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THRACE

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Originally appearing in Volume V26, Page 886 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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THRACE , a name which was applied at various periods to areas of different extent. For the purposes of this See also:

article it will be taken in its most restricted sense, as signifying the See also:Roman See also:province which was so called after the See also:district that intervened between the See also:river Ister (See also:Danube) and the Haemus Mountains (See also:Balkan) had been formed into the See also:separate provinces of See also:Moesia, and the region between the See also:rivers Strymon and Nestus, which included See also:Philippi, had been added to See also:Macedonia. The boundaries of this were—towards the N. the Haemus, on the E. the Euxine See also:Sea, on the S. the Propontis, the See also:Hellespont and the See also:Aegean, and towards the W. the Nestus. The most distinguishing features of the See also:country were the See also:chain of Rhodope (Despoto-dagh) and the river Hebrus (Maritza). The former separates at its northernmost point from the Haemus, at right angles, and runs southward at first, nearly parallel to the Nestus, until it approaches the sea, when it takes an easterly direction (See Virg. Georg. iii. 351). Several of the summits of this chain are over 7000 ft. in height. The Hebrus, together with its tributaries which flow into it from the See also:north, See also:east and See also:west, drains almost the whole of Thrace. It starts from near the point of junction of Haemus and Rhodope, and at first takes an easterly direction, the See also:chief See also:town which lies on its See also:banks in the earlier See also:part of its course being See also:Philippopolis; but when it reaches the still more important See also:city of Hadrianopolis it makes a See also:sharp See also:bend towards the See also:south, and enters the sea nearly opposite the See also:island of See also:Samothrace. The greater part of the country is hilly and irregular, though there are considerable plains; but besides Rhodope two other tolerably definite chains intersect it, one of which descends from Haemus to See also:Adrianople, while the other follows the See also:coast of the Euxine at no See also:great distance inland. One district in the extreme north-west. of Thrace See also:lay beyond the See also:watershed separating the streams that flow into the Aegean from those that reach the Danube: this was the territory of See also:Sardica, the See also:modern See also:Sophia.

In the later Roman See also:

period two See also:main lines of road passed through the country. One of these skirted the See also:southern coast, being a continuation of the Via Egnatia, which ran from Dyrrhachium to Thessalonica, thus connecting the Adriatic and the Aegean; it became of the first importance after. the See also:foundation of See also:Constantinople, because it was the See also:direct See also:line of communication between that city and See also:Rome. The other followed a north-See also:westerly course through the interior, from Constantinople by Hadrianopolis and Philippopolis to the Haemus, and thence by Naissus (See also:Nish) through Moesia in the direction of See also:Pannonia, taking the same route by which the railway now runs from Constantinople to See also:Belgrade. The See also:climate of Thrace was regarded by the Greeks as very severe, and that country was spoken of as the See also:home of the north See also:wind, See also:Boreas. The coast in the direction of the Euxine also was greatly feared by sailors, as the harbours were few and the sea proverbially tempestuous; but the southern See also:shore was more attractive to navigators, and here we find the See also:Greek colonies of See also:Abdera and Mesambria on the Aegean, See also:Perinthus on the Propontis, and, the most famous of all, See also:Byzantium, at the See also:meeting-point of that sea and the See also:Bosporus. Another See also:place which proved attractive to colonists of that See also:race was the curious narrow See also:strip of ground, called the Thracian See also:Chersonese, that intervened between the Hellespont and the See also:Bay of Melas, which penetrates far into the See also:land on its See also:northern See also:side. Among the cities that occupied it the most important were Sestos and Callipolis (See also:Gallipoli). In See also:order to prevent the incursions of the Thracian, a See also:wall was built across its See also:isthmus, which was less than 5 M. in breadth. The north-eastern portion of the Aegean, owing to its proximity to the coast of Thrace, was known as the Thracian Sea, and in this were situated the islands of See also:Thasos, Samothrace and See also:Imbros. See also:History.—The most striking archaeological monuments of the prehistoric period are the sepulchral mounds, which are found by thousands in various parts of the country, especially in the neighbourhood of the See also:ancient towns. As Roman implements and ornaments have been found in some of them, it is See also:plain that this mode of See also:burial continued to be practised until a See also:late period. The country was overrun several times by See also:Darius and his generals, and the Thracian Greeks contributed See also:Ito See also:ships to the armament of See also:Xerxes (See also:Herod. vii.

185). The most powerful Thracian tribe was that of the Odrysae, whose See also:

