In 2019 the Balkan Heritage Foundation and the National Archaeological Institute with Museum became partners in a project for advanced digital documentation of the Thracian royal tomb near the village of Alexandrovo in Southern Bulgaria. The initiative was funded by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and the J. M. Kaplan Fund through the Balkan Heritage Foundation.

The Alexandrovo tomb (4th century BCE), is one of the two monumental Thracian tombs discovered in Bulgaria, with an interior almost entirely decorated with wall paintings. The tomb acquired the status of an archeological architectural and artistic cultural treasure of national significance in 2000. In 2004 it was included in the UNESCO Tentative List.

The photographic survey was completed by Dr. Antonino Cosentino, Director of Cultural Heritage Science Open Source (CHSOS). It was done using different digital documentation techniques such as Technical Photography, Infrared Reflectography, Multispectral Imaging, Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) and Dstretch. Among the initial results of the project was the discovery of some faded or completely disappeared colors and details of the drawings, the revealing of underdrawing lines, and the recording of some recent damage to the wall paintings. The project was funded by the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and by the J.M. Kaplan Fund.

To learn more about the continuing efforts of the Balkan Heritage Foundation and their partners for the conservation and proper publication and presentation of the Alexandrovo tomb go to the project and conference pages.