Nikolov, Nikolay et al. : The Odrysian Dynasty in the Period of Macedonian Hegemony in Thrace and the Struggle of the Hellenistic Rulers for the Thracian Heritage (mid-4th – mid-2nd cent. BCE)

Nikolay Nikolov,
The Odrysian Dynasty in the Period of Macedonian Hegemony in Thrace and the Struggle of the Hellenistic Rulers for the Thracian Heritage (mid-4th – mid-2nd cent. BCE) / 
Одриската династия в периода на македонската хегемония в Тракия и борбата на елинистическите владетели за тракийското наследство

Sofia 2025

ISBN 978-619-7602-82-1


450 S./pp., zahlr. S/W-Abb./num. b/w-figs., 29,7 x 21 cm; broschiert/softcover


bulgarisch mit englischer Zusammenfassung /
bulgarian with english summary



The object of the study is the Odrysian dynasty, and the subject is the processes that took place in it (including its historical development) in the period from the middle of the 4th to the middle of the 2nd century BCE. The main focus is placed on the state and development of the dynastic house of the Odrysians in the period of the Macedonian hegemony in Thrace and the subsequent era of aspirations toward the Thracian lands by the Hellenistic states – an era that ended with the beginning of the establishment of the military-political presence of the Roman Republic over the territory of the Balkan Peninsula.

Table of contents

Stefan YORDANOV. THE TERES’ DYNASTY IN DEFENSE OF THE POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE OF ITS DOMAINS. A NEW INVESTIGATION ON THE POLITICAL HISTORY OF ANCIENT THRACE

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

INTRODUCTION

AIM, OBJECTIVES AND FRAMEWORK OF THE RESEARCH

METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER I. HISTORICAL SOURCES AND HISTORIOGRAPHY

I. 1. HISTORICAL SOURCES

I. 2. HISTORIOGRAPHY

CHAPTER II. THE ODRYSIAN DYNASTY – POTESTARY-POLITICAL TRADITIONS

II. 1. A THEORETICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PROCESS OF GENESIS OF THE RULER’S INSTITUTION

II. 1. 1. The King-Priest – a Rudimentary Type of “Power”

II. 1. 2. The Role of the Sex-Age Stratification in the Genesis of the Ruler’s Institution – Old vs. Young, or Peacetime Chiefs vs. Wartime Chiefs

II. 1. 3. Relics of the Traditional System of the Sex-Age Organization in Antiquity and Ancient Thrace

II. 2. POWER AND SUCCESSION – THE ODRYSIAN FRATRIARCHAL-PARADYNASTIC SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

II. 2. 1. Principle of Succession

II. 2. 2. Nature of Power and Separatist Tendencies

II. 3. A GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE “EARLY” ODRYSIAN STATE AS A PARADIGM OF THE FRATRIARCHAL-PARADYNASTIC SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

II. 3. 1. The Paradynastic Institution

II. 3. 2. The Reign of Kotys I and the Uprisings of Adamas/Adamantus and Milthocytes – an Episodes from the Fratriarchal Struggles among the Odrysians

II. 3. 3. The Partition of the Odrysian State – a Model of Formation of “Subsidiary” Odrysian State Formations

CHAPTER III. THE MACEDONIAN HEGEMONY IN THRACE (356–323 BCE)

III. 1. STAGES OF MILITARY-POLITICAL ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MACEDONIAN HEGEMONY OVER THE LANDS OF THE DIVIDED ODRYSIAN STATE (356–341 BCE)

III. 1. 1. Territorial Core of the Odrysians and Geographical Dimensions of their Military-Political Influence

III. 1. 2. Between Ketriporis and Amatocos – Initial Steps of Philip II in Thrace (356–352 BCE)

III. 1. 3. The First Campaign of Philip II against Kersebleptes – Knowing the Enemy (352/351 BCE)

III. 1. 4. The Second Campaign of Philip II againt Kersebleptes and the Peace of Philocrates – the Forerunners of the Macedonian Hegemony in Thrace (346 BCE)

III. 1. 5. The Third Campaign of Philip II against Kersebleptes (342/341 BCE) – the Submission of Thrace (?)

III. 2. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MACEDONIAN HEGEMONY ACCORDING TO THE WRITTEN SOURCES ON THE CONQUESTS OF PHILIP II AND ALEXANDER III

III. 2. 1. Main Patterns in the Policy of Conquest of Philip II – a Paradigm of Synthesis between the Macedonian’s Hegemony Ambitions and the Greeks’s Panhellenistic Dreams

III. 2. 2. Main Patterns in the Policy of Conquest of Alexander III – Continuity and Evolution of the Philip’s Legacy

III. 3. THE ODRYSIAN DYNASTY AND THE MACEDONIAN HEGEMONY IN THRACE (340–323 BCE)

III. 3. 1. Presumed Odrysian Dynastic Centres after 341 BCE

III. 3. 2. The Policy of Alexander III towards Thrace

CHAPTER IV. THE STRUGGLE FOR THE THRACIAN HERITAGE (323–146 BCE)

IV. 1. FROM PARADYNASTY TO DYNASTY – THE “SUBSIDIARY” ODRYSIAN AND POST-ODRYSIAN STATE FORMATIONS FROM THE END OF 4th TO THE END OF 3rd CENTURY BCE

IV. 1. 1. Seuthes (III) and the Seuthopolian Dynasty

IV. 1. 2. Spartokos, Skostokos (?) and the Dynastic House in Kabyle

IV. 1. 3. Dromichaetes – the “Odrysian” Ruler of the Getae

IV. 1. 4. Other Odrysian and post-Odrysian Dynastic Branches – Kotys (son of Raizdos), Kotys (father of Rhaskuporis), Sadala

IV. 2. THRACE, THE ODRYSIANS AND LYSIMACHUS – THE DECLINE OF THE HEGEMONY OVER THRACE (323–281 BCE)

IV. 2. 1. Lysimachus and the End of the Argeads (323–305/304 BCE)

IV. 2. 2. Lysimachus the Basileus (305/304–281 BCE) – an Attempt to Establish a New Hegemony in Thrace (?)

IV. 3. THE ASPIRATIONS FOR THE LYSIMACHUS’ LEGACY – THE “HELLENISTIC HEGEMONY” IN THRACE (281–221 BCE)

IV. 3. 1. The Antigonid Dynasty – New Macedonian Ambitions towards Thrace

IV. 3. 2. The Seleucid Dynasty – the Thracian Campaign of Antiochus II Teos

IV. 3. 3. The Ptolemaic Dynasty – the Odrysian Diaspora in Egypt

IV. 4. ROME AND THE ABOLITION OF THE HELLENISTIC STATUS QUO IN THRACE (221–146 BCE)

IV. 4. 1. The Roman Republic and the Hellenistic Monarchies (221–188 BCE) – the Roman Dictates on Philip V and Antiochus III

IV. 4. 2. Trends in the Expansion of the Roman Republic from the end of the 3rd and the beginning of the 2nd century BCE

IV. 4. 3. Thrace on the Verge of Two Eras (188–146 BCE) – the Odrysian Dynastic Line of Seuthes, Kotys and Teres

CONCLUSION

APPENDICES

I. THE “LATE” ODRYSIAN RULERS: HISTORICAL FIGURES OR HISTORIOGRAPHICAL MYTH

II. TEREUS = TERES (?), OR BETWEEN MYTHOLOGY AND HISTORY – DID THE ODRYSIAN LEGENDARY GENEALOGY EXIST?

III. RESPONSES TO REVIEWERS’ COMMENTS

SUMMARY IN ENGLISH

BIBLIOGRAPHY