Thracian haplogroup. Proto-Slavic roots of the culture of the ancient Thracians

Andrey Leonov

Descendants of "Turanians" in European ethnogenesis: from Saks to Fryags

Head of the Thracians (Thracians)
(fragmentary historical portrait)

Thracians, or Thracians (ancient Greek Θρãκες, lat. Thraci) are Indo-European tribes that inhabited in ancient times the territories of the northeast of the Balkan Peninsula and northwest of Asia Minor. They bordered on the Scythians in the north, the Celts and Illyrians in the west, the Greeks in the south; the eastern border was the Black Sea.
In our review, the Thracian peoples will also include some ethnic groups that historically separated from the “classical” Thracian territory, which originally had a Thracian origin.
There are cultures of the early Thracians of the XII - VII centuries. BC, the tribes of the Getae of the 5th - 2nd centuries. BC. and Dacians of the 1st century. BC. - 3rd century AD

Mythology

According to Greek mythology, the god Ares was the patron of Thrace / Thrace and bore the corresponding title "Thrax" (Thrax). In another version, Thrax is one of the famous sons of the god Ares.

Josephus claimed that the founder of the Thracians was Tiras, the seventh son of Japheth, after whom the Thracians were originally called Tyrians:
"Firas also called the Tirians a tribe subject to himself, whose name the Greeks changed into Thracians."(Joseph Flavius ​​Jewish Antiquities, v. 1, ch. III,)

The first historical mention of the Thracians is in the Iliad of Homer, where they are described as allies of the Trojans in the war against the Greeks:
“Peyros the hero with Acamantus led the Thracians,
Those whose country the Hellespont is washed by the swift-fast " .

Historical sources mention a large number of Thracian tribes. Herodotus calls them the second largest after the Indians and notes the customs and customs common to most of these tribes:
“The Thracian people, after the Indians, are the most numerous on earth. If the Thracians were only unanimous and under the rule of one ruler, then, I think, they would be invincible and much more powerful than all peoples. But since they could never reach unanimity, their weakness was rooted in this. Their tribes in each locality have special names. The morals and customs are the same for everyone, except for the Getae, Travsians and tribes living north of the Crestonians.(Herodotus History V, 3)

And right up to Pliny, the Thracians were considered one of the strongest peoples in Europe:
“... Thrace follows with its people - one of the strongest in Europe ...”(Pliny Natural History, book IV, 40)

Herodotus considers the Getae to be the bravest tribe among the Thracians:
“However, the Getae, the bravest and most honest among the Thracians…”(Herodotus History IV, 93).

And, he calls the Agafirs the most pampered:
“Agafirs are the most pampered tribe. They usually wear gold jewelry and get together with women so that they can be brothers to everyone and, like relatives, not envy and not be at enmity with each other. Otherwise, their customs are similar to those of the Thracians.(Herodotus History IV, 104)

Here are some of the customs that Herodotus notes among the Thracians:
“The customs of other Thracians are as follows: they sell their children to a foreign land ...
A tattoo [on the body] is considered by them [a sign of] nobility * ...
A person who spends time in idleness enjoys great honor among them. On the contrary, they treat the farmer with the greatest contempt. They consider the life of a warrior and a robber to be the most honorable. These are their most remarkable customs."(Herodotus History V, 6)

(*Note that the custom of tattooing among the Thracians was common with the Illyrians and Scythians).

Herodotus also describes the weapons and clothing of the Thracians:
“The Thracians in the campaign had fox hats on their heads. On the body they wore chitons, and on top - colorful burnuses. On their legs and knees they had deerskin wrappings. They were armed with droshkas, slings and small daggers…”(Herodotus History V, 75)

Xenophon notes that the warm clothing of the Thracians protects them from the cold:
“In the meantime, deep snow fell and it became so cold that the water brought to dinner froze, as did the wine in earthen vessels, and many Hellenes froze their noses and ears. Then it became clear why the Thracians wear fox skins on their heads and ears, as well as chitons that cover not only the chest, but also the hips, and when riding - cloaks that reach to the heels, and not chlamys.(Xenophon, Anabasis VII, IV)

Strabo also has some general information about the Thracians and their neighbors:
"South of Istra inhabit the Illyrian and Thracian tribes and all the Celtic and some other peoples mixed with them, right up to Greece."(Strabo Geography VII, I)

The Greeks considered the Getae to be Thracians. The Getae lived on both sides of the Istra, as did the Mysians, who are also Thracians and are identical with the people now called Messians. From these Mysians came those Mysians who now live among the Lydians, Phrygians and Trojans. The Phrygians themselves are Brygians, some kind of Thracian people, just like the Migdons, Bebrikis, Medovithins, Bithynians, Finns and, as I think, Mariandins. All these peoples completely left Europe, but the Mysians remained ... The following phrase of Homer is proof of the same view, because the poet connected with the Mysians the Hippemolgs, Galactophages and Abians, who are the Scythians and Sarmatians wandering in wagons. Indeed, even now these tribes, as well as the Bastarnae, are mixed with the Thracians (though more with those living on the other side of Istria and with those living on this side). The Celtic tribes mixed with them - Boii, Scordisci and Taurisks.(VII, III 2 ).

“Illyrian peoples adjoin the Adriatic Sea, the Thracian and some Scythian and Celtic tribes mixed with them adjoin the other sea up to the Propontis and Hellespont ...”(VII, V, 1)

“The whole of Thrace consists of 22 nationalities and can put up, despite complete exhaustion, another 15,000 horsemen and even 200,000 infantrymen”(VII, VII, 47)

Pliny calls the capital of the Thracian kings a certain city of Bizue:
"... Inland - Bizue, the capital of the Thracian kings ..."(Pliny Natural History book IV, 47)

The origin of the Thracians, in the absence of historical evidence, remains unclear to historians and archaeologists. In the classical Greco-Roman era, there were a large number of Thracian tribes and peoples affiliated with them from other ethnic communities (Illyrians, Germans, Celts, Sarmatians, etc.). Accordingly, the way of life, cultural traditions, religious beliefs differed among different Thracian tribes and changed from era to era, as well as, often, their habitat.
Therefore, in order to have an idea about the Thracian ethnos, we will briefly consider only some of the most prominent peoples in ancient historical literature.

Audrises

Odrysian kingdom – a Thracian state that existed on the territory of today's Bulgaria, Northwestern Turkey and northern Greece from 475 BC. to 46 AD e. It was the first state structure among the Thracians, replacing the tribal system and the largest confederation in the history of the Thracians, with a fairly high level of development and good organization of social and political structures. The state was founded by the powerful Thracian tribe of the Odrysians (Odrysae, ́ Οδρύσαι), who lived on the Gebra plain, the main river of Thrace, and its tributary Artex (Herodotus History 4, 92).
One of the mythical kings of the Odryses in prehistoric times was the legendary singer Orpheus.

The rise of the Odrys kingdom began under the first kings Teresa, Sitalk and Sevta:
"This Teres, the father of Sitalk, was the first to expand the kingdom of the Odryses, extending over most of the rest of Thrace ... he was the first powerful king of the Odrys"(Thucydides History II, 96)
“At this time, Sitalk, the king of the Thracians, although he ruled a small state, greatly expanded his power with courage and wisdom. Rightly commanding his subjects, being brave in battle and gifted with military talents, he thought about increasing his possessions. Finally, he reached such strength that he began to rule over a vast territory than that which the kings of Thrace, his predecessors, possessed. For the coast of his kingdom began in the possessions of the Abderites and stretched to the river Ister, and a traveler, in order to pass from the sea to the interior of the country, needed thirteen days of traveling lightly. The territory he ruled was so vast that the annual income was more than a thousand talents. During the conduct of the war, during the period we are discussing, he raised an army consisting of more than one hundred and twenty thousand infantry and fifty thousand cavalry.(Diodor Historical Library XII, 50, 3)

Here is how Thucydides describes the Odrysian confederation of tribes in geographical and ethnic terms and military power:
“As for the vastness of the kingdom of the Odryses, it stretched from the sea from the city of Abder to the Euxine Pontus, precisely to the mouth of the Istra River. This space, along the shortest path, if the wind blows continuously from the stern, can be sailed on a cargo ship in four days; by land, a lightly dressed walker will make the shortest path from Abder to Istra in the course of eleven days. Such is the expanse of these possessions from the side of the sea. On land, a lightly dressed walker will make the journey from Byzantium to the land of the Lei and to Strymon (the farthest distance from the sea into the interior of the mainland) in thirteen days. From all the land of the barbarians and from the Hellenic cities, over which the Odrys ruled under Sevtes, who reigned after Sitalk and increased the amount of taxes to the highest degree, the latter received almost four hundred talents in monetary terms in gold and silver. ... Indeed, from all the kingdoms of Europe, lying between the Ionian by the bay and the Euxinian Pontus, it was the most powerful in terms of income and in general in terms of well-being; however, in relation to the military strength and number of troops, it is far inferior to the kingdom of the Scythians.(Thucydides History II, 97)
“Departing from the land of the Odryses, Sitalk called to arms, first of all, the Thracians living between the mountains of Hem and the Rhodope, on which his dominion extended to the sea, namely the Euxine Pontus and the Hellespont. Then he summoned the Getae, who lived on the other side of the Gem, and other tribes that lived on this side of the Istra River, closer to the Euxine Pontus. The Getae and other local peoples border on the Scythians and have the same weapons with them: they are all mounted archers. Sitalk also summoned many mountainous Thracians, living independently and armed with daggers; they are called diyas and live mostly in the Rhodope. Some Sitalk persuaded to war by hired wages, others followed voluntarily. Sitalk also raised the Agrians, the Leeis, and all the other tribes of the peonies subject to him. These were the extreme peoples of his kingdom: it extended to the leei, peons and the river Strymon, flowing from Mount Scombra and flowing through the lands of the agrians and leei, and bordered on the land of the peons, already independent. On the side of the Triballi, also independent, on the border of the possessions of Sitalk lived the Treres and Tilateans. The latter live north of Mount Scombra and extend to the west as far as the Oskia River. This river flows from the same mountain from which Nest and Gebr. This mountain is uninhabited, great and adjoins the Rhodope.(Thucydides History II, 96)
“Thus, all his horde [Sitalk], they say, included no less than one hundred and fifty thousand warriors. Most of the troops were infantry, and only about a third of it was cavalry. The cavalry was delivered mainly by the Odris themselves, then by the Getae. In the infantry, the most militant were the independent mountaineers, descending from the Rhodopes and armed with daggers; they were followed by the rest, mixed in composition, a crowd of warriors, especially terrible in their numbers.(Thucydides History II, 98)

Phrygians

The Phrygians (ancient Greek Φρύγες) are an ancient people of Asia Minor, after whom the historical region of Phrygia was named (ancient Greek Φρυγια). After the Hittites, Phrygia was the most important political entity in Asia Minor.
According to ancient historians, the Phrygians previously lived in the Balkans and were called brigs (Greek Βρύγοι or Βριγες), then they migrated to Asia Minor, where they began to be called frigi. Most likely, the names brig and frigi have a common root. Knowing the peculiarities of the Phrygian language, linguists suggest that the ancient Greek name of the Phrygians Φρύγες in Phrygian should have sounded like * Bruges, which is consonant with their former name brig, mentioned in ancient sources.

Modern researchers agree with the information of ancient sources that the Phrygians migrated to Asia Minor from the territory of the Balkans (according to various estimates, the migration took place 1) in the 15-13 centuries. BC e., 2) in the era of the Trojan War or 3) three centuries later). At the same time, archaeologists do not find convincing traces of migration, so this version is based mainly on the evidence of ancient authors.

The state of Phrygia arose around the 8th century. BC e. from scattered tribal settlements. The ancient capital of the kingdom was the city of Gordion (Greek Γορδιον), located on the right bank of the Sangaria River (near the modern village of Peli, in Turkey). Starting from this period, the Phrygians expanded to the east and encroached on the kingdom of Urartu. By the 8th century BC e. the territory of Phrygia reaches its highest flourishing and maximum size. The number of cities is growing. At the same time, the first inscriptions in the Phrygian language appear. Assyria put great pressure on Phrygia. During the reign of Sargon II, the Phrygian king Midas was forced to recognize the power of Assyria and bring her tribute. Around 700 BC e. the Phrygian state could not resist the onslaught of the Cimmerians, and the capital of Phrygia, Gordion, was destroyed. Since then the Phrygians have lost their independence and have been successively ruled by the Lydians, Persians, Alexander the Great and his Hellenistic successors, Rome and Byzantium.
When in the Hellenistic period the Phrygian lands were inhabited by Galatians - tribes from Eastern Europe, the name Galatia partially replaced the name Phrygia, and, nevertheless, even later in Hellenistic times, this territory was known under its ancient name Phrygia. Gradually, the Phrygians assimilated into other cultures of the early medieval era, and after the Turkish conquest of Anatolia, the name Phrygia fell into disuse.

The language of the Phrygians is known only from a small number of Phrygian inscriptions and glosses from ancient authors. Linguists are convinced that the Phrygians spoke an Indo-European language close to Ancient Greek and Ancient Macedonian, which clearly did not belong to the Anatolian family of languages ​​spoken by most of Phrygia's neighbors.

Here is what is known about the Phrygians from the works of ancient authors:

According to Homer's Iliad, the Phrygians lived in Phrygian region near Sangarian currents.(Il. XVI, 715, translated by V. Veresaev).
The river Sangaria (now Sakarya), west of the Galisa river, remained the center of Phrygia throughout its history. On the right bank of the Sangaria was Gordion, the ancient capital of Phrygia, founded, according to legend, by the first Phrygian king, Gordius.

Herodotus reports about the Phrygians that they were previously called Brigi and lived in Europe:
“The armament of the Phrygians was very similar to the Paphlagonian, with only a slight difference. According to the Macedonians, while the Phrygians lived with them in Europe, they were called brigs. And after moving to Asia, together with the change of location, they also changed their name to Phrygians.(Herodotus History VII, 73)

Strabo also speaks about this in more detail, also classifying the Phrygian brigians as Thracians:
“The Phrygians themselves are Brygians, some kind of Thracian people, just like the Migdons, Bebrikis, Medovithins, Bithynians, Finns and, as I think, Mariandins. All these peoples completely left Europe, but the Mysians remained.(Strabo Geography, VII, III 2)

“Somewhere here is Mount Bermius, which was formerly occupied by the Thracian tribe of Brigi. Part of it crossed over to Asia and there changed its name to Phrygians.(Strabo, Geography, VII, VII, 25)

“... Brigians, Brigi and Phrygians are one and the same people; like the Mysians, Meons, and Meions."(Strabo Geography, XII, III, 20)

Josephus uncertainly suggests that the Greeks called Phrygians the descendants of Togarma (Forgama)
"... the Forgameans, whom the Greeks seem to have called Phrygians"(Joseph Flavius. Jewish antiquities. Book 1, ch. 6)

Religion and culture of the Phrygians

In ancient times, the Phrygian cult of Astarte, borrowed from the Syro-Phoenician tribes, was famous in Phrygia. The main gods of Phrygia are Bogayos (of the same root with the Slavic God), the mother goddess Amma (Cybele), Adgistis and Sabaziy (= Bacchus).
The "Great Mother" Cybele, whose cult was very popular among the ancient Greeks and Romans, was originally known as the "Mother of the Mountain", who was worshiped in the mountains of Phrygia.
Sabaziy, depicted on a horse, was God the Father and personified Heaven. Although the Greeks compared him with Zeus, even in the Roman era he was the Horseman God.

