Thrace

Ask a question about 'Thrace' Start a new discussion about 'Thrace' Answer questions from other users Full Discussion Forum

Ancient history

In Greek mythology

In history and archaeology

Divided into separate tribes, the Thracians did not manage to form a lasting political organization until the Odrysian state was founded in the 4th century BC. According to the ancient sources, which are limited, the mountainous regions were home to various warlike and ferocious tribes, while the plains peoples were apparently more peaceable, owing to more contact and influence from the Greeks

Greeks

The Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in Greek diaspora communities around the world....
.

These Indo-European peoples, while considered barbarian and rural by their refined and urbanized Greek neighbors, had developed advanced forms of music, poetry, industry, and artistic crafts. Aligning themselves in petty kingdoms and tribes, they never achieved any form of national unity beyond short, dynastic rules at the height of the Greek classical period. Similar to the Gauls and other Celtic tribes, most people are thought to have lived simply in small fortified villages, usually on hilltops. Although the concept of an urban center wasn't developed until the Roman period, various larger fortifications which also served as regional market centers were numerous. Yet, in general, despite Greek colonization in such areas as Byzantium

Byzantium

Byzantium was an Ancient Greece city, which was founded by Greeks colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas or Byzantas ....
, Apollonia or Tomi, the Thracians avoided urban life.

The Thracians fell early under the cultural influence of the ancient Greeks

Greeks

The Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in Greek diaspora communities around the world....
, preserving until a much later time, however, their language and culture. It also appears from mythological accounts that the Thracians influenced Greek culture from a very early period, with some Thracians, such as Orpheus

Orpheus

Orpheus was a legendary figure, probably from Thracian origin, venerated by the Greeks and Thracians of the Classical age as a chief among poets and musicians, and the perfector of the lyre invented by Hermes....
, even appearing as culture-bearers in some myths. But as non-Greek

Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 speakers, they were viewed by the Greeks as barbarian

Barbarian

"Barbarian" is a pejorative term for an uncivilized person, either in a general reference to a member of a nation or ethnos, typically a tribal society as seen by an urban civilization either viewed as inferior, or admired as a noble savage....
s. The first Greek colonies in Thrace were founded in the 6th century BC.

Throughout the 6th century BC, Thracian infantry was heavily recruited by Greek states and large deposits of gold and silver were mined.

Thrace south of the Danube

Danube

The Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg River rivers which join at the eponymously named German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows eastwards for a distance...
 (except for the land of the Bessi

Bessi

The Bessi were an independent Thracian tribe who lived in a territory ranging from Moesia to Mount Rhodope in southern Thrace, but are often mentioned as dwelling about Haemus, the mountain range that separates Moesia from Thrace....
) was ruled for nearly half a century by the Persian

Persian Empire

The 'Persian Empire' was a series of successive Iranian or Persianization empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland, and beyond in Southwest Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Caucasus....
s under Darius the Great, who conducted an expedition into the region from 513 BC to 512 BC.

Before the expansion of the kingdom of Macedon

Macedon

Macedon or Macedonia was the name of a monarchy centred in the northernmost part of ancient Greece. The homeland of the ancient Macedonians, it was bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east....
, Thrace was divided into three camps (East, Central, and West) after the withdrawal of the Persians. A notable ruler of the East Thracians was the overking Cersobleptes

Cersobleptes

Cersobleptes was son of Cotys I, king of Thrace, on whose death in 358 BC he inherited the kingdom in conjunction with Berisades and Amadocus, who were probably his brothers....
, who attempted to expand his power over many of the Thracian tribes. He was eventually defeated by the Macedonians

Ancient Macedonians

The Macedonians were an ancient tribe which inhabited the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Vardar, north of Mount Olympus in Greece....
.

