Revisiting the history of the Ostrusha Tomb: new data from pottery deposits
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57573/be-ja.15.55-77Keywords:
Thrace, Hellenistic, Tomb, Seuthopolis, Ceramics, Amphora, Architecture, ChronologyAbstract
The Ostrusha tomb is remarkable for its monolithic chamber with hybrid Achaemenid-Greek architecture and a painted ceiling. It was planned and built as a free-standing tomb but was later incorporated into a larger structure. The history of its construction and use remains unsettled, as valuable information was lost in hasty excavation. This paper presents the first comprehensive study of the pottery collected during the excavation and attempts to reconstruct its archaeological context based on surviving descriptions and photographs. Contrary to previous suggestions, the ceramic material does not come from the interior of the tomb or from a ritual pyre. It was originally deposited at different locations in the area of the mound. The relationship of these deposits to the tomb, if any, cannot be reconstructed. The fragmented vessels do not provide firm chronological limits for the different building phases of the monument. However, the majority of the pottery belongs to the third quarter of the 4th c. BC, and it is very likely that these vessels were deposited in connection to a burial. This suggests that the initial structure of the tomb, the monolithic chamber, was completed by ca 325 BC. The activity in the area of the tomb continued until soon after ca 300 BC. The extension of the tomb, with its additional chambers, appears to have been abandoned and buried under the mound before it was completed.
Downloads
References
Balkanska, A., Tzochev, C. 2008. Amphora stamps from Seuthopolis – Revised. In Gergova, D. (ed.) Phosphorion. Studiae in honorem Mariae Cicikova. Sofia: Professor Marin Drinov Publishing House of BAS, 188–205.
Capelle, J. 2017. Les épures du théâtre de Milet: pratiques de chantiers antiques. Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique 141.2, 769–820.
Chichikova, M. 1984. Antichna keramika. In Sevtopolis – Tom 1: Bit i kultura. Sofia: Balgarska akademia na naukite, 18–114 (in Bulgarian).
Damyanov, M. 2023. Chernofirnisova keramika ot nekropola na Apolonia Pontika: tipologichesko i hronologichesko izsledvane (po materiali ot obrednite ognishta, okolo 400–250 g. pr. Hr.) (Razkopki i prouchvania 49). Sofia: Izdatelstvo na BAN “Prof. Marin Drinov” (in Bulgarian).
Debidour, M. 1999. Les timbres amphoriques thasiens de type récent. Méthodologie, chronologie et interprétation. Habilitation Thesis, Université Lumière Lyon 2, Lyon.
Efstratiou, N., Kallintzi, N. 1997. Archaiologikes erevnes sti Makri, Evrou. Ektimiseis kai provlimata. To Archaelogiko ergo sti Makedonia kai Thraki 10B, 881–916.
Garlan, Y. 1999. Les timbres amphoriques de Thasos. I. Timbres protothasiens et thasiens anciens (Études thasiennes 17). Athens: École française d’Athènes.
Karadima-Matsa, Ch. 1994. Ergastirio paragogis amphoreon sti Samothraki. In G’ epistimoniki synantisi gia tin ellinistiki keramiki, Thessaloniki 1991, Praktika. Athina: i en Athinais Archaelogiki Etaireia, 355–362 (in Greek).
Kitov, G. 1993. Newly-discovered equipment and materials in the Thracian tumular necropolis near Shipka and Sheynovo. Orpheus. Journal of Indo-European and Thracian Studies 3, 9–25.
Kitov, G. 1994. Trakiyski grobnichno-kultov kompleks v mogilata Ostrusha kray Shipka. Problemi na izkustvoto 4, 13–20.
Kitov, G. 2005. Bogat grob v mogila Svetitsa. In Stoyanov, T. et al. (eds) Stephanos Archaeologicos in honorem Professoris Ludmili Getov (Studia archaeolologica universitatis Serdicensis supplementum 4). Sofia: St. Kliment Ohridski University Press, 420–426 (in Bulgarian).
Lehmann, K. 1960. The inscriptions on ceramics and minor objects. Vol. 2 (Samothrace 2). New York: Bollingen Foundation.
Lilova, B. 2011. Keramika i amforni pechati ot ritualnoto ognishte v nadgrobna mogila Ostrusha – zemlishteto na gr. Shipka, Kazanlak. In Marazov, I., Zarev, K., Stefanova, K. (eds) Problemi i izsledvania na trakiyskata kultura. Tom 5. Kazanlak: Irita, 127–137 (in Bulgarian).