Phrygia developed an advanced culture for the Bronze Age. The early traditions of Greek music stem from Phrygia, mediated by the Greek colonies in Anatolia.
According to the myth, the legendary Phrygian king Midas was taught music by Orpheus himself, and initiated them into the mysteries of the mysteries, and Dionysus rewarded him with the gift of turning everything into gold (and then freed the discouraged Midas from this gift).

The Phrygians also had their own version of the global flood legend, according to which a great flood swept the country after the 300-year reign of the first known mythical king, Nannacus/Annacus.

In the ancient world, there was a popular legend about King Gordias and his famous Gordian knot tied on his cart in the temple of Zeus in the city of Gordion.

The so-called “Phrygian cap” (also the headdress of Mithras) is widely known, which was identified by the Greeks with the original Phrygian culture.

Many Phrygian characters are presented in the theme of the Trojan War, in which the Phrygians were on the side of the Trojans.

Phrygians and flies

Assyrian sources identify the flies with the Phrygians and call Phrygia "the country of the flies." It is believed that this identification was transferred to the Phrygians due to the fact that the flies lived in the territory of Phrygia. Perhaps the Phrygian kingdom consisted of a confederation of peoples (which included, among other things, flies), united against the Assyrian kingdom.

Phrygia is especially interesting to us because on its territory there is the toponym Askania, which is closely connected with Askania, a character of the legendary genealogy dating back from ancient Phrygia to the north of Europe (which we discussed in the previous chapter).

wifi/finis

Bithynians (Βιθυνοι) and Finns (Θυνοι)) – Thracian tribes that crossed the Thracian Bosphorus settled in Asia Minor. By the name of the Bithyns, the region of Asia Minor was named Bithynia (lat. Bithynia, other Greek Βιθυνια). This region was bordered in the south by Galatea and Phrygia, in the west by Mysia, in the north by Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Black Sea, in the east by Paphlagonia. In more ancient times, Bithynia was called Bebrynia after the Bebryns who inhabited it. Initially, the boundaries of the distribution of Bythynians were not wide, and, probably, a lot of time passed until Bithynia accepted the boundaries indicated by Strabo.
Until half of the 6th c. BC. Bythyns had complete independence. Under Croesus, they submitted to Lydia. In 546, they fell under the rule of Cyrus, who obliged them only to pay an insignificant tribute, leaving them the former device. The subjugation of Persia continued until the appearance of Alexander the Great in Asia Minor.

According to Herodotus, the Bithyns are a tribe of Thracian origin, before moving to Asia Minor, known under the name of Strymonia, after the name of the Strymon River:
“After moving to Asia, this tribe received the name of the Bithynians, and before, in their own words, they were called strimons, since they lived on Strymon. They are said to have been expelled from their habitats by the Teucrians and the Miaans.”(Herodotus History V, 75)
In the list of Asia Minor peoples subject to Croesus, Herodotus mentions Bithyns and Finns at the same time, emphasizing that these are Thracian peoples:
“... Here are the names of these peoples: Lydians, Phrygians, Mysians, Mariandins, Khalibs, Paphlagonians, Thracians in Finia and Bithynia, Carians, Ionians, Dorians, Aeolians and Pamphylians”(I, 28)

Xenophon mentions the Thracian Finns in his work Anabasis, which describes the passage of Greek hoplite mercenaries through the territory of Asia Minor:
"... These enemies were Finns, according to stories, the most dangerous enemy in a night battle."(Xenophon Anabasis VII, II)

Strabo sets forth the version, widespread in his time, that the Bithyns descend from the Thracian tribes of the Bithyns and Finns, and before they were Mysians:
“Most agree that the Bithynians, who were formerly Mysians, received their changed name from the Thracians - Bithynes and Finns who settled in this country. Concerning the tribe of the Bithynians, it is cited as evidence that even now some tribes in Thrace are called Bithyni, but as regards the Finns, that the coast near Apollonia and Salmidess is called Finiades. The Bebriki, who settled in Mysia before this tribe, were also, I believe, Thracians. I have already said above that even the Mysians themselves came from those Thracians who are now called Mysians. That's what they say about this tribe."(Strabo, Geography, book XII, III, 3).

Strabo also mentions something akin to the Bithyns ( "similar to the Bithynians") a tribe of Mariandins, which he also considers to be Thracian in origin ( “it seems that this tribe was Thracian”) and its neighboring Caucone tribe of disputed origin ( "Some consider them Scythians, others - some kind of Macedonian tribe, others - Pelasgians") (XII,III,4,5 ).

In detail (in different fragments of the text), Strabo describes the habitat of the Bithyns:
“If you sail from Propontis to Euxinian Pontus, then on the left are the areas adjacent to Byzantium (they belong to the Thracians and are called the “Left Side” of Pontus), and on the right are the regions bordering Chalcedon. The Bithynians live here first" (XII, III, 2)
“Sangaria at the mouth forms the border of Bithynia. In front of this coast is the island of Finya.(XII, III, 7).
“From the east, Bithynia borders on the Paphlagonians, Mariandines and some Epictetes; from the north, its border is the Pontic Sea from the mouth of Sangaria to the entrance to the Pontic Sea at Byzantium and Chalcedon; from the west - Propontis; finally, to the south - Mysia and the so-called Phrygia Epictetus, which is also called the Hellespontian Phrygia ”(XII, IV, 1).
“Further, the so-called Astakensky Gulf, which is part of the Propontis, adjoins the Chalcedonian coast. Nicomedia was built in this bay, named after its founder, one of the Bithynian kings. Many Bithynian kings bore the same name (as did the Ptolemies) due to the glory of the first king.(XII, IV, 2).
“In the depths of Bithynia lie Bithynia, located under Tieus with the area lying near the Salon - an excellent pasture for cattle (whence Salon cheese comes from); then Nicaea, the capital of Bithynia on Lake Askania (a large and extremely fertile plain spreads around, not very healthy in summer) ”(XII, IV, 7).
“As mentioned above, the Mysians and Phrygians, who live near the so-called Mysian Olympus, border the Bithynians from the south”(XII, VIII, 1).
“This is Mount Olympus. To the north near her live the Bithynians, the Migdons, and the Dolions; the rest of the region is owned by the Mysians and Epictetes"(XII, VIII, 10).

Strabo's remark about the constant conflicts between the peoples of western Asia Minor is curious, which he attributes to the barbarism of these peoples and refers them to the Thracians:
“The boundaries of the Bithynians, Phrygians, Mysians, as well as the Dolions that live around Cyzicus, and the Migdonians and Trojans are difficult to determine ... The reason for this phenomenon is that the newcomers - conquerors, being barbarians and warriors, did not firmly rule the conquered country. For the most part they wandered about the country, now expelling the population, now being exiled themselves. It can be assumed that all these peoples were Thracians, because the Thracians lived on the opposite bank, and both of them differed little from each other.(XII IV, 4).

Appian tells about the circumstances of the appearance of the Phrygians in Asia Minor and the versions of the origin of the name Phrygia itself:
“The Greeks believe that the Thracians, who went on a campaign led by Res to Ilion, ... that these Thracians fled to the mouth of Pontus, where the narrowest crossing to Thrace is; some of them, finding no ships, stayed here and took possession of the land, the so-called Bebrikia; others, having crossed above Byzantium into the country of the so-called Bithynian Thracians, settled near the river Bithya, but, exhausted by hunger, returned to Bebrikia again and named it Bithynia instead of Bebrikia, after the name of the river near which they wanted to settle; or perhaps this name passed to them over time and without this reason, since the distance between Bithynia and Bebrikia is not so great. This opinion is held by some; others believe that at first their king was Bithy, the son of Zeus and Thrace, from whom the names of both the land were given.(Appian Roman History of the Mithridatic Wars. ch.1)

In Ptolemy, we meet the mention of some Finns already among the tribes of European Sarmatia in the course of the Vistula River:
“The less significant tribes inhabiting Sarmatia are as follows: near the Vistula River, below the Wends - hyphons (gitons), then Finns; further sulons (bulans), below them - frugundions (frungundions), then avarins (obarins) near the sources of the Vistula River ... "(Claudius Ptolemy. Guide to geography, book III, V, 20)

Mysians

The Mysians are another people of presumably Thracian origin, historically closely related to the Bithynians and Phrygians. The ancestors of the Asia Minor Mysians apparently lived in the Balkans.
The habitat of the Mysians is Mysia (ancient Greek Μυσια, lat. Mysia) - an area in Asia Minor, which covered the entire northwestern part of the peninsula, between Propontis and the Hellespont in the north, the Aegean Sea in the west, Lydia in the south, Phrygia and Bithynia in the east.
The population consisted of Phrygians, Trojans, Aeolians and the Mysians proper (μυσοι).
During the period of Persian rule in Asia Minor, Mysia belonged to the second satrapy. In the II century. BC e. came under the rule of Rome and became part of the Roman province of Asia.

Herodotus about the missionaries:
“The Mysians wore local helmets on their heads; their armament consisted of small shields and darts with a point burned in the fire. The Mysians are immigrants from Lydia, and from the name of Mount Olympus * they are called Olympians.(Herodotus History VII, 74).
*Here and further in the text, Strabo also refers to the Mysian Olympus in Asia Minor (modern Keshish Dag).

Strabo's information about the Mysians:

about ethnic origin:
“The Getae lived on both sides of the Istra, like the Mysians, who are also Thracians and are identical with the people now called the Messians. From these Mysians came those Mysians who now live among the Lydians, Phrygians and Trojans.(Strabo Geography, VII, III, 2)
"Most agree that the Bithynians, who were formerly Mysians, received their changed name from the Thracians - Bithynes and Finns who settled in this country."(Strabo Geography XII, III, 3).
“I have already said above that even the Mysians themselves came from those Thracians who are now called Mysians. That's what they say about this tribe."(XII, III, 3).
“according to some, the Mysians were Thracians, and according to others (based on ancient tradition) - Lydians "(XII, VIII, 3).
“... Brigians, Brigi and Phrygians are one and the same nationality; like the Mysians, Meons, and Meions."(XII, III, 20)
(In connection with this message of Strabo that the Mysians, on the one hand, are identical to the meons, and on the other hand, to the Lydians, we also note the message of Herodotus that the Lydians were also called meons in ancient times (Herodotus History VII, 74). Therefore, the Lydians \u003d meons = missionians)

about habitat:
“However, as far as one can imagine, Mysia lies in the middle between Bithynia and the mouth of the Esep, touching the sea and extending almost to the whole of Olympus. In the depths of the country around Mysia is Phrygia Epictetus ... "(Strabo Geography XII, IV, 5).
“Misia extends inland from Olympene to Pergamene and the so-called plain of Caicos. Thus, it is located between Mount Ida and Kathakekavmena, which some attribute to Mysia, and others to Meonia.(XII, VIII, 12).
“South of the Bithynians are the Mysians living around Olympus ...”(XII, IV, 10).
“... there is the Mission of Olympene, which adjoins Bithynia and Phrygia Epictetus; it, according to Artemidorus, was colonized by the Mysians who lived on the other side of the Istra; and another Misia near Caikos and Pergamene, extending to Teuthrania and the mouths of that river.”(XII, VIII, 1).
“This is Mount Olympus. To the north near her live the Bithynians, the Migdons, and the Dolions; the rest of the region is ruled by the Mysians and the Epictetes.”(XII, VIII, 10).

Strabo, referring to his predecessors, notes such features of the Mysians as fearlessness and piety, up to vegetarianism:
According to Posidonius, the Mysians, out of piety, refrain from eating living creatures, and therefore do not eat domestic animals. They feed on honey and cheese, leading a peaceful life, which is why they are called "God-fearing" and "capnobats".(VII, III, 3)
"He [Homer] speaks of the Mysians as "hand-to-hand fighters," for they were undaunted, like all brave warriors in general."(VII, III, 3)

We note in particular that the Mysians, as well as their Phrygian neighbors, are related to the toponym Askania, which (as we noted above) is associated with the name Askania, the mythological ancestor of the North Europeans. Strabo also speaks of this in detail:
“It is not surprising that the poet speaks of one Ascanius as the leader of the Phrygians, who came from Ascania, and about some other Ascanius, the leader of the Mysians, who also came from Ascania: after all, Homer often has the same names, as well as nicknames taken from names of rivers, lakes and localities.(Strabo Geography XII, IV, 5)
“Indeed, this is how one must understand the words of Homer when he says:
Forkis and the brave Ascanius led from distant Ascania
Host of the Phrygians;(Ill. II, 862)
precisely from the Phrygian Ascania, because the other Ascania, the Mysian, lies closer, near present-day Nicaea; Homer mentions it:
Palm, Ascania, Maurice, branches of Hippotion,
Two governors, from Askania, who replaced the former. (Il. XIII, 792)" (XII, IV, 5)

“The fact that Bithynia was the habitat of the Mysians was first attested by Skylax of Karyanda (according to him, the Phrygians and Mysians lived around Lake Askanian). Then Dionysius testifies to this, who wrote the essay “On the Foundations of Cities” ... Euphorion, when he says:
There by the waves of Ascanian, the misian current,
and Alexander of Aetolia:
Those whose dwellings stand at the bright Askania jets,
And on the shores of Lake Askanian, where Dolion
Once upon a time, the glorious son of Melia, the one who was born to Silenus,
testify to the same, since there is no other Ascanian lake anywhere, but only here.(XII, IV, 8).

Getae and Dacians

Getae (Greek Γέται, Latin Getae) – an ancient Thracian people related to the Dacians (lat. Daci, other Greek Δάκοι, Δάοι, Δάκαι).
Historians even use the term "Geto-Dacians" to emphasize the ethnic and linguistic unity of these two tribes.
For the first time, the ethnonym "Getae" is found in Herodotus in his "History". In the writings of Julius Caesar, Strabo and Pliny the Elder, the ethnonym "Dacians" is used. The Dacians lived west of the Getae in the neighborhood of Pannonia, and therefore first became known to the Romans. According to Strabo's Geography, the original name of the Dacians was Daoi (Δάοι). (VII 3.12).

