The History of the Ancient Thrace -
from XII B. C. till VII c. A. D.

The history of the ancient is a continuous one, complicated and filled with the accomplishments of many great historical personalities. It begins since the movement of the thracian herds in the XII century B. C. in a wide geographic terrain in the European Southeast (The Balkan Peninsula, the Northern Black Sea and the Pennon Low land) till the settlement of an organized Roman Empire and her transformation in a Byzantine one in the lands of the Balkan Peninsula. The ancient Greece colonies alongside the Aegean Sea, the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmora had a good influence on the development of the production and trade of the Thracian people. Thracians, as well as other ancient peoples, couldn’t explain natural’ phenomena. They worshipped rocks, caves, curing springs…as sacred. They thought that Gods lived there. They prayed to them, built sanctuaries, made sacrifices. Thracians had no alphabet and written history. This emptiness is filled with the archeological finds. Hundreds of subjects and even treasures, found in our country, show us something about a limitless science. One of the essential successes then was the beginning of the Thracian government with the Odrinsko kingdom. The spreading of the Christian religion in the lands of the ancient Thracians and the creation of a Christian church organization since the IV Th. Century causes to a change in the Balkan history.

Thracians space one language and had common gods. History has saved the names of more than 20 Thracian tribes. Though their genetic relation they often fought each other. Most commons were the “Besi,"“Medi”, “Gheti”, “Tribali”…

The geographic situation of Ancient Thrace made her a bridge between the East, West, South and North. When moving many tribes and nations used this natural crossroads. The Thracians were forced to battle for their lands all the time.

The Thracians did not have an alphabet, and what we know about them, we learn from the books of Greek and Roman authors, as well as from the research made by archeologists. All the information that is gathered helps us see how the Thracians lived.

In the beginning the Thracians traded only gods, later money appeared, but most precious was salt, which is the last cost gold. They grew wheat, barley, linen and hemp. In the Southern regions wines were grown and wine was produced. The Thracian wines were known for their differentiation. In the North of the Balkan bees were reared. The Thracians were good at rearing bees. They produced a lot of honey and beeswax - once of the mostly seined good at the market in the past. The Greeks appreciated the wooden material and the resin evenly. They bought them from the Thracians, as well. Step by step the tribes divided into stock-breeders and farmers. The weapons, tools, vessels, chain murmurs were additionally worked on at the craftsman’s. The potters decorated the wet-clay pottery before they baked it in the fire. As the time went by pottery became a craft. In the workshops the potter’s wheel appeared and with its help the Thracians made earthen jars, amphora’s and other pottery. This they became perfect. Hunting was favorite for the aristocracy. The Thracian leaders often gave rare anomaly as fifties to each other. The wild boar hunting was extremely dangerous and thrilling.

Except the natural gods, the separate tribes had their own. They were so many that it is hard to name them all. The Thracians often set up ritual celebrations in their name.

Animals were sacrificed, there were quality wines, there were dances and songs. The biggest were the “cucueri” celebrations in honor of Dionis - God of happiness, wine - producing and wine - growing.

As for the Greeks, who communicated much with the Thracians, they liked it a lot and assumed as there most of their gods. In the Greek mythology some of them have new meaning and names. Inspired by them many famous artists, pats and musicians created beautiful works. Thus these gods became a part of the world’s culture, but these who know their nature are few.

The ancient masters drew geometrical figures, fantastic creatures, human faces on vessels, weapons, adornments. There is always something else about these drawings. For examples, the snake is a symbol of the Down World, the bird - the sky, the equestrian - the monarch's power. The ancient masters (artisan) could moon, found and weld together noble metals.

Burying some of their treasure the monarchs did not try to hide it. They made sacred rituals. They buried their gold treasures in a new land so that it stayed theirs forever. There is a big number of found treasures in Bulgaria.

The Thracian monuments of arts - Varna gold treasure, Valchetransko treasure, the wall writings in the Kazanlik cemetery and the Vratsa, Letnik, Rogozen treasures have their value. They show the great culture of the ancient Thracians. We have the right to be proud of such ancestors.

The “Odrisko” kingdom was founded by Teris in the end of the VI century B. C. In the time of his son - Sitalc - the country grew a lot. According to the ancient historians a person could round it with a cargo ship for 4 days, if there is beneficial wind. A walker could cress it for 13 days on foot. It consisted of the lands of other Thracian tribes, which South fought and they paid him tax. That’s why he was not only the king of “Odries”, but the king of Thracians. The power of the country was so big that the Greeks often needed the helps of its army chief preset, he was worshipped like a god. He ruled the country with the help of the tribal princes and a temporary king council. The kingdom hadn’t constant capital. To be able to control his country, the king was constantly moving. So the capital was the fortress he stayed at. One of the big weaknesses of the “Odrinsko” kingdom was the lack of a fleet. They forced the Thracian kings to use Greek ships, which made them dependent.