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"Thracians" also refers to modern inhabitants of Thrace, regardless of ethnicity.

The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes who spoke the extinct Thracian language - a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family. Those peoples inhabited the Eastern, Central and Southern part of the Balkan peninsula, as well as the adjacent parts of Eastern Europe.

Thracians inhabited the ancient provinces of: Thrace, Moesia, Macedonia, Dacia, Scythia Minor, Sarmatia, Bithynia, Mysia, Pannonia, and other regions on the Balkans and Anatolia. This area extends over most of the Balkans region, and the Getae north of the Danube as far as beyond the Bug. The branch of science that studies the ancient Thracians and Thrace is called Thracology.

Origins

The prehistoric origins of the Thracians remain obscure, in absence of written historical records. Evidence of proto-Thracians in the prehistoric period depends on remains of material culture. Proto-Thracian tombs can be found dating back to 3000 BC, when what can be termed as 'proto-Thracian' culture began to form. It is generally proposed that a proto-Thracian people developed from a mixture of indigenous peoples and Indo-Europeans from the time of Proto-Indo-European expansion in the Early Bronze Age when the latter, around 1500 BC, conquered the indigenous peoples.

Modern linguistics classifies the Thracians as an Indo-European people who spoke a satemized language, which links them to Albanians, Slavs, Balts and Ancient Iranian peoples. It is however disputed whether the satem languages actually descend from a later than PIE ancestor (thus forming a true satem subgroup of Indo-European) or whether satemization was caused by areal contact or parallel evolution. Links to the Greek branch (a centum language) of the Indo-European language family are also being investigated.

The ethnonym Thraikios (ancient Greek for Thracian) may have the same etymology as Graikos. Graikoi originally referred to a Boeotian tribe of Hellenes who became known to the Latins at an early date.

The first historical record about the Thracians is found in the Iliad, where they appear as allies of the Trojans, hailing from Thrace.

Classical period

By the 5th century BC, the Thracian presence was pervasive enough to have made Herodotus (book 5) call them the second-most numerous people in the part of the world known by him (after the Indians), and potentially the most powerful, if not for their disunity. The Thracians in classical times were broken up into a large number of groups and tribes, though a number of powerful Thracian states were organized, such as the Odrysian kingdom of Thrace and the Dacian kingdom of Burebista. A type of soldier of this period called the Peltast probably originated in Thrace.

In that period, contacts between the Thracians and Classical Greece intensified which led to strengthening Greek influences in Thracian society, culture and handcrafts. Because their language had no written tradition, in some regions the Thracian aristocracy and administration adopted Classical Greek for an official language and Thracian merchants utilised it as a 'lingua franca' in their contacts with other tribes and peoples. As a result a level of Hellenization was observed in the following centuries and it was deeper imposed by the Macedonian conquests over the Thracian territory in 3rd century BC.

Extinction of ethnicity and language

See also Dacian language, Thracian language.

The ancient languages of these people had already gone extinct and their cultural influence was highly reduced due to the repeated barbaric invasions of the Balkans by Celts, Huns, Goths, and Sarmatians, accompanied by persistent Hellenization, Romanisation and later Slavicisation. The ethnic contribution of the Thracian and Daco-Getic population, who had lived on the territory of modern Romania and Bulgaria has been long debated among the scientists during the 20th century. Some recent genetic studies suggest that these peoples have indeed made a significant contribution to the genes of these nations.

After they were subjugated by the Macedonian king Alexander the Great and consecutively by the Roman Empire, most of the Thracians eventually became Hellenised (in the province of Thrace) or Romanised (in Moesia, Dacia, etc.). The Romanised tribes of the this region later became the ethnic substratum of the Vlach people (that first appeared in historical documents in the 10th century) who evolved into modern Romanians.

In the 6th century, some Thracian tribes south of the Danube river made contacts with the invading Slavs and were later Slavicised. Thus they became one of the main ethnic elements in the consolidation of the Bulgarian nation in 8-9th century. Linguistic evidence about this is the presence of Thracian and direct Latin loanwords in Old Bulgarian and modern Bulgarian language.

Some scholars have proposed that present-day Albanians may be descendants of Thracian tribes who maintained their language (see also: Albanian Language).

Archaeology

The archaeological research of the Thracian culture started in the 20th century and especially after World War II, mainly on the territory of Southern Bulgaria. As a result of intensive excavation works in the 1960s and 1970s a number of Thracian tombs and sanctuaries were discovered. More significant among them are: the Tomb of Sveshtari, the Tomb of Kazanlak, Tatul, Seuthopolis, Perperikon, the Tomb of Aleksandrovo, Sarmizegetusa in Romania, etc.

