|
Post by srbobran on Jan 3, 2009 12:10:13 GMT -5
this map roughly corresponds to where certain indigenous peoples were living in serbia and its neighbors before the slavic and vlach migrations. --------------------------------------------------------------
The Illyrian zone should be pushed a lot furthur east in Serbia IMO because the Triballi who lived in what is now Central Serbia lived all the way up too northwest Bulgaria and the Dardani inhabited all of Kosovo and south Serbia. Anyways, the border tribes were Thraco-Illyrian and Illyrians. The Illyrians (and Illyro-Thracians) extended their dominance much more eastward than the map shows.
Also, in Vojvodina, the Pannonians (an Illyric tribe) lived along with the Scodrisci who were Illyro-Celtic.
|
|
|
Post by meltdown711 on Feb 13, 2009 13:37:29 GMT -5
influence isnt a sign of anything in terms of speach. The Scythians came into the area around and became largely a minority nomadic ruling society around a largely Thracian agricultural zone. In Herodotus' book four he mentions that there are three types of Scythians (ancient Greeks had the habit of working in threes so these are not necessarily a reality within the society, it probably wasnt): Scythian warriors (the aristocratic warrior class which owned the land), Scythian husbandmen (Scythian nomads of a lower order) and 'Scythian agriculturalists'. The latter are believed to have been Thracians under Scythian rule. They also formed the majority of the 'semi-urban dwellers' and were reponsible for the manufacture of goods. Later on a portion of the group became Hellenized (that is not actually Greek speaking but adopted the methods of art and production which the Greeks around Olbia brought).
In all they remained native Thracians however.
Scythian influence went as far as France and affected the Celts (burial methods of Celts and Scythians are very very similar).
The Russian Polish historian-archeologist Sulimirski has published some very interesting stuff on the Scythians, and has mentioned their relations with the Thracians in a number of articles.
|
|
|
Post by jerryspringer on Feb 13, 2009 20:55:59 GMT -5
influence isnt a sign of anything in terms of speach. The Scythians came into the area around and became largely a minority nomadic ruling society around a largely Thracian agricultural zone. In Herodotus' book four he mentions that there are three types of Scythians (ancient Greeks had the habit of working in threes so these are not necessarily a reality within the society, it probably wasnt): Scythian warriors (the aristocratic warrior class which owned the land), Scythian husbandmen (Scythian nomads of a lower order) and 'Scythian agriculturalists'. The latter are believed to have been Thracians under Scythian rule. They also formed the majority of the 'semi-urban dwellers' and were reponsible for the manufacture of goods. Later on a portion of the group became Hellenized (that is not actually Greek speaking but adopted the methods of art and production which the Greeks around Olbia brought). In all they remained native Thracians however. Scythian influence went as far as France and affected the Celts (burial methods of Celts and Scythians are very very similar). The Russian Polish historian-archeologist Sulimirski has published some very interesting stuff on the Scythians, and has mentioned their relations with the Thracians in a number of articles. Okay, so what is your statement, then?
|
|
|
Post by kartadolofonos on Feb 23, 2009 21:47:52 GMT -5
In the rich natural environment of Thrace, pictures of which were presented in the previous journal of the Thracian Art and Tradition Foundation, lived the people of the new stone age period and those of the bronze age, the Thracian tribes before the Greek colonization, the Ionian settlers of the Thracian coasts and all the generations of Greeks. The latter, despite the difficult conditions, kept the Greek civilization in the area on an upward spiral from the Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic period up to the Roman, Byzantine and modern periods.
After the hunter-gatherers of the old stone age, the people of the new stone age(5800-3800 BC) established themselves in permanent settlements near water sources or near the sea, in locations which favoured, apart from hunting and fishing, the newly-acquired occupations of mankind- animal-rearing and the cultivation of the earth. From the limited excavations at Parademe, in the Maronia area, at Proskynetes, at Makre and at Micro Vouni of Samothrace interesting evidence has been revealed about the presence of new stone age man and particularly about the organization of the settlements, the economy, the division of labour, the production of goods, the diet, handicraft activities and finally about social, cultural and religious life. From the end of the Bronze Age (1050 BC), it has been established archaeologically that Thracian tribes settled in the mountainous areas of Rhodopes and Ismarhos and on the plains in what is now Greek Thrace. Many other Thracian tribes inhabited areas beyond Rhodopes as far as the Danube and the Black Sea which comprised the northern boundary of ancient Thrace. According to the archaeological evidence, the Thracians, during the period before the Greek colonization, lived in pile dwellings and lived by animal-rearing and agriculture. The vessels they used were hand-made with grooved, carved and impressed Geometric decorations. Characteristic remains of the period are the megalithic, carved tombs, rock paintings, carved sun-worship discs, niches and cavities in the rocks and the outdoor shrines.
