The Balkan Heritage Foundation and the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Science in collaboration with Haskovo Regional Museum of History and Sofia University’s Faculty of History are pleased to invite you to the international conference commemoreating the discovery of the Thracian tomb of Alexandrovo.

More than 20 years ago, near the village of Alexandrovo, Haskovo Region, Bulgaria, archaeologist Georgi Kitov and his field survey team discovered an extraordinary architectural monument from the early Hellenistic period (4th-3rd century BCE).  A tholos tomb whose interior is almost entirely decorated with wall paintings depicting vivid figure compositions with geometric and floral ornaments. Today this monument is known as the Alexandrovo tomb and has been declared an immovable cultural property of national importance in Bulgaria and is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.

The tomb was excavated in the period 2000-2004 during which the different parts of the building were uncovered – the dromos, the rectangular antechamber and the dome shaped burial chamber, most of which were covered in wall paintings. The wall paintings, both those preserved on the walls, as well as the fragmented pieces were investigated between 2004 and 2008. The “Balkan Heritage” foundation supported the efforts for their documentation in 2019 when a series of non-destructive methods for photographic documentation was used and in 2020 when laser scanning was done.

The current conference is part of a joint project funded by the J. M. Kaplan Fund called the “Thracian Tomb of Alexandrovo, Bulgaria – Phase 2”. It is focused on the conservation and restoration of the monument, as well as its presentation to a broader audience. The conference program combines different perspectives in three cohesive panels:

• Alexandrovo Tomb and its cultural context
• Interdisciplinary studies of funerary architecture and decoration: new approaches, methodologies and techniques
• Conservation and restoration of painted tombs

The event will take place online on May 11 – 12 via Zoom. The conference language will be English. For more information and a detailed program, check the official site.