Thracian Tomb Ostrusha: a Painted Stone Chamber Near Shipka
The Thracian tomb Ostrusha is a cult and burial complex hidden under a large mound near the town of Shipka in Stara Zagora province, in central Bulgaria. Built in the 4th century BCE, it has six rooms on about 100 square metres and a monolithic stone chamber with painted decoration. It is one of the most unusual monuments of the Valley of the Thracian Rulers.
Two granite blocks weighing about 60 tonnes were carved into a single chamber whose ceiling was once painted with people, animals and plants. Byzantine diggers later smashed many of the images.
The history of the Ostrusha tomb
The Ostrusha mound stands near Shipka and belongs to the great necropolis of the Thracian aristocracy that archaeologists call the Valley of the Thracian Rulers. Inside it, in the 4th century BCE, Thracian builders raised a complex of six rooms, five rectangular and one round, on an area of roughly 100 square metres. Sources differ on whether this happened in the middle or towards the end of the century. The stone blocks are very carefully worked and were fixed together with iron clamps sealed with lead.
At the heart of the complex is a chamber hollowed out of one huge granite block. It sits on a platform of three steps and is closed by a second block that serves as the roof; together the two weigh about 60 tonnes. The entrance faces south, and under the gables the carvers left tooth-like projections that imitate wooden beams. Inside stands a stone ritual bed. The ceiling copies a timber ceiling, with a round field in the middle that stands for the sun, and the fields around it were painted in blue, yellow, red and green with people, animals, plants and geometric patterns. Most of the paintings are badly damaged, but the portrait of a young noble woman survives. The excavator, Georgi Kitov, argues that their artistic value is greater than that of the better-known Kazanlak tomb.
Most of the other rooms were robbed in antiquity, but the south-western chamber was found untouched. It held the skeleton of a horse, probably sacrificed, with the blade of a knife still in its chest, together with an iron bit, silver rings and silver appliques for the harness, pieces of silver vessels and coins of Philip II of Macedon. A frontlet from the harness, a plate in the shape of a stylised double axe with a griffin's head rising from it, was new to Thracian metalwork. Descriptions of the building's purpose differ: some call it a temple of the Thracian god Sabazios used into the 4th century CE, others a heroon, a shrine to a deified dead person, perhaps a ruler or high aristocrat.
Later centuries left their own marks. In the early Byzantine period the mound became a Christian burial ground. Kitov proposes that Byzantine diggers, expecting a crypt beneath a burial chamber as in their own churches, dug a tunnel and broke into the central chamber. Archaeologists found several dozen coins from the time of Constantine the Great, pieces of ribbed pottery, shoe buckles and a rare Persian silver coin. The intruders, drawn by the gold inlay and hostile to human images, probably destroyed much of the painting. In the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 the mound served as a headquarters of the Russian troops.
The complex was uncovered in April 1993, when Kitov's team opened the central chamber and went on to excavate it professionally. In 2012 the complex was reconstructed and the protective structure around it renewed, with the conservation work paid for by the company Mini Maritsa Iztok. Until early 2012 only the central chamber could be visited.
Curious facts about the Ostrusha tomb
- The central chamber is carved from one block of granite, with a second block as its roof, and the pair weigh about 60 tonnes.
- The painted ceiling imitates wooden beams and has a round field in the middle that works as a sun.
- Although most of the frescoes are badly damaged, the portrait of a young noble woman has survived.
- A horse lay in the unrobbed south-western chamber with the blade of a knife still in its chest.
- The horse harness included a frontlet shaped like a stylised double axe with a griffin's head, which Kitov described as unknown in Bulgaria until then.
- Six stone palmette ornaments, some once painted pale blue and pink, were found lying in a line in front of the entrance.
Tours near Thracian Tomb Ostrusha
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Valley of the Thracian Kings, Hidden Treasures
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Kazanlak-Rose Valley-Valley of the Thracian Kings - private tour from Plovdiv
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A Day trip to the Thracian Kings, The Valley of Roses & Buzludzha
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Thracian Valley wine tasting - private day tour from Plovdiv
See details ›Visiting the Ostrusha tomb: what to expect
- The tomb lies beneath a mound near Shipka in the Valley of the Thracian Rulers, so it combines well with other tombs of the area.
- The centrepiece is the monolithic central chamber with its painted ceiling. Before the 2012 restoration it was the only part open to visitors, so check the current visiting conditions.
- Nearby are the Tomb of Seuthes III (about 2 km), the Memorial Temple of the Birth of Christ in Shipka (about 3 km) and the Buzludzha monument (about 6 km).
- Check the current opening hours before you go; the sources used here give no schedule.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Thracian Tomb Ostrusha is
Photos of Thracian Tomb Ostrusha
Questions
What is the Thracian tomb Ostrusha?
Ostrusha is a Thracian tomb and cult complex of six rooms under a large mound near Shipka. It was built in the 4th century BCE and is known for its monolithic stone chamber with a painted ceiling.
Where is the Ostrusha tomb?
It lies near the town of Shipka in Stara Zagora province, central Bulgaria. It belongs to the Valley of the Thracian Rulers, and the Tomb of Seuthes III is about 2 km away.
How old is the Ostrusha tomb?
It dates from the 4th century BCE. Sources place it somewhere between the middle and the end of that century.
What was found inside the Ostrusha tomb?
One unrobbed chamber held a horse with a knife blade in its chest, silver harness decorations, silver vessels and coins of Philip II of Macedon. Most of the other rooms had been robbed in antiquity.
Who discovered the Ostrusha tomb?
The complex was uncovered in April 1993 by the team of the Bulgarian archaeologist Georgi Kitov.
What else can I see near the Ostrusha tomb?
The Tomb of Seuthes III is about 2 km away, the Memorial Temple of the Birth of Christ in Shipka about 3 km and the Buzludzha monument about 6 km.
Also nearby
Tomb of Seuthes III
Shipka · unrobbed royal Thracian tomb with golden wreath
2 km away
The Valley of the Thracian Rulers
Kazanlak · over 1,500 Thracian burial mounds in the Rose Valley
2.5 km away
The Memorial Temple of the Birth of Christ (Shipka)
Shipka · Russian-style memorial church with gilded domes
3.5 km away
Buzludzha Monument
Stara Planina · the largest monument of Bulgaria's communist era
6 km away