Triballi
Encyclopedia
The Triballi were an ancient tribe whose dominion was around the plains of southern modern Serbia and west Bulgaria, at the Angrus and Brongus (the South and West Morava) and the Iskur River, roughly centered where Serbia and Bulgaria are joined.
The Triballi were a Thracian
tribe that received influences from Celts, Scythians and Illyrians
.
, king of the Odrysae
, who was defeated and lost his life in the engagement. They were pushed to the east by the invading Autariatae
, an Illyrian tribe; the date of this event is uncertain.
In 376 BC, a large band of Triballi under King Hales crossed Mount Haemus
and advanced as far as Abdera
; they had backing from Maroneia
and were preparing to besiege the city, when Chabrias
appeared off the coast with the Athenian fleet and organized a reconciliation.
In 339 BC, when Philip II of Macedon
was returning from his expedition against the Scythia
ns, the Triballi refused to allow him to pass the Haemus unless they received a share of the booty. Hostilities took place, in which Philip was defeated and wounded by a spear in his right thigh, but the Triballi appear to have been subsequently subdued by him.
After the death of Philip, Alexander the Great passed through the lands of the Odrysians in 335-334 BC, crossing the Haemus ranges and after three encounters (Battle of Haemus, Battle at Lyginus river, Battle at Peuce Island) defeated and drove the Triballians to the junction of the Lyginus at the Danube
, 3,000 Triballi were killed, the rest fled. Their king Syrmus
(eponymous to Roman
Sirmium
) took refuge in the Danubian island of Peukê where most of the remnants of defeated Thracians exiled. The successful Macedonian attacks terrorized the tribes around the Danube, the autonomous Thracian tribes sent tributes for peace, Alexander was satisfied with his operations and accepted peace because of his greater wars in Asia.
They were attacked by Autariatae and Celts in 295 BC
The punishment inflicted by him upon the Getae
, however, induced the Triballi to sue for peace. About 279 BC a host of Gaul
s (Scordisci
) under Cerethrius defeated the Triballi with an army of 3000 horsemen and 15 000 foot soldiers. The defeat pushes the Triballi further to the east. Nevertheless, they continue to cause trouble for fifty years (135 BC–84 BC) to the Roman
governors of Macedonia
.
The Illyrian tribe of Dardani
settles in the southwest of Triballi area in 87BC. The Thracian place names survives the Romanization of the region
Pliny the Elder
(23-79 AD) registers them as one of the tribes of Moesia
.
In the time of Ptolemy
(90–168 AD) their territory is limited to the district between the Ciabrus (Tzibritza) and Utus (Vid
), in the modern Bulgaria
, their chief town being Oescus.
Under Tiberius
, mention is made of Triballia in Moesia, and the Emperor Maximinus Thrax
(235–237) had been commander of a squadron of Triballi. The name occurs for the last time during the reign of Diocletian
, who dates a letter from Triballis.
The Triballi were often described as a wild and warlike people (Isocrates
), and in Aristophanes
, a Triballian is introduced as a specimen of an uncivilized barbarian.
. Some of these authors clearly explain that "Triballian" is synonym to "Serbian". For example, Niketas Choniates (or Acominatus, 1155–1215 or-16) in his history about Emperor Ioannes Komnenos: "... Shortly after this, he campaigned against the nation of Triballians (whom someone may call Serbians as well) ..." or the much later Demetrios Chalkondyles (1423–1511), referring to an Islamized Christian noble: "... This Mahmud, son of Michael, is Triballian, which means Serbian, by his mother, and Greek by his father." or Mehmed the Conqueror when referring to the plundering of Serbia.
In the 15th century, a coat of arms of "Tribalia", depicting a wild boar with an arrow pierced through the head (see Boars in heraldry
), appeared in the supposed Coat of Arms of Emperor Stefan Dušan 'the Mighty' (r. 1331–1355). The motif had in 1415 been used as the Coat of Arms of the Serbian Despotate
and is recalled in one of Stefan Lazarević
's personal Seals, according to the paper Сабор у Констанци. Pavao Ritter Vitezović
also depicts "Triballia" with the same motif in 1701 and Hristifor Zhefarovich again in 1741.
With the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising
, the Parliament adopted the Serbian Coat of Arms in 1805, their official seal depicted the heraldic emblems of Serbia
and Tribalia.
The Triballi were a Thracian
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
tribe that received influences from Celts, Scythians and Illyrians
Illyrians
The Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...
.
History
In 424 BC they were attacked by SitalkesSitalkes
Sitalces was one of the great kings of the Thracian Odrysian state. He was the son of Teres I, and on the sudden death of his father in 431 BC succeeded to the throne...
, king of the Odrysae
Odrysian kingdom
The Odrysian kingdom was a union of Thracian tribes that endured between the 5th and 3rd centuries BC. It consisted largely of present-day Bulgaria, spreading to parts of Northern Dobruja, parts of Northern Greece and modern-day European Turkey...
