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Warfare

Main article: Thracian warfare

Thracian Armor pieces, 4th c. BC

Thracian Swords, 16th-12th c. BC

The Thracians were a warrior people, known as both skilled horsemen and lightly armed skirmishers fighting with javelins. The Thracian peltasts had a notable influence in Ancient Greece.

The history of recorded Thracian warfare spans from the 12th century BC up to the 1st century AD. It concerns the armed conflicts of the Thracian tribes and their kingdoms in the Balkans and Anatolia.

In 188 BC near Cypsela, the Thracians defeated the troops of the Roman consul Manlius Vulzon, who was returning from the Battle of Magnesia in Galatia. 10 000 Thracian soldiers faced off against the remainder of 30 000 Romans who were stationed in Anatolia.

In the 2nd century AD Emperor Trajan conquered Dacia in the span of two wars. The conflict ended with the Roman occupation of the Sarmisegetusa fortress and the death of the Dacian king Decebalus.

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has.

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal.

Conflicts

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Thracian warriors sparring with falxes, fresco from the 4th century BC

In the archaic period Thracian soldiers of high status wore helmets made of boar tusks like those of the Mycenaeans. This type of headgear was a symbol of prestige that held great significance in Thracian society. From the Late Bronze Age onwards, the most important helmet styles became the Chalcidian, Thracian, Corinthian, Attic, Scythian, Illyrian and Boetian. These remained in use in Thrace even after they had gone out of fashion elsewhere. The designs of the helmets were gradually modified to better serve the needs of the cavalry, providing better all-round vision and ease of movement.

Chalcidian type Thracian helmet, 5th century BC

Corinthian type Thracian helmet, 6th century BC

Boeotian type Thracian helmet, 4th century BC

Troops

Artwork of a Thracian Peltast armed with a Pelte shield, 5th century BC

Main article: Peltast

The Peltast was a special form of light infantry that combined the mobility and skirmishing power of javelin-men with the immediate threat of warriors armed for close-combat. This made them excellent at catching other skirmishers, harassing the phalanx and holding difficult terrain very easily. The Peltasts were predominately armed with a Pelte shield made of thick leather that was impenetrable by arrows and a couple of versatile javelins designed for both melee and ranged combat, which they retrieved after throwing. For their side arm they usually used the curved short sword known as sica. The Peltasts were very resourceful, they relied on looting their dead enemies and resorted to throwing stones to injure and distract their targets. Their elusive way of fighting involved the ambush of groups or individuals, hit-and-run raids and protective defensive massing. The peltasts would run in, throw their javelins, and then run away, retreating just as quickly, stopping only to strip fallen enemies and get back their javelins when possible.

Reenactment of a Thracian cavalryman hurling javelins

Artwork of a Thracian Javelin Horseman, 5th century BC

Thracian cavalry was numerous. It was also legendary for its combat power that Philip of Macedon adopted its wedge-shaped formation for the Macedonian cavalry maneuvers. It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text.

Thracian Chariot, 1st c. AD

In Thracian warfare, the lightly armed infantry clustered around chariots, which were equipped with a charioteer and several heavily armored javelin-throwers or bowmen. In the Iliad, Homer tells about the Thracian king Rhesus, who rushed to fight the Achaeans with his fabulous chariot, steering snow-white horses that were linked with reins entirely made of gold. It was a long held tradition for Thracian noblemen to be buried with their horses and chariots so that they can serve them again in the afterlife.

Weapons

Thracian fencing rapier, 16th c. BC

Sica (Large Dagger / Short Sword), 30–40 cm (12–16 in) total length

Falx, 41 cm (16 in) blade length,up to 50 cm (20 in) handle length

Rhomphaia (Polearm), 60-80 cm (24-31 in) blade length, up to 50 cm (20 in) handle length

Main articles: Sica, Falx, and Rhomphaia

Well preserved bronze fencing swords from as early as the 16th century BC have been found all over Bulgaria. They bear a resemblance to the long, thin rapiers used by musketeers in 17th century Spain. These weapons suggest that dueling was common among Thracians, and that individual challenges were probably issued as part of the prelude to a battle.

SICA - It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text.

FALX - It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text. It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text.

The most deadly Thracian weapon was the rhomphaia. It was a two-handed polearm with a long handle and a slightly curved blade that resembled a straightened scythe. Like the falx, in the hands of a trained warrior a rhomphaia could chop off a Roman’s limbs in a single blow. The Thracians found that its long range was especially effective against cavalry and war elephants. Although the rhomphaia was similar to the falx, it was forged with a less dramatic curve and without a hook, which gave its wielder the flexibility to use it for both thrusting and slashing attacks.

The Labrys was the insignia of the Odrysian Kingdom (5th-3rd century BC)

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Sources

• Christopher Webber; Angus McBride (2001). The Thracians 700 BC-AD 46 (Men-at-Arms). ISBN 1-84176-329-2.
• Strabo. Geographica [Geography] (in Ancient Greek).
• Pliny (the Elder). Naturalis Historia [Natural History] (in Latin).
• Appian. Historia Romana [Roman History] (in Ancient Greek).
• Webber, Christopher (2011). The Thracians 700 BC–AD 46 (Men-at-Arms). ISBN 978-1841763293.

Homer. Illiad [750 BC] (in Ancient Greek).

Herodotus. Histories [440 BC] (in Ancient Greek).

Thucydides. The Peloponnesian War [431 BC] (in Ancient Greek).

Xenophon. Anabasis [370 BC] (in Ancient Greek).

Polybius. Histories [146 BC] (in Ancient Greek).

Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Roman Antiquities [7 BC] (in Ancient Greek).

Diodorus Siculus. The Library of History [30 BC] (in Ancient Greek).

Ovid. Tristia [12 AD] (in Latin).

Strabo. Geography [20 AD] (in Ancient Greek).

Pliny (the Elder). Natural History [77 AD] (in Latin).

Plutarch. Parallel Lives [108 AD] (in Ancient Greek).

Tacitus. The Annals [109 AD] (in Latin).

Ptolemy. Geography [150 AD] (in Ancient Greek).

Appian. Roman History [165 AD] (in Ancient Greek).

Cassius Dio. Roman History [221 AD] (in Ancient Greek).

Stephanus of Byzantium. Ethnica [540 AD] (in Ancient Greek).

Joradanes. Getica [551 AD] (in Latin).

Procopius. History of the Wars [553 AD] (in Ancient Greek).