Seuthes III, king of Thrace

Seuthes III, King of Thracia or, more precisely, of the Odrysian tribe, caught my attention after seeing pictures of his splendid bronze head. The work is of such high quality that it could easily fit the heyday of Hellenism or the Renaissance. Some scholars claim that it was made by Lysippos or in his style. It emanates a sense of power as the face stares back with alabaster and glass-paste-inlaid eyes glancing from under the eyelashes and brows made of copper strips. 

The head of Seuthes was found in his tomb, not far from Kazanlak in modern Bulgaria. The gravesite is one of the many in the Valley of the Thracian Kings and not far from the so-called Tomb of Kazanlak (see: Valley of the Thracian Kings), initially attributed to King Seuthes. 

Seuthes’ rule is roughly dated to 331-300 BC. The news of his ascent to the throne reached Alexander after he set out for Asia in 334 BC. Antipater certainly informed him of this new power on his northern borders. The King of Thracia outlived Alexander (see: Thracian Tombs at Doxipara, Greece) and got involved in the War of the Diadochi. 

Seuthes rebelled against the arrival of Lysimachos, who inherited Thrace after Alexander’s death. In the early stage, Lysimachos occupied only the coastal region, but soon his ambition brought him to conquer the hinterland. He faced Seuthes in combat twice, and eventually, Lysimachos established his authority, and they signed a peace treaty. 

Seuthes has preserved his autonomy, although history does not focus much on him after 310 BC. Coins reveal that he still ruled in 297 BC when Cassander of Macedonia died. Another source is the inscription from Seuthopolis, tentatively dated between the 290s and the 280s BC. It mentions Seuthes III, his wife or widow Berenice (possibly a member of Lysimachos’ family), and their sons, Hebryzelmis, Teres, Satocus, and Sadalas, treating with King Spartocus of Cabyle. Cabyle had been conquered by Philip II in 341 BC and populated with rebellious Macedonians. 

King Seuthes built his capital of Seuthopolis around 320 BC (see: Philip’s Macedonia also included today’s Bulgaria). It was a well-planned city whose remains were flooded after the construction of a dam on the Tundzha River in 1956. 

Initially, the king’s tomb was part of a monumental temple inside the Kosmatka Mound, one of the largest in Thrace. The mound from the second half of the 5th century BC is approximately 20 meters high with a diameter of 90 meters! It contains a corridor, a circular domed room, and a small chamber made of granite blocks. The space may have been used as a sanctuary for Orphic rites. Shortly before the death of Seuthes, the construction was entirely renovated, and the small chamber was converted into a funerary room. It was closed with a two-folding marble door, not unlike what we know from Macedonian tombs. After Seuthes’ funeral, access to the circular room and the grave chamber was walled; the corridor was filled with stones and soil. The very façade had been carefully buried under the mound. 

Seuthes’ tomb was discovered in 2004 and yielded an impressive number of artifacts. In the passageway, archaeologists found the skeleton of a horse. Inside the funerary chamber was a full suit of armor: a bronze helmet showing a picture of Nike, a pair of greaves, remains of a leather breastplate, two iron swords, and ten spearheads. Also in the room were two iron strigils, gold and silver kylices, a bronze and a silver phial, a pair of scissors (how unique!), a silver and two alabaster jugs, a box with silver and bronze jewels, and three wine amphorae from Thasos, one of which was still sealed. Smaller items were also recovered, such as golden horse trappings with pictures of humans, animals, and plants, and sword sheath decorations. On the funeral bed, they found a golden oak wreath, otherwise known from Macedonian graves. 

It is noteworthy that the helmet and some of the silver objects carried the inscription ΣΕΥΘΟΥ, connecting the tomb to King Seuthes III – also confirmed by the gold coins and the bronze bust of the owner found some seven meters in front of the façade. 

We can only dream about the wealth still hidden inside the many mounds of Bulgaria’s Valley of the Thracian Kings.

[Top picture from Wikipedia, Natl Museum of Sofia. 
Second picture from Wikipedia, Rossitza Ohridska-Olson. 
Bottom picture from http://www.kroraina.com/thracia/gk/index.html]

Thracian treasures on Alexander’s northern border

Thracians remain a relatively obscure people somewhere north of ancient Macedonia. It was long thought that they had no writing, but rare examples of inscriptions have been discovered using Greek letters that did not make sense. As a result, the history of the Thracians is only known through what other ancient authors tell us. 