Strabo says that the Getae and Dacians are, in fact, one people with different names:
“There is another division of this country, preserved from ancient times: some of its inhabitants are called Dacians, and others - Getae; the Getae - those that face Pontus and the east, and the Dacians - those facing the opposite direction, towards Germany and the sources of Istria. The Dacians, as I think, were called davas in ancient times ... "(Strabo VII, III, 12)

“Dacians and Getae speak the same language. The Getae are more familiar to the Greeks because of their constant migrations on both sides of the Istra and because they mixed with the Thracians and Mysians ... "(VII, III, 13).

About the same and other ancient writers:
"... Getae, the Romans call them Dacians ..."(Pliny Natural History IV,80)

“I call them Dacians, because both they themselves and the Romans use this name, although I am well aware that some Greek writers - whether they are right or not - call them Getae, for those Getae whom I know live beyond Gem near Istra ".(Cassius Dio Cockeyan Roman History. LXVII)

“Having crossed these rivers in some places, they rule over some Celts beyond the Rhine and over the Getae beyond the Ister, whom they call the Dacians.”(Appian, Roman History, Introduction 1.4)

"The Dacians are the descendants of the Getae."(Justin Epitoma of Pompey Trogus's "History of Philip" book XXXII, 1.16)

historical milestones of the Getae and Dacians

There are no reports about the origin of the Getae and Dacians. Historians do not know whether they were migrants in the territory of their habitat or lived there initially at the time of formation as an ethnic group.
At the time of Herodotus, the Getae lived between the Balkans and the Danube in the area between modern Moldova and Eastern Bulgaria, as well as on both sides of the lower reaches of the Danube (Dobruja and Bessarabia).

For the first time, the Getae are mentioned by Herodotus when describing the Scythian campaign of Darius I. In this era, the Getae already owned iron smelting technologies, made weapons, tools and jewelry, but they did not leave any writings. Almost all information about them comes from ancient Greek and Roman sources.

Persian king Darius I in 514 BC. e. sent an army against the Scythians to the so-called Lesser Scythia (now Dobruja). Darius also included the Getae in his army, who at first offered him active resistance (Herodotus IV, 97). The campaign lasted until 512 BC. e., when the Persian army, exhausted and exhausted by the battles, turned back, leaving the newly conquered territories. As assumed by the researchers, Darius advanced no further than Budzhak (in any case, without crossing the Dniester). The Getae, on the other hand, remained in a new territory for themselves, which they began to develop.

About historical events 5th century BC e. and the first half of the next century, there are no written sources.

In the middle of the IV century BC. e. Scythian king Atey. breaking the temporary alliance with Macedonia, conquers the Getae and captures almost the entire Danube Delta.

In 339 BC. e. Lesser Scythia for a short time is under the rule of Macedonia.
As a result of these events, the Scythians were ousted from Budzhak, which came under the control of the Getae. In 331 BC. e. they were brought in as an auxiliary force for the campaign of Zopyrion against the Greek cities of the Northern Black Sea region. However, Zopirion was repulsed by the Lower Dnieper Scythians. After that, the victorious Scythians attacked the Getae. For several decades, this entire region was deserted. However, the Getae held out in the neighboring regions of the lower Danube.

In 72-71 BC The first Roman general to oppose the Getae, as part of a common campaign against the Pontic allies of Mithridates VI, was Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus. In the spring of 61 BC. e. The Getae halted the Roman advance to the Danube in the person of Gaius Antony Hybrid, who, continuing the conquests of the Romans in Thrace, invaded the Getae, but, unexpectedly, ran into fierce resistance.

In the middle of the 1st c. BC e. Burebista became the ruler of the entire Lower Danube region, who managed to create a mighty state for a short time:
“Burebista, the Get, has attained supreme power over his tribe. He managed to revive his people, exhausted by long wars, and elevate them by physical exercise, abstinence and obedience to his orders, so that in a few years he founded great power and subjugated most of the neighboring tribes to the Getae. He began to inspire fear even in the Romans, as he fearlessly crossed the Istres, ruining Thrace right up to Macedonia and Illyria ... "(Strabo Geography, VII, III, 11).
Throughout his kingdom, Burebista led an active policy of conquest.

At the beginning of the 2nd century, the Dacians conquered by Rome rebelled under the leadership of Decebalus, who was elected leader. In view of this, the Roman emperor Trajan undertook military campaigns against Dacia, known as the Trojan Wars. In 105, Dacia was turned into a Roman province, and repressions were applied against the rebellious peoples.

In 271, Dacia was conquered by the Goths, to whom the emperor Aurelian ceded this province.

About the Habitat of the Getae and Dacians

“The southern part of Germany beyond the Albius, just the one that adjoins the river, is occupied by the Suebi. Then immediately follows the land of the Getae, at first narrow; it stretches along Istra on the south side, and on the opposite side along the mountainous slope of the Gerkinsky forest (however, the country of the Getae also covers some part of the mountains); then it expands to the north up to the Tiregets.(Strabo Geography VII, III, 1)

The Greeks considered the Getae to be Thracians. The Getae lived on both sides of the Istra, as did the Mysians, who are also Thracians and are identical with the people now called Messians.(Strabo Geography VII, III, 2)

“There is another division of this country, preserved from ancient times: some of its inhabitants are called Dacians, and others Getae; the Getae - those that face Pontus and the east, and the Dacians - those facing the opposite direction, towards Germany and the sources of Istria. The Dacians, I think, were called davas in antiquity."(Strabo Geography VII, III, 12)

“In the intermediate region, which faces the Pontic Sea, in its part from Istra to Tiras, lies the “Desert of the Getae” - a continuous waterless plain”(Strabo Geography VII, III,14).

“The length of the road to the top of Gema [is] six miles. On its opposite slopes, descending to the Hyster, [live] Mezes, Getae, Aods, Skaugds and Clarii, and below them - Arrei, [a tribe of the people] Sarmatians, now called Areates; Scythians; off the coast of Pontus settled Moriseni and Sitones - the tribe from which the song-singer Orpheus originated.(Pliny Natural History book IV, 41)

Some other information about the Getae and Dacians

Herodotus praises the mentality of the Getae:
"the Getae, the bravest and most honest among the Thracians"(Herodotus History IV, 93).

Strabo notes a certain weakening of the military potential of the Getae in his era:
“... The Getae and Dacians, who once reached the highest degree of power and were able to put up an army of 200,000 people, are now so weak that they can put up only about 40,000 people and have almost come to subjugation to the Romans. However, they have not yet completely submitted, as they place their hopes on the Germans, who are hostile to the Romans.(Strabo Geography VII, III, 13).
“This tribe, so exalted by Berebista, completely weakened from civil strife and under the blows of the Romans”(Strabo Geography VII, III,12)

Herodotus notes the special customs of the Getae, in contrast to many other Thracian peoples:
“Their tribes in each locality have special names. The morals and customs are the same for everyone, except for the Getae, Travsians and tribes living north of the Crestonians ”(Herodotus History V, 3).

The Getae and Dacians are interesting for our study, especially because the late antique era and the early Middle Ages, the Getae began to be identified with the Goths, and the Dacians with the Danes of Jutland.

Literature:

1. Euripides. Alkesta
2. Josephus Flavius ​​Jewish Antiquities, translated by G. Genkel, St. Petersburg, 1900. Reprinted: with prev. and note by V.A. Fedosik and G.I. Dovgyalo, Minsk, Belarus. 1994.
3. Homer Iliad (translated by V. Veresaev) M.-L., GIHL, 1949.
4. Herodotus. History (translated by G. A. Stratanovsky), OLMA PRESS Invest; 2004
5. Pliny the Elder. Natural history. Web resource: http://annales.info/ant_lit/plinius/index.htm
6. Xenophon, Anabasis / trans. M.I. Maksimova, ed. I.I. Tolstoy, M.-L., Ed. USSR Academy of Sciences, 1951,
7. Strabo. Geography / trans. with other Greek G. A. Stratanovsky, ed. O. O. Kruger, total. ed. S. L. Utchenko. - M.: Ladomir, 1994.
8. Thucydides. Story. / Per. F. G. Mishchenko. In 2 vols. M., 1887-1888.
9. Diodorus Historical Library XII, 50, 3
10. Brixhe C. Phrygian // The Ancient Languages ​​of Asia Minor. - New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008
11. Homer Iliad / translation by V. Veresaev
12. Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - St. Petersburg: Brockhaus-Efron 1890-1907
13. Appian. Roman Wars / translation by S.P. Kondratiev. Publishing house "Aletheia". St. Petersburg, 1994. according to the texts of VDI, 1950 No. 2-4
14. Claudius Ptolemy. Manual of Geography (excerpts). / Per. S. K. Apta and V. V. Latysheva. // Ancient geography. M., 1953. S. 286-323.
15. Cassius Dio Kokkeian Roman history. Books LXIV-LXXX / trans. from ancient Greek ed. A. V. Makhlaiuk; comments and article by A.V. Makhlayuk. - St. Petersburg. : Faculty of Philology, St. Petersburg State University; Nestor-History, 2011. -456 p.
16. Appian, Roman History Introduction, In the book. Appian. Roman Wars. Publishing house "Aletheia". St. Petersburg, 1994. based on the texts of Appian. Roman history. Per. S.P. Kondratiev. VDI, 1950 No. 2-4
17. Justin Epitoma of Pompeius Trog's "History of Philip" / Translated by Dekonsky A.A., Riga M.I. From St. Petersburg University. 2005

Copyright © Leonov A.A. 2014

IN political destinies Balkan Greece in the 5th-4th centuries. BC e. a significant role was played by two vast regions of the Balkan Peninsula - Thrace and Macedonia, inhabited by the Thracian and Macedonian tribes, respectively.

The Thracians are the common name for a group of Indo-European tribes that inhabited the northeast of the Balkan Peninsula in ancient times, as well as the northwest. Asia Minor (Getae, Besses, Odrises, Dacians, Triballi, etc.). The Thracians initially occupied territory as far as the Adriatic Sea, but were later pushed east by the Illyrians. At the end of the 6th - beginning of the 5th century AD. among the Thracians there is a property stratification. The disintegration of the tribal structure begins. Slavery appears, which develops not only due to prisoners of war, but also due to the enslavement of their fellow tribesmen. According to Thucydides, the Thracians even sold their children into slavery.

Thracian tombs of Kazanlak. Photo: Kdhenrik

However, the main place in social production was occupied by small and medium-sized farmers, who at the same time constituted the main force of the Thracian army. The Thracian tribes were, as a rule, independent and independent of each other. The tribes were ruled by leaders whom the Greek authors called kings. Social differentiation among the southern Thracians accelerated due to long and intense ties with the Greek states. The Greek city-states played a particularly large role in the coastal regions of Thrace. These large trade and craft centers served as convenient points where the Thracians could sell slaves, bread, metals and handicrafts. Trade with the Greeks stimulated the development of commodity-money relations among the most developed tribes of South Thrace. At the same time, many tribes that lived in isolation in remote mountainous regions or in the central and northern regions of the Fraction retained the primitive communal system. At the end of the 6th - beginning of the 5th centuries BC. e. the eastern regions of Thrace were captured by the Persian king Darius during his campaign against the Scythians, and the southern coast was occupied by the Persians on their way to Greece.

Separate Thracian tribes put up fierce resistance to the Persians, but only the tribes of the central and northwestern regions of the country managed to defend their independence. By the VI-III centuries AD. refers to the construction of the Thracian city of Sevtopolis. Persian rule over Thrace ended with the defeat of the Persians in 480-479 BC. The liberation of the Thracian tribes significantly accelerated the process of state formation. First, the state arose among the southeastern tribes of Thrace - the Odris. Ruled around 480-450 AD. Teres subjugated a number of more northern tribes to his power. His son Sitalk (450-424) strengthened the borders of Thrace both in the north, where in the 6th century AD. the Scythians constantly raided the lands of the Thracians, and in the west, where the rulers of Macedonia tried to subdue the border Thracian tribes. In the middle of the 5th century AD. The Odrysian state was still weakly united. The more isolated and powerful hill tribes retained their full independence. The consolidation of the kingdom took place mainly in areas close to the coast. The insufficient centralization of the Odrysian kingdom was explained by the preservation of tribal traditions. The royal power among the Odrises was transferred from the father not to the son, but to the eldest in the family. As Thucydides testifies, the king also had "co-rulers" who enjoyed great privileges, up to the issuance of a coin with their own name. The activities of King Sitalk are somewhat reminiscent of the activities of Philip II of Macedon. Sitalk carried out a number of major domestic reforms. According to Diodorus, the king was very concerned about his income.

It was Sitalk who established the system of monetary and natural taxes, which were paid to the king by the subject Thracian territories and coastal Hellenic cities. At the time of Sitalk in Thrace, the minting of its own coin began, which went along with the widespread coins of many Greek policies. Under Sitalk and subsequent rulers, almost until the middle of the 4th century AD. Thrace played a large role in the international life of the Eastern Mediterranean. At this time, Athens sought to maintain the closest ties with the Thracian dynasts, concluding allied treaties with them. An example of such a relationship is the treaty of 391 BC. The close political ties of the Thracian kingdom with the Mediterranean centers were based on comprehensive economic communication. In the middle of the 4th century AD. in the history of the Odrysian kingdom there was a turning point. In 359 BC. Thanks to the intrigues of the Athenians, King Kotis I was killed, who was trying to strengthen royal power. This event coincided with the onslaught of two powerful forces on Thrace - the Scythians and the Macedonians.

In 342 BC. southern Thrace were conquered by Philip II. As a result of long wars, by 336 AD. almost all of Thrace fell under the control of the Macedonians. The area south of the mouth of the Danube was captured by the Scythians. Most of the tribes that inhabited Central Thrace (for example, the Triballi) defended their independence. The power of the Odrysian kings was preserved only within the limits of their long-standing possessions in South-Eastern Thrace. They, like the rulers of other coastal tribes, had to recognize the supreme power of Macedonia. But neither Philip nor Alexander the Great established a new system of government in Thrace. They limited themselves only to the introduction of troops, the number of which was sufficient to maintain Macedonian rule in these areas. All these events were accompanied by active Hellenization of the population of Southern Thrace. Hellenic culture was actively perceived by the nobility of the country, which is proved, for example, by the painting of the crypt in the city of Kazanlak in Bulgaria. Among the free population of Southern Thrace, a landless and ruined peasantry appears. This is evidenced by big number Thracian mercenaries, who are found in foreign armies throughout the 3rd century AD.

