KOTYS I (383 – 359 BC)

The most dynamic Thracian king crowned the causes of the Odrysian dynasty (the end of the 6th and the beginning of the 5th century BC – 45 AD) with an active internal and foreign policy for the stabilisation of the relations among the Thracian kingdoms and for transforming the Odrysian state into a naval sea power at the price of a prolonged military expansion. A traditional pilgrim to the Delphi sanctuary but an enemy of the Athens polis because of entering into rivalry with it for the control of sea routes in the East Aegean Sea, Kotys I was sure of the historical perspective of Southeastern Europe. he understood that the decline of the town-states after the Peloponnesian War between the Athenian Naval League and the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta (431 – 404 BC) foreboded the future role of the monarchies. But his attempt to transform the Odrysian state into the paramount power was unsuccesful because it was made as a pre-Hellenistic trend, as a notice of the great reforms pledged by Philip II the Macedonian (359 – 336 BC) and realised by his son Alexander III the Great (336 – 323 BC) who changed the world.
Kotys was a morning star in the idea of Clio, the muse of History. This star vanished into the bright light of the genius of Alexander.

THE GETAI AND THEIR DYNASTY

Already in the end of the sixth century BC “the king of kings” Darius I (521 – 486 BC) had to fight the Getai who Herodotus defined as the “most fair and brave among the Thracians”. This took place in 514 BC during the march of Darius against the Scythians across the Danube River. Since that time, the glorious name of this numerous ethno-cultural Thracian community along both sides of the Lower Danube has kept its magnificence. In spite of the fact that the written sources are not reliable enough for tracing the succession of the dynastic genealogy or the names of the particular rulers, the historical role of the king [tästä välistä puuttuu jotakin] home of the Getai has been confilrmed for the Pre-Roman Epoch by the remarkable archaeological sites and finds, by the masterly works of the toreutics and by the impressive mythological and legendary figure of Zalmoxis.
Zalmoxis, or the “northern Orpheus” was the Teacher-Ruler who introduced the faith in Immortality in the area between the Carpathian Mountains and Haemus (today the Balkan Range). He and his followers-aristocrats, organised in closed society trust in the Word that arouses the access to the Divine Knowledge. It is the Eternal Energy and only the deeply believing person who is continuously developing himself to spiritual perfection is able to aspire to it and to merge with it.
The faith in Immortality inspired the Getai during the hard periods of their history. Already in the first century BC, the dynasty of the Getai under the reign of Burebistas, established a large state reaching to the south to the Old Greek poleis (city-states) along the western beach of the Black Sea. The state of the Getai, however, reached its peak under the reign of Decebalus (Dekebalos) who fought against emperor Domitianus (81 – 96 AD) to stand the independence of the South Carpathian Mountains region, and against emperor Trajan (98 – 117 AD) as well. It was then that the Getai received officially their other name Dakoi and lost their independence only after the two Dacian wars in 101 – 102 and 105 – 106 AD. This victory of the Roman army was made famous by the notable column of emperor Trajan, raised in his forum in Rome.

THE TRIBALLI AND THEIR DYNASTY

One of the most numerous and warlike Thracian ethno-cultural communities were the Triballi. Their territory stretched far west and northwest of the reaches of the Oxios River, today’s Iskar, crossing the field of Sofia, ancient Serdica. The Triballi, likened to “a swarm of locusts” when they were at war, were known to the Athenians already in the fifth century BC, but they became famous for their resistance against Alexander III the Great who in the spring of 335 BC made his march through Thrace in order to secure his rear before the Persian campaign. Then king Syrmos formed up his army for a pitched battle. He was repulsed by the Macedonian phalanx but withdrew in battle order. From this time onwards, the Triballi started to be used as mercenaries because of their excellent skills as warriors, in the armies of the Hellenistic rulers and in the Roman army as well (from the third century BC). Except of Syrmos, the sources also report of the name of king Hales who in the first half of the fourth century BC led the invasion of the Triballi into the south as far as Abdera on the mouth of the Mesta river, ancient Nestos, on the Aegean sea. An inscription on the phiale with the image of Auge and Heracles (the Rogozen Treasure) tells about the name of Didykaimos, which is a typical king’s name stemming from the coded name of the Great Mother Goddess.
However, the greatness of the dynasty of the Triballi is understandable from the biggest heap of treasures found so far on the Thracian territory in one plan. From the land of the Triballi came the memorable finds of sets made of precious metal, for example the Rogozen set, and some of the most luxurious kings’ burials with rich funeral gifts as that one found in the Mogilanska mound in Vratsa. Archaeological data show that at least during the period of the fourth – second/first century BC, i.e. till the Roman conquest, the dynasty of the Triballi was equal with the dynasties of the Odrysai, Bessi and Getai in its military power, politically and economically. In competed successfully with them and was their equal partner.

