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Description

Thracian peltast of the Triballi tribe, based on a Greek vase painting that represents a bare-chested Thracian warrior wearing only a skirt of goat or sheep skin and a Phrygian cap of the same fur. I gave him a single Greek greave on the right leg, possibly obtained as war booty, also inspired by a Greek vase painting. The name “peltast” comes from the crescent-shaped shields used by the Thracians, called “pelta”. Shields with the same shape were also used by the Scythians and the Persians. He also carries javelins and short, curved sword, which should not be confused with the “sica” dagger used by the Thracians an Dacians in later periods.

The Thracians were indigenous peoples of the Balkan Mountains. During the reigns of Darius the Great and his son Xerxes I, the Thracians had been annexed to the Persian Empire as the satrapy of Skudra, a province that also included the “Saka beyond the sea” (aka the European Scythians) and the “Ionians with shield-like hats” (aka the Macedonians). The different ethnic groups of Skudra joined the multi-ethnic Persian army in the invasion of Greece. As the Persians lost control of the Balkans, the southern Thracian tribes became vassals of the kingdom of Macedon. In northern Thrace, a large independent kingdom was formed, the Odrysian kingdom, and north of this kingdom, beyond the Danube River, there was the territory of the Getae and the Dacians, that were still considered Thracian by Greek authors. West of the Odrysian kingdom is where the Triballi lived. The northern Thracians were subject of Scythian influences, the southern Thracians were more influenced by the Greeks, while in the west there would be a stronger Illyrian influence. The Celtic migration to the Balkans would eventually bring a lot of La Tene influence to the Thracians. Thracian tribes fought against Alexander the Great during his Balkan campaign, his first military expedition as king, and contingents of Thracians joined the Macedonian army in the conquest of the Persian Empire, fighting as light skirmishers.

Description

Thracian peltast of the Triballi tribe, based on a Greek vase painting that represents a bare-chested Thracian warrior wearing only a skirt of goat or sheep skin and a Phrygian cap of the same fur. I gave him a single Greek greave on the right leg, possibly obtained as war booty, also inspired by a Greek vase painting. The name “peltast” comes from the crescent-shaped shields used by the Thracians, called “pelta”. Shields with the same shape were also used by the Scythians and the Persians. He also carries javelins and short, curved sword, which should not be confused with the “sica” dagger used by the Thracians an Dacians in later periods.

The Thracians were indigenous peoples of the Balkan Mountains. During the reigns of Darius the Great and his son Xerxes I, the Thracians had been annexed to the Persian Empire as the satrapy of Skudra, a province that also included the “Saka beyond the sea” (aka the European Scythians) and the “Ionians with shield-like hats” (aka the Macedonians). The different ethnic groups of Skudra joined the multi-ethnic Persian army in the invasion of Greece. As the Persians lost control of the Balkans, the southern Thracian tribes became vassals of the kingdom of Macedon. In northern Thrace, a large independent kingdom was formed, the Odrysian kingdom, and north of this kingdom, beyond the Danube River, there was the territory of the Getae and the Dacians, that were still considered Thracian by Greek authors. West of the Odrysian kingdom is where the Triballi lived. The northern Thracians were subject of Scythian influences, the southern Thracians were more influenced by the Greeks, while in the west there would be a stronger Illyrian influence. The Celtic migration to the Balkans would eventually bring a lot of La Tene influence to the Thracians. Thracian tribes fought against Alexander the Great during his Balkan campaign, his first military expedition as king, and contingents of Thracians joined the Macedonian army in the conquest of the Persian Empire, fighting as light skirmishers.