Thracia is generally associated with Bulgaria. In antiquity, its borders extended from the Danube River, the Hellespont, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea in the east to Macedonia in the west. Today, the Greek province of Thracia still stretches from the Rhodope Mountains on its northern border with Bulgaria to the Aegean. It is squeezed between the Nestos River in the west and the Hebros in the east, forming the modern border with Turkey. 

[Photo: Todor Dimitrov/Courtesy of the Regional Historical Museum, Ruse, Bulgaria]

One of the most characteristic heritages of Thracian civilization is their profusion of burial mounds – a tradition that goes back to the Bronze Age, the middle of the 4th-2nd millennium BC. In central Bulgaria alone, over 1,500 such tumuli exist. 

The treasures of these tumuli in Bulgaria, went to the National Archaeological Museum in Sofia, otherwise to other European museums. More typical Thracian tumuli exist in Greece's Province of Thracia (see: Thracian Tombs at Doxipara, Greece). 

The great merit of the Thracians is their exceptional craftsmanship, especially in creating gold and silver objects. Most such testimonies come from grave mounds, which yielded a great variety of treasures, including the best-known Tomb of Kazanlak (see: Valley of the Thracian Kings). 

These precious legacies are occasionally brought together for special exhibitions. In 2015, the Louvre organized The Saga of the Thracian Kings. In 2002, an imposing number of objects were displayed at Bozar in Brussels in the frame of Europalia. 

I have not visited the Paris exhibition but have vivid memories of the one in Brussels. I marveled, for instance, at the gold jewelry from the Chalcolithic era (5-4,000 BC). Since the treasures from that era look very similar to those created in the 5-400 BC, I got my mental references mixed up. Other objects, however, looked like the forerunners of Cycladic Art. 

The collections presented in Paris in 2015 come from the Chernozem-Kaloyanovo and Mushovitsa tombs and the Kosmatka Tumulus of Seuthes III, King of Thracia, who died in 300 BC (see: Valley of the Thracian Kings). For the first time, some of the exhibited artifacts were brought together. 

The link to Architectural Digest displays an inspirational number of objects worth to be relished one by one.

Horses buried upright in Thracian tomb

Thracian horses were famous throughout antiquity, and Homer, who probably lived in the 8^th century BC, already mentions that Rhesos, the mythical king of Thrace possessed massive horses, “whiter than snow”. That must have been quite a sight for sore eyes!

Tragedians like Sophocles and Euripides label the Thracians as loving their horses, while Hesiod refers to the horse-breeding qualities of the Thracians. It is not surprising to find the horse portrayed on their coins and on those of the Greek colonies in Thrace.

Alexander and his father, before him, were well aware of this high-quality breed. We will remember the incident when, in 339 BC, Philip returned home after capturing the Athenian corn ships. On his way, he thought it would be a good idea to secure his eastern front and subdue the ruling Scythians. Besides the slaves, he got hold of some twenty thousand thoroughbred horses. But his success did not last long as the Triballi, an independent Thracian tribe, attacked and stole the precious horses from the king before he could reach Macedonia. (see: Philip’s campaigns east (342 BC) and the Fourth Sacred War (339 BC)).

It is therefore not surprising to find horses buried next to their wealthy owners and leaders (see: Thracian Tombs at Doxipara, Greece) or depicted on the walls of their burial chamber (see: Valley of the Thracian Kings, Bulgaria).

Today, wild horses still roam in Thrace, which now extends over most of Bulgaria, as well as the eastern corner of Greece and the western part of Turkey.

Recent excavations in Svestari in north-east Bulgaria have exposed the remains of a Thracian carriage pulled by two horses that apparently were buried standing upright. Scholars believe that the chariot was led over a ramp into the pit. The horses wore their festive trimmings and elaborate harnesses.

[Picture from Sofia News Agency]

A couple of years ago, a similar chariot was found, complete with a seat, together with two horses in the village of Borissvovo, dating from the Roman era. In this case, the chariot was supported by stones to keep it in position, giving the archaeologists a unique opportunity to study how the vehicle was put together.

Thracian Tombs at Doxipara, Greece

Thracia is generally associated with Bulgaria, but originally its borders extended from the Istros River (now the Danube forming the border between Bulgaria and Romania) to the Aegean Sea and from the Hellespont, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea in the east to Philip’s Macedonia in the west. Today, the Greek province of Thrace still stretches from the Rhodope Mountains on its northern border with Bulgaria to the Aegean. It is squeezed between the Nestos River in the west and the Hebros in the east, forming the modern border with Turkey.