Also a large number of elaborately crafted gold and silver treasure sets from the 5th and 4th century BC were unearthed. In the following decades those were exposed in museums around the world, thus gaining popularity and becoming an emblem of the ancient Thracian culture. Since the year 2000, Bulgarian archaeologist Georgi Kitov has made discoveries in Central Bulgaria which were summarized as "The Valley of the Thracian Kings".

On August 19, 2005, some Bulgarian archaeologists announced they had found the first Thracian capital, which was situated near Karlovo in Bulgaria. A lot of polished ceramic artifacts (pieces of roof-tiles and Greek-like vases) were discovered revealing the fortune of the city. The Bulgarian Ministry of Culture declared its support to the excavations.

In Dabene, Bulgaria, a cache of more than 15,000 gold Thracian artifacts were discovered, including thousands of rings. In August 2006 a sensational archaeological find was made near the village of Dubovo. A Thracian dagger made of an alloy of gold and platinum, sharp, and in perfect condition, was found in a tomb near the village of Dubovo.

A settlement, most probably related to Perperikion, was located close to the village of Dragoynovo near to Iskra. This religious complex is one of the many sacred places, established by the Thracians on high mountain peaks. Sanctuaries of this type originated and developed as religious centres in the period between the Late Bronze Age and the end of the Roman Empire. The sanctuary complex on Dragoyna peak was first studied and recorded in the first half of the 20th century since when the site has suffered at the hands of numerous treasure hunters. No formal archaeological excavations were conducted until 2004. Two periods of occupation have been identified from the archaeological evidence: 13th – 5th centuries BC: the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age, but also the Dark Ages in the Aegean and Anatolia. At this time the hill had no floral and soil cover. The archaeological finds from the period are fire places, which served as altars for various fire-related rituals. 4th – 3rd centuries BC: the Late Iron Age or the period of Classics and Hellenism. In this period the region of the Eastern Mediterranean had its cultural consolidation provoked by the military campaigns of the Macedonian rulers Philip II and Alexander the Great. This was also the period of the most active utilization of the sanctuary.

Classical texts

The Iliad records that the Thracians from around the Hellespont and also the Thracian Cicones fought on the side of the Trojans. The Odyssey records that Odysseus and his men raided Thrace on their way back home from war. Many mythical figures, such as the god Dionysus, princess Europa and the hero Orpheus were borrowed by the Greeks from their Thracian neighbours.

In book 7 of his Histories, Herodotus describes the equipment of the Thracians fighting under the Persians:

"The Thracians went to the war wearing the skins of foxes upon their heads, and about their bodies tunics, over which was thrown a long cloak of many colours. Their legs and feet were clad in buskins made from the skins of fawns; and they had for arms javelins, with light targes, and short dirks. This people, after crossing into Asia, took the name of Bithynians; before, they had been called Strymonians, while they dwelt upon the Strymon; whence, according to their own account, they had been driven out by the Mysians and Teucrians. The commander of these Asiatic Thracians was Bassaces the son of Artabanus."

In book 5, Herodotus describes the customs of various Thracian tribes:

"The Thracians who live above the Crestonaeans observe the following customs. Each man among them has several wives; and no sooner does a man die than a sharp contest ensues among the wives upon the question which of them all the husband loved most tenderly; the friends of each eagerly plead on her behalf, and she to whom the honour is adjudged, after receiving the praises both of men and women, is slain over the grave by the hand of her next of kin, and then buried with her husband. The others are sorely grieved, for nothing is considered such a disgrace."

"The Thracians who do not belong to these tribes have the customs which follow. They sell their children to traders. On their maidens they keep no watch, but leave them altogether free, while on the conduct of their wives they keep a most strict watch. Brides are purchased of their parents for large sums of money. Tattooing among them marks noble birth, and the want of it low birth. To be idle is accounted the most honourable thing, and to be a tiller of the ground the most dishonourable. To live by war and plunder is of all things the most glorious. These are the most remarkable of their customs."

"The gods which they worship are but three, Mars, Bacchus, and Dian. Their kings, however, unlike the rest of the citizens, worship Mercury more than any other god, always swearing by his name, and declaring that they are themselves sprung from him."

"Their wealthy ones are buried in the following fashion. The body is laid out for three days; and during this time they kill victims of all kinds, and feast upon them, after first bewailing the departed. Then they either burn the body or else bury it in the ground. Lastly, they raise a mound over the grave, and hold games of all sorts, wherein the single combat is awarded the highest prize. Such is the mode of burial among the Thracians."

