The Thracians- customs and nature

    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.
     The first wife of an eminent Thracian was nor forced to do the housework. But when her husband died she was sacrificed and buried by him. The other wives were sunk in grief not having the proper honor. Their suitors, in order to comfort them, made the following: they put presents and their weapons by the funeral pile, hoping to make piece with the death's spirit or to fight it in order to aspire to his widows.
    The man was most of all a soldier and a hunter. The Thracian man was the master of the house. Also he received a good training in many skills - pottery, building, metalworking. They were good blacksmiths and were able to make carts and bouts. By rule the ancient Thracians were vegetarians although they had large herds. They ate cheese, honey, and milk, including mare's milk. The ancient Greeks were impressed by the so cold  "bloody milk" - a mixture of milk and blood. They liked very much the amusements and pleasure of live. Their notorious wine was well known in Greece. But they could make many different drinks. For example the BRUTON - made of barley and mixed with wine, which was drunk by straws, THE PARABIA - made of millet, THE CONIZA - made of the herb elecampane and which possessed anaesthetic action. Due to the climate hey had to wear warm clothes. They used wool, hemp and linen in their natural color or pained them with plant dyes. The men wore trousers and hemp or linen shirts. They wore colourful coats called ZEIRA. This is the today's hooded cloak. They liked to wear clothes made by colourful materials. On their feet they put leather sandals. The fur caps protected them from the severe and cold winds.
    The noble Thracians made the hospitality a ritual. The Thracians were very hospitable. The guests were sacred and immured. Usually the master of the house took care of his guests. He served the bread and the meat. It was a habit to drink wine from one and the same utensil. According to this custom the scientists explain the peculiarity of the amphora- rithon from the Panegyric treasure. It has two opposite mouths from where to drink.