Thraces

See also: Thrace (homonymy)

The Thraces were a Indo-European Peuple (thraco-illyrien) whose members shared a whole of beliefs, a lifestyle and spoke the same language with variations and dialects. Their civilization, still badly known, opened out thousand-year-old III° with the III° front century J-C. Their culture, oral, made legends and myths differs from that of the other people of this time by the belief in immortality " orphisme thrace" paid by Hérodote

Thraces lived on a vast European territory between the Black Sea (the Euxin bridge) in the east, the river Strouma (Strymon) in the west, the Carpathes septendrionales in north (Daces), the Aegean Sea in the south, like in the south-west of the minor Asia (Phrygian). But they had their origins in Central Asia (Bactres, Massagètes). They extended during the history on the following areas:

Romania, Moldavie, Bulgaria, the North-East of the Greece, Yugoslavia, Turkey (left European and Minor Asia Western), Austria, Hungary, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Ukraine (until the Dniepr), the lower Volga and Tadjikistan.

In general, it is admitted that Thraces of the south of the the Danube were rather composed of several tribes and that those of north could create in Dacie a powerful state and a clean civilization sharing same the language and habits, which was during more than one century the most important enemy of the Roman Empire (in alliance with the Goths, Germanic and different tribes).

History of Thraces

Origins

The opinions of the historians differ in connection with the date of arrival from Thraces. A first assumption considers that Thraces are present in the area of the Balkans more than 5000 years before JC. There then would not have been real rupture since the Neolithic at these people. Their company would have become more and more complex.
progressively The second assumption wants that Thraces came from the Ukrainian Steppe S only towards the beginning of the thousand-year-old IIe front J. - C.

Time Mycénienne

It is the time of the anonymous kings described by Homère in the Iliade. Dice thousand-year-old III° front J-C Thraces, one of the Indo-European people oldest according to the linguists present a very hierarchical company managed by the soldiers and the priests. On each territory there exists a sovereign.

This completely specific civilization was created in a vast zone of European south-east to the sedentary population but in contact with the " cultures of the steppes ". During this period Thraces had only few contacts with other great civilizations.

In the absence of writings, the treasures of the kings and aristocrats allow an approach of the Thrace culture. The pertaining to worship service of Valchistan, the treasures of Panayot Hitovo and Kazitchéné give the proof of the political power and economic of the first anonymous sovereigns thraces as well as originality, technology and artistic control their goldsmiths.

Thraces kingdoms: religious states

Whereas the Civilization mycénienne disappears and that appear the Greek cities, Thraces keep the same organization. The kingdoms are controlled by dynasties of king-priests ( Polistes ) to the head of troops of riders aristocrats ( Tarabostes ) and peasants warlike ( Comates ). The many strengthened residences correspond to temporary capitals, when the king resides at it.

The peasants are free. The archaeological excavations on a market of V° front century J-C (close to Krastevitch) did not make it possible to discover workshop. But the mines, the metallurgy, the work of metals were royal monopolies and the workshops were at the court of the king.

The Greek influence

From the VI° front century J-C the thrace aristocracy, especially the Besses and the Odryses have exchanges with the Greeks and even use the Greek alphabet for not yet deciphered writings.

Hérodote said: the nation of Thraces is, after that of the Indians, most important of the world. If they had only one king and if they could get along between them, they would be invincible and, according to me, much more powerful than all the nations .

At that time Thraces are driven back of their western border on the Adriatique by the Illyriens then by the Macedonians. The coastal region forming their southern border already colonized by the Greeks is conquered by the Perses of Darius Ier in 515 av. J-C. then passes by again under the control of the Athéniens.

Sitalkès, the king of Odryses (most powerful of the kingdoms thraces of this period) is the ally of the Athenians in the war of the Peloponnese. After its death starts one period of decline in spite of the tests of unification of Thrace under Cotys Ier and Kersobleptès.