king, Teres, in the See also:middle of the 5th See also:century B.C. extended his dominion so as to include the greater part of Thrace. During the Peloponnesian See also:War his son Sitalces was an ally of some importance to the Athenians, because he kept in check the Macedonian monarch, who opposed the interests of the Athenians in the Chalcidic See also:peninsula. Again, in the See also:time of See also:Philip of Macedon we find Cersobleptes, who ruled the south-eastern portion of the country, exercising an important See also:influence on the policy of See also:Athens. During the See also:early period of the Roman See also:Empire the Thracian See also:kings were allowed to maintain an See also:independent See also:sovereignty, while acknowledging the See also:suzerainty of Rome, and it was not until the reign of See also:Vespasian that the country was reduced to the See also:form of a province (Kalopathakas) De Thracia, provincia See also:romana, 1894; See also:Mommsen, Roman Provinces, Eng. trans., x886). From its outlying position in the northern part of the Balkan peninsula it was much exposed to the inroads of See also:barbarian invaders. It was overrun by the Goths on several occasions, and subsequently by the See also:Huns; but its proximity to Constantinople caused its fortunes to be closely connected with those of that city, from the time when it became the See also:capital of the Eastern Empire. In the course of the middle ages the northern parts of Thrace and some other districts of that country were occupied by a Bulgarian See also:population; and in 1361 the See also:Turks made themselves masters of Adrianople, which for a time became the See also:Turkish capital. When Constantinople See also:fell in 1453 the whole country passed into the hands of the Turks, and in their See also:possession it remained until 1878, when, in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of See also:Berlin, the northern portion of it was placed under a separate See also:administration, with the See also:title of Eastern See also:Rumelia; this province has now become, to all intents and purposes, a part of the principality of See also:Bulgaria. The population is composed of Turks, Greeks and Bulgarians. (H. F.

T.) Ancient Peoples.—The name " Thracians," from being used both ethnically and geographically, has led to confusion. There were the true indigenous Thracians and also See also:

Celtic tribes such as the Treres in the early period, the See also:Getae and Trausi later, and the Gallic See also:Scordisci in Roman days. These were the " red " Thracians of Greek writers, and they differed not merely in physique and complexion, but also in their customs and See also:religion from the native Thracians (Herod. v. 14). The native Thracians were inferior in morals, allowing their girls See also:complete See also:licence till See also:marriage. The chief native deities were See also:Dionysus, See also:Ares and Bendis (See also:Artemis), but many of these tribes had Celtic chiefs, who traced their descent from and worshipped a See also:god called See also:Hermes by the Greeks, but possibly See also:Odin. The substantial features of the ancient Dionysiac See also:rites, including a See also:ritual See also:play by " See also:goat-men " carrying a wooden phallus, may still be seen at Bizye, the old See also:residence of the Thracian kings (see R. M. See also:Dawkins in Hellenic See also:Journal, 1906, p. 191). The true Thracians were part of that dark-complexioned, See also:long-skulled race, which had been in the Balkan peninsula from the See also:Stone See also:Age, closely akin to the See also:Pelasgians (q.v.), the See also:aborigines of See also:Greece, to the Ligurians, the aborigines of See also:Italy, and to the See also:Iberians. The name " Illyrian" (see See also:ILLYRIA) was applied to all the tribes of this stock who dwelt west of the northern extensions of the See also:Pindus range and in what was termed Upper Macedonia in later times, and who extended right up to the See also:head of the Adriatic.

In See also:

Homer the name Macedonia is not yet known, and the See also:term Thracian is applied to all the tribes dwelling from Pieria to the Euxine. There is no well-defined difference between aboriginal Thracians and Illyrians. Thus there was an Illyrian tribe Brygi, a Thracian one Bryges; some of the latter had passed into See also:Asia and settled in the land called from them See also:Phrygia, whence some of them later passed into See also:Armenia; some of the Mysians (regarded by See also:Strabo as Thracians) had also crossed into what was later known as See also:Mysia: closely connected with the Mysians were the Dardanii, of Trojan fame, who had a city Dardania or See also:Dardanus. In Strabo's time a tribe called Dardanii, then reckoned Illyrian, living next the Thracian Bessi (in whose land was the See also:oldest See also:oracle of Dionysus), were probably as much Thracian as Illyrian. All the Thracian and Illyrian tribes tattooed, thus being distinguished from the Celtic tribes who had conquered many of them. The Thracians differed only dialectically from the Illyrians (Strabo), their See also:tongue being closely allied to Greek. The Thracians of the region from See also:Olympus to the Pangaean district, usually regarded as See also:rude tribes, had from a very early time worked the See also:gold and See also:silver of that region, had begun to strike coins almost as early as the Greeks, and displayed on them much See also:artistic skill and originality of types. The most famous were the See also:Bisaltae, the Orrescii, Odomantes and Edoni. See also:Alexander I. of Macedon on his See also:conquest of the Bisaltae adopted the native coinage, merely placing on it his own name (see, further, See also:NUMISMATICS: Greek, §§ Thrace and Macedonia). They were famous for their skill in See also:music and literature. See also:Orpheus, See also:Linus, Thamyris and See also:Eumolpus were theirs, and in later days the Dardanii were noted for their love of music as well as for their uncleanliness. See See also:Herodotus v.

3–8; H. See also:

Kiepert, Lehrbuch der See also:alten Geographic (Berlin, 1878) ; A. See also:Boue, La Turquie d'See also:Europe (4 vols., See also:Paris, 184o) ; G. See also:Finlay, History of Greece, vols. i.–iv. (See also:Oxford, 1877) ; W. See also:Ridge-way, Early Age of reece, i. 351 seq. (See also:Cambridge, 19o2); Tomaschek, See also:Die See also:alien Thraker (1893-1895); See also:Hiller von Gaertringen, De Greecorum fabulis ad Thraces pertinentibus (1886). (W.

End of Article: THRACE

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