Numerous Thracian tribes (Odryses, Meds, Bizalts, Sapeians, Asts, Triballi, etc.) occupied a vast territory south of the Danube River and to the coast of the Aegean Sea; their western borders were the Strymon River, in the east - the shores of the Black Sea. By natural conditions Thrace is divided into two parts: these are the northern mountainous regions and the southern part, adjacent to the Aegean Sea, representing a hilly plain with fertile soils, good timber and significant ore wealth (Pangea region). Southern Thrace was closely connected with the world of Greek city-states. Since the 8th century BC e. the Greeks appreciated its favorable conditions and brought many colonies here (to the peninsula of Halkidiki, Abdera, Maroneya), began to develop the famous Pangean mines and entered into close contacts with the southern Thracian tribes. Various connections with the highly developed Greek policies contributed to the acceleration of the processes of socio-economic, political and cultural development of the Thracian tribes, the decomposition of tribal relations, the formation of an early class society and statehood among the Thracian tribes.

In the 7th-5th centuries BC e. within the Thracian tribes, a layer of nobility stands out, owning vast land plots, groups of slaves, herds of cattle, in the fields of which relatives dependent on it work. In the 5th century BC e. the most developed Thracian tribe, the Odris, living in the southeastern part of Thrace, has an early class society and state. The founder of the state among the Odryses was the leader Teres (70-60s of the 5th century BC), who subjugated a number of South Thracian tribes, as well as some Greek cities, to his influence, forcing them to pay tribute. His son and successor Sitalk (431-424 BC) expanded the borders of the kingdom in the northern and western directions, fought the Macedonian king and joined the general Greek politics, entering the Peloponnesian War on the side of powerful Athens. A strong relationship of economic and political cooperation was established between Athens and Sitalk, the sons of the king were awarded a rare gift from the Athenians - they were granted civil rights. The position of the Odrysian kingdom continued to strengthen under the kings Sevtas I (424–410 BC), Medoc I (405–391 BC) and Kotis I (383–359 BC). ). The Odrysian kings minted their own coins, their treasury received tribute paid by the Greek cities located on the coast, which testified not only to the power of the ruler, but also to the presence of Thracian trade, to strengthening the economy of the state as a whole. As before, one of the main partners of the Odrysian kings is Athens, which often interferes in their internal affairs. An attempt by Athens to restore its political influence in the north of the Aegean in the late 70s - early 60s of the 4th century. BC e. in connection with the formation of the Second Maritime Union led to an aggravation of relations with the Odrysian kings. One of the results of the Athenian-Thracian war of 360-357. BC e. there was a weakening and dismemberment of the Odrysian kingdom into three parts, led by the three sons of King Kotis I. However, traditional friendly relations were soon restored between the Odryses and Athens in the face of a new powerful enemy, threatening both of them. The growing Macedonian kingdom becomes such an adversary.

This article largely repeats the content of the article “More about the ancestors of the Slavs”, but this article provides more evidence of my statements (the ancestors of the Thracian Slavs and the ethnonym “Slavs” came from the “Word” = Gospel). It also substantiates the assumption that the Goths are a union of Germanic and Thracian tribes.
In previous articles, using the examples of reading Etruscan and Thracian texts, it was shown that many words of the languages ​​of the ancient Etruscans and Thracians are similar to the words of Russian and other Slavic languages. It follows from this that the Etruscans and Thracians are the ancestors of the Slavs.
Consider another version of the proof of the relationship of the ancient Thracians, Etruscans and Slavs. Figures 1 and 2 show how, according to historians, the ethnic composition of the population has changed over 200 years (4-6 centuries AD) in the territory where the Slavs were found in the 6-7 centuries AD.
Figure 1 shows the territories of two archaeological cultures before the Hun invasion: the Przeworsk culture (2nd century BC - 4th century AD) and the Chernyakhov culture (2nd century AD - 4th century AD) .), as well as the territories of Dacia and Thrace. The territories of settlement of the Dacians and Thracians are determined on the basis of the data given in historical documents.
The territories occupied by the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures have been identified by modern historians on the basis of objects found during archaeological excavations. The ethnic composition of the population that formed these sufficiently developed cultures causes controversy among historians. Domestic historians believe that a significant part of the population in these territories were the ancestors of the Slavs. Western, mostly German, historians believe that the cultures in question were formed by representatives of the Germanic Goth tribe.
Figure 2 shows the settlement of the Slavs already in the 6th century AD. The resettlement of the Slavs, shown in Fig. 2, is confirmed by archaeological excavations, historical documents and does not raise doubts among historians. And at present, the descendants of those Slavs continue to live in these territories. And the ethnic composition of the same part of Europe until the 6th century AD. (Fig.1) is controversial.
Figures 1 and 2 show that the territories occupied by the tribes of the Thracians and related Daco-Thracians (Dacians) are located within the later formed territories of the Przeworsk and Chernyakhovsk cultures. Analyzing Fig. 1, there is an assumption that the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures were also founded by the Thracians and Dacians, who until the 4th century AD. settled over a larger area.
In the 4th century, as a result of the invasion of the Huns and Christianization, another transformation of the settlement takes place. The resettlement shown in Fig.1 turns into another type of resettlement, shown in Fig.2. We see that the area of ​​settlement of the Slavs now completely covers the areas of settlement of representatives of the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures. At the same time, it should be taken into account that on the territory that is shown as the territory of the settlement of the Slavs (Fig. 2), of course, there could be settlements of other peoples. But the number of non-Slavic settlements was much less than the number of Slavic ones.
It is quite obvious that such a transformation (Fig. 1 turned into Fig. 2) of settlement was facilitated by two large-scale events that took place over 150-200 years in these territories - this is the invasion of the Huns and Christianization. The invasion of the Huns (375-450 AD) forced a significant part of the population to leave the territories of the Chernyakhov and Przeworsk cultures and settle in a larger area (Fig. 2). At the same time, the cultural achievements of the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures, which are largely due to the influence of the Roman Empire, were destroyed by the Huns.
Adoption by some Thracian and Daco-Thracian tribes Christian religion led to the replacement of the ethnonym "Thracians" with the ethnonym "Slovens" (WORD=Gospel, Slovens-followers of Christianity). In what follows, I will prove these assumptions.
As noted, shown in Fig. 1, these are the areas of settlement of peoples before the 4th century AD, determined by domestic historians. Western historians offer another option for resettlement, it is shown in Fig.3. Figure 3 is taken from the book "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (by Peter Heather, ed. Astrel, MOSCOW, p. 128).
According to foreign historians, the main population of the considered region of Europe in the 4th century was the Germanic tribes of the Goths. The people of the Goths seemed to have come from Scandinavia, existed for some time in the areas shown in Fig. 3, then were forced out by the Huns to the Crimea, and there the Goths dissolved among the local Turkic population. The period of existence is ready 2 - 8 centuries AD.

It seems very strange the disappearance of such a numerous and powerful people. For example, Slavs living in Germany at least since the 6th century AD. (Lusatian Serbs) survived, and, even at present time in Germany there are up to 40 thousand people who speak the Slavic language. And for what reason, the people are ready to disappear without a trace, modern historical science cannot say.
In addition to this “strangeness”, attention is also drawn to the fact that, which appeared in historical documents in the 2nd century AD. the ethnonym "Goths" is very reminiscent of the ethnonym known since the time of Herodotus (4th century BC), the group of Thracian tribes - "Gets", who have lived in these places since ancient times.
Wikipedia says about the Goths: “Go; you (Gothic ;;;;;;, Gutans; lat. Gothi, Got(h)ones, Gutons; other Greek ;;;;;) is an ancient Germanic union of tribes. From the 2nd century AD until the 8th century AD played a significant role in the history of Europe. It was an association of Germanic tribes, probably of Scandinavian origin, who spoke the East Germanic Gothic language (for which Bishop Ulfilas developed the Gothic script in the 4th century AD). In the first centuries of our era, they made their way from Sweden to the Black Sea and the Danube River, reaching the outposts of the Roman Empire. Christianity spread among the Goths in the 4th century.
Wikipedia says about the Getae: “The Getae (lat. Getae, Greek;;;;;) is an ancient warlike Thracian people, akin to the Dacians, with whom the Romans mixed it; lived in the time of Herodotus (4th century BC) between the Balkans and the Danube.
From the above text ("lived in the time of Herodotus") one might think that the Getae disappeared after the 4th century BC, but this is not so. The Thracian peoples, and the Getae are part of them, are noted in historical documents in the 6th century AD. Then the Thracians (according to my assumptions) are referred to as Antes and Sklovene (Slovens) and from the 8th-10th centuries, finally, they are referred to as Slavs (Slovene). I consider it appropriate to emphasize once again that the Getae are the same Dacians.
The main information about the Goths, using which modern historians are trying to recreate the events of the past associated with the Goths, is given in the book of the ancient historian Jordanes (6th century AD) “On the origin and deeds of the Getae” (modern version of the book - ed. ALETEIA, 2013 St. Petersburg).
Consider some fragments from this book to understand who the Goths are.
Note 374 (p. 267): “Getae and Goths are understood as synonyms in this case (if the later scribe of the manuscript did not confuse the letters “o” and “e”). However, it should be remembered that Jordanes, compiling his compositions for the glory of the Amal family and the tribe of the Goths (Ostrogoths), artificially “increased” the antiquity of the history of the Goths, referring to them the most ancient events from the history of the Getae.
From the above text, as we can see, it follows that experts believe that the ancient part of the history of the Germanic tribe of the Goths was taken from the history of the Thracian tribe of the Getae. I note right away that the spelling of the ethnonym either “Goths” or “Gets” occurs repeatedly in the text of the book. It seems that this is not an accident, but by this the author wants to show that these ethnonyms are equivalent and denote the same group of peoples. By the way, according to one of the versions, Jordan (the author of the mentioned book) was a Thracian.
Further, in paragraph 58 (p. 72) of the main text we read “Dion, a historian and diligent researcher of antiquity, who gave the name to his work Getica” (and these Getae, as we have already shown above, are the same as the Goths, according to Paul Orosius), this same Dion mentions after a long time about their king named Teleph.
From this fragment it follows that Dion Chrysostomos (1-2 centuries AD), even earlier than Jordanes, also wrote a work with the same name, Getica, that has not come down to us, but in it he tells precisely about the Getae. In this way, two books were written with the title "Getica" and the Gothic (German Thracian) "Getica" of Jordanes can be considered as a continuation of the Getothracian "Getica" of Dio Chrysostomos.
In paragraph 40 (p. 68) of the main text, an assessment is made of the cultural level of the Goths (in fact, the facts show that this is written about the Getae): “Therefore, among all the barbarians, the Goths have always been almost the most educated, almost equal to the Greeks, according to Dion, who compiled their history and annals in Greek.
But, this assessment certainly refers to the geth. After all, as you know, the writing system of the Goths was developed only in the 4th century AD, and only fragments of the Bible were preserved from the objects of writing, while the Thracians and Etruscans (ancestors of the Slavs) already fully mastered writing as early as the 5th century BC. AD. Examples of readings of Etruscan, Thracian and Daco-Thracian texts are given in the articles “The Ring from Ezerovo”, “The Underworld of the Ancient Dacians”, “The Adventure of an Etruscan Pirate”. However, according to Western historians, it turns out that unknown Goths came in the 2nd century to the area where the Getae lived and immediately became equal to the Greeks. And the Getae (Geto-Dacians, Daco-Thracians), who have lived in the territory under consideration since ancient times, who had their own state (Odrysian kingdom) in which their coins were minted back in the 5th century BC, seemed to be inconspicuous, backward people.
That is, numerous Thracian Getae disappeared somewhere and Goths appeared instead. Then in the 6th century AD. the Goths disappeared somewhere and the Slavs appeared instead. Isn't it easier to assume that the Thracians-Geta have long existed in these parts. In the period of 2-4 centuries, the Germans joined them. The united people of the Thracians (Gets) and the Germans began to be called Goths, and in the 6th century, in connection with Christianization, the Thracians began to be called Slavs. And the German part of the Goths moved to the Crimea and there they disappeared into the Turkic population.
There is a suspicion that in the period of the 2nd-4th centuries the Thracians were in slavish dependence on the Goths. But three obvious facts speak against this assumption.
First, it seems very strange that the Thracians (Getae, Dacians), who had long and successfully resisted Rome, very easily succumbed to the coming (if so) Germanic-Goths.
Secondly, as noted earlier, the Goths made their history older by taking the history of the Getae. I do not admit that the ambitious Goths (assuming they are only Germans) stooped to the point that they copied from their slaves (?) ancient history. And as a common history of the united peoples, this is quite acceptable. Further it will be shown that the Germans and Thracians, who founded the Chernyakhov culture, served together in the Roman legions.
Third - some of the leaders of the Goths had Slavic names: Valamir, Tiudimir, Vidimir.
In the book "The Gothic Way", published by the Faculty of Philology of St. Petersburg state university in 2005 (the author is a well-known specialist in the Chernyakhov culture M.B. Shchukin) on p. 282, considering the descendants of the leader of the Goths Germanaric, it is reported:
“…..great-nephew of Germanaric, son of Vinitarius Vandalarius and then his children, three loving brothers - Valamir, Thiudimir (father of Theodoric the Great) and Vidimir.
Confuse the endings of the names of these Gothic rulers in -mir (compare: Vladi-
world): did the above-mentioned contacts of the Germans-Goths of the Black Sea region with the bearers of the Proto-Slavic Kievan culture affect? But it is hardly worth drawing any far-reaching conclusions on this basis. This is where philologists have to figure it out.”
Thus, the Germanic names are undoubtedly considered to belong to the Germans, and the fact that the Slavic names belong to the Slavs (Thracians) in the leading circles of the Gothic community is doubtful. The author does not advise drawing far-reaching conclusions. And why? Existing facts must be explained.
In this case, the explanation is obviously Slavic names belong to the Slavs. After all, not before the appearance of the Goths, nor after their disappearance, German leaders with Slavic names are unknown.
In a national German state, where the bulk of the population would be Germans, I think it would be impossible for people with Slavic names to be in leadership.
For example, in Russia, Sophia Augusta Frederick of Anhalt-Zerbst (Serbian) - becoming the wife of Peter III, converted to Orthodoxy and became known as Ekaterina Alekseevna. And when there is an equal union of two peoples (Germans and Thracians), then each people at the initial stage retains its names and traditions. If this union had existed for a long time, then a new one would probably have arisen - the German Thracian nation. But the invasion of the Huns aggravated the contradictions within the specified union and the union broke up. The question arises - what language did both peoples communicate in? Further it will be shown that the Thracians and Germans simultaneously served in the Roman legions and, of course, to some extent knew the Latin language. Therefore, the language of interethnic communication was Latin. Note that the need for constant communication was only among the Thracian and German leaders. The main population, Thracians and Germans, most likely lived separately and their need for communication was minimal.
I also note that in addition to the undoubtedly Slavic names given, the book of Jordan contains names that also most likely belong to the Slavs - these are Ulfila (the developer of the alphabet is ready) and Kniva (the king of the Vezegots).
The above facts once again confirm that the Goths were formed as an equal union of Germanic and Thracian (pre-Slavic) ethnic groups.