The Thracians had common descent with the Greeks, but settled in different areas, which resulted in the language and culture developing differently. The roots and bonds they had in common brought them close again in historical times and led to the diffusion of the Greek culture and language across the whole of the area of Thrace. Their common descent is evident in the many Greek myths which refer to people of Thracian descent such as Evmolpos, Orhfeas, Mousaios, Thamyris, Linos, Diomedes, Tereas, Lykourgos, Voreas and Oreithyia. The Thracians were divided into many autonomous tribes, which differed greatly in their character, social composition and cultural level. The Sappaea, Vistones and Kikones lived between the Nestos, Evrhos and Rhodopes on the west.
In the 7th century BC the Greek colonization of the coast of Thrace began. Inhabitants if the Ionic cities of Asia Minor and the islands of the eastern Aegean, unable to tolerate the conduct of the Persians and at the same time seeking new resources, abandoned their homeland and settled on the coast of Thrace.The cities Avderha, Dikaia, Strhyme, Maronia, Mesemvria-Zone, Drhys, Sale and Ainos were founded in the northern Aegean. The settlers did not restrict themselves to the exploitation of the earth, but also engaged in regular trade, supplying the extensive Thracian hinterland. The first agricultural and trading posts gradually developed into large, powerful and rich cities. As political, military and economic centres they decisively influenced the activities of the Athenians, Macedonians and Odrhysi and later of the Romans in the northern Aegean area. As cradles of the development of the Greek culture, the Ionic cities of the Aegean and the Black Sea became beacons of Greek religion, language, education and art in the whole of the Thracian hinterland.
The first settlers who came to Avderha were the Clazomenaea (656-652 BC) and they were led by Timesio. This was followed by the settling of the Teiae in 545 BC. Hercules was the mythical founder of Avderha when the man-eating horses of the king of the Vistonae, Diomede, tore him to pieces. By the 5th century BC, Avderha had developed into a powerful city with great economic development, as the following bear witness: the huge expense of billeting Xerxe's army, the circulation of silver coins and the large tax payable to the Athenian alliance. The political system was democratic with a parliament and a municipality. The city's emblem contained a griffin and its patron god Apollo. In ancient sources the names of some of the city shrines were recorded, such as those of Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Athena and Dionysus. The Dionysian and the Thesmophoria were the greatest celebrations. Three laws of the city are known today. The first forbade the burial in the city of those who had squandered their paternal fortune. The second regulated the buying and selling of slaves and animals and the third protected the regime from conspiracies. Apart from the poet Anacrheonda, who followed the Teiae settlers to Avderha, the city produced other eminent men such as the sophist Protagoras, the philosophers Levkippos and Anaxarhos, the grammarian Ekateos, the mathematician Vionas, the historian or engineer Dioclides, the poet Nikenetos and the great philosopher of the ancient world Democritos.
Excavations have brought to light important remains and finds, which supplement the fragmentary information from the sources about the history of the city. Part of the wall and the gate of the fortifications of the city of the Clazomeniae have been discovered (7th century BC) as well as a cemetery from the same period, a fact that proves the permanent establishment of the first settlers. In the same area in which a bight sea was found, part of the wall of the first city of the Teiae (6th-5th century BC) and houses of the same period were discovered. In addition, an outdoors sanctuary of a female deity (Demeter and Kore) was discovered with altars, grates, a large staircase and votive deposits, where thousands of miniature clay urns and statuettes of female figures (6th-4th century BC) were found. The silting up of the bay caused the transfer of the city further south. From the new fortifications, a section of the western wall with a gate between two four-sided towers has been discovered. At various points, residences and other buildings of the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman periods have also been discovered. The theatre was located on the northern side of the enclosure but it has been completely destroyed. In the extensive cemetery of the city, funenary vessels clay and stone sarcophagi, cremations in pits and tile graves with funeral gifts have come to light, which date from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period. Avderha, during the Byzantine period, was restricted to the hill of the ancient citadel and the city continued its historical course under the new name of Polystylon.
