Bulgaria history - Thracian tribes & towns

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The Getae tribe

The Getae lived in the area between the Balkan mountains to the south, neighbouring the Scythians to the east and the Moesi to the west, approximately the area of Dobrogea (Dobruja) and Romanian Muntenia. The Romanians place them as early Dacians, the Bulgarians claim them to be Thracian but as all the Danubian tribes were probably related both views may be true. The Greek Herodotus mentions a royal marriage between the Getae and Scythians.
The Thyni tribe

The Thyni lived in south eastern Thrace and their fierceness reportedly prevented Greek settlement in their area.
The Odrysae tribe

The Odrysae were the most powerful Thracian tribe from the 5th century BC. They were based in the central Thracian plain with towns at, or near, the modern towns of Plovdiv, Asenovgrad, Kazanlak, and Stara Zagora, however their empire extended from the Black Sea coast along the Aegean coast to Abdera and included the town of Uscudama.
The Moesi tribe

The Moesians (Mysians) ruled the lands between the Danube and Balkan mountains (Stara Planina), and possibly also north of the Danube. The Romans defeated them in the first century BC, and by 28 BC their name was given to the extensive Roman province which included all the lands south of the Danube from the Black Sea to the Sava.
The Triballi tribe

The Triballi lived between the Morava and the Danube, their rule extending across the plains of north western Bulgaria. Their history ends after Alexanders death and the invasion of Celtic tribes. The memory of the Triballi as a once great and powerful tribe continued, even being applied to the later arriving Serbian Slavs.
The Serdi tribe

Serdica (now Sofia) was named after the Serdi Thracian tribe.
The Bessi tribe

The Bessi lived in the mountain regions on the upper course of the river Mesta. The Bessi are known to have continued to speak their own language in 570 AD.
The Scordisci tribe

The Scordisci are thought to have been a Celtic tribe, possibly assimilated with Illyrians and Thracians, that lived where the river Sava meets the Danube, around Belgrad in modern Serbia.
The Dardani tribe

An Illyrian people who lived in east Serbia.
The Paeonians

Paeonia is now in the Republic of Macedonia, north of ancient Macedonia where the Vardar river goes through through a narrow gorge, and west of the Thracians of the Struma valley. The Paeonians are documented by Herodotus, then five centuries later by Strabo, then two centuries later Dio Cassius places the Paeonians in a larger area up to and along the Danube.

Other tribes linked within the Paeonians were the Agrianians to the north in southern Serbia, and the Laeaei in the area of Kyustendil.
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The Medi tribe

The Medi lived in the mountainous region in Pirin Bulgaria along the Struma river valley. Their towns are now called Sandanski and Petrich.
The Satrai tribe

The Satrai tribe lived in the region between Mesta and Struma rivers.
The Dii tribe

Thucydides of Greece said that the Dii of the Rodope mountains were the most warlike troops among the infantry.
The Mygdone tribe

The Mygdones lived in the region of Mygdonia or Mygdn.
The Edoni tribe

Thracian people living about Mount Pangaeus. One part of these Thracians were known as the Panaioi by Greeks. Pan probably comes from the Thracian word *pan(s)- meaning a swamp or bog.
The Trausi tribe

The Trausi lived in the south western part of the Rodopes. The name probably comes from the Thracian river named Trausas.
The Cicones tribe

The Cicones lived in the region between the Biston lake and the lower course of the Maritsa river.
The Bistonian tribe

A district in southern Thrace opposite the island of Thasos. The Bistones or Bistonians were ruled by Diomedes I from the city of Abdera. Biston was the son of Ares in Greek mythology.
Town of Shuman

Thracian: hill fort

Slavic: new castle

Ottoman: extended castle

Communist: Kolarovgrad
City of Varna

Thracian: name?

Greek: Odyssos

Slavic: Varna
Town of Nesebar

Thracian: Menebria

Greek: Mesembria

Slavic: Nesebar
City of Burgas

Thracian: name?

Greek: Pirgos

Roman: Debeltus
Town of Veliko Tarnovo

Thracian: settlements

Roman: fort town

Byzantine: new fortifications

Slavic: capital of 2nd Bulgarian empire
Town of Nikoplol

Thracian: settlements

Roman: fort

Greek: Nicropolis

Ottoman: Danube fortifications
Town of Pleven

Thracian: settlements

Roman: Storgosia

Slavic: Kamenec

Ottoman: large market town
Town of Lovech

Thracian: settlements
Roman: Melta
Town of Montana

Thracian: settlements

Roman: Montana

Slavic: Kutlovitsa

Communist: Mihailovgrad
Town of Kazanlak

Thracian: 4C BC Seuthopolis

Celtic: distroyed

Slavic: Kran

Ottoman: Kazanlak
Town of Staro Zagora

Thracian: Beroe

Roman: Trajana

Slavic: name?

Byzantine: Irinopolis

Slavic: Boruy

Ottoman: Eski Saghri
Town of Hisarya

Thracian: Havuz (Bessi tribe)

Roman: Augusta

Slavic: top::lica

Byzantine: Diocietianopolis

Ottoman: Hisarya
City of Sofia

Thracian: Serdica (Serdi tribe)

Roman: Ulpia Serdica

Slavic: Sredica

Bulgarian: Triaditsa

14C: Sofia
Town of Kyustendil

Thracian: (Danteletes tribe)

Thracian: Pautalia (Paeonian)

Roman: town walls rebuilt

Goths: Pautania

Slavic: Velbuzhd

Byzantine: Patelense

Serbian: Konstantinova Zemja

Ottoman: Kyustendil
City of Plovdiv

Thracian: Eumolpias (Odyrsae tribe)

Macedonian: Phillippopolis

Roman: Trimontium

Slavic: Pupulden

Ottoman: Philebe
Town of Svilengrad

Thracian: small settlement

Roman: fort

post Roman: destroyed

Ottoman: new town
Town of Edirne

Thracian: Uscudama

Greek: Oresteia

Roman: Hadrianopolis

Ottoman: Edirne
Town of Smolyan

Thracian: settlements

Roman: mining area

Slavic: Ezerovo (Smoliana tribe)

Ottoman: Pasmakli
Town of Sandanski

Thracian: Medius (Medi tribe)

Roman: Desudava

Slavic: Sveti Vrac

Ottoman: new town

Communist: Sandanski
Town of Petrich

Thracian: Petra (Medi tribe)

Roman: fort
The Pithyni tribe

By the 5th century BC the Bithyni were practically independent from Persia. The Bithynian chief, called Doedalsus, unified the Thracians in north west Asia Minor and founded the Bithynian kingdom. In the 4th century BC the region came under Alexanders general Antigonus followed by Lysimachus, followed by the Bithynians retaking the region. Nicea and Nicomedia (now Iznik and Izmit in Turkey) were the main towns, with Prusa (Bursa) being founded by king Prusias I. The Bithynians remained mostly independent until 75 BC when the kingdom was bequeathed to Rome by Prusias grandson. The names the Thracian tribes continued through to the Roman provinces of Blythia and Mysia.
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Thracian tribes and towns map