#Cersobleptes

[archaeologyinbulgaria]

Bulgaria Opens Exhibition of Ancient Thracian Gold from Zlatinitsa – Malomirovo Treasure in Royal Lazienki Museum in Poland’s Capital Warsaw

Bulgaria Opens Exhibition of Ancient Thracian Gold from Zlatinitsa – Malomirovo Treasure in Royal Lazienki Museum in Poland’s Capital Warsaw

An image of ancient victory goddess Nike decorates the middle of the Ancient Thracian gold laurel wreath from the Zlatinitsa – Malomirovo Treasure showcased in the Polish capital Warsaw. Photo: Bulgaria’s Ministy of Culture

An exhibition of part of the 4th century BC Zlatinitsa – Malomirovo Treasure, one of Bulgaria’s numerous stunning treasures from Ancient Thrace, has been opened by Bulgaria…

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Theseus and Orpheus: Redheads?

I was reading about Thracians the other day and stumbled upon some claims that Theseus and Orpheus, even if they were important figures to the Greeks, had Thracian origins. First of all, why Thracians? Well, there were many Thracian tribes north of Greece. Some were part of Greek territory and others weren’t. Greeks enslaved them and thought of them as barbarians. On the other hand, Thracians managed to live within the Macedonian nation without notable tension. (There was tension between the kingdom of Macedonia and the separate Thracian nation). 

It was apparent that Thracians and Greeks were in touch. For example, in the 4th CBC there is this king, Cersobleptes (Greek name) and the person who managed his affairs was the Greek man Charidemus, comming from an area of central Greece, close to Athens. Thracians started getting assimilated by the Greeks in the start of the Byzantine empire and their traditions evolved to have a Greek spirit. Hundreds of thousands of people in north Greece today are Thrasians - including me, lol - and continuing the Thracian traditions, especially the Dionysiac ones. 

So, on to our heroes!  

>> Bacchylides (1) described Theseus as wearing a hat and with red hair, which classicists believe was Thracian in origin (3). The color of the hair was something like a stereotype of Greeks for this nation.

>> Orpheus, according to those claims, was from the Thracian tribe of Cicones. Pindar calls Orpheus "the father of songs" and identifies him as a son of the Thracian king Oeagrus and the Muse Calliope. 

Keep in mind: These two are some ancient versions amongst many. Greeks generally didn’t agree on the origin of Orpheus. Also, claims for Theseus being Thracian in origin are a little shady. According to versions of the myth his father was adopted and not born in Athens so some attributed his ancestry to other tribes. However, I think this is a legit way to portray them (as Thracians or part Thracians), since some ancient Greeks believed those things to be true. Myths differed by the region, after all. Also, not all Thracians had the same phenotype and, of course, not all had red hair. That’s impossible. But, all I am saying is... want a redhead Theseus or Orpheus? Go for it! You can, of course, depict them as part of their Greek “canon” tribes and there is nothing wrong with it! 

Anyone who wants to add any more info, please do!

(1) Bacchylides, a Greek lyric poet c. 518 – c. 451 BC

(2) Diels, B16,Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, 1903, pp.38–58 (Xenophanes fr. B16, Diels-Kranz, Kirk/Raven no. 171

(3) Ancient Greek writers also described the Thracians as red haired. A fragment by the Greek poet Xenophanes describes the Thracians as blue-eyed and red haired: “Men make gods in their own image; those of the Ethiopians are black and snub-nosed, those of the Thracians have blue eyes and red hair.” (Χenophanes fr. B16) .  Other ancient writers who described the hair of the Thracians as red include Hecataeus of Miletus, Galen, Clement of Alexandria,and Julius Firmicus Maternus.

[archaeologyinbulgaria]

Bulgaria to Show Thracian Gold Treasure from Zlatinitsa – Malomirovo in ‘Insignia of Power’ Exhibition in Lazienki Museum in Poland

Bulgaria to Show Thracian Gold Treasure from Zlatinitsa – Malomirovo in ‘Insignia of Power’ Exhibition in Lazienki Museum in Poland

The 4th century BC golden laurel wreath from the Zlatinitsa – Malomirovo Treasure and the 29 gold rosettes attached to a band, which served as a crown to the Ancient Thracian ruler buried in the mound where the treasure was found. Photo: Bulgaria’s Ministry of Culture

Part of one of Bulgaria’s numerous stunning treasures from Ancient Thrace, the 4th century BC Zlatinitsa – Malomirovo Treasure, is…