But on what grounds does official science evaluate the German presence in the Chernyakhiv settlements (the book - "Slavs", ed. "LANGUAGES OF SLAVIC CULTURE", 2002, author-academician V.V. Sedov, p. 182).
“Among the most striking indicators of the German penetration into the Chernyakhiv area are the “long houses”, the origins of which are in the house-building of North-Western Europe.”
But in the book “The emergence of the state among the Thracians of the 7th-5th centuries. BC." (author - Zlatkovskaya T.D.) it is reported: “The buildings in the settlements near Drahoynov are of great interest. Although not all of them have been excavated, one can still get an idea of ​​their size. In the settlement near Malkiy Asar, the buildings had an area of ​​240 and 120 m2, in the settlement near the Church - 225 and 360 m2.
“In archaeological and ethnographic literature, it is customary to call houses of such (and somewhat smaller) sizes of very different layouts “big houses” that served as dwellings for large family groups.”
The above excerpts show that "large (or long) houses" are not the invention of the Germanic Goths, the Thracians, whom I consider the ancestors of the Slavs, built such houses much earlier than the Germans.

The above arguments show that the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures were founded by representatives of the Thracian and Germanic tribes, who used the experience and help of Rome. Obviously, there is no reason to attribute all the achievements of Przeworsk and Chernyakhovsk only to the Germans. Therefore, once again we have to admit that the Goths were formed as an equal union of Germanic and Thracian (pre-Slavic) ethnic groups.
And one more example to confirm the fact that Slavs were part of the ready tribes.
Here is a quote from the book "Slavs" (ed. "Languages ​​of Slavic Culture", Moscow, 2002, p. 148) by Academician V.V. Sedov: ethnonym Goths".
I would suggest, without pretending to be true, that the origin of some part of the Goth people is analogous to the origin of the Romanian people. That is, if Romanians, judging by the language (in the basic vocabulary of Romanians, there are 3800 words of Slavic origin and 2600 words Latin origin), are a mixture of Thracian and Latin peoples. And the Goths (their Germanic part) may have been a mixture of the Germanic and Thracian peoples.