Among the finds the following stand out: a clay sarcophagus of the Klazomenian type with a depiction of the Myth of Troy (500-470 BC), palmette capitals of tomb steles (5th century BC), Ionic capitals of engaged pillars from altars or buildings with spirals on the temples (5th century BC), a mosaic floor with a depiction of dolphins (250-200 BC) a clay study of the head of a bearded Avderhite (2nd century BC), red - and black -figure vases, clay statuettes and gold jewellery and coins of the Classical and Hellenistic periods.
Dikaia was located east of Avderha next to the large natural harbour of the Vistonida bay. It was founded in the 6th century BC, probably by settlers from Samos. Because of its position, it developed mainly as a trading post. The silver coins of the city from the 6th and 5th centuries, which were found as far away as Egypt, bear witness to extensive commercial activity. A limited excavation site at the city near the village of Fanarhi, brought to light a section of the walls and the foundations of houses from the 4th century BC, while in the area of the cemetery, stone and sarcophagi were discovered along with urn clay burials. The funeral gifts in the graves were clay statuettes and vessels of the 6th and 5th century BC of which many have black-figure depiction.
Stryme was a colony of Thasos which was founded on the present peninsula of Molyvote, near the lake of Ismarhida, in the middle of the 7th century BC. The purpose of the establishment of the city was the creation of a trading post and also the exploitation of the interior plain, which was rich in the production of cereals. The foundation of Stryme near the country of the Maronitae meant, as a result, frequent conflicts between Maronia and Thasos for the possession of the city up to its destruction in the 4th century BC. Excavations brought to light sections of roads and the foundations of residences with paved yards. An important technical of ancient hydraulics and engineering is the underground tunnels of the aqueducts with ditches and shafts for the collection of water and its drawing from the wells of the houses. Burials with remarkable funerary gifts were investigated in tombs north of the city. The most important finds from Stryme are the following: the arathemote stele of the maiden (6th century BC), a small marble lion (6th century BC), the statue of a peplophoros (500-475 BC), a tomb stele with the dead man and his slave (450 BC), a red-figure pelike with a depiction of Apollo, Litos and Artemis (440 BC), silver four-drachma coins of Maronia, red-figure vases and others painted in black, skyfoi and kantharoi of the 'Saint Valentine' type and white lecythi by the Reed Painter and the Trigluph Painter of the end of the 5th century BC.
Maronia was the second most important city of Thrace after Avderha. It was founded on the south-west slopes of Ismarhos by Chiote settlers in the 7th century BC. Marhon, the priest of Apollo, is considered to be the mythical founder. He inhabited the neighbouring city of the Kikonae, Ismarha or Ismarho, according to Homer's description. In recent years, Ismarha has been identified with the Cyclopean citadel and the long walls of Agios Georhgios. In the early years, the economy of the city was based on agriculture and animal-rearing. Ancient sources refer to the cultivation of vineyards, olives and cereals. Its position and its harbour favoured the development of trade and shipping. The symbol which predominates on the coins is the horse. The political system was democratic with a parliament and a municipality. The most important declies were Apollo, Dionysus, Zeus and Marhona. The poet Sotades, the painter Athenion and the agrarian writer Eyesias were born in Maronia.
Sections of the Classical citadel have been preserved on the summit of Ismarho, Agios Athanasios. From there two long walls, with towers at intervals, descend to the sea, protecting the extensive area of the city. The visible antiquities are as follows: part of the west wall with two four-sided towers (4th century BC); a big house with two yards and many rooms; in the androna there is a mosaic floor with vines, leaves and grapes and other decorative designs (3rd century BC); the foundations of the sanctuary of Dionysus which dates from the 4th century BC; three rows of benches have been salvaged from the theatre while there must have been ten rows divided into nine tiers. The benches, concave stairs and the duct for the water of the stream and the orchestra belong to the early Hellenistic phase. The stage and the thorakia for the positioning of railings around the orchestra belong to the Roman phase. A colossal propylon with three arched openings has been discovered in the area of the Roman market, which has been attributed to the Roman emperor Hadrian, who visited Maronia in 124-125 AD as well as a large public building with internal pillars from the post-Roman years, which has been connected with the harbour of the ancient city.
