page_title: Roman Tomb (Silistra)
section_title: Architecture and frescoes
hierarchical_section_title: Roman Tomb (Silistra) / Architecture and frescoes
caption_attribution_description: Fresco of a servant in the Roman Tomb of Silistra in northeastern Bulgaria
context_page_description: The Roman Tomb of Silistra is an Ancient Roman burial tomb in the town of Silistra in northeastern Bulgaria. Dating to the mid-4th century AD, the Roman Tomb is the best-preserved architectural monument of the Ancient Roman city of Durostorum. The tomb is considered "one of the most investigated and most discussed monuments of the late antique art in Bulgaria" and the Balkans, owing in large part to the quality and extent of its interior frescoes.
context_section_description: The stone tomb features a single burial chamber and measures 3.30 by 2.60 metres (10.8 by 8.5 feet). It has a west-east orientation, with the entrance on the east wall and a semi-cylindrical brick vault. It is located amidst the ruins of a necropolis from Late Antiquity which included other similar structures.
  Ceramic plates, rectangular in shape and painted using the fresco-secco technique, cover the entirety of its floor. In contrast to most other known Roman tombs from the period in the Balkans, the entire interior is covered by multi-coloured mural paintings. The northern, southern and eastern walls feature a procession of servants, whereas the frescoes of the western wall, directly opposite the entrances, depict the master and his wife.
  A frieze running along the walls of the tomb contains 11 panels featuring the portraits of male and female slaves bringing various gifts and garments to the masters. The procession runs from either side of the central panel that portrays the masters, providing for a symmetrical composition. The tomb's decoration also includes hunting scenes, candlesticks, plants and animals, including peacocks and pigeons. Overall, the decoration's remarkable level of preservation and the quality of the mural paintings makes the tomb a "unique example of art and life" in the outer regions of the Roman Empire during the turbulent 4th century.
  The Roman Tomb of Silistra is situated at the intersection of the Sedmi Septemvri and Boyka Voyvoda Streets in the town. As of 2016, it can only be toured after a prior reservation at the Regional Historical Museum of Silistra.
caption: A fresco portraying a female servant carrying gifts to the master's family
exif: {}