Because of its geographical position, Thrace was clearly a country at a significant crossroads. It functioned as a buffer zone in cultural and economic exchanges with its surrounding neighbors. 

When Philip became king of Macedonia, his eastern border was at the Strymon River, but he soon pushed further east, all the way to the Hellespont. After Alexander died in 323 BC, the cards were reshuffled between his generals, and eventually, it was Lysimachos who became King of Thrace. The Romans added the country to their empire and made it the Province of Thrace in 46 AD. Both Trajan and Hadrian (creating their own cities of Trajanopolis and Hadrianopolis) recognized the importance of Thrace, but, at the same time, left ownership in the hands of the indigenous population. 

One of the most characteristic heritages of Thracian civilization is their profusion of burial mounds – a tradition that goes back to the Bronze Age, the middle of the 4th-2nd millennium BC. In central Bulgaria alone, over 1,500 such tumuli exist in the Valley of the Thracian Kings, and so far, only 300 have been properly excavated. Among the most famous monuments to date are the richly painted Tomb of Kazanlak (see: Valley of the Thracian Kings) from the 4th century BC and the temple tomb of King Seuthes III, who died in 300 BC. 

Beyond Bulgaria, the typical Thracian tumuli are also found in Greece's most eastern Province of Thraiae. Here, the burial mound of Mikri Doxipara–Zoni is located. This one was constructed much later than the abovementioned ones, i.e., at the beginning of the 2nd century AD, when the region was under Roman rule. Obviously, the style and decoration of the tombs have evolved. From frescoed vaulted rooms to hold the deceased's cremated remains, to simple burials in the ground where the dead were put to rest together with their chariots and horses.

The tumulus of Doxipara is not very tall, hardly 7.5 meters high, but with its diameter of 60 meters, it is one of the largest in the region. It was situated close to the road that connected Hadrianopolis (modern Edirne in Turkey) to Philippopolis (modern Plovdiv in Bulgaria). 

Excavations started in 2002 have revealed four large pits containing the cremated remains of three males and one female. A total of five chariots and their draft animals have been exposed and can be divided into two groups. The first group is made of two chariots labeled B and C. The second group consists of three chariots labeled A, D, and E. Although four-wheeled wagons have been found in Europe and Asia, Greece is the first.

Close to each group are separate horse burial sites where the spare horses were laid to rest: two horses on site A and three horses on site B. In all cases, after the chariots carried the dead to the burial site, they were interred together with their still-harnessed horses. The wheels had been taken from the chariots. Today, the bronze rims, bolts, and other elements remain in situ since the wooden components have disintegrated occasionally, leaving their imprint on the clay bottom. At first sight, these remains closely resemble the picture of the Thracian chariot discovered lately in Bulgaria (see: The story of the Thracian chariot). Still, this site is much and much more extensive. 

Horses were a clear symbol of wealth and status for their owners, and it is assumed that the burial site of Doxipara belonged to a wealthy family of landowners. However, no houses or nearby residences have been located as yet. 

The entire tumulus has been dug out and removed, but the wagons and horse skeletons are left exactly where they were uncovered. This makes it a fascinating place to visit!

The tomb also contains the human remains of three men and one woman who died in close succession. They were cremated in appropriate pits with small animals like piglets or birds and fruit like walnuts, almonds, and pine nuts. Once the fire was extinct, the usual offerings that accompanied them in the afterlife were placed around the remains together with vessels in bronze, glass, and terracotta containing water, wine, milk, or honey. Personal possessions such as bronze lamps and lanterns, weapons, small jewelry, etc., were also added. Once this ritual was completed, the pits were filled with earth, and slowly a mound covered those interred. 

On the eastern flank of the tumulus, two platforms were exposed, which served as funerary altars.  

The site of Doxipara is a unique example of the funerary procedures of the Thracians in Roman times, proving that their own customs still prevailed on whatever rites were current in the Roman Empire.

