The Shvestary village is situated in the Sboryanovo Reserve in the north-east of Bulgaria. The Thracian Tomb,
dated to 300 BC, was discovered on this territory of an ancient religious centre in 1982. The interior, consisting of three chambers, includes splendid decoration
depicting 10 female figures -- caryatids and a polychrome on the walls. Extensive examinations of the site have focused on the ancient building and art tech
niques, assessment of the tomb's condition and the selection of the optimum conservation methods. Selected results of these examinations are presented. The
main preservation measure was construction of a permanent air-conditioned protective building over the tomb, securing a controlled environment.The 'minimal intervention' approach was used in the handling the interior decorations, restricted to cleaning operations and reintegration of the broken fragments. Due
to this 'passive' approach the tomb has retained its authentic appearance. So far, the results are positive for
the more than twenty years that have passed since the tomb was found.
The Sveshtary Tomb in Sboryanovo Reserve
The Sboryanovo Reserve is situated in the north-east of Bulgaria. On this territory there is an ancient religious centre and many Thracian hills with graves and
tombs which were organised into a necropolis in the Hellenic period, 300
BC. In this place, the Thracian Tomb
has been the most sensational discovery of the last 20 years The tomb is situated in the south east part of the Guinina Mogila. Its outer dimensions are 767cm x 667cm. It consists of a passage (dromos)leading to a building. In the building there are three
chambers: an anteroom, a side chamber and a centraltomb chamber). The construction was builtof limestone blocks. Three types of limestone were used: a hard, monolithic variety as block stone for
structural building work, a medium hard stone for the inner walls and architectural details and reliefs, and a soft, lighter variety for construction of an upper part of
the tomb.The interior includes splendid decoration depicting 10 female figures -- caryatids (Figure3). The central
chamber is decorated with a polychrome, a drawn scene on the arched part of the north-west wall. The tomb is a cultural monument which has been placed under the protection of UNESCO.
Condition at the time of discovery in 1982
The Thracian Tomb has survived under the hill mound for 2,300 years. Over the course of time, the fluctuations in temperature and humidity were very slight,
and degradation progressed very slowly