Thracian treasure
The Thracians (Bulgarian: Траки, Ancient Greek: Θρᾷκες, Latin: Thraci) were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting a large area in Central and Southeastern Europe, centred in modern Bulgaria.[2] They were bordered by the Scythians to the north, the Celts and the Illyrians to the west, the Greeks to the south, and the Black Sea to the east.
The Thracians either had skillful craftsmen themselves, or access to Greek craftsmen. They made beautifully ornate golden and silver objects such as various kinds of vessels, rhytons, facial masks, pectorals, jewelry, weapons, etc. These show strong, and increasing, influence from the neighbouring cultures, especially the Greeks. They used to bury rich hoards of precious objects both to hide them in times of enemy invasions and unrest as well as for ritual purposes. To date, more than 80 Thracian treasures have been excavated in Bulgaria, the cradle of the Thracian civilization. Refer to the map which explicitly shows the territory of present-day Bulgaria.
Thracian treasure hoards[]
Thracian treasures[]
Vazovo Thracian Pegasus
Kralevo Treasure
Letnitsa treasure
Sinemorets Gold figurines
Yakimovo Thracian Treasure
Ravnogor Thracian Treasure
Mogilanska Mogila Funeral Offerings
Golden mask of Teres I, the first ruler of the Odrysian kingdom
Bronze Head of Seuthes III found in Golyamata Kosmatka
King Cotys I's Borovo Treasure
Odrysian Wreath of Cersobleptes, Zlatinica-Malomirovo
A thracian golden necklace found in Arabadjiiska Mogila
Thracian helmet found in Pletena
Golden treasure found at the Great Sveshtari Mound
See also[]
- Dacian art
- Scythian art
- Thraco-Cimmerian
- Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós
- Zoomorphic style
References[]
- ^ The Oxford Classical Dictionary by Simon Hornblower and Antony Spawforth, ISBN 0-19-860641-9, page 1514,"The kingdom of the Odrysae, the leading tribe of Thrace extended in present-day Bulgaria, Turkish Thrace (east of the Hebrus) and Greece between the Hebrus and Strymon except for the coastal strip with its Greek cities."
- ^ Christopher Webber, Angus McBride (2001). The Thracians, 700 BC–AD 46. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-329-2.
Further reading[]
- Bunker, Emma C. (2002). Nomadic art of the eastern Eurasian steppes: the Eugene V. Thaw and other New York collections. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 9780300096880.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thracian treasures. |
- Panagyurishte Treasure
- The Treasures of the Ancient Thracians
- http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0612/feature4/
- http://www.archaeology.org/0503/abstracts/kitov.html
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3999145.stm
- http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=53342
- Golden Thracian Mask, 5th century B.C.
- Treasure troves in Bulgaria
- Thracian archaeological artifacts
- Treasure troves of classical antiquity