The Triballi (Greek: Τρίβαλλοι, Bulgarian: Трибали, Serbian: Трибали) were an ancient Thracian tribe whose dominion was around the plains of south Serbia^[1] and west Bulgaria. It included the south of the Triballian plain, where the Dardani would settle in 87BC and give their name to a region in Moesia Superior formed in the 3rd century AD^[2], Angrus and Brongus (the South and West Morava) and the Iskur River, roughly centered where Serbia and Bulgaria are joined^[3].

This Thracian tribe has etymologically been connected with the Serbs^[4], as many medieval Byzantine historians referred to the Serbs as the Triballians (Serbian name for Triballians is "Srblji/Србљи", Thracians is rašani - the first Serbian state was Rascia, present-day Serbia).The Triballi had received influences from Celts^[5][6] Scythians^[7] and Illyrians^[8].

[edit] History

In 424 BC they were attacked by Sitalkes, king of the Odrysae, who was defeated and lost his life in the engagement. On the other hand, they were overcome by the 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 were preparing to besiege the city, when Chabrias appeared off the coast with the Athenian fleet and compelled them to retire.

In 339 BC, when Philip II of Macedon was returning from his expedition against the Scythians, 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 nearly lost his life, 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 Odryssians 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.

The punishment inflicted by him upon the Getae, however, induced the Triballi to sue for peace. About 280 BC a host of Gauls (Scordisci^[9]) under Cerethrius defeated the Getae and Triballi. Nevertheless, the latter for some fifty years (135 BC–84 BC) caused trouble to the Roman governors of Macedonia.

After attacks^[10] by the Autariatae Illyrians and the Celts in 295 BC the Triballi gradually disappeared.

In the time of Ptolemy their territory is limited to the district between the Ciabrus (Tzibritza) and Utus (Vid), in the modern Bulgaria, their chief town being Oescus.

The Dardani settled in the western Triballian lands (Kosovo, Serbia) in 86BC, they gave their name to this region in the 3rd century AD (Dardania) but Thracian

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.

In 2005, several possibly Triballian graves were found at the Hisar Hill in Leskovac, Serbia.

In June 2008, a Triballian grave was found together with ceramics (urns) in Pozarevac, Serbia^[11].

[edit] See also

• Tribalia, a region in Serbia
• Thrassa, a nymph of the Triballi

[edit] References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

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