My favourite Thracian Tomb & Gold treasure in Bulgaria

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. Microbiological processes were similarly impeded. The Thracian Tomb has existed in a state of self-conservation. The charcoal drawing still exists in the central cham-ber of the tomb. Furthermore, the traces of a polychrome layer and the stone carvings are generally in good condition. Large areas of the building havebeen naturally strengthened through a process of secondary calcite precipitation. Of course, tectonic movements and flaws in the architectural construction have caused substantial damage. There are many cracks, and chipped or misplaced fragments of the stone blocks. Tree roots have caused some structural disruption by penetrating joints in the masonry and weak points in the stone surface. There are also traces of human destruction: the tomb was robbed and the central element in the tomb chamber, the naiskos, was broken into 38 fragments. Fortunately, this element can be restored.Despite the slow progress of the degradation process,the moisture in the air and on the walls in conjunction with temperature changes has created an interesting development of salt efflorescence -- from fine nets to petrified covers. The salt efflorescence consists ofcalcium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate and magne-sium carbonate. Obviously, the carbonates have been extracted by water from the construction material of the tomb, and the presence of compounds which could have been leached from the soil was negligible. The carbonate solution was transferred to the pores or fissures of stone where, under dryingconditions, the water evaporated and the salts were deposited on the surface of the masonry and within the pores and cracks. The salt composition varies from place to place, depending on local conditions of drying. The re-precipitation of calcium carbonate has led to consolidation of stone blocks and local fossilization of the polychrome. The water solution penetrating the stone has also coloured the material yellow-brown. An interesting observation is the presence of calcium bicarbonate as a whitish layer on thesurface of the soft limestone, well visible under UVlight. The polychrome layer has undergone erosion tovarying degrees, from total destruction to powdering and falling apart of the pigments. Well-preserved ar-eas are also present.When the tomb was relieved of the hill mound, dramatic consequences were expected concerning the preservation of the find. The humidity of the air inside was very high and substantial variations in temperature and humidity were observed. These might have become causes for serious destructive processes via microbiological attack and overdrying. Therefore, it was very important to undertake measures for the preservation and adaptation of the tomb to this modified and potentially harmful environment, including investigation from every point of view, collecting of information for necessary diagnoses, project devel- opment and decision-making for the future.TThhrreeee ssttrreeaammss ooff iinnvveessttiiggaattiioonn After the discovery of the tomb near Sveshtary, a large circle of specialists became involved in the investiga- tions. There were three streams of investigation: -- Examination of the ancient building and art tech- niques. Composition. Stylistic features. -- Examination of the tomb's condition. Destructive processes. -- Investigation into the selection of the optimum conservation methods -- pros and cons in applying selected conservation materials. This report will show the results of our team's inves- tigations. They have helped us to interpret other data, document phenomena and reach a higher level of assurance in developing the aims of the conservation project. www.heritage.xtd.pl/pdf/full_krystew.pdf

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YouTube | June 26, 2007

Tags:. .disruption. .consolidation. .moisture. .unesco. .hellenic