Thracian tomb in Sveshtari

During the excavations that were carried out in 1982 near the village of Sveshtari (this is the northeastern tip of the country), an ancient tomb was discovered. This sudden discovery immediately attracted the general attention of many experts of antiquity. Scientists during the study of the burial came to the conclusion that they accidentally discovered the ancient grave of the Thracians. And not just ordinary inhabitants of the ancient country, but, as scientists think, the burial of the royal family. This ancient people inhabited the territory of modern Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. Today we can only talk about this people in the past tense.

Scientists attribute this monument of ancient Thracian culture to approximately the first half of the third century BC. The uniqueness of the grave lies in the fact that it has been preserved unchanged.

We can see it the way it was discovered by scientists back in 1982. Artifacts found here in the grave were transferred to the local museum in the city of Isperih. Still, you should visit the grave now. After all, everything cannot be transferred to another place. Interesting artifacts remained in the tomb - caryatids. There are only 10 of them. For those who are not fond of art, we can say that these are statues that are not inherent in the burials of ancient Thrace. 

The peculiarity of these statues is that they have a strong influence of the Hellenes (the ancient name of the Greeks). The good masonry of the grave is also interesting, but the statues are not made accurately. Scholars have surmised that the statues were hastily made as the locals left the area. Perhaps because of the persecution of the Hellenes.

During the excavations, human bones were found. They turned out to be the skeletons of three people - a young man, a woman and an aged man. No gems were found. This gave rise to the assumption that the grave was looted.

In the main burial room, above the statues, a rider with two men is depicted, two women stand nearby and hold out a golden crown and gifts to the rider. In addition to the main room, there are two more rooms and a corridor that leads to the exit from the burial. It contains columns and images of an animal. The entire grave is under the hill.

This grave is one of the most famous graves in the Sboryanovo reserve. There are twenty-six more graves there. All of them are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.