Kazanluk Tomb

an ancient tomb constructed beneath a mound. Located in Bulgaria, near the city of Kazanluk, it was discovered in 1944.

The Kazanluk Tomb is a round brick chamber with a short entrance passage (dromos) and a dome in the form of a truncated cone. The ceiling of the dome is covered with a multicolored mural depicting a Thracian funerary feast, executed on dry lime plastering. The mural is divided into two friezes by zones of decorative geometric design; the friezes are distinguished by the free and dynamic balance of the composition and by the organic relationship of the decorative and representational elements. The harmonic integrity of the range of colors, constructed on gradations of ochre, yellow, and dark blue tones, reflects the tranquil majesty and naturalness of the figures’ movements and the mild, restrained grief that permeates the mural. The Kazanluk Tomb is an outstanding example of the Greco-Thracian art of the late fourth to the early third century B.C..