[Click here to see all the pictures of The Thracian Tombs of Doxipara]

No progress in the Valley of the Thracian Kings

The Thracian presence in Bulgaria is best documented by the Tomb of Kazanlak, but hundreds and thousands of similar tumuli spread all over Bulgaria remain unexplored. In 2002, there was an exhibition in Brussels about the Gold of the Thracians. A map on the wall tagged all the Thracian burial mounds, and I had no idea there could be so many! Experts estimate that there are more than 15,000 of these tombs in Bulgaria, with the highest concentration in the so-called Valley of the Thracian Kings around Kazanlak.

In my earlier post from April 2013, Valley of the Thracian Kings, I tackled the severe shortage of funds for the maintenance and repair of these tombs. Unfortunately, more than three years later, it seems nothing much has changed. In Bulgaria, the revenues from entrance fees to the tumuli and other archaeological sites are not converted into conservation funds. This means that archaeologists are not too motivated to explore new tumuli and tombs simply because there is no way to restore them, leading to severe neglect and degradation of the painted walls and ceilings.

As mentioned before, a few remarkable tombs definitely deserve close attention. However, the Kazanlak Tomb is understandably closed to the public, who can visit a substitute replica next door. But there is also the tomb at the Shusmanets mound where a slim column supports the vaulted ceiling of the burial chamber, and seven half-columns adorn the inside walls. Another example is the nearby Ostrusha tumulus which contains a sarcophagus-like chamber from a single granite rock of 60 tons. The ceiling is decorated with frescoes of people, animals, plants, and geometric figures, and the central room of this tomb is surrounded by six other rooms in dire need of restoration. The best-known king of Thracia is probably Seuthes III, whose tomb has been closed to the public this summer pending the much-needed funds for emergency repairs. 

We know pretty little about the Thracians because they left us only a few inscriptions, which, although written using Greek letters, have not been deciphered. They were a people of horse breeders, miners, and talented goldsmiths. What transpires through their art is that they believe in an afterlife and their soul's immortality. Their kings were considered the sons of Mother Earth, and after their death, they must return to her womb. This could explain why they built these artificial mounds around their burial site in which the deceased ruler was placed surrounded by his horses, dogs, weapons, drinking cups, and playing dice. The burial sites proper were built from huge granite blocks and slabs. Generally, an entrance corridor led to one or more chambers, and all the walls were covered with paintings revealing details of their earthly life. 

Only about three hundred of the roughly 1,500 tumuli have been excavated in the Valley of the Thracian Kings. It is a shame that the rich heritage of the Thracian does not receive the attention it deserves, either in Bulgaria or abroad.

[Pictures from Australian News]

Valley of the Thracian Kings, Bulgaria

In my opinion, there are other and more urgent priorities in Bulgaria than to stimulate tourism and archaeological projects, but the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister apparently think otherwise. They have decided to spend 3,5 million Leva (approx. 12,25 million Euros) on the entire project. 

A share of 3,5 million Leva (approx. 1,75 million Euros) is allotted to boost tourism in the Valley of the Thracian Kings in the Kazanlak area and study a Thracian tomb near the village of Buzovgrad. One million Leva will go towards archaeological studies, two millions towards infrastructure, and 500,000 Leva to improving water supply and sanitation. Bulgarian authorities hope that the Valley of the Thracian Kings will be added to UNESCO’s list of protected cultural heritage since they plan to link ten Thracian tombs together.

These Thracian tombs deserve much more attention than they are getting presently, for they are so unique! Several years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Kazanlak Tomb, and I was very disappointed to learn on the spot that I only would see a replica. The original tomb was sealed off to protect it from outside influences; the inside air was kept at a steady temperature to guarantee the highest possible conservation level. A very understandable measure, of course, but utterly disappointing when you come all the way to see a mere copy. I hope this new project will enable the curious visitor to see part of the magnificent original wall paintings. 

This was several years ago after visiting an exhibition about the history of Bulgaria. It was an overwhelming experience, and I remember how I stared at the map of Bulgaria in an unsuccessful attempt to recognize any of the cities. All I could match with my memory was the capital Sofia and the town of Plovdiv because this was ancient Philippopolis founded by Philip II of Macedonia. The country was bordered in the north by Romania and in the south by Greece. Its eastern frontier touched the Black Sea, that much I knew, but that was about all. The exhibited artifacts were stunning, reaching back as far as 8,000 BC. This date was so abstract that I thought I was walking in circles when I arrived at the showcases with pieces from 800 BC! The artifacts showed such a high level of craftsmanship, an eye for details, and delicate and intricate work of precious metals, wood, bone, etc., that I was utterly baffled. I had no idea. 

