Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ent villages with elevated, rudimentary fortresses. Herodotus records that Thrace's popu-
lation was 'greater than that of any country in the world except India'; if unified, Thracian
tribes could rule everywhere, he wrote.
Most powerful were the Sofia-area Serdi;
the Getae, from the Danube region; and the
Odrysai, from the Rodopi region. The tribes
quarreled, but had a common culture, language
and religious rites. They were feared warriors
and horsemen. The 2nd-century BC Greek his-
torian Polybius described the chronic wars of
attrition between the Thracians and the Greek colonists at Byzantium (later, Con-
stantinople, and then Istanbul).
Despite their warlike reputation, the Thracians had a softer, even more salacious side.
Semi-mythical musician and underworld explorer, Orpheus, was born here: his talent for
getting the party started worked seamlessly with that of wine god Dionysus, who was
worshipped in orgiastic rituals. Polygamy and pre-marital promiscuity were encouraged
for girls. Breathless ancient Greek historians also mentioned Thracians' lurid tatoos and
recreational drug use (probably by inhaling burning hemp seeds).
The Thracians were accomplished artists and traded jewellery, copper and gold. Excav-
ations around Shipka have unearthed an astonishing gold mask and the bronze head of a
Thracian king. The Thracians also influenced Greek and Roman religion, while some Bul-
garian names, like 'rila' (for Rila Monastery) and 'yantra' (the river through Veliko
Târnovo) probably originate from Thracian. However, lacking their own written record,
the Thracians' history and culture remain opaque; since Thracian history is known largely
from Greek sources, Greek scholars have long been tempted to 'Hellenicise' Thracian
achievements.
Today's famous Thracian remains include tombs dating from about 4000 BC (in
Varna's Archaeological Museum) and the 4th-century BC Kazanlâk one. The Shipka area
is called the 'Valley of the Thracian Kings' for its Thracian burial mounds. Other Thracian
artefacts lie in museums in Haskovo, Smolyan, Sofia and Sliven. Other settlement remains
are at Burgas and Nesebâr on the Black Sea, and Plovdiv's Nebet Tepe fortress site.
A Concise History of Bulgaria
by R.J. Crampton is
a scholarly and compehensive overview of the
country's history from prehistoric times to the
present day.
Greeks, Macedonians and Romans
From the 7th century BC, Greek merchants seeking safe harbours and trade opportunities
founded Black Sea ports like Apollonia Pontica (modern-day Sozopol), Odessos (Varna),
Mesembria (Nesebâr), Krounoi (Balchik) and Pirgos (Burgas). These ports exported
