Esthetical culture and education     The tradition of inheriting the ruler’s position among the Thracian aristocracy required a special attention to the young claimants of the throne, no matter of the rank. One of the basic if not the most important function of each Thracian ruler was the ability to use the sward, i.e. to be master of the art of war. That is why their sons were trained from a very early age to know the secrets of battle, use of spear, sward and how to avoid the blows of the enemy. They were introduced to the secrets of the Thracian military tactics. The course was hard, but thus they gained stamina, force and the proverbial disdain at death. It had been necessary to grow as the future fearless leaders of the tribe in a battle with the enemy.

The education was an important part of the spiritual culture mostly of the noble Thracians. Within the family of the common member of the community it consisted of only one thing – daily hard labour in the fields or stockbreeding plus ability to use the sward and the spear. Most of the village boys and girls, as was mentioned before, were sold in slavery and there they had the same fate, if not worse, in case they were sent to the deep and moist mines or to the Greek ships as rowers.     The education of the Thracian noble young men was not quite exquisite. The training of the physical tenacity, iron will and military art were proverbial and the Greeks had more than once the chance to face those abilities of the Thracians. In the Ancient World the Spartan school for bravery, stamina and spirit of battle was also famous. In fact Sparta was founded by the Thracians and followed the traditions of its ancestors. Along with the military art, the Thracian noble young men learnt rhetoric. They had to become able orators and fire the military spirit of the warriors. They had to be able to conduct negotiations and make a good impression to those around in the course of the small talk. They adopted a range of labour abilities for the main agricultural activities. In this line particularly important was the knowledge in breaking the horses in. The selection of thoroughbreds was the exclusive line of activity for the Thracian rulers in the antiquity.

   Gradually the young aristocrats were introduced to the secrets of the aristocratic elite and the first battle with the enemy was most probably the certificate of a successful graduation. By the way that depended on the outcome of the battle…