This version can be confirmed if Thracian (Slavic) influence can be found in the existing dictionary of Gothic words. That is, the Goths and Romanians could be formed if the Germans and Latins married Thracian women. Perhaps the descendants of the Goths are the Lusatian Serbs, who still live in Germany today. (By the way, Catherine II Alekseevna the Great - nee Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst (Serbian) belonged to the Lusatian Serbs and, probably, therefore was a patriot of Russia.)
But this version contradicts Jordanes' assertion that the Goths came from Scandinavia. In the light of my assumptions, it turns out that the Goths, on the contrary, could move to Scandinavia. This version seems interesting to me, but I cannot consider it proven at the present time.
Further it will be shown that the Chernyakhov culture was founded by the Thracian and German legionnaires of Rome and their descendants.
When restoring long-past events, historians have two main sources of information - chronicles of ancient authors and archaeological finds. Ancient chronicles up to the 8th century AD were written only by Greeks, Romans and historians who own the writing of these peoples (for example, the Gothic historian Jordanes), since only books in Greek and Latin have survived to our time. Although there is an opinion that the surviving books are not primary sources and we are dealing with copies. Books of other peoples, such as the Etruscans, if they existed, did not survive. But inscriptions in the Etruscan and Thracian languages ​​have been preserved. It turned out that these languages ​​are close to the Slavic languages. Approximately in the 6th AD. notes of Arab travelers began to appear, in which the Slavs are also mentioned.
The above considerations show that the work of historians is very similar to the work of forensic investigators, but the events that historians investigate are hundreds and thousands of years removed, therefore, there is, of course, material evidence and, sometimes, conflicting testimonies of ancient historians for a reliable recreation of events of a thousand years ago. not enough.
In the work of the investigator, at the present time, perfect equipment is used, volumes of testimonies of witnesses are written, and, nevertheless, unreasonable sentences occur, generated by the inaccuracy of recreating recent events.
Since historians have immeasurably less reliable initial data than investigators, therefore their versions, of course, are always approximate. This has to be put up with. But the task of historians is to make historical assumptions as close as possible to real events, that is, as probable as possible.
Let's try to figure out how, using archaeological finds, historians restore the characteristics of the peoples who lived in the territory under consideration.
An important sign of determining the ethnicity of some ancient people is the archaeological culture. This is especially important when there is no written evidence left about the people being studied. Let us consider what professional historians understand by the definition of "archaeological culture". Here's what the experts say.
Archaeological culture is a stable set of features characteristic of the remains of the past certain period of the development of society. This includes:
a certain burial rite;
repetitive forms of jewelry;
clothing accessories;
characteristic types of tools, weapons, household equipment;
specific features in the arrangement of dwellings and settlements;
ceramic shapes.
Earlier, using the example of "big houses", it was shown that it is necessary to make inputs very carefully, using "specific features in the arrangement of dwellings and settlements".
In addition, it cannot be said that the above set of features accurately determines the belonging to a particular ethnic group of a people living in a given territory, and that historians strictly take into account the significance of cultures in their assumptions.
A change in shape, such as a pot, in some area may not always be evidence that the population has changed there.
A change in the shape or other feature of a pot can occur if, say, a good potter is captured and he teaches the locals how to make good pots. Or, on the contrary, a good potter suddenly died, leaving no replacement behind. Bad pots began to appear.
Apart from this, historians are forced by nothing but their own preferences to strictly consider the influence of signs of archaeological culture.
Of course, the assessment of archaeological cultures is carried out by more subtle methods than in the examples given here, but their use often does not make it possible to unambiguously substantiate the relationship between the features of archaeological culture and the ethnic composition of the population in a given territory.
At the same time, the concept of “archaeological culture” still makes it possible to reveal at least some connection between the discovered ancient objects and the ethnic composition of the population of a given area, but this must be done very carefully, evaluating the entire set of possible options.
Consider another example, which we take from the book of Academician Sedov V.V. (“Slavs” p. 144). The book says: “The appearance of the Goths in the Polish Pomerania is clearly recorded by archaeological monuments of the first half of the 1st century. AD….. Unlike the aboriginal population, who buried the dead in barrowless burial grounds according to the rite of cremation, the newcomers buried the dead according to the rite of inhumation.”
But then the following happens: “In all likelihood, the majority of its population were descendants of local tribes - the rite of cremation gradually becomes dominant. But the whole population, most likely, was called the Goths.
Thus, the adoption by the newcomers (Goths) of the local culture (they adopted the rite of cremation), indicating that the small newcomers were assimilated by the local population and adopted the customs of the local population, is not taken into account, and the entire population of the area is proposed to be considered as recently arrived small Goths. But a certain burial rite is the most stable sign of the culture of the people.
Another rather typical device of professional historians, which, in my opinion, cannot be considered convincing, is the reference to authorities. Consider an example from M.B. Schukin "The Gothic Way". Without going into the essence of the issue, let's consider how the author avoids evidence, referring to an authoritative specialist for him. On page 230 it is written: “Some researchers, for example, Mr. Vernadsky (Vernadsky 1994), tend to see in the ants of this episode not the Slavs, but some kind of Alanian or Hunnic association. According to Ammianus, the heir of Germanaric fought not with the Antes, but with the Alans, “relying on another tribe of the Huns, which he attracted into an alliance with himself for money” (Amm. Marc. XXXI, 3,3). The name "Antes" is sometimes chosen by Iranian (Ossetian) or Turkic etymologies - "external", "border" or "allies".
It seems to me that it would be more convincing to say that Vernadsky, on the basis of such and such facts, came to the conclusion that the Antes in this episode are not Slavs. Or even without mentioning Vernadsky, give facts (arguments) on the basis of which the indicated conclusion can be drawn. In my constructions I try to use just such a method of proof. And professional historians prefer to refer to the opinion of authorities; as a result, they end up with texts that are more like fiction than evidence-based historical versions.
I do not want to completely erase the significance of the work of professional historians, I myself use the results of their work. In addition, let me remind you that the professional Soviet historian Nikolai Sevostyanovich Derzhavin for the first time reasonably suggested that the Slavs are descendants of the ancient peoples of the Thracians.
Unfortunately, this assumption has not received support in scientific circles. I managed to confirm the assumption of Derzhavin N.S., establishing that the words of the texts in the Thracian language are very similar to the similar words of the Slavic languages. It was also found that the words of the texts in the Etruscan language are also similar to the similar words of the Slavic languages. Therefore, the Thracians and Etruscans are kindred peoples, and the Slavs are the descendants of these ancient peoples.
Further analysis of historical materials will show that the majority of the population that formed the Przeworsk and Chernyakhovsk cultures, nevertheless, were Thracians and Etruscans - the ancestors of the Slavs, it was they who were the aboriginal population.
Consider how experts characterize the Przeworsk and Chernyakhovsk cultures.
Przeworsk culture (from Wikipedia):
material culture
Sometimes the culture is called provincially Roman, because during the excavation of burials a large number of fragments of Roman chain mail were found, which were used by hired Germans (note that a large number of Thracians were also mercenaries in the Roman army) from the auxiliary parts of the Roman army. During excavations of monuments of this culture, brooches are also found. The carriers of the Przeworsk culture had developed weapons: swords, darts. Ceramics were made on the basis of a potter's wheel.
Ethnicity]
Some researchers consider this culture to be Slavic and identify its bearers with the Wends. Writers of the ancient Roman era described this territory as occupied by meadows (K. Godlovsky).
The tribes also associated with the western part of the territory and the era of the Przeworsk culture include the Vandals. Also, within the western part of the territory of the Przeworsk culture, there were small Germanic tribes of Garnies, Gelisians, Manims and Naganarvals. Some researchers identify (include in the composition) the carriers of the Przeworsk culture of the Slavs and the Celts. However, there is no complete continuity with later cultures: after the 4th c. (invasion of the Huns) Przeworsk monuments in Poland are unknown.
Chernyakhov culture (from Wikipedia):
material culture.
Trade flourished with the nearest ancient centers. This is evidenced by imported items (amphoras, in which wine and olive oil, glass goblets, less often - red-glazed vessels) - whole and in fragments, found on all monuments of the Chernyakhov culture. Roman coins were used in foreign and domestic trade. More than a thousand coin treasures have been found on the territory of the Chernyakhov culture. Some features of the Chernyakhov culture were formed under the influence of the Late Antique civilization.
To clarify the characteristics of the Chernyakhov culture, I consider it appropriate to quote from the book "The Gothic Way" by the famous archaeologist, a specialist in Chernyakhov culture, Shchukin M.B.
“By the way, the frequent finds of millstones can also testify to the contacts of the bearers of the Chernyakhov culture with the inhabitants of the adjacent (border) provinces of the Empire. As noted by R. S. Minasyan, the Chernyakhovsky millstones completely reproduce the shape and design of exactly the soldier's marching millstones of the Roman army, well known in the limes camps (Minasyan 1978).
The center for the production of such millstones was found and explored by P. I. Khavlyuk near the village. Lugovoy, Vinnitsa region (Havlyuk 1980), traces of the development of volcanic tuff, a rare rock in Ukraine, but optimal for millstones, were also found here. The researcher, not without reason, believes that master masons, immigrants from the Roman provinces, took part in the work.
Thus, we see concrete evidence of the contribution of the legionnaires of the Roman army to Chernyakhov culture. We note this fact, which will be used later in the system of proofs.
Ethnicity.
The Chernyakhov culture coincides in time and geography with the Oyum state founded by the Goths at the beginning of the 3rd century. n. e. (later I found out that there was no Oyum state, but there was a place with that name) and destroyed by the Huns at the end of the 4th century. However, most researchers believe that the Chernyakhov culture was multi-ethnic. In addition to the Germans, the Thracians-Dacians, Iranian-speaking Sarmatians, Antes lived here. The opinion about such a multi-ethnicity of the Chernyakhov culture is based mainly on the presence of local features in house-building, ceramics and the funeral rite of its bearers.
As you can see, in the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures, a connection with the ancient world of the Mediterranean is clearly traced. In the Przeworsk archaeological finds, "a large number of fragments of Roman chain mail" were found. And “On the territory of the Chernyakhov culture, more than a thousand treasures with Roman coins were discovered. Some features of the Chernyakhov culture were formed under the influence of the Late Antique civilization.
Many historians suggest that the main population in the territories of both cultures were the Germans. But it is obvious that the peoples closest to the ancient Mediterranean culture were the Thracians (neighbors of the Greeks) and the Etruscans (neighbors of the Romans). Again historians, despite clear signs Mediterranean culture, argue that the peoples on the territory of the Chernyakhov culture belong to the Germanic tribes of the Goths. So, the signs of archaeological cultures are not of decisive importance for historians.
According to this version, it turns out that the Germanic Goths, who recently came from Scandinavia (Skanza), immediately established strong, friendly relations with Greece and Rome, and a large group of ancient kindred peoples (Thracians, Daco-Thracians, ghetto-Dacians, Etruscans) are neighbors of these Mediterranean states was absent at that time.
As a result of the influence of the Huns (375-450 AD) and the process of adoption of Christianity by the peoples living in the territory under consideration, at the place of settlement of heterogeneous, mainly Germanic (according to many historians) or Thracian (in my opinion) tribes (Fig. 1) in the 6th century, numerous Slavs are found (Fig. 2). And the achievements of the Chernyakhov culture are destroyed.
It is generally accepted that the tribes of the Slavs (Antes, Sklovenes) were first discovered and described by the ancient historians Jordan and Procopius of Caesarea in the 6th century AD.
Based on the above information, let's try to guess what events could lead to such a transformation of archaeological cultures and populations.
Let us single out once again the peoples who, according to historians, lived on the territory of the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures.
The carriers of the Przeworsk culture were, according to the assumptions of professional historians: the Slavs (probably it should be understood that the ancestors of the Slavs are meant, since the ethnonym "Slovens" appeared in the 6th century AD), Wends, Vandals, small Germanic tribes of Garnies, Gelisians , manims and naganarwals, as well as Lugii, Celts.
According to the assumptions of professional historians, the bearers of the Chernyakhov culture were: "In addition to the Germans, the Thracians-Dacians, Iranian-speaking Sarmatians, Antes lived here."
We see that the Slavs (more precisely, the ancestors of the Slavs) are, according to the assumptions of professional historians, one of approximately 11 tribes. That is, they are not the majority.
But it is obvious that in order for the resettlement of numerous Slavs, depicted in Fig. 2, to appear, in both initial cultures (Fig. 1) there must be a large number of ancestors of the Slavs. Therefore, in ethnic composition of the population of the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures, some of these tribes are most likely not Germans, but the ancestors of the Slavs, i.e. related to the Thracians. The ancestors of the Slavs from these peoples were most likely: Thracians, Dacians, Wends, Antes, possibly Lugii. And these kindred peoples were the majority.
By the way, about the number of Slavs and Antes in the mentioned book of Jordan ("Getika"), in note 108 (p. 208) it is reported:
“In any mention of Procopius and the Sclaves and Antes, it is indicated that these tribes were crowded, strong not only in their courage, but also in their numbers. The expression of Procopius about the Antes is known - "countless, immeasurable tribes."
Thus, we have a weighty confirmation of the large number of tribes of Ants and Sklavens (ancestors of the Slavs). And this quality (multitude) makes them related to the Thracians and modern Slavs (the largest group of kindred peoples in Europe).
If you do not accept the version of the initial multiplicity of the ancestors of the Slavs, then you need to show how the invasion of the Huns and Christianization led to a sharp reduction in the German population (Goths) and a sharp increase in the Thracian (ancestors of the Slavs) population over a period of less than 100 years (the time of the invasion of the Huns). But this is precisely what some historians claim, although they do not provide convincing evidence that this was exactly the case.
Let us consider how the invasion of the Huns led to a sharp expansion of the area where the Slavs lived. During the period of the Hun occupation of a significant part of Europe, the Huns showed themselves as destroyers and marauders. They destroyed the achievements of the Chernyakhov culture, which was based on the influence of Greece and Rome. At the same time, part of the ancestors of the Slavs and the ancient Germans, according to ancient historians, participated together with the Huns in raids on neighboring peoples. They were especially attracted to the outskirts of the Roman Empire.
It is likely that it was during this period that the German tribe of the Vandals, whose name became a household name, showed itself. Another, probably most of the ancestors of the Slavs, tried to survive in the new conditions. Therefore, a significant part of the population from the territories of the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures was forced to look for new, calmer areas of residence, mainly, these were more northern areas.
As a result of the above events, the area of ​​​​settlement of the Slavs, shown in Fig. 2, was formed. This area is almost twice as large as the total area of ​​the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures, so the population density in this area naturally became much less. But, perhaps, despite the oppression of the Huns, the number of Slavs in the territory (Fig. 2) even increased compared to the original number (Fig. 1), due to the intensive influx of the ancestors of the Slavs (Thracian population) from the territories subject to Rome.
The possibility of an increase in the number of Slavs due to the intensive migration of the Thracian tribes (I believe that the Slavs are the descendants of the Thracians and Etruscans) is evidenced by such an episode given in the book “Huns, formidable warriors of the steppes” (author E.A. Thompson, ed. Moscow. TSENTROPOLYGRAPH , 2008 p. 74). There you can read:
“…… fugitive slaves and “those who lost their position” in Roman society, announced that they were Huns, and continued to ravage Thrace until they were defeated by Fravitta. And further: “But more importantly, this case clearly shows us that the arrival of the Huns, like many other barbarians hostile to the imperial government, was enthusiastically welcomed by the oppressed classes: their arrival was associated with the opportunity to throw off the shackles of slavery.”
The described episode shows that in the Roman Empire during the Hunnic period there were many dissatisfied (slaves and "those who lost their position"), it was they, the Thracians, Etruscans, who then became known as Antes and Sclavens (Slavs) were allies of the Huns in the fight against Rome. Due to the fact that it was not possible to defeat the Roman Empire and because of the fear of cruel sanctions from Rome, the ancestors of the Slavs (Etruscans and Thracians) moved en masse to those areas where they were then discovered as Slavs (Fig. 2). The above example describes an unsuccessful attempt by those dissatisfied with Roman influence to join the Huns, but there were certainly successful ones.
In the above excerpt, attention should be paid to the words "fugitive slaves and "those who lost their position" in Roman society, declared that they were Huns." It is believed that the Huns are warriors of Asian appearance, and in the example given, “fugitive slaves and “those who have lost their position” (obviously European in appearance) claim that they are Huns.” From these words, it obviously follows that there were a significant number of Europeans in the composition of the Huns' troops. Only in this case can a European impersonate a Hun.
The words “slaves and “those who have lost their position” make one think about the slavery of the Slavs. Of course, the ancestors of the Slavs (Thracians and Etruscans), like representatives of the Germans, Gauls and other peoples, fell into slavery to the Romans. And the Romans and Greeks themselves (the founders of European culture) also fell into slavery, although rarely. The Thracians were the most numerous people in Europe (according to Herodotus), so there could be a significant number of Thracian slaves.
But there is no reason to evaluate the ancestors of the Slavs (Thracians, Etruscans), as a people inclined to be in slavery. Well, firstly, the Thracians and Daco-Thracians were the last people that Rome managed to conquer (1st century AD). Prior to this, these peoples successfully defended their independence. States were created: the Thracian (Odrysian kingdom) and Dacia. The victory over the Dacians (Daco-Thracians) was so difficult and important for Rome that in honor of this victory a special marble memorial 38 m high was erected in Rome - Trajan's Column. Probably, this difficult victory of Rome forced Rome to make concessions and marked the beginning of the Chernyakhov culture. In this culture, the facts of Thracian-Roman cooperation are clearly visible.
It should also be noted that some of the most educated Etruscans occupied fairly high positions in the Roman Empire and were not going to leave it. They completely disappeared into Roman society. It is interesting to note that the very famous Renaissance artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo were born in the northern part of Italy, exactly where Etruria was. The relationship between the Italians (descendants of the Romans) and the descendants of the Etruscans is possibly described in Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. This play reflects the long-term enmity between the two clans of Monteca and Capulet. It can be assumed that one of these families had Etruscan roots, and this fact explains the hostility of the clans.
Rome recognized the military virtues of the Thracians. The proof of this is that in gladiator fights there was a type of gladiator - "Thracian". After all, gladiator fights played not only the role of entertainment, but also a teaching role. They showed how the opponents of Rome could fight, which of course was taken into account when developing tactics for military operations. Well, and finally, at least one of the Roman emperors was a Thracian by birth (Maximin the Thracian 235-238 AD).
And the fact that the Thracians massively left the territory of the empire at every opportunity speaks for itself. And the largest uprising of slaves was led by the Thracian Spartacus. Here is an incomplete list of reasons why it is impossible to consider the ancestors of the Slavs (Thracians) prone to being in slavery. Many other peoples could not resist Rome and the mention of them disappeared in historical documents. The Thracian peoples survived and are now called the Slavic peoples.
Sometimes a sign that allegedly confirms the slave position of the Slavs in ancient times is considered the similarity of the sound of the ethnonym "Slavs" with the Latin word slave (slave), meaning "slave". But I contend that this is just a coincidence. This happens, for example, the English word corresponding to the Russian word "soldier" sounds like "corpse". And Muslims deliberately call men by the name "Abdul", which in Arabic also means "slave" (meaning - the servant of God).
And one more fact testifies to the impossibility of the Slavic peoples being in slavery. This is language. When a people is in long-term slavish dependence on another people, a large number of words of the sovereign people must necessarily appear in the speech of the dependent people. Slavic languages ​​do not stand out in terms of the number of language borrowings from other peoples of Europe.
As a reverse example, English language American blacks brought to America as slaves from Africa. I doubt that, after 200 years of slavery, any of today's blacks in America speak the languages ​​of their African ancestors.
As I have already pointed out, in my opinion, the ethnonym "Slovyans" came from the "Word" (one of the names of the Gospel) and the renaming of the Thracians into Slavs occurred in the process of the adoption of Christian doctrine by some tribes of the Thracians.
Unfortunately, I, as well as the authors of other versions of the origin of this ethnonym, have not yet been able to find direct confirmation in historical documents that the ethnonym “Slovens” originated from the name of the Gospel (Word). This version, like the others, is based on logically sound assumptions. But my assumptions seem to me more weighty than the assumptions substantiating other versions. Below are the facts from which my conclusion follows: the Slavs are adherents of the Christian religion.
1. The ethnonym "Slovyans" appeared after the advent of Christianity; earlier this event of peoples with such a name was not noted in historical documents.
2. The Gospel (the main text of the New Testament) is sometimes called the Word of God (Dal's dictionary) or the Word of Grace. In the circle of new believers, the gospel may well have been referred to simply as "the Word." Adherents of the "Word", of course, could call themselves "Slovyans".
3. All Slavic peoples profess the Christian religion.
4. In The Tale of Bygone Years, the chronicler Nestor reports "And the Slavs dispersed across the land from the land of the Bulgarian (Thracian) and Hungarian." And Thrace is adjacent to Greece and the first Christians (Slavs) appeared in the 2nd century AD. in Thrace (Bulgaria).
There is another piece of evidence that supports this version. In the book "On the Origin and Deeds of the Getae (Getics)" by the ancient historian Jordan (ed. ALETEIA, St. Petersburg, 2013), note 108 (p. 205) contains an epitaph dedicated to Bishop Martin (years of life: 520-580 BC). AD). It says: "You have drawn various ferocious tribes into an alliance with Christ." Next comes the enumeration of the tribes and among them a tribe is mentioned, with the name Sclavus (clavus = Slavs). Historians believe that this is one of the first mentions of the Slavs. Thus, we have concrete confirmation of the adoption of the Christian faith by a tribe called the Slavs in the 6th century AD. True, from this example it is not clear whether this ethnonym existed before the adoption of Christianity or whether it arose as a result of the Christianization of this tribe. Of course, I believe that this tribe changed its name and, as a result of the adoption of the Christian faith, began to be called "Slovens".
Interesting information on the origin of the ethnonym "Slovens" can be found in the book of academician O.N. Trubacheva -
"Ethnogenesis and culture of the ancient Slavs".
(Linguistic Studies). MOSCOW "NAUKA" 2003
Page 311
It turns out that in the documents of the king of the Franks - Charlemagne (9th century AD) there are references to the Slavs. Here is a list of ethnonyms:
1.Sclavi Margenses, 2.Sclavi Beheimi, 3.Sclavi Carantani, 4.Sclavi Carniolenses, 5.Sclavi Pannonii, 6.Sclavi Dalmatini, 7.Sclavi Cruati,8.Sclavi Sorabi, 9.Sclavi Abodriti
These ethnonyms, as we see, consist of two words. The names “Slavs of Pannonia” (5), “Slavs of Dalmatia” (6), “Slavs of Serbia” (8), “Slavs of Encouragement” (9) are clear to me.
The above list shows that in the 9th century the tribes that lived in the territories of Pannonia, Dalmatia, Serbia, who had their own name (Obodrites, for example) received a second, unifying, name - Sclavi (Slovens). This gives grounds to believe that a significant part of the Thracians living in these territories converted to Christianity, became adherents of the WORD (WORD = Gospel), became "Slovyans". It is obvious to me that the addition "Sclavi" emphasizes that some of these tribes belong to Christianity. The representatives of the other part of the tribes that did not accept Christianity were probably called "Antes".
And now we can see an analogy to the ancient ethnonyms: the Slavs of Russia, the Slavs of Ukraine, the Slavs of Belarus, etc.
Considering the above, let's consider what the process of the appearance of the addition "Sclavi" to the name of the tribes could have been in general (I believe that these are the tribes of the Thracians).
The first version: the ancestors of the Slavs (Thracians), living in the space from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea, in the 6th century AD. suddenly realized that they had a lot in common and decided to give themselves an additional, unifying name - "Slovens" (Slavs). But it is obvious that the eternal inter-Slavic strife and vast distances will not allow this to be done. Therefore, this version must be recognized as incredible.
Second version: In the 4th-6th centuries AD. already Christian Byzantium sends his preachers to different places in Europe to introduce the "wild" tribes to the Christian doctrine. When they arrive back, they will probably make written reports on the work done. They notice that many tribes speak similar languages ​​and call the gospel "the Word." Adherents of the "Word" call themselves "Slovyans". Naturally, preachers, for successful work, must have a good command of the Slavic (Thracian) language. Recall that Greece is adjacent to Thrace, and a significant part of the Thracians speak the Greek language. It is known that Greece adopted Christianity already in the 2nd century AD, and the Thracian language, as I showed, is the same Slavic. Considering the foregoing, we can to assume that the preachers sent to the lands of the Thracians were also Thracians who converted to Christianity and were brought up in Greek culture. Let us also remember that early culture Russia was very connected with the culture of Greece. And the Russian artist Theophanes the Greek is most likely not a Greek, but a Thracian who lived in Greece. And he arrived in Rus' without an interpreter, since he himself was fluent in Russian.
It seems to me that the second version of the origin of the ethnonym "Slovens" is much more convincing.