The region was conquered by Philip II of Macedon

Philip II of Macedon

Philip II of Macedon,...
 in the 4th century BC and was ruled by the kingdom of Macedon

Macedon

Macedon or Macedonia was the name of a monarchy centred in the northernmost part of ancient Greece. The homeland of the ancient Macedonians, it was bordered by the kingdom of Epirus to the west and the region of Thrace to the east....
 for a century and a half. During the Macedonian Wars

Macedonian Wars

The Macedonian and Seleucid wars were a series of conflicts fought by Rome during and after the second Punic war, in the eastern Mediterranean, the Adriatic, and the Aegean Sea....
, conflict between Rome and Thracia was inevitable. The destruction of the ruling parties in Macedonia destabilized their authority over Thrace, and its tribal authorities began to act once more on their own accord. After the battle of Pydna in 168 BC, Roman authority over Macedonia seemed inevitable, and the governing of Thracia passed to Rome. Neither the Thracians nor the Macedonians had yet resolved themselves to Roman dominion, and several revolts took place during this period of transition. The revolt of Andriscus

Andriscus

Andriscus, also spelt Andriskos and often called the pseudo-Philip, was King of Macedon , and ruler of Edremit , Balikesir in Aeolis ....
 in 149 BC, as an example, drew the bulk of its support from Thracia. Several incursions by local tribes into Macedonia continued for many years, though there were tribes who willingly allied themselves to Rome, such as the Deneletae and the Bessi

Bessi

The Bessi were an independent Thracian tribe who lived in a territory ranging from Moesia to Mount Rhodope in southern Thrace, but are often mentioned as dwelling about Haemus, the mountain range that separates Moesia from Thrace....
.

The next century and a half saw the slow development of Thracia into a permanent Roman client state. The Sapaei tribe came to the forefront initially under the rule of Rhascuporis. He was known to have granted assistance to both Pompey

Pompey

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'p?mpi/, Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir , was a distinguished military and political leader of the late Roman Republic....
 and Caesar

Julius Caesar

'Gaius Julius Caesar' , July 13, 100 BC ? March 15, 44 BC,) was a Roman Republic military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, and later supported the Republican

Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was the phase of the Ancient Rome characterized by a republican form of government; a period which began with the overthrow of the Roman Roman Kingdom, c....
 armies against Antonius

Antonius

Antonius was the nomen of the Roman naming convention Antonia, one of the most important plebs families of ancient Rome. The family claimed descendancy from Anton, a son of the Greek god Hercules....
 and Octavian in the final days of the Republic. The familiar heirs of Rhascuporis were then as deeply tied into political scandal and murder as were their Roman masters. A series of royal assassinations altered the ruling landscape for several years in the early Roman imperial period. Various factions took control, with the support of the Roman Emperor. The turmoil would eventually stop with one final assassination. In 279 BC, Celt

Celt

Celts , is a modern term used to describe any of the European peoples who spoke, or speak, a Celtic languages. The term is also used in a wider sense to describe the Modern Celts of those peoples, notably those who participate in a Celtic culture....
ic Gauls

Gauls

The Gauls were a Continental Celtic Celts people of Classical Antiquity, the inhabitants of Gaul , and speakers of the Gaulish language.Archaeologically, they were the bearers of the La T?ne culture ....
 advanced into Macedonia, Southern Greece and Thrace. They were soon forced out of Macedonia and Southern Greece, but they remained in Thrace

Tylis

Tylis or Tyle was a capital of a short-lived Balkan state mentioned by Polybius that was founded by Celts led by Comontorios in the 3rd century BC, after Gallic Invasion of Greece of Thrace and Hellenistic Greece in 279 BC....
 until the end of the century. From Thrace, three Celtic tribes advanced into Anatolia

Anatolia

Anatolia or Asia Minor is a region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. It is a geographic region bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Aegean Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Iranian plateau to the east and southeast....
 and formed a new kingdom called Galatia

Galatia

Ancient Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey. Galatia, an ancient region of Asia Minor, was named for the immigrant Gauls from Thrace , who settled here and became its ruling caste in the 3rd century BC....
.

Following the Third Macedonian War

Third Macedonian War

The Third Macedonian War was a war fought between Ancient Rome and King Perseus of Macedon. In 179 BC King Philip V of Macedon of Macedon died and his talented and ambitious son, Perseus, took his throne....
, Thracia came to acknowledge Roman authority. The client state

Client state

Client state is one of several terms used to describe the subordination of one state to a more powerful state in international affairs. It is the least specific of these terms and may be treated as a broad category which includes satellite state, puppet state, neo-colony, protectorate, vassal state and tributary state....
 of Thracia comprised several different tribes.

