Thracian mound "Golyama Kosmatka"

The tomb of Sevt III in the Golyama Kosmatka mound was discovered in the autumn of 2004. during regular archeological excavations by the TEMP expedition led by Assoc. Dr. G. Kitov (NAIM at BAS) in cooperation with IM "Iskra" Kazanlak.

The mound was built as a sacred hill in the first half of the 5th century BC. Probably in the second half of the century a wide trench was made in the embankment from the south, where a monumental temple was built, consisting of a representative facade and three rooms. They are made of treated granite blocks, the first (rectangular room with a gabled roof) and the second (round room with a dome) are made of separate blocks connected by lead-branded iron brackets. The last chamber is sarcophagus-like, made by carving a granite block weighing about 60 tons, on which is placed a second, shaped gabled. A ritual bed and table are modeled in the room.

The temple has been used for more than a century to perform religious ceremonies (so-called Orphic mysteries) by Thracian priests. To preserve the mystery of the rite from the uninitiated, a double-leafed marble door locked from the inside with latches was used. On each of the wings is carved an image - on the east is Helios (the god of the sun), and on the west - Gorgon Medusa.

At the beginning of the 3rd century BC. in the central chamber a ritual was performed for the burial of a Thracian aristocrat, who is supposed to be the ruler of the Odrysian state Seuthes III. Thus the building changed its function, becoming his tomb.

In order to ensure the safe and unimpeded passage of the king's soul between the worlds, the Thracians provided a guide, sacrificing a horse and placing his body in the first room.

Attached to the façade is a 13-meter corridor with stone walls and a wooden roof structure, as well as a second façade. When the facility was closed and left, the entrances to each of the chambers were walled up, and the corridor was set on fire and filled with the collapsed mound. 7 m south of the entrance of the outer facade, at the level of the surrounding terrain, a head of a bronze statue was carefully laid - probably a portrait of the buried Thracian ruler.