THE POLIS

The Greek colonisation of Aegean, Marmara and Black Sea coasts in the end of the eighth – seventh century BC exerted an essential influence on both historical and cultural processes in Thrace. Thracian settlements existed on the territory of the established apoikiai long before the arrival of the Greek colonists.
The assimilation of new historical spaces by the Greeks led to the creation of a contact zone, where the interlacing of the Hellenic and Thracian cults and rites are most visible, as well as an exchange of objects, ideas, knowledge and skills, too. These are an excellent example of zone of mutual infiltration of different types of cultural attitude – the Hellenic and the Thracianompeted successfully with them and was their equal partner.

THE THRACIAN HÊRÔS

Among other things, the Romans profaned the old Thracian faith, professed by the king and aristocrats, after the subjugation of the Thracian kingdoms. The figure of god and his doctrinal son are merged into the image of the Thracian Heros – a mysterious and mighty Horseman. Silver ritual sets and numerous votive and burial monuments start to be devoted to him. His iconographic reincarnations are numerous – he goes hunting or comes back from a successful hunt and he is often presented in a scene of a sacrifice. A circle of constant companions and basic attributes are formed around him. The most characteristic ones are a snake winding around the Tree of Life, an alter, a dog, a wild boar etc. Sometimes he also accepted elements, characterising other gods – the lyre of Apollo, the lightning and a sceptre of Zeus, the labris of Sabazius and the rhyton of Dionysus. The Heros had all functions of the Old Thracian gods. He combined the solar and the chthonic meaning, the solar and underground gods no matter how they would be called. Therefore he remained anonymous and his image is understandable only in a Thracian environment.

THE THRACIAN DIONYSUS AND DIONYSUS IN THRACE

The theonym is a code of the most powerful religion in Southeastern Europe – the Dionysism. The core of the latter was formed by the faith in dying and reborn male god who in Hellas was mainly the patron of the natural vegetation circle and in Thrace of the eternal transition Life – Death – the Beyond. Thracian Dionysus is the mixed Old Greek name of the reincarnations of the Son of the Great Mother Goddess who was born by her through self-conception and entered into holy marriage with her in order to ensure the new birth both of the Cosmos and of the Socium. Therefore, he was the leader to immortality, which the Thracian Orphic believers saw as an act of merging the energy in the Beyond. He was also worshipped by all the Thracians who were not initiated into this doctrine, as the Saviour from Suffering. Being the main god of oral Orphism on its two socio-doctrinal levels, Thracian Dionysus was the typical “God in” of the believer who takes possession of his follower during the rite and parts from him after purifying him. The purification was due to the deep belief that the Son endures his own sacrifice in the image of a bull, a ram or a he-goat and in his death he joined together with his Mother-Goddess through the blood, soaked into the earth to be born again and to give life to Everything. These rites in Thrace were devoted to Zagreus and/or to Sabazius who were the two main names of Dionysus to the north of Hellas and represented the reincarnations of the God in Fire (= Zagreus) and Sun (= Sabazius). Hidden into his zoomorphic images, Thracian Dionysus led the Orphic bacchantes in Hellas, Macedonia and,
first and foremost, in Thrace to perform his own sacrifice, bearing him “in themselves” in their capacity of priestesses of the Great mother Goddess. There are relics from there rites still preserved in the Balkan folklore.
Therefore, Old Greek Dionysus, in his classical anthropomorphous image, was deeply honoured during the whole Antiquity. Traces of the faith in him have been preserved in some masks performances. The cries of “the Bacchantes” can still be heard in the tragedy of Euripide, bearing the same name. 