After Roimitalkes III of the Thracian Kingdom of Sapes

Sapes

Sapes is the second largest city in Rhodope prefecture of Greece. The population is 9,542 ....
 was murdered in 46 by his wife, Thracia was incorporated as an official Roman province to be governed by Procurator

Promagistrate

A promagistrate is a person who acts in and with the authority and capacity of a Roman Magistrates, but without holding a magisterial office. A legal innovation of the Roman Republic, the promagistracy was invented in order to provide Rome with governors of overseas territories instead of having to elect more magistrates each year....
s, and later Praetorian

Praetorian

Praetorian is an adjective derived from the ancient Roman office of praetor. It may refer to:*the Praetorian Guard, a special force of skilled and celebrated troops serving as the personal guard of Roman Emperors....
 Prefect

Prefect

Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition.A prefect's office, department, or area of control is called a prefecture, but in various post-Roman cases there is a prefect without a prefecture or vice versa....
s. The central governing authority of Rome was based in Perinthus, but regions within the province were uniquely under the command of military subordinates to the governor. The lack of large urban centers made Thracia a difficult place to manage, but eventually the province flourished under Roman rule. However, Romanization was not attempted in the province of Thracia. It is considered that most of the Thracians were Hellenized

Hellenization

Hellenization is a term used to describe the spread of Greek culture. It is mainly used to describe the spread of Hellenistic civilization during the Hellenistic period following the campaigns of Alexander the Great of Macedon....
 in these times.

Roman authority of Thracia rested mainly with the legions stationed in Moesia

Moesia

Moesia was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the areas of modern Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania along the south bank of the Danube River....
. The rural nature of Thracia's populations, and distance from Roman authority, certainly inspired the presence of local troops to support Moesia's legions. Over the next few centuries, the province was periodically and increasingly attacked by migrating Germanic tribes. The reign of Justinian saw the construction of over 100 legionary

Roman legion

The Roman Legion is a term that can apply both as a translation of legio to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly , to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of the Roman army in the period of the late Roman Republic and the Roman Empire....
 fortresses to supplement the defense.

Culture

Owing to their martial reputation, the Thracian tribesmen were much used as mercenaries

Mercenary

A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict, who is not a national or a party to the conflict, and is "motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or p...
 by the Greek kings of Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
, Pergamum, Bithynia

Bithynia

Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thrace Bosporus and the Euxine ....
, and other regions. Thracian mercenaries were always in demand, as they were fierce fighters, especially in rocky or hilly regions similar to their homeland. They were however considered a bit expensive at times, and liable to switch sides. The principal Thracian weapons in the fifth and fourth centuries were the spear

Spear

A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a sharpened head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be of another material fastened to the shaft, such as obsidian, iron or bronze....
 and the knife

Knife

A knife is a handheld sharp-edged instrument consisting of a handle attached to a blade that is used for cutting. Knives were used at least Stone Age, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools....
. Much earlier Thracian infantry had been armed with axe

Axe

The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for Millennium to shape, split and cut wood, harvest Lumber, as a weapon and a ceremony or Heraldry symbol....
s, while their leaders rode chariot

Chariot

The chariot is the earliest and simplest type of carriage, used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Chariots were built in Mesopotamia by the Mesopotamians as early as 3000 BC and in China during the 2nd millennium BC....
s. Thracian light infantry

Light infantry

Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, Harassment and delaying the enemy advance....
 could be armed with javelin

Pilum

The pilum was a heavy javelin commonly used by the Military history of ancient Rome#Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two meters long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head....
s, sling

Sling

The word sling may refer to:* Sling , a device used to hurl projectiles* Sling is an item of climbing equipment consisting of a sewn loop of webbing that can be wrapped around sections of rock or tied to other pieces of equipment....
s, or bows

Bow (weapon)