This led me to visit Bulgaria to know more of its history, and one of the highlights for me obviously was Kazanlak, a city founded in the 7th century BC by the Thracians with a unique tomb that was discovered by chance in 1944 while digging around the Roman Baths built on top of it. The word “kazan” literally means “still,” very much like the stills used till recently in the rose industry.

The Kazanlak Tomb, built during the 4th/3rd century BC, was smaller than I expected and counted three separate rooms: the entrance where the guests gathered for the funeral; a corridor with a pointed arched ceiling that reminded me of Agamemnon’s tomb although this one was painted; and finally the inner chamber where the walls and the circular ceiling were covered with frescos as well. The quality of these paintings clearly showed Greek influence yet executed conforming to Thracian traditions, how amazing! A novelty in those days was the perspective achieved by creating the light and shade effect. 

The Thracians could take up to six wives, and their favorite, generally the youngest one, was “allowed” to accompany her husband to the hereafter – a definite honor. Depends upon your opinion, of course. They considered that dying was a happy event because babies cried when they came into this world, meaning that the place they just left must simply be a better one. This is why the deceased is represented accompanied by his favorite wife and several highly prized horses. 

Evidently, there are many more tombs to visit, like the one of Buzovgrad mentioned above but also, I suppose, many others. The ones coming to my mind are the Ostrusha Tumulus near Shipka that counted six rooms. Also, the still sealed As mentioned before, a few remarkable tombs definitely deserve close attention. However, the Kazanlak Tomb is understandably closed to the public, who can visit a substitute replica next door.  from the 5th century BC. It contained a stunning massive gold vial in the shape of a gold mask like those discovered in Mycenae and Macedonia. However, this one was made from a much thicker sheet of gold. Finally, the Kosmatka Tumulus contained a splendid temple with an impressive façade where King Seuthes III, the founder of Seuthopolis, was buried in the early 3rd century BC. His magnificent head made of bronze shows a good-looking man, inspiring intelligence and nobility, indeed not the traits of a barbarian as one might think. 

In fact, I can’t wait till these unique tombs and tumuli are entirely made accessible to the public, another priority to put on my list!

Philip's Macedonia also included today’s Bulgaria

Pushing aside the ongoing discussions between Greek Macedonia and the  Republic of Northern Macedonia, it is time to focus on Bulgaria, which was once part of the realm created by Philip II of Macedonia.

It seems that finally, the FHW (Foundation of Hellenistic Work) and the NAIM-BAS (the Archaeological Institute of the Academy of Sciences in Sofia) are working together on the excavations at Halka Bunar, just northeast of Plovdiv, i.e., the city of Philippopolis founded by Philip II. In his days, the Odrysian Thracians lived here, and today’s closest big city is Stara Zagora, which the Romans called Augusta Traiana.

It is one of those forgotten corners of archaeology, at least in our Western world, for we have little or no idea of all the excavations that occurred and still occur in Bulgaria. Halka Bunar was discovered by accident, as is usually the case, in 1999. Since then, four ceramic kilns, a series of loom weights, and great quantities of ceramics, both local and imported Greek and commercial amphorae (carrying wine from Knidos in today’s southwestern Turkey), were found next to figurines and coins. These coins indicate that the site flourished mainly around the end of the 4th century/early 3rd century BC since they were stamped with the effigies of Philip II, Seuthes III, Lysimachos, Cassander, and Demetrios-Poliorcetes – another proof that Halka Bunar maintained constant and close contact with Macedonia and the Greek colonies in Thracia.

More importantly, Halka Bunar was located almost exactly at the crossroads of important Roman roads, which probably followed older Hellenistic or Classical routes of communication. One of these roads ran from the western Balkans to the coast of the Black Sea and Byzantium in the east, as it passed through Serdica and Philippopolis. The other road ran up from Abdera and Mesembria on the Aegean coast in northeastern Greece, crossing the Rhodopes Mountains (the backbone of today’s Bulgaria) all the way to Seuthopolis, the Thracian capital city founded by Seuthes III near today’s Kazanlak in Bulgaria.



Besides what is already well-known about the Greek colonies along the coast of the Black Sea, little do we know about the Greek influence in this part of Bulgaria, and the excavation here in the area of the Odrysian Thracians hopefully, will shed some light on their Hellenization and that of the neighboring peoples.

Wait and see what this will reveal …