The Thracians men were well built and stout, and
the ancient authors compared them with the Celts and the Skits. They were
with blue eyes and fair or ginger hair. They used also tattoos. According
to the information, the Agatirs coloured their hair and the tattoo in blue.
On the Thracian column in Rome brave soldiers can be seen, with shortly
cut hair. Some of them have beard and moustaches. The beards were usually
were priority 'for the tribe leader. Some tribes and the Daks tied their
hair up and allowed the tail to fall over the right shoulder. In the tribe
of Daks the long hair was a sign of a high social status.
The women were beautiful and hard working. There
is a case that opens a story about the Lemnos women who killed their husbands
because they did not do their husband's duty. Eyewitnesses from the antiquity
told about the women of the tribe Peons, that they were caring a vessel
with water on their head, spinning and leading a horse by the halters at
one and the same time. Women possess a lower position in the family and
in the society. From very little they were learned how to take care of
the house and on the field. They got married at the age of 12-13 and were
great treasure for their fathers, because their parents received a lot
of money from the future husband.
| Very interesting is the information from Pomponius Mellas, which revealed
very interesting customs: women were not married as what the parents agree
but as what the tribe says. And they were either married or sold. For the
beautiful women the men paid and for the other girls it was paid to the
men who will take them. That is why those who were beautiful were exhibit
at a public auction. They were married according to how much the men would
pay. The women with ugly faces- they bought their future husband. The married
women who had done adultery were publicly exposed. They were put on a donkey
and in this way were showed to the whole village.
The Thracians were polygamists and it was something usual. They have 3-4 or sometimes 30 wives who they used as servants. In their society it was a sign of respect and honour to possess many women. Although the Thracian had many women one of them had the rights to be the first. This was very important by the heritage of the husband. Their childhood of the Thracian kids was a sad one. Most of the boys were sold in slavery by their parents. Most often for salt, because Trace was rich of everything, but salt. The slavery was something usual. That is why in some of the tribes the newborn babies were mourned over, while the dead Thracian was celebrated. |
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