In Maronia, an altar corner piece (470-460 BC), a section of an Ionic frieze with a scene of winged forms (400 BC), capitals of tomb steles and tomb bas-reliefs (4th century BC), a clay mask of Dionysus (4th century BC) and a clay statuette of Aphrodite (4th century BC) have been found. The alliance between the Romans and the Maronitae (167 BC) and an encomium of the virtues oflsidos (2nd century BC) stand out amongst the honorary, dedicatory and tomb inscriptions.
Mesemvria-Zone was the most important colony in Peraia on Samothrace. It was founded before the end of the 7th century BC. In recent years, Mesemvria has been identified with Zone based on the mass of bronze coins which bearing the figure and the symbols of Apollo and the discovery of the temple of the god who was the protector of the city. Mesemvria was probably the name of an older Thracian settlement which has been located at the same position. The fortifications of the city consist of two continuous enclosures which start from the high ground of the citadel and end up at the sea. The excavations have brought to light part of the west wall with a large gate and four towers and parts of building blocks which are separated by narrow roads and include complexes of dwellings of the 5th century BC. Two rooms of a building are impressive. In them amphorae with sharp pointed bottoms have been placed upside down in order to insulate the floor from water. Gilded and silver tiles were found in the sanctuary of Demeter which are the same as the present day offerings of the Christian churches. In the sanctuary of Apollo there is a prostele or a depicted temple which is surrounded by open air yards, arcades and other outbuildings. The architectural parts, the fragments of sculptures and the large number of potsherds from red-figure vases and other vases painted black, which have the name of the god carved on them, date from the 6th and 5th centuries BC. In the 3rd century BC, when it began to decline, life was restricted to the walled settlement which was a small district with roads shops and houses at the southwest edge of the city.
The most important finds are the Kouros statue (6th century BC), the tomb bas-relief with the chariot which is located in the Sofia museum, a panathenaic amphora (5th century BC), tomb steles with inscriptions (4th century BC), the marble statuette of a young man of the Hellenistic period, Attica red-figure vases, the idols and ornate gold and silver jewellery such as earrings and bracelets of the Classical and Hellenistic period.
The island of Samothrace was a panhellenic religious centre in ancient times, renowned for the mysteries of the great gods which used to take place at the imposing site of the temple bearing the same name. The colonization of the island was carried out around 700 BC by Aioles from Asia Minor or Lesvos who established themselves near a pre-Greek sanctuary of a mystic idol. The first settlement developed into a powerful city-state with its own coins and colonies/trading posts on the opposite Thracian coast. In Hellenistic and Roman periods, the island had great economic prosperity. The worship of the Great Gods acquired international character. Large numbers of mystos and theoros , from many cities of Greece, the west and the east, used to come to the island to be initiated into the Mysteries or to take part in the mystic ceremonies and celebrations. The main characters of the mystic religion were Axieros-Demeter, the god of fertility Kadmilos, the Kaviri-Dioskouri, Axiokersos-Ades and Axiokersa-Persefone. There were two levels of initiation. The main one took place at the palace and the secondary one sanctuary at the sanctum. The best known buildings of the sanctum are the following:
the building of the dancers, previously a shrine, which was probably a votive offering of Philipos II (340 BC);
the Altar Court which was built from 340-320 BC and is a votive offering ofPhilipos III (ofArridaios);
the building of the main sanctuary which acquired its final form in the period from 325 to 150 BC;
the largest circular structure of ancient times, the Arsinoeion, which was an offering of Lysimachos Arsinoe, of wife from 288-281 BC, in which sacrifices and official gatherings used to occur.
The propyle/bridge in the eastern stream of the space which was constructed by Ptolemy 2nd the Philadelphos from 285-281 BC;
the large arcade on the western hill from the 3rd century BC which was used to house the worshippers;
the Palace which was built in the 1st century BC in the place of an older building of the 4th century BC
and the Victory monument with the famous statue which is found today in the Louvre museum. The abolition of the ancient religion brought about the decline, abandonment and the depopulation of the sanctum.
After the Persian wars, King of the Odeysae, Teres, subdued many Thracian tribes and founded the Thracian kingdom of the Odeysae between 470 and 460 BC. The subsequent kings Sitalkes, Sevthes 1st, Sevthes 2nd, Evryzelmis, Kotys and Amadokos developed friendly, economic and cultural relations with Athens, the other Greek cities and the kings of Macedonia. They also favoured the settlement of Greeks in the hinterland of Thrace, mixed marriages, the dissemination of the Greek religion, language and works of art and generally the Hellenization and the civilization of their subjects. Characteristically the coins of the Thracian kings copy the coins of the Greek cities of Thrace.