A bow is a weapon that projects arrows powered by the elasticity of the bow. Essentially, it is a form of Spring . As the bow is drawn, energy is stored in the limbs of the bow and transformed into rapid motion when the string is released, with the string transferring this force to the arrow....
, with javelins predominating. Thracian warriors, particularly the hillmen, were especially famous for an unusual weapon which combined elements of sword, sickle and polearm, which was called the Rhomphaia

Rhomphaia

The Rhomphaia was a close combat bladed weapon used by the Thracians as early as 400 B.C. It was a variant of the Dacian Falx. Most rhomphaias were polearms, featuring a straight or slightly curved single-edged blade attached to a pole that was considerably longer than the blade....
, and was carried increasingly by Thracian infantry in the centuries following Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great , also known as Alexander III of Macedon was an ancient Greeks King of Macedon . He was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and is presumed undefeated in battle....
's death until it became a trademark of the mercenary Thracian peltast. Even the Romans dreaded this fearsome weapon. Cavalry armament for all Thracians except the Getae consisted of 2 cornel wood javelins that could be thrust with or thrown. They also carried the typical Kopis. The Getae often used bows instead of javelins, and the akinakes instead of the kopis. Thracian tribes also used more exotic weapons such as spiked axles, or carts rolled down steep hills. Thracians were known for their hit and run tactics consisting of random melee attacks followed by quick retreats. The backbone of the Thracian military were the Thracian Peltast

Peltast

A peltast was a type of light infantry in Ancient Greece who often served as skirmishers....
, a type of light infantry that was equally at home fighting hand-to-hand and at a distance (throwing javelins). Peltasts were unarmored except for their curved shields. They carried some form of short sword or melee weapon and an assortment of javelins. The wealthy nobility wore helmets with pointed tops in order to accommodate their top-knot hairstyles.

The Thracian calendar was similar to that of the Egyptians. Each year had twelve months, totaling 360 days, and 5 days were added to the last month; there were three seasons. The Thracians celebrated 60 main holidays.

Medieval history

By the mid 5th century, as the Roman Empire began to crumble, Thracia fell from the authority of Rome and into the hands of Germanic tribal rulers. With the fall of Rome, Thracia turned into a battleground territory for the better part of the next 1,000 years. The eastern successor of the Roman Empire

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
 in the Balkans, the Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
, retained control over Thrace until the beginning of the 9th century when most of the region was incorporated into Bulgaria. Byzantium regained Thrace in 972 only to lose it again to the Bulgarians at the end of the 12th century. Throughout the 13th century and the first half of the 14th century, the region oscillated between Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire. In 1265 the area suffered a Mongol raid from Golden Horde

Golden Horde

The Golden Horde is a East-Slavic designation for the Mongol?later Turkic languages?Muslim khanate established in the western part of the Mongol Empire after the Mongol invasion of Rus' in the 1240s: present-day Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and the Caucasus....
, led by Nogai Khan

Nogai Khan

Nogai , also called Isa Nogai, was a general and de facto ruler of the Golden Horde and a great-grandson of Genghis Khan. His father was Baul/Teval Khan, the 7th son of Jochi....
. In 1352, the Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
 Turks conducted their first incursion into the region subduing it completely within a matter of two decades and ruling over it for five centuries.

Modern history

In 1878, Northern Thrace was incorporated into the semi-autonomous Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia

Eastern Rumelia

Eastern Rumelia or Eastern Roumelia was an autonomous province in the Ottoman Empire from 1878 to 1908, however it was under Bulgarian control from 1885, when it Bulgarian unification the Principality of Bulgaria....
, which united with Bulgaria in 1885. The rest of Thrace was divided between Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey at the beginning of the 20th century, following the Balkan Wars

Balkan Wars

The Balkan Wars were two wars in South-eastern Europe in 1912?1913 in the course of which the Balkan League first conquered Ottoman Empire-held Macedonia , Albania and most of Thrace and then fell out over the division of the spoils....
, World War I

World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 and the Greco-Turkish War

Greco-Turkish War

There have been several Greco-Turkish Wars:* Greco-Turkish War , also called the Thirty Days' War* the Greek front of the First Balkan War...
. Today

• Ahtopol
  Ahtopol
  
  Ahtopol is a town and seaside resort on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is located on a headland in the southeastern part of Burgas Province and is close to the border with European Turkey....
   (Greek: ??a???p??? /Agathopolis; Turkish: Atebuli)
• Ardino
  Ardino
  
  Ardino is a town in Southern Bulgaria, in the Rhodope Mountains. It is located in Kurdzhali oblast and is close to the town of Madan, Bulgaria....
  