In contrast, the Greek historian Strabo describes the Thracians living in twenty-two tribes.

Josephus claims the founder of the Thracians was the biblical character Tiras, son of Japheth:

"Thiras also called those whom he ruled over Thirasians; but the Greeks changed the name into Thracians." - AotJ I:6

Characteristics

Academic studies have concluded that Thracians had physical characteristics typical of Mediterraneans with dark eyes and hair. According to Dr. Beth Cohen, Thracians had "the same dark hair and the same facial features as the Greeks." Furthermore, Dr. Aris N. Poulianos states that Thracians "belong mainly to the Aegean anthropological type". Recent genetic analysis comparing DNA samples of ancient Thracian fossil material (i.e. bones and teeth) with individuals from modern ethnicities place Italian, Albanian and Greek individuals in closer genetic kinship with the Thracians than Romanian and Bulgarian individuals.

In contrast, a well-known fragment by Xenophanes comments:

"Men make gods in their own image; those of the Ethiopians are black and snub-nosed, those of the Thracians have blue eyes and red hair."

Thracian artwork shows variation in regards to pigmentation. The Thracian mural from the Kazanluk Tomb for instance shows a very dark noble man, with a pale, black haired noble women, and a pale servant with red hair.

Famous individuals

• Amadocus, a king after whom Amadok Point was named.

• Burebista was a king of Dacia between 70 BC - 44 BC who united under his rule Thracians in a large territory, from today's Moravia in the West, to the Bug river (Ukraine) in the East, and from Northern Carpathians to Southern Dionysopolis.

• Sitalces was a king of the Thracian Odrysian state. An ally of the Athenians during the Peloponnesian war

• Decebalus, a king of Dacia ultimately defeated by the forces of Trajan.

• Spartacus was a Thracian enslaved by the Romans, who led a large slave uprising in what is now Italy in (73 BC-71 BC). Before being defeated, his army of escaped gladiators and slaves defeated several Roman legions in what is known as the Third Servile War. The nationality of Spartacus, though, is not known for sure, and his Thracian descent is disputed.