The military operations of Philip II in Thrace and his diplomatic actions resulted in not only the occupation of the Greek cities of Thrace but also extensive areas of the kingdom of the Odeysaes' territory as far as the Ainos and the Black sea. In order to consolidate his power and decisive control over the conquered territory, he founded cities, settlements and forts in locations of strategic importance. Two of the Forts of this period are found near the villages of Kalyva and Myrtousa along the Nestos river. With these forts, control of the river valley and at the same time of the road which led from Macedonia to Thrace was secured. The movements of the Thracian tribes through the smaller mountain passes in the nearby area were also controlled.
Through the excavations at the fort of Kalyva the gates of the enclosure, circular and four-sided towers, dormitories and storage spaces were discovered as well as a large building with a cornerstone cistern which is a unique and impressive piece of ancient engineering and hydraulics. The fort was rebuilt and repaired many times from the 4th to the 6th century BC.
The settlement of populations from various Greek cities and the diffusion of Greek education in Thrace continued during the years of Alexander the Great and his successors, especially during the time of Lysimachos who had undertaken the administration of Thrace.
The role of the Macedonians in the spread of Greek culture was decisive. The Thracians started to give their children Greek names and, to change the names of their villages and cities to Greek ones and to mimic the life of the Greeks and use the Greek language more and more. The discovery of a city, Sevthopolis, unknown in ancient literature, which was built by Sevthe 3rd (324 BC) and was located northeast of Philippoupolis, confirmed the use of the Greek language and the penetration of Greek culture into the hinterland of Thrace. It was a typical Greek city according to built the hippo-damian system. The sanctuary of the Great Gods and of Dionysus, the official texts and the other inscriptions in the Greek language, the coins, the works of art, the ceramics and the objects of everyday use are the same as those found in other Greek cities.
Remains from the period of the Macedonians in the area of Aegean Thrace include built tombs of the Macedonian type with a dromos, antechamber and chamber; they have been discovered at Symvola ofRhodopes, at Elafohorhi of the Evrhos, at Lagena of the Evrhos and at Stavrhoupolis of Xanthe and date from the 4th to the 2nd centuries EC. During the years of Roman domination, the dominance of the Greek language was universal. All the inscriptions from the Aegean to the Danube were written in Greek and not in Latin as one would expect. The emperors Trajan and Hadrian were interested in the development of Thrace and they founded cities such as Topirhos, Traianoupoli, Plotinopoli, and Adrianopoli. In these cities, the Greek spirit and education flourished and the institutions, idols, games and celebrations of the Greeks predominated. The excavations at Plotinopoli brought to light, apart from others, a public building which is probably a public bath of the 2nd century BC. In the centre of the mosaic floor, Leda with the swan is depicted and around them are the Twelve Labours of Hercules. The gold bust of Septimios Severos (193-211 AD) and the marble head of the god lanos with the two faces originate from Plotinopoli.
During the first few centuries of the millenium, worship of Eroas Ippeas was widespread and its iconographic type originated from the bas-reliefs of horsemen of the Classical and Hellenistic period. The unknown god has been identified with the Homeric king of the Thracians Rhesos who, after his death at Troy, was worshipped as a hero-god in the mountainous regions of the Rhodopes, as Philostratos bears witness. Sanctuary of Eroas Ippeas have been located in recent years in many areas of the Rhodopes and Ismaros.
The roads which connected the great cities with the sea and central Europe contributed to the development of Thrace during the years of Roman domination. The main road artery was the Egnatia which started in Dyrrhachio and ended up in Byzantium. The Evrhos, which was navigable, connected the cities of southern Thrace with the plain of Philipoupolis.
Many tomb mounds, such as those of Rhizia, Dikaia, Ambelakia. Regios, Spelaios and Lades, date from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD and they have been investigated in recent years. The finds are usually clay, glass and bronze vases. Iron swords, clay and bronze lamps, gold jewellery, coins and other objects. These objects give us information about the religious, social, economic and cultural life of the inhabitants of the cities and small towns of Thrace.
