Electronic Issue "Scientific Research"

ISSN: 1312-7535
Title Theory and Practise pn the History of Ancient Thrace in the Contexy of the World Ancient History
Authors Kalin Porozhanov

Abstract

It is generally accepted to assume that the History of the Ancient Word comprises the History of the Ancient East, the History of the Ancient Greece and the History of the Ancient Rome. There exists, however, yet another division of Ancient History and it comprises three major periods that are both chronologically and historically successive. These periods are: Early Antiquity (late 4th - early 3rd until the end of the 2nd mill. BC), Flourishing of the Ancient Societies (1st mill. BC) and Decline of the Ancient World (1st - 5th centuries AD). On the basis of the first elements of script, social and class division, and ideology, the first period is believed to cover the two great civilizations in "Thracian Protohistory": Late Chalcolithic (late 5th mill. BC) and Early Bronze Age (mid-4th - late 3rd/early 2nd mill. BC). Thracian civilization from the Late Bronze Age, the Early Iron Age and the Antiquity is also attributed to that period. All three civilizations mentioned have typological similarities in the economic and socio-political structure, as well as in their ideological characteristics, which proved to be communities with a social and class differentiation, Thracian society being an early class society during the Antiquity. Irrespective of the ethnic definitions, which will always remain debatable, the Late Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age class societies in the Thracian lands, due to typological parallels and to their earlier successive chronology with respect to the Thracian socially stratified community and early class society of the 2nd - 1st mill. BC, formed a part of the History of the Thracians as protohistory, early history, or the genesis and formation of Thracian civilization. This is precisely the attitude to the Minoan civilization of the 3rd mill. BC in the island of Crete, compared to the Achaean-Greek civilization of the 2nd - 1st mill. BC. Thus, in addition to the Thracian civilization of the 2nd - 1st mill. BC, the Late Chalcolithic and the Early Bronze Age civilization in the Thracian lands is also attributed to the History of the Ancient World. In this way, the beginning of the History of the Ancient World should be predated from the 4th to the 5th mill. BC, according to the dating of the Late Chalcolithic civilization in the Thracian lands, and should start with it - at least for the History of Europe. Although Ancient Thrace maintained active contacts with Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome - societies with flourishing slave-owning relations - the History of the Thracians from the second period of the History of the Ancient World fits chronologically into it, though social relations belonged typologically to the first period. Nevertheless, with the emergence of the Early Hellenistic tendencies of the 5th - 4th centuries BC, especially under the Odrysian King Kotys I - tendencies which proved to have lasting consequences for the History of the Ancient World - and were actively implemented by the Macedonian rulers Philip and Alexander, Thracian society had a place of its own during the second period of the History of the Ancient World. During the third period of the History of the Ancient World, especially at the time of the Late Roman Empire, the History of the Thracians who did not have a state of their own was most intensely manifested at the level of the communities. This was due to the strong conservatism in the not fully developed and non-dominating territorial/neighborhood community, private ownership and a slave-owning system. In this way, the History of the Thracians brought them closer to societies from the East, e.g. the Hittite society in Asia Minor, but also to the early feudal societies in Southeastern Europe, e.g. the Byzantine and Bulgarian societies. Due to these historically determined circumstances, the History of the Thracians was integrated relatively painlessly and naturally in the transition to the new socioeconomic relations of thy emerging medieval feudalism.


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