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The 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,^[3] 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^[4] when the latter, around 1500 BC, conquered the indigenous peoples.^[5]

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 first historical record about the Thracians is found in the Iliad, where they appear as allies of the Trojans, hailing from Thrace. The ethnonym Thracian comes from Ancient Greek Θρᾷξ (pl. Θρᾷκες) or Θρᾴκιος (Ionic Θρηίκιος), and the toponym Thrace comes from Θρᾴκη (Ion. Θρῄκη).^[6]

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

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.^[7]

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)^[8] 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

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.^[9]

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.^[10] 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:

In contrast, the Greek historian Strabo describes the Thracians living in twenty-two tribes. ^[11]

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

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."^[12] Furthermore, Dr. Aris N. Poulianos states that Thracians "belong mainly to the Aegean anthropological type".^[13] 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.^[14]

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

References

^ Christopher Webber, Angus McBride (2001). The Thracians, 700 BC - AD 46. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841763292.
^ 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 [1]
^ 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."
^ Hoddinott, p. 27.
^ Casson, p. 3.
^ Θρηικίη
^ 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%)."
^ Quiles, p. 76. "Most of the Thracians were eventually Hellenised (in the province of Thrace)."
^ Thorpe, Nick. "Ancient dagger found in Bulgaria". BBC News. 06 August 2006. Accessed 18 June 2008.
^ Homer. Iliad, Book II.
^ Strabo's Geography, Book VII, Fragments, paragraph 47
^ Cohen (2000).
^ Poulianos (1961).
^ 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%)."

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Origins