Thracians

The Thracians were an ancient group of Indo-European peoples in the southeastern Balkans, encompassing Thrace and adjacent regions, including parts of modern Bulgaria, northeastern Greece, and European Turkey (East Thrace), and extending into western Dobruja in present-day Romania. They consisted of numerous tribes and kingdoms rather than a single state.

The principal groups were the Getae and Dacians in the north; Bessi, Dii, Odrysians in the south; Triballi, Serdi, and others across the Balkans. They spoke Thracian languages, part of the Indo-European family; evidence comes from inscriptions, hydronyms, and classical texts, but the language is poorly attested.

In classical antiquity, Thracians were known for metallurgy, horse culture, and warrior societies. They interacted with the Greek world and later the Roman Republic and Empire. Thracian kingdoms rose, notably under Burebista (1st century BCE) in Dacia and Moesia; Decebalus's Dacian kingdom resisted Rome until the Dacian Wars (101–102, 105–106 CE) and the incorporation of Dacia as a Roman province.

Religious and cultural life included deities such as Zamolxis (a canonical or mythical figure associated with Thracian priesthood), and other cults; burial mounds and treasure hoards reflect wealth of Thracian elites.

After Roman rule and later migrations, Thracian identity gradually merged into the populations of the Balkans. Today, Thracian heritage is recognized in archaeological remains and in the cultural history of Bulgaria, parts of Greece and Romania; the term also designates historical studies of the Thracian world.