Thracian Warfare

This chapter begins by making cautious use of written records to provide a summary account of Thracian warfare—native and foreign armies, their weapons, their military operations, and the political results. It describes alternative sources, especially archeological ones, and shows how they contribute to a better understanding of Thracian sieges, battlefields, weapon hoards, and militaria found in graves and tombs. Discoveries in the Thracian fortified residences in Kozi Gramadi and Sotirya have shown convincingly that inland Thrace has much to offer in battlefield studies. In the Hellenistic period, Thracian troops and techniques rulers had a profound impact of Greek warfare. The two sources needed to improve this sketchy description of Thracian warfare are iconography and archaeology. Morphological features of weapons are deemed instrumental for putting forward typological sequences. For most of their history the Thracian military elite found it necessary to supply the deceased with armor and weapons for their last journey.