The Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari

The royal tomb with caryatids is undoubtedly one of the most important archaeological monuments in Bulgaria. Discovered in 1982 near the village of Sveshtari during a survey in the area, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. 
A few years ago, an extensive restoration project began on the tomb, which included conservation work on the tomb itself, as well as work on the lighting and air-conditioning system, educational exhibitions and displays, and the improvement of infrastructure for  tourists. 
This 3rd century BC Thracian tomb is thought to be the tomb of Dromichaetes (c. 300 - c. 280 BC), king of the Getae, and his wife. 

The original structure of the tomb is made of limestone blocks and consists of three separate chambers covered by semi-cylindrical vaults. The tomb is richly decorated, with both sculptural and painted elements. An open corridor leads to the entrance of the tomb, flanked by a pair of columns decorated with Ionic capitals. Above them, a cornice carved in high relief with stylised ox heads, rosettes and garlands welcomes visitors to the site. 

The main burial chamber contains an unforgettable composition of ten half-human, half-vegetable caryatids evoking the image of a chorus of mourners frozen in the abstract postures of a ritual dance. The female figures are carved in high relief and the original pigments that covered the stone in shades of ochre, brown, blue, red and lilac have largely been preserved.
A scene depicting the deification of the sovereign is depicted in the lunette on the back wall of the main burial chamber. Neither the scene painted in the lunette nor the statues of the caryatids are completely finished: the hands of some of the female figures are roughly carved and the design is only outlined with black chalk, suggesting that the ruler for whom the tomb was intended died suddenly and the project had to be completed in a hurry.

The lighting design was created by Sutton Vane Associates and then realised on site by Light Factor. The design of the new lighting faced certain limitations: due to the nature of the cultural property itself, no lighting fixtures could be fixed to the floor, walls or ceiling. In addition, all lighting fixtures had to be hidden from the view of visitors, as well as protecting the exhibits with low illuminance levels.
Sutton Vane associates designed a new lighting direction to replace the previous one which was based on a general, very intense washing of the walls that flattened the perception of the caryatid figures.
The new lighting is focused on the tomb, is glare-free and also highlights, with a grazing light, the carved triangular symbols of the masons who built the tomb.

Sutton Vane Associates designed a track-based installation, positioned around the inner perimeter of the tomb, with low-voltage projectors, equipped with accessories to precisely direct the light beams onto the archaeological remains. The burial chambers are illuminated with warm white light at 3000 K with a high colour rendering index (CRI 90). Hidden from the view of visitors, View Opti Beam Lens projectors and some Palco Framer illuminate and enhance the caryatids.
Worthy of note is the production of the luminaire supports, which were sketched by the Sutton Vane studio who deliberately left the detailed design and production to the Bulgarian team. This solution was welcomed by the client, as it made it possible to work locally, save money and reduce the ecological impact of transport.  
The redevelopment maintains the spatial organisation of the tomb, which is covered by a protective wrapping, while a small labyrinth-like exhibition area was added to display the archaeological artefacts found inside the tomb and in the neighbouring area.

The royal tomb with caryatids is undoubtedly one of the most important archaeological monuments in Bulgaria. Discovered in 1982 near the village of Sveshtari during a survey in the area, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. 
A few years ago, an extensive restoration project began on the tomb, which included conservation work on the tomb itself, as well as work on the lighting and air-conditioning system, educational exhibitions and displays, and the improvement of infrastructure for  tourists. 
This 3rd century BC Thracian tomb is thought to be the tomb of Dromichaetes (c. 300 - c. 280 BC), king of the Getae, and his wife. 

The original structure of the tomb is made of limestone blocks and consists of three separate chambers covered by semi-cylindrical vaults. The tomb is richly decorated, with both sculptural and painted elements. An open corridor leads to the entrance of the tomb, flanked by a pair of columns decorated with Ionic capitals. Above them, a cornice carved in high relief with stylised ox heads, rosettes and garlands welcomes visitors to the site. 

The main burial chamber contains an unforgettable composition of ten half-human, half-vegetable caryatids evoking the image of a chorus of mourners frozen in the abstract postures of a ritual dance. The female figures are carved in high relief and the original pigments that covered the stone in shades of ochre, brown, blue, red and lilac have largely been preserved.
A scene depicting the deification of the sovereign is depicted in the lunette on the back wall of the main burial chamber. Neither the scene painted in the lunette nor the statues of the caryatids are completely finished: the hands of some of the female figures are roughly carved and the design is only outlined with black chalk, suggesting that the ruler for whom the tomb was intended died suddenly and the project had to be completed in a hurry.

The lighting design was created by Sutton Vane Associates and then realised on site by Light Factor. The design of the new lighting faced certain limitations: due to the nature of the cultural property itself, no lighting fixtures could be fixed to the floor, walls or ceiling. In addition, all lighting fixtures had to be hidden from the view of visitors, as well as protecting the exhibits with low illuminance levels.
Sutton Vane associates designed a new lighting direction to replace the previous one which was based on a general, very intense washing of the walls that flattened the perception of the caryatid figures.
The new lighting is focused on the tomb, is glare-free and also highlights, with a grazing light, the carved triangular symbols of the masons who built the tomb.

Sutton Vane Associates designed a track-based installation, positioned around the inner perimeter of the tomb, with low-voltage projectors, equipped with accessories to precisely direct the light beams onto the archaeological remains. The burial chambers are illuminated with warm white light at 3000 K with a high colour rendering index (CRI 90). Hidden from the view of visitors, View Opti Beam Lens projectors and some Palco Framer illuminate and enhance the caryatids.
Worthy of note is the production of the luminaire supports, which were sketched by the Sutton Vane studio who deliberately left the detailed design and production to the Bulgarian team. This solution was welcomed by the client, as it made it possible to work locally, save money and reduce the ecological impact of transport.  
The redevelopment maintains the spatial organisation of the tomb, which is covered by a protective wrapping, while a small labyrinth-like exhibition area was added to display the archaeological artefacts found inside the tomb and in the neighbouring area.