Let's continue about the Huns. It turns out that Christian preachers did a thorough job with the Huns. Here is what you can read in the previously mentioned book by E.A. Thompson (p. 56).
“The Church was not afraid of the fury and unbridledness of the new invaders, and soon after their first appearance on the border, the first Christian missionaries went to them. At the beginning of the 5th century, Bishop Teotim (Feofim) Tomitansky (Fomitansky) visited the Huns. We know that the Huns on the Danube treated him with great respect and called him "the god of the Romans." .... It was said that once Feofim and his companions were passing through enemy territory and saw a group of Huns heading towards them. Theophim's companions were horrified, thinking that they were finished. But Feofim dismounted from his horse and began to pray. The Huns galloped past without noticing them, as if Feofim with his companions and their horses became invisible….
At about the same time, other missionaries were sent to the Huns, whom John Chrysostomos sent to "the nomadic Scythians located on the Danube." Our source uses the term "nomadic Scythians" in relation to the Huns, and we are sure that the Patriarch of Constantinople tried to convert the new barbarians to Christianity.
Thus, we see intensive and probably successful work with the Huns by Christian preachers. And since some Antes and Slavs (then still Thracians) were part of the Hun troops and some of them were probably already familiar with Christian teaching, then, thanks to the influence of the Antes and Thracians, Christian missionaries could successfully preach the doctrine among the Huns. Despite the fact that the Huns could not be converted to Christianity, they nevertheless instilled respect for Christians. And a significant part of the Thracian peoples in the Hun period adopted Christianity and began to be called Slavs.
As you know, the official (state) baptism of Rus' was carried out by Prince Vladimir in the 9th century AD. But it is also known that certain groups of Thracians (neighbors of the Greeks) adopted Christianity as early as the 2nd century AD. Therefore, in the 4th century AD. the number of Thracians who converted to Christianity (who became adherents of the WORD-Slavs) could be significant.
In the book: "History of Religions" (author I.A. Kryvelev, ed. "Thought" Moscow-1975, volume 1, p. 334), it is said about the duration of the process of adopting Christianity in Russia - "Christianization of Russia was a long and gradual process, the beginning of which dates back to earlier times than the reign of Vladimir, and the end dates back several centuries after his reign. "The baptism of Russia" by Vladimir was only one of the episodes of this epic.
Here is another example of the influence of Christianity on the processes taking place in Europe during the Hunnic period. Quote from the same book by E.A. Thompson (p. 85).
“The Huns constantly attacked them (the Germanic Burgundian tribe), devastated their lands, robbed and killed. Out of desperation, the Burgundians adopted Christianity, because they heard that the Christian God helps those who fear him. They were not disappointed in their decision. The result was an astonishing king of the Huns named Aptar died of gluttony during the night, and his people were left without a leader. There were about 10 thousand Huns, but 3 thousand Burgundians managed to defeat them.
From the above examples, it can be seen that the peoples of Europe during the period under review were interested in adopting Christianity. After all, despite some fantastic examples of the help of the Christian God, these examples could have a real basis and showed that the people who accepted Christianity have divine protection. Therefore, it is not surprising that a significant part of the ancestors of the Slavs (Thracians, Etruscans, Wends) could also accept Christianity during this period and become Slavs.
Attention is drawn to the fact that the ancient historians who first described the Slavs (Procopius and Jordan), as a rule, mention them simultaneously with the related tribe of Ants. If I assume that the Slavs (Slovenes) are adherents of Christianity, then how can one explain the origin of the ethnonymant? There appears to be an interesting explanation here. The word antes may come from the Latin word ANTI, which means "against" (Antichrist is the opponent of Christ). Thus, we see the commonwealth of two groups of kindred tribes. One group of tribes adopted Christianity (Slavs), another group of tribes remained faithful to the pagan faith (anti-Christianity).
The fact that the Huns did not rob in Europe for a relatively short time (less than 100 years) is probably the merit of Christian missionaries.
In 452 AD Atilla - the leader of the Huns suddenly died of excesses. For another three years, Atilla's sons tried to rule the empire, but, as a result, they failed to save the empire and it collapsed.
Let's try to restore the pre-Hun history of this region of Europe and find out in more detail which peoples left behind signs of the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures. To do this, consider the composition of coins found in treasures in the territories of these cultures. It is obvious that the number of treasures and the composition of the coins in them quite objectively characterizes the trade relations of the population of these cultures with the Roman Empire. And the vast majority of coins are Roman coins.
For the analysis, we use the data given in the article by Kropotkin V.V. "Hoards of Roman coins on the territory of the USSR". Here is what is reported there: ".... but the areas of mass circulation of Roman coins cover a narrower territory: the Moldavian SSR, the forest-steppe regions of the Ukrainian SSR and Transcaucasia." The indicated areas (except Transcaucasia) are the areas occupied by the Chernyakhov culture (Fig. 1).
The article provides a table of discovery of treasures with the symbols of various emperors for the period from 27 AD to 565 AD.
Let us consider how the coins found in the hoards are distributed over time. It turns out that in the largest number of hoards, coins date back to the period 80 AD - 211 AD. Coins of this period (130 years) were found in 409 hoards. The number of treasures for the rest of the period (approximately 400 years) is only 126 treasures. It turns out that the average intensity of hoard burials is 3 hoards per year for the period 80-211 AD. and 0.3 treasures per year in the rest of the period. But even in the intensive period of hoard burials, a period of maximum activity can be distinguished - this is the period from Emperor Trajan (98-117 AD) to Emperor Commodus (180-192 AD). This period is characterized by the fact that the coins of each of the six emperors who ruled during this period (Trajan, Adrian, Anthony Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Ver, Commodus) account for at least 45 hoards.
It is quite obvious that the period of the most active trade exchange between the Chernyakhovites and the Roman Empire was precisely in the period of 98-192 AD. and this period began with the emperor Trajan. Probably, these coins, or a significant part of them, were intended to pay salaries to the soldiers and officers of the Roman legions located in this territory.
Let us analyze the events that took place on the territory of the Chernyakhov culture in the period from 98 AD to And the main events during this period were two wars between Rome and the Daco-Thracians. It should be noted that Dacia in the period under review, according to the recognition of ancient historians, as noted earlier, was in third place in Europe after Rome and Greece in terms of economic and cultural development. This probably gave rise to an inflated self-esteem of the Dacian king Decibalus, who attacked the territories subject to Rome.
The first major armed clashes between Dacia and Rome took place under the emperor Domitian (81-96 AD). In these clashes, the Roman legions won several victories, but for these victories the Romans had to pay dearly, literally. About the peace treaty concluded between Domitian and the king of Dacia Decebalus in the book Legions of Rome (author Stephen Dando-Collins, ed. Moscow, CENTROPOLYGRAPH.2013, p. Dacians large sums in gold annually as a payment for peace, and also to give Decebalus advisers - military and engineers.
For his part, Decibal promised nothing: "Except for the departure of the Dacians of the Moesian bank of the Danube and the promise of a future future world, all that Rome received in exchange for this treaty was the return of a few Roman prisoners from the many Roman prisoners held by the Dacians."
That is, the “victorious” Domitian undertook to support the defeated Dacians financially and help increase the defense capability of the Dacian army by sending military specialists. Quite a strange attitude of the winner to the vanquished. But this attitude can be explained. The fact is that probably Rome wanted to use Dacia as a protective zone from nomads, perhaps the Romans had information about the growing threat, so the Romans took measures to increase the military potential of the Dacians. In addition, a friendly population could provide the legions of Rome stationed in Europe with food. With this approach, the actions of Rome do not look so stupid. From 89 AD The Roman Empire began to pay tribute to Dacia. Unfortunately, Decibala was not satisfied with this option, he was very confident in his abilities.
The peace concluded with the Dacians was humiliating for Rome, so another emperor, Trajan, in 101 AD. began a military campaign against Dacia. The book “Legions of Rome” describes the scale of the preparations for the operation to conquer Dacia as follows: “The activities carried out in the rear for the Dacian operation were enormous in scale; about 100 thousand troops, almost the same number of civilians, thousands of sailors, plus 30 thousand horses, mules and cattle were to take part in it .... "
In 102, Trajan managed to break through to the capital of the Dacians, Sarmizegetusa. The Dacians pleaded defeated and their representatives, led by Decibal, went outside the city walls to Trajan to ask for peace. According to one of the terms of the peace, Decibal "... was also obliged to hand over deserters from the Roman army who fought for him, and hand over all the artillery and advisers that had previously been lent to him under an agreement with Domitian."
Why does Trajan, like Domitian in his time, attach such great importance to the extradition of deserters? There is an assumption that there were quite a lot of deserters and Trajan, fearing further desertion, wants to punish them exponentially. Let's think about why a Roman should desert from the Roman army to the side of the Dacians alien to him, who are about to be defeated. Indeed, such a Roman deserter looks very stupid. But if the Thracians, related to the Daco-Thracians, desert en masse from the Roman army, then everything becomes clear. The interests of the Daco-Thracians are much closer to the Thracians than the interests of the Roman Empire, and they are ready to risk their lives for the sake of these interests.
But Decibal was not going to fulfill the contract and Trajan understood this. For three years, the Dacians were preparing for the resumption of the war. In 105 AD, the Dacian troops attacked several Roman fortresses in the territory occupied by the Romans.
In 106 AD. Trajan's army, consisting of 12 legions (one legion is about 5,000 soldiers) and dozens of auxiliary units, again moved to Dacia. During the assault on the capital of the Dacians Saramizegetusa, the Dacians, seeing the inevitability of defeat, set fire to houses, many of them took poison. Decibalus with several close associates managed to leave the capital. Decibala was eventually overtaken and he, in order not to be captured alive, cut his throat. The place where Decibal committed suicide was "... not far from the place where today the borders of Romania, Moldova and Ukraine meet ...".
Dacia became a Roman province. In the mentioned book “Legions of Rome” (p. 185), the following actions of Trajan to stabilize the situation in Dacia are given: “Trajan established a Roman military colony in Sarmizegetusa in Dacia and settled there retired veterans of the XIII Dual Legion. Another colony was established in the Dacian city of Orsov (modern Gyorna)." Note that the XIII Dual Legion was founded in 58 AD. and was formed in Caesalpine Gaul, it is very close to the territory of the conquered Etruscans and Wends. It is likely that when the legion was completed in subsequent years, the legion included many representatives of these peoples, who, in my opinion, were the ancestors of the Slavs.
Another source of the appearance of the ancestors of the Slavs in the territory of Dacia and its environs is mentioned in Wikipedia (the word “Trajan”): “Settlers from the empire poured into the newly conquered lands, mainly from its Balkan and generally eastern outskirts. Together with them, new religious cults, customs and language reigned in the new lands. The settlers were attracted by the riches of the beautiful land and, above all, by the gold found in the mountains.” The Balkan outskirts are Thrace.
We see that Trajan actually continues to implement Domitian's plan. Instead of the too freedom-loving Daco-Thracians driven into slavery, he resettled from the Balkans more docile Thracians and veterans who served in the Roman legions, many of whom were also Thracians.
Thus, the territory of Dacia and its environs was settled from the following sources: 1. Deserters (of Thracian origin) from the Roman legions; 2. Thracian (mostly) and German veterans from the Roman legions who received land in Dacia; 3. Settlers (mostly Thracians) from the Balkan outskirts of Rome. 4. Local Daco-Thracians who managed to avoid the fate of a slave. 5. The territory north of Dacia was probably already partially populated by the Thracians and Etruscans, who had long since left the territory of Thrace and Rome (for example, the Thracians-companions of Spartacus). Thus, we see a large influx of Thracians and related peoples into the territory of Dacia.
These groups of the population, in my opinion, were the main part of the population of the region of the Chernyakhov culture. As it was indicated, there were not only Thracians and Etruscans, there were certainly representatives of the Germans and other peoples who served in the Roman legions. This explains the polyethnicity of the Chernyakhov culture. High level Chernyakhiv culture and its closeness to Roman culture is explained by the experience and skill of the demobilized Roman veterans of Thracian (mostly) origin. As an example, we can recall the previously mentioned soldier's millstones, which were used in the Roman legions and found on the territory of the Chernyakhov culture.
Since the 1st and 2nd groups of the population were mostly men, the settlers from the Balkan outskirts of Rome were most likely women. Perhaps some of the settlers were families of veterans.
The population of the Chernyakhov culture provided the local Roman legions with agricultural products. In addition, to protect the Roman Empire from nomadic tribes, defensive ramparts (“Trajan’s ramparts”) were erected by the population and legionnaires. For this, the Romans paid with money and goods, some of which have been preserved in the form of treasures to this day.
As noted earlier, the period of the greatest number of treasures on the territory of the Chernyakhovsk culture begins with the era of the reign of Emperor Trajan. It was from this period that the rise of economic activity began on the territory of the Chernyakhov culture.
Interestingly, the name of Trajan quite often turns out to be associated with the Slavs and the ancestors of the Slavs. For example, the name "Trajan's Gate" refers to a passage in a mountain pass connecting Thrace and Dacia. Probably, the influx of population from Thrace to Dacia was controlled through this gate. The name "Trajan's ramparts" refers to defensive structures in the form of embankments, 3-6m high. There are shafts on the territory of Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. One version of the origin of the ramparts suggests that they were created at the direction of the Roman emperor Trajan, to protect against nomads.
Trajan is mentioned four times in the poem "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". To date, experts have not consensus about what meaning the author put into the fragments of the poem, where the name of Trajan is mentioned.
In the book “Another Word about Igor's Campaign” (author V.P. Timofeev, Moscow, Veche, 2007, p. 119), versions of the interpretation of text fragments where the word Trajan is mentioned are given.
Fragment 1: “There were veches of Trojan, the summers of Yaroslavl passed, there were shoulders of Olgova ...”
In the modern version, it will sound like: “There were Troyanov centuries, the summers of Yaroslav passed, there were Oleg’s regiments ....”.
As you can see, the sequence of events coincides with the sequence of the reign of these historical figures who influenced the life of the Slavs. Indeed, at first there was Trajan, then Yaroslav, then Oleg. The phrase "Troyanov's century" causes controversy. Can Emperor Trajan live for centuries? But these words, in the light of the version presented, should be understood as the centuries that Troyan defined, that is, the centuries of the "name of Trajan" or the centuries that passed according to Trajan's plan. Although these transformations are real, the emperor Domitian began. The Ages of Troyanov lasted from 102 AD (the conquest of Dacia and the settlement of new territories by the Thracians) until 375 AD. (invasion of the Huns).
Fragment 2: "An insult arose in the forces of Dazhbozh's grandson, he entered the land of Troyan as a virgin ....".
I could not find an acceptable interpretation of the full meaning of the fragment. But the land of Troyanov is, most likely, the land that Troyan gave to the Thracians for settlement (Chernyakhov culture).
Fragment 3: "At the seventh age of Troy, Vseslav's lot was cut by a maiden ... ..".
In the modern version, it will sound like: “In the seventh century, Vseslav threw lots in Troyan ....”. Further it is said that Vseslav took possession of Kiev.
Academician B.A. Rybakov proposed the following interpretation of these words. The Trojan Ages, happy for the Slavs, ended in 375 AD with the invasion of the Huns. If we count about 7 centuries from this date, we get the date 1075. And Vseslav took the throne of Kyiv in 1068, that is, really in the 7th century from the end of the Troyan centuries. This interpretation is consistent with my version of the origin of the Slavs.
Thus, it turned out that the ancestors of the Slavs were mainly Thracians and Daco-Thracians. Thracian settlers are warriors of the auxiliary, and not only auxiliary, legions of the Roman army. It was they who founded the settlements of the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures. As a result of the invasion of the Huns and Christianization, the Thracians began to be called Slavs and the territory of their settlement was formed, shown in Fig.2.
The emergence of the Romanian nation is also well explained by the presented version. According to linguists, the main dictionary of the Romanian language contains 3800 words of Slavic origin, 2600 words of Latin origin and several hundred words of Albanian origin. From this fact it follows that the Romanians are the descendants of the Roman legionnaires, mixed with the ancestors of the Slavs (Thracians) and the ancestors of the Albanians.
Taking into account the above reasoning, let us briefly consider once again the sequence of transformation of the Thracians into Etruscans and into Slavs.
In ancient times (13th century BC) on the Balkan Peninsula, the Thracians were neighbors ancient greece. They are noted by Homer in the poem "Iliad" as participants in the Trojan War. They fought on the side of the Trojans.
In the 6th century BC. part of the Lydians (relatives of the Thracians) moved to the Apennine Peninsula. They became known as Tyrrhenians and Etruscans. The settlers became neighbors and, in a sense, teachers of the Romans, since the first form of government (the royal period) was adopted by the Romans from the Etruscans. Some of the first kings of the Romans were Etruscans.
In the 2nd century BC, as a result of unsuccessful wars with Rome, part of the Etruscans moved to the territory of the Przeworsk culture.
In the 1st century BC. as a result of the uprising under the leadership of Spartacus, the Etruscans (Thracians) were massively moved to the territory of the Przeworsk and Chernyakhovsk cultures.
2nd to 4th century AD Daco-Thracians lose the war with Rome and become its province. The Romans help the Daco-Thracians build defenses against the alleged invasion of the steppe peoples (Huns). This period can be considered the era of the Roman emperor Trajan. The Chernyakhov culture emerges and develops.
In the 4th-5th centuries AD. there is an invasion of the Huns, the achievements of the Przeworsk and Chernyakhov cultures are destroyed. Moving away from the oppression of the Huns, the Thracians settled over a larger territory. Some of the Thracians accept Christianity - they become Slavs (word = gospel, Slavic adherents of the Christian faith), Thracians who did not accept Christianity are called Antes (Antes = anti = against, accepting Christianity-pagans).
In the 6th century AD. Thracian Slavs are first mentioned in historical documents as Slovenes.
The history of the Slavs, starting from the 6th century, is confirmed by historical documents and archaeological finds. And, in general, it does not cause serious controversy among historians.
Let's try to assess the degree of reliability of the resulting version of the origin of the Slavs. Obviously, of all historical versions, the most reliable one should be considered the one that explains the largest number of known historical facts. I will list the facts that the proposed version explains:
1. Polyethnicity (multinationality) of the Chernyakhov culture is explained. (The basis of the Chernyakhov culture was laid by Roman legionnaires of various nationalities, mainly Thracians and Germans).
2. The unusually rapid spread of the Slavs in Europe is explained. (As a result of the adoption of Christianity, numerous Thracians were renamed into Slavs).
3. The emergence of the ethnonym itself - "Slovens" is explained.
4. A version of the origin of the Goth people is proposed.
5. The origin of the Romanian people is explained.
6. The origin and purpose of the "Trajan ramparts" is explained.
7. The connection between the name "Trajan" and the events described in the "Tale of Igor's Campaign" is explained.
Thus, the above evidence shows that the Thracians are indeed the ancestors of the Slavs, and this assumption, first put forward by the Soviet historian Derzhavin N.S. in 1944, is reasonable.

