The Painted Coffers of the Ostrusha Tomb

The Thracian burial complex discovered under the Ostrusha mound in the Kazanluk district is of special importance not only for the history of Thracian art but also for Classical art in general. Most spectacular is the coffered ceiling of the burial chamber, once entirely covered with paintings. Among them are the earliest preserved wall paintings of Nereids, Bellerophon killing the Chimaira, Thetis in the Forge of Hephaistus, scenes from the life of Achilles according to Homer s narrative and Aeschylus lost tragedies. The masterly organization of the mythological characters and symbols in a meaningful, highly imaginative and colourful decorative system makes it like a polyphonic salvation hymn invoking the protection of the chthonic deities Dionysus, Demeter and Persephone. The fine Late Classical style of the paintings and some iconographic details suggest dating the burial chamber and its decoration to the last decades of the 4th century BC.