References

1. Christopher Webber, Angus McBride (2001). The Thracians, 700 BC - AD 46. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841763292.
2. The catalogue of Kimbell Art Museum's 1998 exhibition Ancient Gold: The Wealth of the Thracians indicates a historical extent of Thracian settlement including most of the Ukraine, all of Hungary and parts of Slovakia
3. Thorpe, Nick. "Ancient dagger found in Bulgaria". BBC News. 06 August 2006. Accessed 18 June 2008. "Archaeologists have discovered a precious golden dagger dated to about 3,000BC in a Thracian tomb in the centre of Bulgaria. It is the latest find from one of many tombs believed to have formed the cradle of Thracian civilisation. The dagger, made of an alloy of gold and platinum, was found near the village of Dubovo. Bozhidar Dimitrov, head of Bulgaria's National Museum, told Reuters news agency the discovery was "sensational". It is the latest in a string of finds in the area in recent years which has excited archaeologists and has provided more details of the skills of the still mysterious Thracian civilisation. According to officials at the museum, the dagger is 16cm (6in) long and is sharp enough to shave with. More than 500 other miniature gold items were found in the same tomb. The detail on the dagger suggests that it was used for sacrificial purposes. Bloodthirsty The Thracian civilisation thrived on the edge of the ancient Greek and Roman empires in what is now Bulgaria, Romania, northern Greece and Turkey, and is believed to have lasted up to 4,000 years. The historian Herodotus described the Thracian as savage, bloodthirsty warriors and provided a description of the elaborate funeral procedures for their rulers. Other finds in recent years include a gold mask, an ancient Thracian temple, a crown and thousands of items of jewellery. The alloy used in the latest find suggests a far greater degree of sophistication in metal-working that was previously known for that period. "This significant find confirmed that people in this region were familiar with what was then high technology in metal processing," Mr Dimitrov told Reuters."
4. Hoddinott, p. 27.
5. Casson, p. 3.
6. Sorin Mihai Olteanu - The Thracian Palatal - "The name of Thracia (Θρᾴκη- Thracia) and of the Thracians (Θρᾷκες=Thraces, Thraci) is Greek. Its oldest form, with a diphtong on a long degree /āy/ (which became in Ionian dialect, ēy), was Θρᾱικᾱ (Ion.Θρηικη, as we find everywhere in Herodotos). By monophtongation of the diphtong it then became Θρᾴκη, with the old iota of the diphtong remaining as iota subscriptum. But where did the Greeks take the old form from? Among the relics of Thracian languages is the name of the strategy Ζραικη (which is doubtlessly a grecization with the desinence -η, of an autochtonous Zraykā)."
7. Sorin Mihai Olteanu - The Thracian Palatal - "Ζραικη is thus the name of an administrative region (strategy) that could easily be the autochtonous (Thracian) variant of the Greek name Θραικη . In the light of what we said before, the θ/ζ alternance, which appears at the initial letter of these two variants of a supposedly single name, should not surprise us at all. The in Ζραικη shows us that we deal here with a voiced sound and therefore, applying the conventions established previously, we shall transcribe this name by /ġrayk(o)/. At Indo-european level this is obviously an adjectival form, created with a suffix+thematic vowel –iko- (feminine –ika). There is a strong possibility to be equally the etymon of the Greek form Θραικη > Θρᾴκη (region name) and Θραικες > Θρᾶκες (tribe members' name), and of the Thracian form transcribed as Zραικη in the Flavius Dizalas inscription. Even more interesting is the fact that, if we admit, as we proposed above, that the TDM pair şi come from (originate from) the Indo-european *k' şi *g', then the root /ġrayk(o)/ is the semi-satәm form (if we could say so) of a radical *g'rayk(o). The centum form of the same name is Graykoi with the suffix -k (hence the Latin Graeci) and Grayoi without a suffix (Lat. Grai, Gk. Γραῖοι). This is another proof of the remote kinship of Greeks and Thracians."
8. Cardos, G., Stoian V., Miritoiu N., Comsa A., Kroll A., Voss S., Rodewald A., p. 246. "Computing the frequency of common point mutations of the present-day European population with the Thracian population has resulted that the Italian (9.2 %), the Romanian (8.9 %) and the Greek (6.8 %) have shown a bias of closer genetic kinship with the Thracian individuals than the Albanian and Bulgarian individuals (only 3.2%)."
9. Quiles, p. 76. "Most of the Thracians were eventually Hellenised (in the province of Thrace)."
10. Thorpe, Nick. "Ancient dagger found in Bulgaria". BBC News. 06 August 2006. Accessed 18 June 2008.
11. Homer. Iliad, Book II.
12. Strabo's Geography, Book VII, Fragments, paragraph 47
13. Cohen (2000).
14. Poulianos (1961).
15. Cardos, G., Stoian V., Miritoiu N., Comsa A., Kroll A., Voss S., Rodewald A., p. 246. "Computing the frequency of common point mutations of the present-day European population with the Thracian population has resulted that the Italian (7.9 %), the Alban (6.3 %) and the Greek (5.8 %) have shown a bias of closer genetic kinship with the Thracian individuals than the Romanian and Bulgarian individuals (only 4.2%)."

Sources

• Best, Jan and De Vries, Nanny. Thracians and Mycenaeans. Boston, MA: E.J. Brill Academic Publishers, 1989. ISBN 90-04-08864-4.
• Cardos, G., Stoian V., Miritoiu N., Comsa A., Kroll A., Voss S., Rodewald A. "Paleo-mtDNA analysis and population genetic aspects of old Thracian populations from South-East of Romania". Romanian Journal of Legal Medicine 12(4), pp. 239–246, 2004.
• Casson, Lionel. "The Thracians". The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 35, No. 1, (Summer, 1977), pp. 2-6.
• Cohen, Beth (ed.). Not the Classical Ideal: Athens and the Construction of the Other in Greek Art. Leiden, 2000.
• Hoddinott, Ralph F. The Thracians. Thames & Hudson, 1981. ISBN 0-500-02099-X.
• Irwin, E. Colour Terms in Greek Poetry. Hakkert, Toronto, 1974.
• Poulianos, Aris. The Origin of the Greeks, Ph.D thesis, University of Moscow, 1961 (supervised by F.G. Debets).
• Quiles, Carlos. A Grammar of Modern Indo-European, 2007. ISBN 8461176391

See also

• Thrace
• Dacia
• Thracology
• List of Thracian tribes
• Odrysian kingdom
• Thracian language
• Thracian mythology
• Cimmerians
• Thraco-Cimmerian
• Thraco-Dacian
• Thraco-Illyrian
• Thraex

External links

• Thrace and the Thracians (700 BC to 46 AD)

• Thracians
• Historical ethnic groups of Europe