The most ancient people of the Carpatho-Balkan space, mentioned in the writings of ancient authors, were the Thracians - a group of Indo-European origin, whose ethnogenesis took place at the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e. in the North Balkan space, in the vicinity of other Indo-European groups: the ancestors of the Hittites, Italics, Proto-Balto-Slavs, etc.

The Thracians lived on a vast territory between the Aegean Sea and the Anatolian Peninsula in the south, the Northern Carpathians and the upper reaches of the Dniester in the north, the middle course of the Danube and the Moravian Highlands in the west, the Black Sea and the mouth of the Bug in the east.

At the end of II - beginning of I millennium BC. e. Thracians settled a significant part of the Balkan Peninsula, some islands in the Aegean Sea: Samothrace, Naxos, Thasos, Lemnos, Kos, Lesbos. The Thracians also appeared in Asia Minor, where they contacted the Hittites, Trojans and other related Indo-European peoples.

The Thracian world was not homogeneous either in terms of language or in terms of material culture. The Balkan Mountains divided this area into two large parts, which were inhabited by the southern and northern Thracians. Ancient authors mention about a hundred Thracian groups. Among the southern Thracians, the tribes of Odrys, Besses, Bitins, Kikons, Edons stand out, and among the northern Thracians - Getae (later Dacians), Tiragetes, Krobids, Triballi, Costoboci, Carps, etc.

Herodotus wrote that "the people of the Thracians, after the Indians, are the most numerous on earth." The Thracians led a settled way of life. Their main occupations were agriculture, raising livestock, viticulture and mining. They were known as courageous warriors, their breeds of horses, weapons were known throughout the ancient world.

For the first time, the Thracians are mentioned in Homer's Iliad, in the story of the Trojan War. The Homeric poems speak of two Thracian tribes - Sints and Kikons, who were allies of the Trojans. Homer also names the name of one of the Thracian kings - Reza.

The language of the Thracians belongs to the Indo-European family, being related to the Proto-Italic, Proto-Balto-Slavic and Iranian languages.

Thracian neighbors. At the end of the Bronze Age (12th century BC), carriers of the Noua culture (common in Moldova and Transylvania) and Coslodzhen (known in Dobruja and Muntenia) penetrated into the Thracian space from the steppes of the Northern Black Sea region, who were engaged in raising livestock and farming. To the east of the Thracians in the XII-IX centuries BC lived the Cimmerians, a people of Indo-European origin. In the VIII century BC. Scythians forced them out of the steppes of the Northern Black Sea region. The Scythians have been in contact with the Thracians for centuries, maintaining trade and cultural ties. Later, the Sarmatians, who replaced the Scythians, gradually began to penetrate the lands occupied by the northern Thracians, mixing with them.

To the west of the Thracians lived the Illyrians, the ancestors of the Italics and the Celts (the latter inhabited in large numbers Western Europe). The Greeks lived to the south.

Many groups of Thracians lived in Asia Minor: Bitins, Mises, Phrygians, etc. They maintained ties with the Hittite kingdom. After the destruction of this state by the "peoples of the sea", part of the Hittites moved to the lands of the Thracians, later the same fate awaited small public entities, called "Hittite", which in the VIII century BC. e. destroyed by the Assyrians under the leadership of Sargon.

Lifestyle. The Thracians were never able to unite to create one state, they were divided into a number of military-political formations.
In the lands east of the Carpathian Mountains, Thracian tribes appear at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. They settled on hills and hillsides. In these places, the Thracians created many settlements. Some of them were fortified, taking the form of fortresses (fortifications). Later they were called davas.

The main occupations of the Thracians were agriculture, raising livestock and handicrafts. They cultivated wheat, barley and millet. From domestic animals raised large and small cattle, pigs, horses. The land was cultivated with a wooden plow pulled by bulls. The harvest was harvested with bronze, and later with iron sickles, the grain was ground with the help of grain graters.

During this period, crafts were formed: weaving, the manufacture of bronze and iron products, and the production of ceramics. During the first half of the 1st millennium BC. the technology of metal processing is spreading, which is confirmed by the finds near the village of Costesti - molds for casting objects from bronze. By the VIII century BC. the production of objects and weapons from iron is spreading (finds near the villages of Selishte and Mateutsi).

One of the secondary activities was hunting.

Our ancestors built houses from vertically dug logs woven with rods. Dwellings were heated with hearths and stoves. IN early period the society of the northern Thracians in terms of property stratification was homogeneous. The northern Thracians united in groups consisting of many families; they were led by people who had great power.

The economic, social and cultural development of the northern Thracians accelerated due to contacts with their neighbors. They maintained trade and cultural relations with the southern Thracians, Cimmerians and Scythians in the east. And from the 7th-6th centuries BC. contacts are being established with the Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast (Istria, Tyra, Olbia, Tomy, etc.).

Contacts with the peoples of South-Eastern Europe are confirmed by numerous archaeological sites found on the territory of Moldova.

Thracians(other Greek Θρᾳκός; lat. Thraci) - an ancient people who lived in the east of the Balkans and adjacent territories. They spoke the Thracian language, which most authors attribute to Indo-European.

Appearance

The Greek philosopher Xenophanes describes the Thracians as outwardly different from the Greeks due to red hair and blue eyes.

Origin

A number of researchers identify the ancestors of the Thracians with the bearers of the Sabatinovskaya or Belogrudovskaya culture. Since the Thracians are Indo-Europeans, their ancestors could have ended up in the Balkans only after the defeat of the Tripoli culture (Trypillia-Cucuteni). In the II millennium BC. e. isolated themselves in the Carpathians from other Indo-Europeans and at the same time migrated to the southern bank of the Danube.

According to the data of modern genetics, the Thracians were carriers of the "Aryan" haplogroup R1a.

Historical regions of the Thracians

The Thracian tribes (about 200 ethnonyms) were very numerous and lived on the territory of the modern Balkan Peninsula and part of Asia Minor.

• Thrace (Bulgaria and European Türkiye)
• Dacia (Romania)
• Bithynia (northwestern Anatolia)
• Mysia (northwestern Anatolia)

The formation and spread of the Thracians to Asia Minor refers to the era of migrations of the peoples of the sea

By the 5th century BC, the Thracians inhabited the northeast of the Balkans and the lands adjacent to the Black Sea from the west. Herodotus in the 5th book called them the second (after the Indians) in number in the known world, and potentially the most powerful militarily - if they stop internal squabbles. In that era, the Thracians were divided into a large number of warring tribes; Xenophon colorfully told about their internal wars in his Anabasis. However, the Thracians managed to create for some time fragile states, such as the Odrysian kingdom, the largest in Europe in the 5th century BC. BC e., and in Roman times: Dacia, headed by Burebista. After the invasion of the Celtic tribes in Thrace, the kingdom of the Gauls is formed with its capital in the city of Tylis.

Ultimately, most Thracians adopted Greek (in the region of Thrace) and Roman culture (Moesia, Dacia, etc.) and, in fact, became subjects of these states.

However, small groups of Thracians existed even before the migration of the Slavs to the Balkans in the 6th century. n. This. it is possible that some of the Thracians were assimilated by the Slavs.

Archeology

During the 2000s, archaeologists have been excavating in central Bulgaria, in the area they called the “Alley of the Thracian Kings”. On August 19, 2005, reports appeared that the capital of Thrace had been discovered near the modern city of Karlovo, Bulgaria. Many smooth fragments of ceramics (pieces of roof tiles and Greek vases) discovered during excavations speak of the wealth of the inhabitants of the city. The Minister of Culture of Bulgaria declared his support for further excavations.

Records about the Thracians

The records about the Thracians in the Iliad tell mainly about the Hellespont, and about the tribe of Kikon, who fought on the side of the Trojans (Iliad, book II). Many mythical creatures passed from the Thracians to their Greek neighbors, such as the god Dionysus, the princess Europa and the hero Orpheus.

In the seventh book of his histories, Herodotus describes the equipment of the Thracians fighting the Persians:

The Thracians wore fox hats on their heads. On the body they wore chitons, and on top - motley burnuses. On their legs and knees they had deerskin wrappings. They were armed with darts, slings and small daggers. After moving to Asia, this tribe received the name of the Bithynes, and before, in their own words, they were called strimonii, since they lived on Strymon. The Teucrians and Mysians are said to have expelled them from their habitats. The head of the Asiatic Thracians was Bassacus, son of Artabanus.

In his fifth book, Herodotus describes the customs of the Thracian tribes:

Among the tribes living north of the Crusaders, there is this custom. When one of the tribe dies, then his wives (and all of them have many wives) start a heated argument (with the zealous participation of friends): which of them the dead husband loved most of all. Having resolved the dispute, men and women shower their chosen spouse with praises and the next of kin slaughter her on the grave and then bury her with her husband. The rest of the wives are very sad that the choice did not fall on them: after all, this is the greatest shame for them. The customs of other Thracians are as follows: they sell their children to a foreign land. They do not keep the chastity of girls, allowing them to have intercourse with any man. On the contrary, loyalty married women strictly observe and buy their wives from their parents for a lot of money. A tattoo on the body is considered to be a sign of nobility. Whoever does not have it does not belong to the noble ones. A person who spends time in idleness enjoys great honor among them. On the contrary, they treat the farmer with the greatest contempt. They consider the life of a warrior and a robber to be the most honorable. These are their most remarkable customs. The Thracians honor only three gods: Ares, Dionysus and Artemis. And their kings (unlike the rest of the people) revere Hermes more than all the gods and swear only by him. According to them, they themselves are descended from Hermes. The funeral rites of the wealthy Thracians are as follows. The body of the deceased is exposed for three days. At the same time, sacrificial animals of all kinds are slaughtered, and after funeral cries they arrange a feast. Then the body is burned or buried in some other way, and, having filled the barrow, they arrange various competitions. The highest awards are assigned for single combat, depending on the importance of the competition. These are the burial customs of the Thracians.

Josephus Flavius ​​claimed that the ancestor of the Thracians was the seventh son of Japheth, Tiras. He also claimed that the Thracians were originally called Tirasians, but then the Greeks renamed them.

Thracian tribes

The following is an incomplete list of Thracian tribes:

• Bizalty
• Bitins
• Kikons
• Ducky:
  • Apulites
  • Karp (people)
  • Costoboki
  • Sukya
• Edona
  • Siphons
• flies
• Satras
• Herbs
• Triballi
• Odomants

Not entirely Thracian tribes:

• Agathyrs (Scythian-Thracian tribe)
• Dardani (tribe mixed of Thracians, Illyrians and possibly Paeonians)

Notable Thracians

• Burebista - the king of Dacia, who subjugated the vast Thracian territory from modern Moravia in the west to the Bug River in the east, from the Carpathians in the north, to Dionysopolis (modern Balchik) in the south.
• Decebalus - King of Dacia, who won many battles with the Romans, but was defeated by Trajan's army.
• Orpheus - in ancient Greek mythology, a singer, a musician who played the lyre. Played an important role in the religion of Greece and Bulgaria.
• Spartacus is a Roman gladiator who raised an uprising on the Apennine Peninsula in 73-71 BC. His army, made up mostly of escaped gladiators and slaves, defeated several Roman legions in a war known as the "Third Slave War" or "Spartacus' Revolt".

Literature

• Danov Kh. M. Ancient Thrace. - Sofia: 1968.
• Zlatkovskaya T. D. The emergence of the state among the Thracians (VII-V centuries BC). - M .: 1971.
• Thracian art and culture of the Bulgarian lands. Exhibition catalogue. - M .: 1974.
• Tsoncheva M. Artistic heritage in Trakiyskite zemi. - Sofia: 1971.
• Detschew D. Die Thrakischen Sprachrest. - W.: 1957.
• Wiesner J. Die Thraker. - Stuttg.: 1963.
• Bulgarian Academy of Science History of Bulgaria, volume 1. - Sofia: 1979.