• Asenovgrad
  Asenovgrad
  
  Asenovgrad is a town in central southern Bulgaria. It is located in Plovdiv Province and is close to the city of Plovdiv.Asenovgrad was originally founded by the Thracians as Stenimahos around 300-400 BC....
   (Greek: Ste??µa??? )
• Aytos
  Aytos
  
  Aitos , sometimes written Aytos and Ajtos, is a town located in eastern Bulgaria some 30 kilometers from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and belonging to the administrative boundaries of Burgas Province....
  
• Batak
  Batak, Bulgaria
  
  Batak is a town in Southern Bulgaria. It is located in Pazardzhik Province and is close to the town of Peshtera. Batak is a municipal centre with 2 villages included and a total population of 7,480....
  
• Burgas
  Burgas
  
  Burgas is the second-largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast with population 210,260. It is also the fourth-largest by population in the country, after Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna....
   (Turkish: Burgaz, Greek: ?????? Pyrgos)
• Chirpan
  Chirpan
  
  Chirpan is a town and municipality in south-central Bulgaria on the Tekirska River, in Stara Zagora Province. The town is a centre for winery and viticulture....
  
• Devin
  Devin
  
  Devin may refer to:*Devin , a Gaelic name meaning "poet" or "rogue"*Devin, Bulgaria, a town in Bulgaria*Dev?n Castle and city part in Bratislava, Slovakia]...
  
• Dimitrovgrad
  Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria
  
  Dimitrovgrad is a town and a municipality in Haskovo Province of southern Bulgaria. Dimitrovgrad is located northwest of Svilengrad and the Greece and Turkey border, east of Plovdiv and the capital Sofia and west of Burgas....
  
• Dospat
  Dospat
  
  Dospat is a town in the very south of Bulgaria, part of Smolyan Province and situated in the Rhodope Mountains. It is close to Dospat Dam and is mainly populated by Muslim Bulgarians....
  
• Elhovo
  Elhovo
  
  Elhovo is a Bulgarian town in Yambol Province, on the left bank of the Tundzha between the Strandzha and Sakar mountains....
  
• Harmanli
  Harmanli
  
  Harmanli is a town in south-eastern Bulgaria. Its population is about 22,000. Harmanli came into being in about 1510 along the road that connects Central Europe and Anatolia....
  
• Haskovo
  Haskovo
  
  Haskovo ; is the name of a town and administrative centre of the Haskovo Province in southern Bulgaria, not far from the borders with Greece and Turkey....
   (Turkish: Hasköy)
• Hisarya
• Ivaylovgrad
  Ivaylovgrad
  
  Ivaylovgrad is a town in Haskovo Province in the very south of Bulgaria set near the Arda River in the easternmost part of the Rhodope Mountains....
  
• Kardzhali
  Kardzhali
  
  Kardzhali or Kurdzhali is a town in Bulgaria, capital of Kardzhali Province in the Eastern Rhodopes. Near the town is the noted Kardzhali Dam....
   (Turkish: Kircaali)
• Karlovo
  Karlovo
  
  Karlovo is a picturesque and a historically important town in central Bulgaria located in a fertile valley along the river Stryama at the southern foot of the Balkan Mountains....
  
• Karnobat
  Karnobat
  
  Karnobat is a town in the Burgas Province, Bulgaria....
  
