A King of the Age of Alexander

Discuss the culture of Alexander's world and his image in art

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system1988
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A King of the Age of Alexander

Post by system1988 »

From Andirian Tombs on Facebook

"The emotion of the discovery of a king and the emotion of his presentation,king Seuthes III, the ruler of the Odrysian kingdom of Thrace from c. 331 BC to c. 300 BC."
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Alexias
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Re: A King of the Age of Alexander

Post by Alexias »

Awesome second picture. Thanks for sharing.
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Xenophon
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Re: A King of the Age of Alexander

Post by Xenophon »

Here is some background information regarding this Thracian tomb, which was discovered intact and unplundered......
Such tombs are extremely rare, of course, and it is a pity this one is not so well known as the tomb of Tutankhamun or Philip II of Macedon.

From Wikipaedia:
"The Tomb of Seuthes III , located near Kazanlak, Bulgaria. Seuthes III was the King of the Odrysian Kingdom of Thrace from c. 331 to c. 300 BC.The tomb was originally a monumental temple at Golyama Kosmatka Mound, built in the second half of the 5th century BC. After extended use as a temple, at the later part of the 3rd century BC, Seuthes lll was buried inside. The sarcophagus-chamber contained personal belongings that were necessary for the afterlife of the King. It includes greaves, a gilded helmet with images, leather armour with a collar (plastron made of golden threads), a large sword and spears. There are bronze vessels, and three big ceramic amphora which were filled with thick Thracian wine. The floor and the ritual bed are covered by a carpet woven in gold thread. The total weight of the gold including all the objects is more than one kilogram. There are thirteen gold appliques for horse halters with images of human, animals and plants - objects which are rare in Thracian archaeology. Another two rectangular objects are golden with figures of standing warriors, used as a decoration for the sword sheath. There is a massive circular decoration for the King's armour. The handle of the rod is also golden. In the grave are placed golden vessels with two handles for drinking wine, also called kiliks, and a remarkable golden wreath with twigs, leaves and acorns and many other items.

After the funeral, the entrance to the first two rooms were walled, and the corridor was burned and filled with stones and soil. The façade was buried and hidden from view. Found at this site is a sculpted head believed to represent Seuthes III."

The tomb contained, amongst many other things, an intact Greek-made panoply, including a Chalcidian type helmet, a leather cavalry corselet reinforced with scales, of the type described by Xenophon, and greaves.....
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tn_Thracian Golyamata Mogila The Big Tumulus c 300 BC Chalcidian helmet left profile.jpg
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Thracian greave from The Big Tumulus Golyamata Mogila c 350 BC.jpg
Thracian greave from The Big Tumulus Golyamata Mogila c 350 BC.jpg (107.22 KiB) Viewed 2639 times
tn_Thracian Seuthes iii Tube-and-Yoke and Chalcidian helmet with gorget 3.jpg
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system1988
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Re: A King of the Age of Alexander

Post by system1988 »

Very interesting information and photos for the tomb of a king, known as well from litteraly sources .If i ever visited Bulgaria ,this would be my first stop-although the habit is not to visit places so close to home! :oops: If only there were more of these photos with closer looks ( fabulous greaves...)
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