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Short description

The nobility of Thrace fights as heavily armed horsemen, and is an asset for every army, royal Odrysian, local or foreign.

Description

The nobles of Thrace ride into battle as heavy cavalry. Well-protected by beautifully crafted bronze muscle- or composite iron cuirasses; large, painted Thureos shields; as well as a rich variety of helmets such as crested Attic- and Chalcidian-, Phrygian models, as well as the unique horned Bryastovets helmet. These horsemen can deliver a terrible charge with their spears and survive in prolonged melee. They used to fight for the grand Odrysian kingdom, but now that its power is broken, many Thracian nobles offer their services for money to the Greeks.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In the Classical period, most of Thrace stood under the rule of the Odrysian kings. Their dominion was established by Teres in the early 5th century BC (Thuc. 2.29.2-3) and had become the most powerful entity on the Balkans under Sitalkes at the end of the century (Thuc. 2.95-97). It reached its zenith during the reign of Kotys I (r. 383-359 BC), who openly embraced Greek culture and therefore Hellenised and urbanised the land. After his death, the realm was divided between his three sons, all of whom were defeated by Philip II of Macedon in a brilliant campaign in 342/341 BC. This did not lead to the downfall of the Odrysian kingdom, however, as Seuthes III (r. ca. 330-ca. 290 BC), possibly the grandson of Kotys I, founded a magnificent Greek-style royal residence at Seuthopolis and amassed impressive wealth.

The history of the Odrysian kingdom in the 3rd century BC is murky at best. The only thing we know is that it suffered after the arrival of the Celts who had invaded Greece in 280/279 BC. The Celts who established the Kingdom of Tylis in the region may have sacked Seuthopolis, or if they did not, it might only have been destroyed when the Seleucids became active in the region in the middle of the century. In any case, Odrysian power declined and it was only a shadow of its former self by the time the RIS campaign starts (Delev, From Kouroupedion to the Beginning of the Third Mithridatic War, 2015). There is no doubt it survived, however, because at the end of the century yet another king called Kotys appears in the sources who supported first Philip V and then Perseus in their wars with Rome (Liv. 42.29). By the late 2nd century BC, however, the Odrysian hegemony in Thrace began to be usurped by other tribes like the Sapaians and the Astaians, who eventually dominated Thracian history in the 1st centuries BC and AD.

The use of cavalry had a long tradition in Thrace. Homer already called the Thracians “horse breeders” (‘hippopoloi’, Hom. Il. 13.4). Almost a third of the Odrysian army that faced the diadoch Lysimachos (Ca. 360-281 BC) in a battle at the end of the 4th century BC was made up of cavalry (Diod. 18.14.2), and Strabo (ca. 63 BC-24 AD) claims Thrace could still field 15,000 horsemen in his day (Strab. VII f.47). Their sturdy and fast horses can be compared to Galloway ponies and were well suited for warfare (Webber, Odrysian Cavalry (2003), p. 530). The Thracians used Scythian saddles and were often equipped with silver or gold harnesses that have been found in many Thracian treasures throughout Bulgaria (Webber (2003), p. 532; 536). To protect themselves and their horses in the heat of battle, wealthier Thracian horsemen traditionally used shields. Yet, before the 3rd century BC, even heavy cavalry had only used the crescent or round Pelte (Webber (2003), p. 540). Just like the Greeks – and possibly under the influence of the Galatian invasions – Thracian cavalry started using the large, oval Thureos shield around 275 BC (Head (2015), p. 127). Since Thureos-like wicker shields with bronze coverings also appear on the Kazanluk tomb paintings, which predate the Celtic migration, they may also have been adopted from the Illyrians, however (Webber (2003), p. 544). On a 2nd century BC stela from Abdera, a Thracian rider appears with a typical Greek Thureos shield, which will have become the standard by then (Sekunda, Seleucid Army (1993), fig. 22).

Further protection was afforded by body armour. The Homeric king Rhesos was famous for his cuirass, as can be seen in TW:Troy. Beautifully crafted bronze muscle cuirasses in the Greek style remained popular throughout the first millennium BC, but by the Hellenistic period, composite iron armour became even more widespread, as is attested by the Letnitsa treasury horseman or the impressive Zlatinitsa-Malomirovo armour. Harness pieces for the horses were usually also produced from iron, or, spectacularly, from silver, like an example from Sveshtari (National Archaeological Museum Sofia, Inv. no. 3159) which features a human head. Finally, Attic, Chalcidian and Thracian/Phrygian types were the preferred helmets of the Thracian nobility. One model of this unit has been given the unique horned helmet found in a 4th century BC grave at Bryastovets near the Black Sea (Webber (2003), p. 547; Stoyanov, Warfare (2020), pp. 430-431). Most horsemen attacked with spears, as is attested by classical authors and dozens of stelae, though various types of swords could be used in melee (Webber (2003), pp. 549-551).