Manetta, K., Stoyanova, D., Dzhampaolo, L. 2016. Novi nablyudenia varhu arhitekturata i zhivopistata na sarkofagovidnata kamera v mogila Ostrusha, gr. Shipka. In Stoyanov, T., Stoyanova, D. (eds) Problemi i izsledvania na trakiyskata kultura. Tom 8. Kazanluk: Faber, 31–88.
Miller, S.G. 2014. Hellenistic painting in the eastern Mediterranean, mid-fourth to mid-first century B.C. In Pollitt, J.J. (ed.) The Cambridge history of painting in the classical world. New York: Cambridge University Press, 170–237.
Monahov, S.Yu., Kuznetsova, E.V., Churekova, N.B., Tolstikov, V.P. 2020. Amfory VI–I vv. do n.e. iz sobrania Gosudarstvennogo muzeya izobrazitelnyh iskusstv im. A.S. Pushkina. Saratov: Amirit (in Russian).
Nehrizov, G. 2013. Nadgrobna mogila sas zidana grobnitsa pri s. Buzovgrad (predvaritelno saobshtenie za rezultati ot prouchvaniyata prez 2012 g.). Bulgarian e-Journal of Archaeology 3.2, 161–178.
Parvin, M. 2019. Dva srebarni sada ot yougozapadnata kamera na kompleksa v mogila Ostrusha. In Stoyanov, T., Stoyanova, D. (eds) Problemi i izsledvania na trakiyskata kultura. Tom 9. Kazanlak: Faber, 108–120 (in Bulgarian).
Parvin, M. 2022. New observations on the inventory from the southwestern chamber of the Ostrusha tumulus complex. In Delev, P., Stoyanov, T., Yanakieva, S., Popov, H., Bozkova, A., Vassileva, M., Tzvetkova, J., Damyanov, M., Ilieva, P., Emilov J. (eds) Ancient Thrace: Myth and Reality. The Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Congress of Thracology. Vol. 1. Sofia: St. Kliment Ohridski University Press, 339–348.
Rotroff, S.I. 1997. Hellenistic pottery: Athenian and imported wheelmade table ware and related material (The Athenian Agora 29). Princeton, N.J.: American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
Sparkes, B., Talcott, L. 1970. Black and Plain Pottery of the 6th, 5th and 4th Centuries B.C. (The Athenian Agora 12). Princeton, N.J.: American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
Stoyanova, D., Manetta, K. 2019. Kamennite akroterii ot sarkofagovidnata kamera v mogila Ostrusha. In Stoyanov, T., Stoyanova, D. (eds) Problemi i izsledvania na trakiyskata kultura. Tom 9. Kazanlak: Faber, 121–154 (in Bulgarian).
Themelis, P., Touratsoglou, P. 1997. Oi tafi tou Derveniou (Dimosievmata tou Archaelogikou Deltio 59). Athina: Tameio Archaelogikon Poron kai Apallotrioseon.
Tzochev, C. 2010. Between the Black Sea and the Aegean: The Diffusion of Greek Trade Amphorae in Southern Thrace. In Tezgör, D., Inaishvili, N. (eds) PATABS I. Production and Trade of Amphorae in the Black Sea, Actes de La Table Ronde Internationale de Batoumi et Trabzon, 27–29 Avril 2006. Paris: L’Institut français d’études anatoliennes, 97–101.
Tzochev, C. 2016. Amphora stamps from Thasos (The Athenian Agora 37). Princeton, N.J.: American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
Tzochev, C. 2018. The Transition from ‘Early’ to ‘Late’ Thasian Ceramic Stamps Reconsidered. In Valchev, I. (ed.) Stephanos archaeologicos ad 80 annum professoris Ludmili Getov (Studia archaeologica universitatis Serdicensis Supplementum 6). Sofia: St. Kliment Ohridski University Press, 125–140.
Tzochev, C., Kiriatzi, E. 2018. Transport Amphora Production in the Interior of Ancient Thrace: New Data from the Hellenistic City of Seuthopolis and the Kazanlak Valley. In Thʹ Epistimonikí Synántisi gia tin Ellinistikí Keramikí: Thessaloníki, 5–9 Dekemvriou 2012: praktiká. Athens: Taméo Archaiologikón Póron kai Apallotrióseon, 545–556.
Valeva, J. 2005. The painted coffers of the Ostrusha tomb. Sofia: Bulgarski houdozhnik.
Vassileva, M. 2010. Achaemenid Interfaces: Thracian and Anatolian representations of elite status. Roma 2008 – International Congress of Classical Archaeology. Meetings between Cultures in the Ancient Mediterranean. Bollettino di archeologia on line, Volume speciale, 37–46.

Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Chavdar Tzochev (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The authors retain full copyright on the articles or other publications.
All materials are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License, under which materials may be distributed or reproduced freely, provided the original is unchanged and is quoted correctly.