Philippe II of Macedonia then Lysimaque extends the domination Macedonian on southernmost Thrace then on the major part of the territory. But Odryses continued the fight against Lysimaque proclaimed king de Thrace then against his successors Séleucos, Ptolémée Kéraunos, the Attalides of Pergame.

Roman period at our days

In 168 and 133 av. J-C Thrace passes under Roman domination and the kingdom of Odryses remains faithful to Rome, surely because of the threat of the Daces on the the Danube. But of others are opposed and are subjected to it by the force. Many Thraces are taken as slaves: their rebellious and combative character frequently intends them for the career gladiators (most known of them is Spartacus).

In 46 is created the Roman Province of Thrace. The romanisation of the Thraco-illyriens (at least, in the north of the Jireçek line) transforms them into Dalmate S and Valaques (Latin Eastern). A Greek colony with the name thrace de Byzance (Byza = shore, slope) is selected to be the capital of the Roman Empire of the East under the name of Constantinople.

But the invasion of the Goths in 376 begins a series of wars which transforms this area into battle field: to only quote most outstanding, after the passages of the Huns and the Avars, the occupation by the Slavic and the confrontation of the Bulgarian and the Byzantine is completed by an increasingly marked slavisation of the countries formerly thraces. Thrace is nothing any more but one area geographical.

The Turks annex all Thrace in 1389, then encircle and take Constantinople in 1453. Their domination lasts until 1878. Then in septentrional Thrace the autonomous province of Roumélie-Eastern creates for itself joined together with the Bulgaria in 1885. During the 1° Balkan war (1912) Thrace is taken by the Bulgarian ones, disputed between Bulgares and Greek, partly returned to the Turks by the treaty of Constantinople of September 29th, 1913. The borders changed several times but finally Thrace remains divided between these three countries, of which two (Bulgaria and Greece) are today members of the European Union, and the third (Turkey) candidate.

List people thraces

Thraces were composed of several hundreds of different people according to testimonys, without one being able to know which are these people.

The four principal tribes were Odryses, Gètes, the Tilt hammers and Daces. One finds the first mention of Thraces in the Iliade of Homère. They are then the allies of the Greeks besieging Troy. Thraces were famous being of very good riders, as well as goldsmiths of great quality.

It is known that undoubtedly, most important and most powerful of the people thraces, that the Greeks called Gètes and the Romans Daces, was made up of several tribes, able to meet in time of war in only one centralized state, which made their power like countervailing power vis-a-vis the Roman Empire (massive falsifications of the Roman currencies for example).

Other Thraces, where that they lived, seem very quickly all to be conquered by the Roman Empire very early and assimilated, not being able to oppose such a great resistance (especially those of Mésie).

  • Bessi

  • Bisaltae
  • Bithyniens
  • Bottiaeans (Battaei)
  • Cicones
  • Cimmériens
  • Daces: to also see List of the tribes daces
    • Apuli
    • Carps - On the Eastern slopes of Carpates (Carpathes)
    • Costoboci - Western Ukraine (Galicie) and Moldavie
    • Suci - in Valachie Western (Olténie)
  • Dii
  • Edoni
  • Gètes
  • Maedi
  • Moesi
  • Nipsaeans
  • Scyrmiadae
  • Satrae
  • Thyni
  • Trausi
  • Triballi

The following tribes had a Thrace component:

  • Agathyrsi (Scythian tribe , or Thraco-Scythian)

  • Dardani (mixed with the Illyriens and probably with the Paioniens)
  • Scordisques (Celto-Thraces)

Thraces famous

  • Dionysos, God of the Wine and the Vine.
  • Orphée, legendary hero of Greek mythology, wire of the king de Thrace Œagre and of the MUSE Calliope. He is the mythical founder of a religious movement called orphism.
  • Spartacus was a Thrace gladiator which carried out a rising of slaves in current the Italy.
  • Burebista was one of largest kings Daces. It makes a success of with confédéreer the populations thraces since the Hercinica river (current the Moravie) in the west, until the southernmost Boug in the east.
  • Décébale, last king Dace: beaten by Trajan, it committed suicide with all its court.

See too

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