, who was defeated and lost his life in the engagement. They were pushed to the east by the invading Autariatae
Autariatae
The Autariatae or Autariates were an ancient people that eventually became the most powerful Illyrian tribe. Their territory was called...
, an Illyrian tribe; the date of this event is uncertain.
In 376 BC, a large band of Triballi under King Hales crossed Mount Haemus
Haemus Mons
In earlier times the Balkan mountains were known as the Haemus Mons. It is believed that the name is derived from a Thracian word *saimon, 'mountain ridge', which is unattested but conjectured as the original Thracian form of Greek Haimos....
and advanced as far as Abdera
Abdera, Thrace
Abdera was a city-state on the coast of Thrace 17 km east-northeast of the mouth of the Nestos, and almost opposite Thasos. The site now lies in the Xanthi peripheral unit of modern Greece. The municipality of Abdera, or Ávdira , has 18,573 inhabitants...
; they had backing from Maroneia
Maroneia
Maroneia is a village and a former municipality in the Rhodope peripheral unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Maroneia-Sapes, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 7,644...
and were preparing to besiege the city, when Chabrias
Chabrias
Chabrias was a celebrated Athenian general of the 4th century BC. In 388 BC he defeated the Spartans and Aeginetans under Gorgopas at Aegina and commanded the fleet sent to assist Evagoras, king of Cyprus, against the Persians. In 378, when Athens entered into an alliance with Thebes against...
appeared off the coast with the Athenian fleet and organized a reconciliation.
In 339 BC, when Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...
was returning from his expedition against the Scythia
Scythia
In antiquity, Scythian or Scyths were terms used by the Greeks to refer to certain Iranian groups of horse-riding nomadic pastoralists who dwelt on the Pontic-Caspian steppe...
ns, the Triballi refused to allow him to pass the Haemus unless they received a share of the booty. Hostilities took place, in which Philip was defeated and wounded by a spear in his right thigh, but the Triballi appear to have been subsequently subdued by him.
After the death of Philip, Alexander the Great passed through the lands of the Odrysians in 335-334 BC, crossing the Haemus ranges and after three encounters (Battle of Haemus, Battle at Lyginus river, Battle at Peuce Island) defeated and drove the Triballians to the junction of the Lyginus at the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, 3,000 Triballi were killed, the rest fled. Their king Syrmus
Syrmus
Syrmus or Syrmos was a king of the West Thracian Triballi tribe during the 330s BC.He is mentioned by Arrian, Strabo and Plutarch....
(eponymous to Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
Sirmium
Sirmium
Sirmium was a city in ancient Roman Pannonia. Firstly mentioned in the 4th century BC and originally inhabited by the Illyrians and Celts, it was conquered by the Romans in the 1st century BC and subsequently became the capital of the Roman province of Lower Pannonia. In 294 AD, Sirmium was...
) took refuge in the Danubian island of Peukê where most of the remnants of defeated Thracians exiled. The successful Macedonian attacks terrorized the tribes around the Danube, the autonomous Thracian tribes sent tributes for peace, Alexander was satisfied with his operations and accepted peace because of his greater wars in Asia.
They were attacked by Autariatae and Celts in 295 BC
The punishment inflicted by him upon the Getae
Dacia
In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...
, however, induced the Triballi to sue for peace. About 279 BC a host of Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
s (Scordisci
Scordisci
The Scordisci were an Iron Age tribe centered in the territory of present-day Serbia, at the confluence of the Savus , Dravus and Danube rivers. They were historically notable from the beginning of the third century BC until the turn of the common era...
) under Cerethrius defeated the Triballi with an army of 3000 horsemen and 15 000 foot soldiers. The defeat pushes the Triballi further to the east. Nevertheless, they continue to cause trouble for fifty years (135 BC–84 BC) to the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
governors of Macedonia
Macedonia (Roman province)
The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon, the last Ancient King of Macedon in 148 BC, and after the four client republics established by Rome in the region were dissolved...
.
The Illyrian tribe of Dardani
Dardani
Dardania was the region of the Dardani .Located at the Thraco-Illyrian contact zone, their identification as either an Illyrian or Thracian tribe is uncertain. Their territory itself was not considered part of Illyria by Strabo. The term used for their territory was , while for other tribes had...
settles in the southwest of Triballi area in 87BC. The Thracian place names survives the Romanization of the region
Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
(23-79 AD) registers them as one of the tribes of Moesia
Moesia
Moesia was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River. It included territories of modern-day Southern Serbia , Northern Republic of Macedonia, Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobrudja, Southern Moldova, and Budjak .-History:In ancient...
.
In the time of Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
(90–168 AD) their territory is limited to the district between the Ciabrus (Tzibritza) and Utus (Vid
Vid
Vid or VID can refer to:In linguistics:* VID, the Sanskrit root of Vidya, meaning "to know" and related to "veda".In mythology:* Vid or Svetovid , a Slavic god that is the origin of various Slavic toponyms...