• Kazanlak
  Kazanlak
  
  Kazanlak is a Bulgarian town located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, at the eastern end of the Rose Valley, Bulgaria....
   (Turkish: Kazanlik)
• Kotel
  Kotel, Bulgaria
  
  Kotel is a town in central Bulgaria, part of Sliven Province. Kotel has a population of 7,179 and is known for the numerous personalities of the Bulgarian National Revival that are somehow connected to the town, such as politicians Alexander Bogoridi and Stefan Bogoridi, enlighteners Sophronius of Vratsa and Petar Beron, public figure Gavril...
  
• Krichim
  Krichim
  
  Krichim is a town in southern Bulgaria, located in the southwestern part of Plovdiv Province close to Perushtitsa. It lies at the foot of the Rhodopes' northern slopes in the Upper Thracian Lowlands, 20 km southwest of Plovdiv....
  
• Krumovgrad
  Krumovgrad
  
  Krumovgrad is a town in Kardzhali Province in the very south of Bulgaria, located in the Eastern Rhodopes on the banks of the river Krumovitsa....
  
• Madan
  Madan, Bulgaria
  
  Madan is a town with a population of 6,914, situated in the very south of Bulgaria in the Yellow Share of the Rhodope Mountains, in Smolyan Province....
  
• Nova Zagora
  Nova Zagora
  
  Nova Zagora is a town with a population of approximately 26,000 people in the city, and approximately 48,000 in the entire municipality . It is located in the southeastern plains of Bulgaria....
  
• Panagyurishte
  Panagyurishte
  
  Panagyurishte is a town in Pazardzhik Province, western Bulgaria. The town is situated in a small valley in the Sredna Gora mountains. It is 91 km east of Sofia, 43 km north of Pazardzhik, and 37 km south of Zlatitsa....
  
• Pazardzhik
  Pazardzhik
  
  Pazardzhik is a town situated along the banks of the Maritsa river in Bulgaria with a population of 95,485. It is the capital of Pazardzhik Province and centre for the Pazardzhik municipality....
   (Turkish: Pazarcik)
• Peshtera
  Peshtera
  
  Peshtera is a town in southwestern Bulgaria, part of Pazardzhik Province, located in the Upper Thracian Lowlands at the foot of the Western Rhodopes....
  
• Plovdiv
  Plovdiv
  
  Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, with a population of 379,119. It is the administrative centre of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria and three municipalities , as well as the largest and most important city in Northern Thrace and the wider international historical region of Thrace....
   (Turkish: Filibe, Greek: F???pp??p??? Philipopoli)
• Pomorie
  Pomorie
  
  Pomorie is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast....
   (Greek: ?????a??? )
• Radnevo
  Radnevo
  
  Radnevo is a town in southern Bulgaria, part of Stara Zagora Province. It is located in the eastern Upper Thracian Lowlands close to the Maritsa Iztok Complex....
  
• Sliven
  Sliven
  
  Sliven is a town in southeast Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Sliven Province. It is a relatively large town with 115,000 inhabitants ....
  
• Smolyan
  Smolyan
  
  Smolyan is a town and ski resort in the very south of Bulgaria, the administrative center of Smolyan Province. It is situated in the valley of the Cherna and the Byala Rivers in the central Rhodopes at the foot of the mountains' highest part south of the popular ski resorts Pamporovo and Chepelare....
  
• Sofia
  Sofia
  
  Sofia , is the Capital and largest city of the Bulgaria, with 2,5 million people living in the Capital Municipality. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, economic, and educational centre of the country....
    (ancient Serdica)
• Sozopol
  Sozopol
  
  Sozopol is an ancient town and seaside resort located 15 kilometre south of Burgas on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, in Bulgaria....
   (Greek: S???p???, Turkish: Sizebolu/i)
• Stara Zagora
  Stara Zagora
  
  Stara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and one of the nationally important economic centres. Stara Zagora is known as the city of straight streets, linden trees, and poets....
   (Turkish: Eski Zagra)
• Topolovgrad
  Topolovgrad
  
  Topolovgrad is a town in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Haskovo Province. It is situated at the northern foot of the Sakar Mountain.The town had the Turkish language name Kavakli during the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria and until 1934....
   (Turkish: Kavakli, Greek: ?aßa???)
• Tsarevo
  Tsarevo
  
  Tsarevo is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of a municipality in Burgas Province. It lies on a cove 70 km southeast of Burgas, on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast of Strandzha....
   (Greek: ?ass?????)
• Tylis
  Tylis
  
  Tylis or Tyle was a capital of a short-lived Balkan state mentioned by Polybius that was founded by Celts led by Comontorios in the 3rd century BC, after Gallic Invasion of Greece of Thrace and Hellenistic Greece in 279 BC....
  
