Thrace
Thrace, or West Thrace as it is also called to distinguish it from the region in Turkey, is the northernmost province of Greece. Extending in a long narrow strip along the northern coast of the Aegean and bounded on the west by the River Nestos and on the east by the river Evros, Thrace forms a frontier with Turkey. The interior of the region is dominated by the Rhodope Mountains, which rise to 2265 m and form the border with Bulgaria. Fertile coastal plains lie between Rhodopes and the Aegean and are watered by large perennial rivers. The continental climate is too cold for olives, and the region was a producer of wine in antiquity. The most important source of wealth in Thrace was the mineral wealth of the mountains, notably gold and silver.
HistoryThrace derives its name from an Indo-European speaking people called the Thracians who settled the area after the second millennium B.C. The Thracians originally came from the Carpathian region, and were considered a primitive people consisting of the warlike and fierce tribes dwelling in the mountains of Haemus and Rhodope.
Thrace's boundaries have varied during the course of its history: in the fifth century B.C. the leading tribe of Thrace was the Odrysae whose kingdom extended over present-day Bulgaria; the Roman province of Thrace was bounded on the north by the Haemus River, on the east by the Euxine, on the south by the Propontis, Hellespont and Aegean, and on the west by the Nestos The principal Greek colonies along the coast of Thrace, going from east to west, were Amphipolis, at the mouth of the Strymon; Abdera, just west of Nestos; Dicaea (Dikaeopolis), a Maronean settlement; Maronea, colonized by the Chians; Stryme, a Thasian colony; Mesembria, founded by the Samothracians; and Aenos, a Lesbian colony situated on the mouth of the Hebrus. Only a few Greek settlements existed on the southwestern coast of the Euxine, the most important of which were Apollonia, Odessus, Callatis, and Tomi, all renowned as the place of Ovid's banishment. Currently the province is divided into the nomes of Xanthi, Rhodopi, and Evros.
SitesThe principal towns of Thrace in modern times are Xanthi, Komotini, and Alexandrupolis. The main ancient town was Abdera, 26 km south of Xanthi in eastern Thrace.
Abdera is a port town on the Aegean and it flourished in the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. Traditionally the city is believed to have been founded by Herakles on the spot where Abderos was killed by Diomedes horse. The ancient city was founded in 656 B.C. by Klazomenai. It was refounded in c. 500 B.C. by refugees from a Persian occupation of Teos, and later it became a member of the Delian League. Abdera was the home of Protagoras (c. 481-411 B.C.), one of the earliest Sophists, and Demokritos (c. 460-380 B.C.), founder of the atomist theory. Excavated since the 1950's by Greek archaeologists, the walls, orthogonal city plan, and Hellenistic buildings have been revealed.
Other classical towns, Kikones and Maroneia, are located in the vicinity of Komotini in central Thrace near the coast. The small towns are largely unexplored archaeologically, but walls and an acropolis remain at Maroneia.
Curtis Runnels- Phocaean migration thither: Hdt. 1.168
- conquest by Sesostris: Hdt. 2.103
- Thracian contempt of peaceful occupations: Hdt. 2.167
- Thracian rivers: Hdt. 4.49
- use of hemp there: Hdt. 4.74
- Darius in Thrace: Hdt. 4.89-93
- population and customs of Thrace: Hdt. 5.3-8
- Histiaeus there: Hdt. 5.23
- Aristagoras killed by Thracians: Hdt. 5.126
- their attack on Mardonius: Hdt. 6.45
- Thrace conquered by Mysians and Teucrians: Hdt. 7.20
- Persian supremacy: Hdt. 7.106
- Xerxes' route through Thrace: Hdt. 7.110
- reverence of Thracians for road of Xerxes' army: Hdt. 7.115
- Thracians in his army: Hdt. 7.185
- Thracian theft of Xerxes' chariot: Hdt. 8.115
- Artabazus' retreat harassed by Thracians: Hdt. 9.89
- human sacrifice there: Hdt. 9.119
- Typhon in: Apollod. 1.6.3
- Lemnian men take captive women from: Apollod. 1.9.17
- Salmydessus in: Apollod. 1.9.19
- the cows of Geryon disperse in the mountains of: Apollod. 2.5.10
- Cadmus and Telephassa settle in: Apollod. 3.1.1
- traversed by Dionysus: Apollod. 3.5.2
- Tereus in: Apollod. 3.14.7
- Eumolpus in: Apollod. 3.15.4
- Athenian expeditions to: Paus. 1.29.4ff., 13
- giants in: Paus. 1.25.2
- lions of: Paus. 6.5.4