), in the modern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, their chief town being Oescus.
Under Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
, mention is made of Triballia in Moesia, and the Emperor Maximinus Thrax
Maximinus Thrax
Maximinus Thrax , also known as Maximinus I, was Roman Emperor from 235 to 238.Maximinus is described by several ancient sources, though none are contemporary except Herodian's Roman History. Maximinus was the first emperor never to set foot in Rome...
(235–237) had been commander of a squadron of Triballi. The name occurs for the last time during the reign of Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
, who dates a letter from Triballis.
The Triballi were often described as a wild and warlike people (Isocrates
Isocrates
Isocrates , an ancient Greek rhetorician, was one of the ten Attic orators. In his time, he was probably the most influential rhetorician in Greece and made many contributions to rhetoric and education through his teaching and written works....
), and in Aristophanes
Aristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
, a Triballian is introduced as a specimen of an uncivilized barbarian.
Triballians in relation to Serbs
The term "Triballians" appears frequently in Byzantine and other European works of the Middle Ages, referring exclusively to SerbsSerbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
. Some of these authors clearly explain that "Triballian" is synonym to "Serbian". For example, Niketas Choniates (or Acominatus, 1155–1215 or-16) in his history about Emperor Ioannes Komnenos: "... Shortly after this, he campaigned against the nation of Triballians (whom someone may call Serbians as well) ..." or the much later Demetrios Chalkondyles (1423–1511), referring to an Islamized Christian noble: "... This Mahmud, son of Michael, is Triballian, which means Serbian, by his mother, and Greek by his father." or Mehmed the Conqueror when referring to the plundering of Serbia.
In the 15th century, a coat of arms of "Tribalia", depicting a wild boar with an arrow pierced through the head (see Boars in heraldry
Boars in heraldry
The wild boar and a boar's head are common charges in heraldry. A complete beast may represent what are seen as the positive qualities of the boar, namely courage and fierceness in battle; a boar's head may represent hospitality , or it may symbolize that the bearer of the arms is a noted...
), appeared in the supposed Coat of Arms of Emperor Stefan Dušan 'the Mighty' (r. 1331–1355). The motif had in 1415 been used as the Coat of Arms of the Serbian Despotate
Serbian Despotate
The Serbian Despotate was a Serbian state, the last to be conquered by the Ottoman Empire. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of the medieval Serbian state, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravian Serbia survived for 70 more years,...
and is recalled in one of Stefan Lazarević
Stefan Lazarevic
Stefan Lazarević known also as Stevan the Tall was a Serbian Despot, ruler of the Serbian Despotate between 1389 and 1427. He was the son and heir to Prince Lazar, who died at the Battle of Kosovo against the Turks in 1389, and Princess Milica from the subordinate branch of the Nemanjić dynasty...
's personal Seals, according to the paper Сабор у Констанци. Pavao Ritter Vitezović
Pavao Ritter Vitezovic
Pavao Ritter Vitezović was a noted Croatian writer, historian, linguist and publisher.-Early life:Pavao Ritter Vitezović was born in Senj to a family of a frontier soldier. His father was descended from a German immigrant from Alsace, and his mother was Croatian...
also depicts "Triballia" with the same motif in 1701 and Hristifor Zhefarovich again in 1741.
With the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising
First Serbian Uprising
The First Serbian Uprising was the first stage of the Serbian Revolution , the successful wars of independence that lasted for 9 years and approximately 9 months , during which Serbia perceived itself as an independent state for the first time after more than three centuries of Ottoman rule and...
, the Parliament adopted the Serbian Coat of Arms in 1805, their official seal depicted the heraldic emblems of Serbia
Serb heraldry
The use of heraldry in Serbia or by Serbs is used by government bodies, subdivisions of the national government, organizations, corporations and by families...
and Tribalia.
Serbia
Archeological findings prove that the Triballi inhabited the Morava valley (Great Morava and South Morava) region in the Iron Age.- In 2005, several possibly Triballi graves were found at the Hisar HillHisar HillThe Hisar, is a hill near Leskovac and Prokuplje, Serbia which is the town's symbol. As the word "hisar" derives from Turkish and means "fortress", it is the site of the medieval fortress with a still well preserved tower, popularly called the Tower of Jug Bogdan, who was a hero of the Battle of...
in LeskovacLeskovacLeskovac is a city and municipality in southern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Jablanica District of Serbia...
, Central SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. - In June 2008, a Triballi grave was found together with ceramics (urns) in PožarevacPožarevacPožarevac is a city and municipality in eastern Serbia. It is the administrative center of the Braničevo District of Serbia...
, Central-Eastern Serbia. - Triballi tomb unearthed at LjuljaciLjuljaciLjuljaci is a village located in the Knić municipality in the Šumadija District, Serbia. According to the 2002 census there was 369 people inhabiting the village, in 1991 the number was 475....
, Central Serbia.