• Zlatograd
  Zlatograd
  
  Zlatograd is a town in Bulgaria, 60 kilometre from Smolyan. It is located in a valley between the eastern and central massif of the Rhodope mountains....
  
• Pistiros
  Pistiros
  
  Emporion Pistiros is situated in the territory of the city of Vetren, municipality of Septemvri, district of Pazardzhik, between the northern slopes of the Rhodopi Mountain and the foothill of Sredna Gora Mountain, in the westernmost part of the Maritsa river valley....
  
• Seuthopolis
  Seuthopolis
  
  Seuthopolis was an ancient city founded by the Thracians king Seuthes III, and the capital of the Odrysian kingdom since 320 BC. It was a small city, built on the site of an earlier settlement, and its ruins are now located at the bottom of the Koprinka Reservoir near Kazanlak, Stara Zagora Province, in central Bulgaria....
  
• Yambol
  Yambol
  
  Yambol is a city in southeastern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Yambol Province. It lies on both banks of the Tundzha in the historical region of Thrace....
  

• Alexandroupoli
  Alexandroupoli
  
  Alexandroupoli is a city of Greece and the capital of the Evros Prefecture in Thrace. Names for the city in other languages include: Latin - Alexandropolis; Turkish language - Dedeaga?; and Bulgarian language: ????????, Dedeagach....
   (Bulgarian: ???????? / Dedeagach; Turkish: Dedeagaç)
• Abdera
  Abdera, Thrace
  
  Abdera was a town on the coast of Thrace 17 km east-northeast of the mouth of the Nestos, and almost opposite Thasos. At coordinates , the site now lies in the Xanthi Prefecture of modern Greece....
  
• Didymoteicho
  Didymoteicho
  
  Didymoteicho , is a town located in the eastern part of the prefecture of Evros Prefecture, Greece. It is the seat of the Communities and Municipalities of Greece and the province of the same name....
   (Bulgarian: ???????? / Dimotika; Turkish: Dimetoka)
• Komotini
  Komotini
  
  Komotini or Komotene , is a city in north-eastern Greece. It is the capital of the peripheries of Greece of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace and the Rhodope Prefecture....
   (Turkish: Gümülcine, Bulgarian: ?????????? / Gyumyurdzhina)
• Lavara
  Lavara
  
  Lavara is a town located in the eastern part of the prefecture of Evros Prefecture. It is the seat of the municipality of Orfeas . It is located only 2 km from Turkey and the western banks of the Maritsa....
  
• Pythio
  Pythio
  
  Pythio or Pythion older form Pithio and Pithion, is a town located in the eastern part of Didymoteicho municipality and the province....
  
• Orestiada
  Orestiada
  
  Orestiada is the northeasternmost and northernmost city of Greece and the capital of the Orestiada Province, as well as the seconds largest city of Evros prefecture....
  
• Samothrace
  Samothrace
  
  Samothrace is a Greek island in the northern Aegean Sea. It is a self-governing deme in the prefecture of Evros, Greece. The island is long and is in size and has a population of 2,723 ....
   (Turkish: Semadirek or Semendirek)
• Sapes
  Sapes
  
  Sapes is the second largest city in Rhodope prefecture of Greece. The population is 9,542 ....
   (Turkish: Sapçi; Bulgarian: ?????)
• Xanthi
  Xanthi
  
  Xanthi is a city in northern Greece, in the East Macedonia and Thrace periphery. It is the capital of Xanthi Prefecture. The city is known as Iske?e in Turkish Language, and Ksanti or Skecha in Bulgarian Language....
   (Bulgarian: ?????? / Ksanti or ????? / Skecha; Turkish: Iskeçe)

• Çerkezköy
  Çerkezköy
  
  ?erkezk?y is a town and district of Tekirdag Province in the Marmara Region of Turkey....
  
