden belts. The lowest constitutes the motif of the running wave, which is known from other monuments of the Thracian art as well. The middle one has alternating rhomboids and laurei leaves, which are stylized like a wreath²⁶. The upper belt, which is parallel to the mouth, consists of two rows of pearls, among which there are cir-cles, connected with tangents. On the bottom there is an inscription, which has not been deci-phered yet. A golden fibula of an unknown type was found al the same place. Three vertebrae with nests, incrusted with a dark blue material, the character of which is to be determined, are strung on the fibula's bow.

A horse is buried to the right of the entrance. The rest of the objects from the funeral stock - an iron bridle, a great number of clay vessels, some of which imported from Greece, 150 glass beads, and many other objects of an extraordi-nary scientific and artistic value, are situated

"The information that in the mound near Rozovetz (former Rahmaniii) a knitted iron chain-mail was found (SiiKOKi'ii., H., K. SffROKPIL 1898, 125) as early as the middle of the last Century, was perceived with distrust until the explosive increase of the finds of whole or frag-mented chain-mails first in Kulnovo, Shumen région (G. Atanassov's excavations), later in Doyrentzi and Smo-chan, Lovech région (G. Kitov's excavations), Ravnogor in the Rhodopi mountains (Kitov 1989, 36 and note 22), and now, besides in Sashova mound, also in Slavchova, Tzviatkova, and others near Kazanluk.

²' The pitcher is in a process of a laboratory treatment.

" As it is known, 8-, 12-, and 16-ray stars are modelled on gold there (Andronicos 1984, 80 ff.).

between the skeleton of the horse and the bed.

The tomb seems to have been built in the middle or in the second half of 4^,h Century BC, and was used for more than a Century as a mau-soleum of the Thracian ruler, who was deified meanwhile. It was finally closed in the begin­ning of 2^nd Century BC, when the last funeral was performed there²⁷.

Another unique tomb, but with merits in other aspects, was researched in Sarafova mound. It has a corridor and two Chambers. The corridor is built of stone blocks. It has had a fiat ceiling and a two-slope ceiling, covered with well-baked and even artistically made fiat and bent tiles. A horse, preserved in a full ana­tomica! order, is buried in the corridor. Both premises are made of bricks²⁸. The first cham­ber does not have any archaeological materials. The second one was firmly sealed with a mas­sive stone door²'¹. It had not been opened. When we opened it, we were standing in front of a dif-ficult to describe view. Bones of human skeleton and an insigniiicant quantity of silver, clay, and bronze objects, were diffused on the floor. What caused admiration and surprise, however, were the elegant outlines of the space and the belts with multicolored décoration on the walls. The colors were fresh and strong as if they had just been laid on. Belts in pompous red, black-or-ange, violet, and pale pink alternateci one over another. The walls graclually narrow from all directions and end up in a pointed roof.

The walls of the corridor and the first cham­ber had been decorated in the same way but

²⁷ The fact that during the entire 3^,d Century BG the tomb has been functioning as a mausoleum and has not been destroyed, casts suspicion on the widespread opinion about the strong Geltic attack on the Odriss state, espe-cially in the région of Kazanluk.

^a This confirais the opinion, which was already expressed, about the early introduction of the brick in the Thracian tomb architecture (Giiiciiikova 1975, 129 ff.).

^2!1 For the first time such a door is found in place. It is a thick stone piate, smooth on the outside and cassetted on the inside. Its right long side (when looked from the outside) is round and ends up and down with cilindrica] protubérances. I he lower one fus into a cove in the stone threshold, and is strengthened with lead and iron. The upper one goes into a wide and thick iron loop, which is attached to the page by means of two wedges, which were fixed in il and connected with a lead backing. The piate was firmly stuck to the pages and its opening was not an easy work. After the opening the door was freely hanging on its axis.

their coloi'S have significanti)' fa deci away. The tomb at Sarafovo mound is of a type, unknown to the Thracian tomb architecture. The ar­rangement of belts of polychrome décoration is also a novelty. It is older than the Kazanluk tomb³⁰ and is an évidence of the striking diver-sity in the works ol the Thracian murai school.

The discovery of the tomb at Saraiova mound and of the other devices in the région can be accepted as a confirmation of the hv-pothesis for the existence of tombs-mausoleums in Thrace-¹¹. Simultaneously, this tomb poses an­other question. VVhy were so few archaeological materials Ibund behind the firmly closed stone door? Furthermore. there were imprints of the bases of three large, probably metal vessels on the ground of lime plaster, as well as imprints of their handles near the wall. The most plausi­ble explanation so far is the hypothesis that the gifts had been consciously taken out in a mo­ment of clanger for the Thracian state, in orcler to provide for the means for the collection of mercenaries and for the purcha.se of weapons^,J. Alter that the door has been closed again and remained in this way unti! nowadays.

Two other tombs were found in 1995. The one in Slavovo mound has a tomb chamber and an antechamber, opened to the south. Both are built of huge, wcll-processed stone blocks, con­nected with iron clamps, which were poured on with lead'¹. The chamber was pillaged in an-cient times. In spite of this, when sifting the soil, there were found a silver application with the image of a lion-griffin, an iron scepter with a handle of a stag horn, some insignii icant clé­ments of a gilded wreath, pièces of clay vessels. A horse in a full anatomica! state was cleared out in the antechamber. Besicles a silver appli­cation, fragments of two large amphorae, which were restored, lay there. One ol them has a rec­tangular scal of the manufacturer.