THE ROMAN CULTURE IN THRACIAN LANDS

In 15 AD, under the reign of the emperor Tiberius, the Roman Empire created the province of Moesia (today’s Northern Bulgaria and Eastern Serbia) and in 86 AD under the reign of the emperor Domitian the province was divided into Upper Moesia, reaching the mouth of the Danube in the east. In 46 AD, under the reign of the emperor Claudius, the lands of Thracia lying between Haemus and the Aegean Sea were included in the Roman Empire. Thus, all Thracian territories in Southeastern Europe became a part of the Roman Empire. 
The consequences of these events proved to be of lasting importance. The old major settlements were transformed into Roman towns and new ones were established. Serdica (today’s Sofia), Philippopolis (Plovdiv), Augusta Traiana (Stara Zagora), Nicopolis ad Istrum (near the village of Nikjup, the region of Veliko Tarnovo) are some of the best examples of centres of the Roman civilisation, which like the Old Hellenic poleis (city-states) along the Thracian littorals, manifested in them its traditional tolerance and loyalty towards other cultures and religions. Bound by network of roads, they developed into key points of the high roads of the Empire from the west to the east and thus, in vital centres of the first integration of Europe. With their centuries-old Thracian mentality, which was enriched by the Roman-Italian, Asia Minor and Semitic traditions of this the quite mixed population, the towns prospered in the second – third century AD and were able later to stand the “Barbarian invasions” in the fourth – sixth century AD. In this way they gradually developed from Paganism to Christianity. This continuity made possible the rich ancient “deposit” of the Roman Epoch to the Early Byzantine culture and the European Middle Ages.

THE CHARIOTS

The Thracians continued to erect burial mounds and to place rare and expensive offerings during the Roman Epoch. The rich burials of the Thracian aristocracy are an evidence of the new existence of the ideas in a different historical reality. The symbolism of the chariot, which was placed in the periphery of the burial mound, is similar to that of the horse in the previous epoch. Richly decorated with silver and bronze appliqués and statuettes with predominantly Bacchic subject matters – representations of Dionysus and the deities of his assemblage – the chariots had a dual function. They were on the one hand a funeral offering and on the other they took part in the religious ceremony connected with the cult towards the dead – a mystical procession that reflected the complex cosmogonic mythological and religious notions of the Thracians.

The text was provided by:
Prof. Aleksander Fol, PhD, Bulgarian Academy, director of the institute of Trakology, Sofia, Bulgaria

Prof. Elka Penkova,PhD, he institute of Trakology and The National Museum of History, Sofia, Bulgaria
The pictures represent the thracian treasures on display in the art museum of Amos Anderson (1-4.2000). The artifacts are from 24 historical museums in Bulgaria, Sofia, Varna, Bourgas, Plovdiv, Svistov, Vratsa, Asenovgrad, Dobrich, Nessebar, Novi Pazar, Lovech, Pleven, Haskovo, Montana, Pazardzhik, Razgrad, Ruse, Silistra, Stara Zagora, Targovishte, Blagoevgrad, Kjustendil, Jambol, Kazanlak. 

	The exhibition cataloque of Amos Anderson museum ”Ancient Thrace.Golden and silver treasures from Bulgaria 5000 bc – 300 ad.” , 188 pages 130 color pictures, price 15,15 €, in finnish, Swedish and English from the art museum of Amos Anderson
27,Yrjönkatu  00100 Helsinki  Tel: 09-6844460  Fax: 09-68444622  Homepage: www.amosanderson.fi  Е-mail: museum@amosanderson.fi

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