THE ARMY EQUIPMENT AND WEAPONS
    There were found traces of a thracian weapon - bronze daggers, swords, rapiers, peaks of spears and arrows. During the

years it was improved by various kinds of weapons made of bronze and iron. The ability to make carts also was increased; they made various details in the preparation of the horse teams. One and the same weapon was used either in attack or as defense- swords, spears, arrows and daggers. They had a usual protect clothing. Ksenophontus from Anabases wrote about the army of Sevt I. '' The battles were at winter weather conditions and the surprise of the Greek war-leader was big when he saw the peltastes. They had special cloths for severe weather, which covered their whole body. Their heads and ears were covered with fox leathers. The cavalry was also well clothed. ''The Thracians knew all kinds of protective weapons and made great figures of helmets, armours, chain armours. The helmets were with a horse mane. In most of the cases the weapons turned into product of the art. They were made of silver and gold, decorated with real and fantastic animals and other ornaments.

   The horses themselves were also richly ornamented with colourful cloak and with horse harness of silver and gold. The same was covered over the carts.

The shields had oval or almost circle form. The light shield, the type named ''pelta'', first was made by knitted stick then on a wooden frame they stretched an animal leather. They added on it pictures and metal plates. They used short, long, heavy and light spears. On every picture that was found the Thracians were painted with two spears in hand.The swords were also different- long, not very long, at about 70-80 sm. wide swords. The handles were decorated with bone, silver or gold nails. The most typical was the Thracian sword- the slightly curved like a yatagan Thracian ''mahaira''.  The fight equipment, swords, shields, armours, chain armours were passed through generations. They were like a family relic and a proof of the soldier honour. The fight equipment taken from the enemies from the battlefield was a sign about the soldier's dignity.

   Before and after the battle they had cults with the sacrifice of animals or people. The main priest sacrificed a domestic or totem animal and divined the result of the battle. For Ares sometimes they sacrificed accidentally passing foreigners or prisoner-of-war. It was usual in honour to Ares to sacrifice a horse before a battle. They played competitions in honour to the killed noble Thracians.
    The war life of the Thracians was full of marches, small and big fights. The most famous march was the one during which they moved from Hindikush to the Balkan Peninsula and the other also very important march was the march of Sitalk against the Macedonian kingdom. During the marches the Thracians used various tactic skills.