In search of the Thracians: From ancient tales to archaeological riches

The Thracians may not be as famous as the Greeks and Romans, but they were certainly no strangers to the ancient literature. One memorable appearance takes the form of a cameo in the Iliad, where a contingent of Thracian warriors were late arrivals to the Trojan cause. The mythical leader of these Thracians, King Rhesos, is portrayed as a man who knew how to make an entrance. One of his horses was as white as snow and fast as the wind, while the king’s golden armour was seen as more fitting wear for a god than a mortal. The contingent’s contribution to the fighting was rather less striking, though. A great many were slain as they slept by the Greek heroes Odysseus and Diomedes, who promptly made off with the king’s accoutrements. Short though this incident is, it captures a number of the stock traits associated with Thracians in ancient literature: they were warriors, riders, workers of sumptuous metalwork, and they had an uncanny knack for finding themselves sandwiched between two greater and competing powers. They were also branded barbarians, for the Thracians did not write literature to equal their metallurgical marvels. Instead, our surviving sources were written by outsiders, primarily the ancient Greeks.

Thrace can more or less be equated with modern Bulgaria, along with parts of Romania, Greece, and Turkey. Archaeology has revealed that this region was indeed a source of breathtaking ancient metalwork, ranging all of the way from extravagant banqueting sets to a striking royal portrait. Such artefacts present some of the highlights of the current Ancient Thrace and the Classical World exhibition at the Getty Villa Museum in California (see further information box below). This forms part of a series dedicated to putting the Greek, Roman, and Etruscan worlds in context by exploring their relationships with neighbouring cultures. Thanks to a partnership with Bulgarian institutions, material has been loaned from 14 regional museums, while other museums around the world have also contributed objects. The result is only the third major exhibition dedicated to the Thracians in the US, and the first on the West Coast. While the exquisite metalwork from ancient Thrace showcases the talents of their artisans, these archaeological riches pose a question, too: just who were the Thracians? Any attempt to answer it requires a careful weighing of the historical and archaeological sources.

Seen from the outside

‘The bulk of what we know from the ancient literature comes from the historians Herodotus and Thucydides’, says Sara E Cole, associate curator of antiquities at the Getty Museum. ‘In both instances, we have to be very careful about how we assess them. Herodotus is arguably taking more of what we would call an ethnographic approach, by describing different peoples and their practices. He talks about the military prowess of the Thracians, as well as how they practise tattooing as a sign of noble birth, and their dress and customs. Herodotus notes that they are organised into many different tribal groups, and he believes that the Thracians lack power because of an inability to organise among themselves. Thucydides, by contrast, provides a historical account of the Peloponnesian War, from 431-404 BCE. He does, though, have a personal connection to Thrace, as he seems to be of at least partial Thracian ancestry and has mining rights in the region. Nevertheless, when talking about the events of the war, he highlights a massacre that characterises them as a very violent and brutal people. Both of these authors are coming at Thrace from a particular cultural perspective, which holds that Greece is a very organised, sophisticated, and civilised society, while people who don’t act or look like them are chaotic, barbaric, and inferior. We have to be aware of this agenda when we consider these sources.’