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The Odrysian kingdom (Ancient Greek: Βασίλειον Ὀδρυσῶν) was a union of Thracian tribes that endured between the 5th century BC and the 3rd century BC. It consisted largely of present-day Bulgaria, spreading to parts of Romanian Northern Dobruja, parts of Northern Greece and modern-day European Turkey. King Seuthes III later moved the capital to Seuthopolis[1].
[edit] The OdrysiansThe Odrysians (Odrysae or Odrusai, Ancient Greek: "Οδρύσαι") were one of the most powerfull Thracian tribes[2] that dwelled in the plain of the Hebrus[3] river.This would place the tribe in modern European Turkey[4] close to Edirne. The river Artescus[5] passed through their land as well. Xenophon[6] writes that the Odrysians held horse races and drunk large amounts of wine and after the burial of their dead warriors. Thucydides writes on their custom, practised by most Thracians, of giving gifts for getting things done.[7] Herodotus is the first that mentions the Odrysae. [edit] The Odrysian kingdom
Thrace had nominally been part of the Persian empire since 516 BC[8] and was re-subjugated by Mardonius[9] in 492 BC. The Odrysian state was the first Thracian kingdom that acquired power in the region, by the unification[10] of many Thracian tribes under a single ruler, King Teres[11] in the 5th century BC. [edit] Extent and controlInitially, during the reign of Teres or[12] Sitalces the state was at its zenith and extented from the Black Sea to the east, Danube to the north, the region populated with the tribe called Triballi to the north-west, and the basin of the river Strymon to the south-west and towards the Aegean. Later its extent changed from present day Bulgaria, Turkish Thrace and Greece between the Hebrus and the Strymon except for the coastal strip the Greek cities occupied[13]. Sovereignty was never exercised over all of its lands as it varied in relation to tribal politics. Historian Z.H. Archibald in writes;
This large territory was populated with a number of Thracian and Daco-Moesian tribes that united under the reign of a common ruler (king), and began to implement common internal and external policies. Those were favorable conditions for overcoming the tribal divisions which could lead gradually to the formation of a more stable ethnic community. This was not realised and the period of power of the Odrysian kingdom was brief. Despite the attempts of the Odrysian kings to bolster the central power, the separatist tendencies were very strong. Some tribes were rioting constantly and tried to separate while others remained outside the borders of the Kingdom. At the end of the fifth and the beginning of the fourth century BC, as a result of conflicts the Odrysian kingdom split in three[14] parts. They were known as Upper Thrace and Lower Thrace, even later there were three Thracian states ruled. The political and military decline continued while at this time the neighbouring Macedonia was rising as a dangerous and ambitious neighbour.[15] Odrysian military strength was based on intra-tribal elite[16] making the kingdom prone to fragmentation. [edit] HistoriansAccording to the Greek historians Herodotus and Thucydides, a royal dynasty emerged from among the Odrysian tribe in Thrace around the end of the 5th century BC, which came to dominate much of the area and peoples between the Danube and the Aegean for the next century. Later writers, royal coin issues, and inscriptions indicate the survival of this dynasty into the early first century AD, although its overt political influence declined progressively first under Persian, Macedonian, later Roman, encroachment. Despite their demise, the period of Odrysian rule was of decisive importance for the future character of south-eastern Europe, under the Roman Empire and beyond. Teres' son, Sitalces, proved to be a good military leader, forcing the tribes that defected the alliance to acknowledge his sovereignty. The rich state that spread from the Danube to the Aegean built roads to develop trade and built a powerful army. In 429 BC, Sitalces allied himself with the Athenians[17] and organized a massive campaign against the Macedonians, with a vast army from independent Thracian and Paionian tribes. According to Thucydides it included as many as 150,000 men, but was obliged to retire through failure of provisions, and the coming winter.[18] In the 4th century BC, the kingdom split itself in three smaller kingdoms, of which one, with the capital at Seuthopolis survived the longest. During the Hellenistic era it was subject at various times to Alexander the Great, Lysimachus, Ptolemy II, and Philip V, and was at one time overrun by the Celts, but usually maintained its own kings. During the Roman era its Sapaean rulers were clients of Rome until Thrace was annexed as a Roman province in 46 AD. [edit] HellenizationUnder the Odrysians Greek became the language of administrators[19] and of nobility and the Greek Alphabet was adopted; Greek customs and fashions contributed to the recasting of east Balkan society.The nobility adopted Greek fashions in dress, ornament and military equipment spreading it to the other tribes[20]. Thracian kings were among the first to be Hellenized[21]. [edit] List of Odrysian kingsMain article: List of ancient Thracian kings  The list below includes the known Odrysian or Astaean kings of Thrace, but much of it is conjectural. Various other Thracian kings (some of them perhaps Odrysian like Pleuratus) are included as well.[22] Odrysian kings though called Kings of Thrace never exercised sovereignty over all of Thrace[23].Control varied according to tribal relationships.[24]
[edit] See also[edit] References
[edit] External links
Categories: Former countries in the Balkans | Former monarchies of Europe | States and territories established in 460 BC | 46 disestablishments | 5th-century BC establishments | History of Bulgaria | Ancient history of Romania | Ancient Thrace | Kingdoms in Greek Antiquity | Ancient tribes in Bulgaria | Ancient tribes in European Turkey | Ancient tribes in the Balkans | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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