The name of the population that inhabited the territory between the Carpathian Mountains and Aegean region, the islands, and also regions of Anatolia, the northern coast of the Black Sea, etc.

The Thracians were mentioned as allies of the Trojans in the Homer’s epic poem. Their name is also met in Cretan-Mycenaean written records. 

Regarding their origin they belong to the Indo-European ethnic group. There are several hypotheses concerning the Thracian origin: 

• the first, that they came from northeast about 1500 BC and mixed themselves with the local population and later on formed separate groups.
• other part Bulgarian archaeologists assume that the Thracians came from northeast about 3500 BC – i.e. at the end of the Stone-Copper Age. 
• Another hypothesis is that the Thracians are a local population and in result of the internal migrations and consolidation of this local population formed the Thracian ethnocultural group.

In the 1st millennium BC the Thracians were among the most multitudinous peoples in Europe. On the Balkan Peninsula the Thracians were divided in numerous tribes, as the more significant were: 

• Moesi – inhabited the lands from the Timok River to the Yantra River along the Danube (the Danubian Plain – Bulgaria) 
• Dacians – inhabited the present south Romania 
• Odrysians – inhabited the lands along the lower course of the Maritsa, Tundzha and Arda rivers (present Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece) 
• Asti – the region of the Strandzha Mountain (Bulgaria) 
• Bessi – the Rhodope Mountains (Bulgaria) 
• Maedi – along the middle course of the Struma River 
• Serdi – in the present Sofia region, Bulgaria
• Denteleti – the present Kyustendil region 
• Odomanti and Edoni – the lands along the lower course of the Struma River, and others 

The Thracians were mainly engaged in farming, gardening, cattle-breeding (esp. horse-breeding), pottery-making, weaving, metal mining, goldsmithing, etc. The various tribes were at a different socioeconomic, political and cultural level. That’s why the break-up of the tribal relations was a process of different duration for the different Thracian tribes. Preconditions for the class division of the group and the establishment of a state-like union appeared first by the Thracians who lived near the Greek colonies along the Aegean and Black Sea coast. The first Thracian state was the Odrysian Kingdom, established at the end of the 6th century BC. In 4th century BC the Thracian lands were conquered by Philip II of Macedon. The Thracians revolted many times against the forced domination and against the Celts, who invaded in the beginning of the 3rd century BC. At the beginning of the 1st century AD they were conquered by the Romans and rose in rebellions against them in 21 and 26 AD. The Thracians gradually became one part with the Slavs, who settled on the Balkan Peninsula in 6th century AD, and thus when the Bulgarian Empire was established by Chan Asparuh in 681 AD they laid the foundations of the Bulgarian nation.

view map from Wikimedia

The name of the territories inhabited by the Thracians (to the Carpathian Mountains on the north, to the Black Sea on the east, to the Aegean Sea on the south, to the Vardar River on the west). 

The Thracians were mentioned as allies of the Trojans in the Homer’s epic poem. Their name is also met in Cretan-Mycenaean written records. 

Greek colonies were established along the Thracian coast and developed in the 7th century BC. After that Hellenic authors began to provide more and more detailed information about the Thracians and their way of life. For example, Herodotus mentioned Teres – the first powerful ruler of the Odrysian kingdom. His successors – Sitalces, Sparadokos, Seuthes I and Cotys I managed to unite and dominate over many of the tribes living on the both sides of the Haemus Mons (the Balkan Mountains). After the death of Cotys I the kingdom was divided among three Thracian rulers. This made the expansions of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander of Macedon easier and they became rulers of a part of the Southern Thracian territories. After the death of Alexander the Great, Thrace remained under the reign of the diadochus Lysimachus. 

At the beginning of the 3rd century BC Celtic tribes invaded the Balkan Peninsula and established the capital of the Scordisci at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. The Celtic enclaves remained in the Southeastern Thrace and established their kingdom somewhere near Byzantium. It seized to exist in 218 BC. 

