The Alexandrovo tomb near Haskovo in southeastern Bulgaria is already well-known not only by its scientific publications. After its discovery in December 2000 by G. Kitov, it became a part of the small group of monuments from the Hellenistic period in Thrace with preserved paintings. It holds important historical and cultural information and already serves as a base of some archaeological interpretations.

The article presents a summary of the ancient painting techniques used in the Late Classical and Hellenistic period in the Mediterranean, but focuses on the use of organic binders. It also provides some comments on recently made technical investigations in Bulgaria, identifying wax – in the tombs at Alexandrovo and Shushmanec. The results are presented in the context of their archaeological perspective.

This is a preliminary research, but it aims to show the use of analytical data for partially reconstructing the composition of ancient painter’s palette and manufacturing process in Thrace. We argue that common technological characteristics, as well as similarities in iconography and style, show routes of cultural interaction.