• Çorlu
  Çorlu
  
  ?orlu is a northwestern Republic of Turkey city in inland Eastern Thrace that falls under the administration of the Tekirdag Province. It is a rapidly developing industrial center built on flatland located off the European route E80 highway between Istanbul and Turkey's border with Greece and Bulgaria....
   (Greek: ??????? / Tyroloi; Bulgarian: ????? / Chorlu)
• Demirköy
  Demirköy
  
  Demirk?y is a town and district of Kirklareli Province in the Marmara Region, Turkey region of Turkey....
   (Bulgarian: ????? ??????? / Malak Samokov)
• Edirne
  Edirne
  
  Edirne is a city in Thrace, the westernmost part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. It is the capital of Edirne Province and its estimated population in 2002 was 128,400, up from 119,298 in 2000....
   (Greek: ??d??a???p???? / Adrianoupolis; Bulgarian: ????? / Odrin) refounded by Hadrian
  Hadrian
  
  Publius Aelius Hadrianus , as emperor Imperator Caesar Divi Traiani filius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, and Divus Hadrianus after his apotheosis, known as Hadrian in English language, was Roman Emperor of Roman Empire from AD 117 to 138, as well as a Stoicism and Epicureanism philosopher....
  
• Uzunköprü
  Uzunköprü
  
  Uzunk?pr? is a small town and county in Edirne Province, northwestern Turkey.It is on the railway line from Istanbul towards Sofia, Belgrade and western Europe, and a frontier post on the Bulgarian border....
   (Greek: ?a??? G?f??a / Makra Gefyra; Bulgarian: ?????????? / Uzunkyopryu)
• Gelibolu
  Gelibolu
  
  Gelibolu in modern Turkish language, , is the name of a town and a district of ?anakkale Province, Turkey, located on the Gallipoli peninsula in the European part of Turkey....
   (Greek: ?a???p???? / ?allipolis; Bulgarian: ???????? / Galipoli)
• Kesan
  Kesan
  
  Kesan is a district of Edirne Province, Turkey. Kesan has a population of 45,000 during the winter but in the summer this increases to 70,000 because of an influx of tourists....
   (Greek: ?ess??? / Kessani; Bulgarian: ????? / Keshan)
• Lüleburgaz
  Lüleburgaz
  
  L?leburgaz is a town and district of Kirklareli Province in the Marmara Region, Turkey region of Turkey....
   (Greek: ???ad??p???? / Arkadiopolis; Bulgarian: ?????????? / Lyuleburgas)
• Kirklareli
  Kirklareli
  
  Kirklareli see also its...
   (Bulgarian: ????????? / Lozengrad; Greek: Sa???ta ?????s??? , Saranta Ekklisyes(=Forty churches))
• Tekirdag
  Tekirdag
  
  Tekirdag is a city in Eastern Thrace, on the European part of Turkey. Tekirdag is the capital of Tekirdag Province and it is seen by many as a smaller, quieter town than the industrial centre of ?orlu, which it administers....
   (Greek: ?a?dest?? / Raidestos; Bulgarian: ??????? / Rodosto)
• Istanbul
  Istanbul
  
  Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
   (European side) (Greek: ???sta?t????p???? / Konstantinoupolis; Bulgarian: ???????? / Tsarigrad or ?????????????? / Konstantinopol or ????????? / Vizantion the oldest Greek name)
• Sestos
  Sestos
  
  Sestos was an ancient town of the Thracian Chersonese, the modern Gallipoli peninsula in European Turkey. Situated on the Hellespont opposite Abydos, Hellespont, it was the home of Hero in the legend of Hero and Leander....
  

• Hoddinott, R.F., The Thracians, 1981.
• Ilieva, Sonya, Thracology, 2001

External links

• , comprehensive website on Thracian history and culture.