In the 2nd century BC the Odrysian rulers helped Rome in war against king Perseus of Macedon. After the Roman victory in 168 BC they were paid honours and declared Roman allies. The other Thracian rulers (of the Denteleti, Maedi, Bessi) were ardent Roman enemies. As a result of the long Roman expansion on the Balkans and after many marches with a varying success, the Roman legions imposed their hegemony over the lands between the Danube River and the Balkan Mountains. Initially these lands were under the dominion of the Roman ruler of the province of Macedonia, and about 15 AD they were organized in the province of Moesia. In 87 AD the emperor Domitian, preparing for the march against the Dacians, divided Moesia into two provinces – Upper Moesia (Moesia Superior) and Lower Moesia (Moesia Inferior) (separated by the Ciabrus /Tsibritsa/ River). In 45 AD the Thracian kingdom of Rhoemetalces III was annexed and they formed together with the lands between the Balkan Mountains and the Aegean Sea the province of Thrace. As a result of the emperors’ reforms in 3rd – 4th century AD the old provinces of Thrace and Moesia Inferior were grouped into the diocese of Thrace, included in the prefecture of Oriens /”East”/. The western part of the Balkans was included in the dioceses of Dacia and Macedonia of the prefecture of Illyricum. From 395 AD the province of Thrace was part of the Eastern Roman Empire, which continued to exist as a separate unit – the Byzantine Empire – after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD. In the 4th – 6th century AD Thrace was subjected to invasions that radically changed its ethnic composition. The invasions of the Bulgars /proto-Bulgarians/ started in 5th century AD, and the mass settlement of the Slavs started in the 6th century AD. In the 7th century AD the Bulgarian Empire was established on part of the territory of Thrace.

view map from Wikimedia

Thracian king 424 – about 408 BC, son of the Odrysian ruler Sparadokos and successor of Sitalces. At the time of the military operations against Macedon and Chalkidiki in 429 BC, he played a major role in the kingdom politics. After Sitalces’ death in 424 BC he demonstrated the entire might of the kingdom by collecting from the Aegean colonies tributes to the total amount of 400 talents and the same sum paid in kind. About 411 BC he led active military political campaigns in the Thracian Chersonese aiming to abolish the Athenian influence. During his reign the Odrysian kingdom turned into a significant political power on the Balkans.

This was the most significant Thracian kingdom, which started its gradual political expansion at the time of the first famous king, called Teres, who ruled at the end of the 6th and the first half of the 5th century BC. He strengthened his power and influence to the Danube Delta to the north, to the Propontis (Sea of Marmara) to the southeast, and to the mouth of the Maritsa River to the west. His successor was Sparadokos – famous with the coinage and the political pressure over the settlements along the Propontis (Sea of Marmara) and Aegean Region. His successor was his brother Sitalces – 424 BC. He played an active role in the political life on the Balkan Peninsula. He became an ally to Athens, and during the Peloponnesian War (429 BC) invaded Macedon and Chalkidiki. He was succeeded on the throne by Seuthes I 424-410 BC, who continued the active economic and political actions of his predecessor.

A real height in the political life of the Odrysian Kingdom is the reign of Cotys I 383-359 BC. He established a stable and lasting control over the settlements along the Propontis and the Thracian Chersonese and turned into a serious political opponent for Athens. His energetic actions added new aspects to the political life on the Balkans. His successor Cersobleptes 359-341 BC was forced into long wars with the king of Macedon, Philip II.

The Odrysian Kingdom continued its existence even after the conquests of Philip II and Alexander of Macedon in Thrace. The dynast Seuthes III fought unrestingly against Alexander’s successor in Thrace, Lysimachus. Then a long period of decline came in the 3rd–2nd century BC. Often the Odrysian kings were true allies of the Roman Republic that aimed at full control over the Balkan Peninsula. In 45 under the reign of the emperor Claudius the Odrysian Kingdom became part of the province of Thrace.

Map of Odrysian Kingdom from Wikimedia

In order to make his position stronger Cotys married his daughter to the Athenian general Iphicrates who soon became the second person in command after the king. Cotys starts to pursue an active foreign policy, which used renting Greek army and commanders. 

In 376-375 BC Cotys used the leader of powerful Thracian tribe of Triballi in war over the town of Abdera and placed him under control. The Triballi, rebelled against his kingdom. One of the reasons for this revolt was that the Triballi were unable to get luxurious goods and other items from the south. Cotys stopped the rebellion by rebuilding the Greek city of Pistiros. 

Cotys violate the union with Athens. He went to war with the Athenians for the possession of the Thracian Chersonese, which aims to turn Odrysian Kingdom the marine force and the first Balkan factor. In 362 BC he controlled peninsula except the cities Elayos, Sestos and Kritote. In 361 BC Athens organized a rebellion against Cotys, led by his treasurer Miltokythes. Yet Iphicrates, with the help of Charidemus, bribed the Athenian military and naval commanders to suppress the rebellion. In 361 BC, Charidemus returned to Athens with a treaty from Cotys, proclaiming him an ally. Cotys had successful retained his kingdom.

By 359 BC, Cotys controlled the whole Chersonese peninsula. This circumstance and contacts that Cotys I established with new Macedonian King Philip II, brought to his murder, organized by the intervention of Athens. 

Cotys I policy and his actions in Thracian Hersones deep disrupting the Second Athenian sea league and became the main factor that prepare and makes it easier Philip II victory over Athens. After his death Odrysian kingdom collapsed.

view Odrysian Kingdom map