After the foundation of Constantinople, the centre of Hellenism shifted to Thrace, The great forces of the East. Hellenism and Christianity transformed the Roman state into a Greek empire with Greek as the official language, Christianity as the official religion and with Greek education predominant. The dynamic presence of Greeks in the Thracian regionis is confirmed by the word of the Thracian emperor of Byzantium, Julian (361-363 AD): "Those who inhabit Thrace and lonia are descendents of the Greeks." The Greeks of Thrace continued on their historical course with the agonizing struggle for life during the difficult years of the Ottoman slavery. Many of them were finally forced to abandon their ancestors' homeland in north and east Thrace since only a small part of ancient and Byzantine Thrace was incorporated into modern Greece.
|
|
|
Post by supergreek on Mar 25, 2009 12:43:13 GMT -5
No, the Bulgars came from a far. The Bulgars do not equal Bulgarians. Slavs also came from afar. They played part into the forming of the Bulgarian ethnicity. So did the Thracians and no that means that the Thracians were not aliens to the Bulgarians. That mean they were one of the people that mixed with the Bulgars and the Slavs to form the Bulgarians. My head is beginning to hurt. So all at once you are Thracian, Bulgar, Slavic, Bulgarian??? All to form one ethnicity??? I am not sure but it sounds like a good way for appropriating history. As a Greek I can just now say I am Hellenic, Albanian, Bulgarian, Turkish, Roman, Italian, Arab etc... And say I am their descendant.
|
|
ioan
Amicus
Posts: 4,162
|
Post by ioan on Mar 25, 2009 13:02:55 GMT -5
Yes, some Greeks (namely the Northeast ones) are as Thracian as the Bulgarians I think. todays main ethnicity that lives in the borders of bulgaria are called bulgarians. Those bulgarians are one ethnicity that is mainly a result of mixing of 3 people: Bulgars (nomadic people that organized the state), Slavs that migrated from northern Europe and Thracians, some of them probably helenized or romanized. those 3 mixed to form todays bulgarians. other people took part into the forming of the bulgarians, including greeks.
|
|
ioan
Amicus
Posts: 4,162
|
Post by ioan on Mar 26, 2009 3:18:17 GMT -5
^ I said Bulgarians are mixed race and among the people that contributed to the nation are Greeks, especially on the coastal areas. Of course there were Greeks in Thrace but there was exchange of population and alot of Greeks moved from southern Bulgaria to Greece. Alot of Bulgariand from Greek Thrace and Macedonia moved to Bulgaria. I never denied Greek influence on Bulgarian culture, on the contrary! I ve always said that Greek culture was the biggest influence on the Bulgarian one. Every Bulgarian is well aware that there used to be Greeks in Bulgaria but most moved to Greece. And alot of Bulgarians have come from Greek Thrace, including my grand grand father, who was also half Greek.
|
|
|
Post by monsterofsouli on Mar 26, 2009 21:44:03 GMT -5
^ I said Bulgarians are mixed race and among the people that contributed to the nation are Greeks, especially on the coastal areas. Of course there were Greeks in Thrace but there was exchange of population and alot of Greeks moved from southern Bulgaria to Greece. Alot of Bulgariand from Greek Thrace and Macedonia moved to Bulgaria. I never denied Greek influence on Bulgarian culture, on the contrary! I ve always said that Greek culture was the biggest influence on the Bulgarian one. Every Bulgarian is well aware that there used to be Greeks in Bulgaria but most moved to Greece. And alot of Bulgarians have come from Greek Thrace, including my grand grand father, who was also half Greek. My head hurts even more now. So now your Greek too?!!! So were kind of cousins?
|
|
ioan
Amicus
Posts: 4,162
|
Post by ioan on Mar 27, 2009 0:29:12 GMT -5
Well no we are not Greek. I said BUlgarians are mixed race. Alot of different people mixed to form the Bulgarians. Among them are Greeks that lived on the costal areas in Bulgaria. But those Greeks were in very low numbers compared to the Slavs, Bulgars and Thracians (3 MAIN ETHNICITIES) that mixed to form the Bulgarians. Thats why I wouldnt say Bulgarians are Greek. Some Greek influence cannot be ruled out, but it is not that significant. Except the Slavs, Bulgars and Thracians, other people also contributed to the Bulgarian ethnicity: Avars, Kumans, Romans, Petchenegs, Celts, Uzis and for 500 years also the turks. I would put the genetic influence of the Greeks am ong those. As for me, I said my grand grand father was half Greek, just another proove of the mixing of the Bolkans. But he felt Bulgarian and so did his children, grand children and grand grand children.
|
|