TheTriballi (Ancient Greek:Τριβαλλοί,romanized: Triballoí,Latin:Triballi) were an ancient people who lived in northernBulgaria in the region of RomanOescus up to southeasternSerbia, possibly near the territory of theMorava Valley in the late Iron Age. The Triballi lived between Thracians to the east, Illyrians the west and Celts to the north and were influenced by them. As such in contemporary sources, they are variably described as an independent, Thracian, Illyrian or Celtic tribe.Strabo considered the Triballi as aThracian people.[1] Most ancient sources considered the Triballi as Thracians, while some few regarded them as Illyrians.[2]
As an existing people, the Triballi are mentioned for the last time by Roman historianAppian (2nd century CE). According to Appian, the Triballi were reduced in numbers through their wars against theScordisci and fled among theGetae, north of the Danube before they went extinct as a distinct people.[3]
The Triballi (Ancient Greek:Τριβαλλοί,romanized: Triballoí) are mentioned first in history by ancient Greek authors of theClassical period: byAristophanes in his playBirds (414 BC) in which Triballos, a barbarian Triballian god of Thrace, accompaniesPoseidon andHerakles as a diplomatic embassy, who are quite starving, meant to persuade the play's hero, Peisetairos, to end his blockade (Nephelokokkygia) preventing sacrifices – the sustenance of gods – from reaching them onOlympos; byAristotle andDemosthenes, both of whom lived in the 4th century BC. Among ancient Greeks, the Triballi had a reputation of being a "wild people" and Greek authors write in a similar vein about them. Aristotle writes that among the Triballi "it is honorable to sacrifice one’s life in a battle", while Demosthenes notes the gangs of "lawless youths" of ancient Athens were known asTriballoi.[4][5]
In 424 BC, they were attacked bySitalkes, king of theOdrysae, who was defeated and lost his life in the engagement.[6] They were pushed to the east by the invadingAutariatae, an Illyrian tribe; the date of this event is uncertain.[7]
In 376 BC, a large band of Triballi underKing Hales crossedMount Haemus and advanced as far asAbdera; they had backing fromMaroneia and were preparing to besiege the city whenChabrias appeared off the coast, with the Athenian fleet,[7] and organized a reconciliation.[6]
In 339 BC, whenPhilip II of Macedon was returning from his expedition against theScythians, the Triballi refused to allow him to pass the Haemus unless they received a share of the booty. Hostilities took place, in which Philip was defeated[7] and wounded by a spear in his right thigh, but the Triballi appear to have been subsequently subdued by him.[8][7]
After the death of Philip,Alexander the Great passed through the lands of theOdrysians in 335-334 BC, crossed the Haemus ranges and after three encounters (Battle of Haemus,Battle at Lyginus River,Battle at Peuce Island) defeated and drove the Triballians to the junction of theLyginus at theDanube.[7] 3,000 Triballi were killed, the rest fled. Their kingSyrmus (eponymous toRomanSirmium) took refuge on the Danubian island ofPeukê, where most of the remnants of the defeated Thracians were exiled. The successful Macedonian attacks terrorized the tribes around the Danube; the autonomous Thracian tribes sent tributes for peace, Alexander was satisfied with his operations and accepted peace because of his greater wars in Asia.
They were attacked by Autariatae and Celts in 295 BC.[9]
The punishment inflicted byPtolemy Keraunos on theGetae, however, induced the Triballi to sue for peace. About 279 BC, a host ofGauls (Scordisci[10]) underCerethrius defeated the Triballi with an army of 3,000 horsemen and 15,000 foot soldiers. The defeat pushed the Triballi further to the east.[11] Nevertheless, they continued to cause trouble to theRoman governors ofMacedonia[7] for fifty years (135 BC–84 BC).
Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) registers them as one of the tribes ofMoesia.[12]
In the time ofPtolemy (90–168 AD), their territory was limited to the district between theCiabrus (Tzibritza) andUtus (Vit) rivers, part of what is nowBulgaria; their chief town was Oescus.[7]
UnderTiberius, mention is made of Triballia in Moesia; and the EmperorMaximinus Thrax (reigned 235–237) had been a commander of a squadron of Triballi. The name occurs for the last time during the reign ofDiocletian, who dates a letter fromTriballis.[7][13]
The research of the Triballi began withFanula Papazoglu's bookThe Central Balkan Tribes in Pre-Roman Times (1968 in Serbian, 1978 in English). Other historians and archaeologists who wrote on the Triballi includeMilutin Garašanin [sr],Dragoslav Srejović, Nikola Tasić, Rastko Vasić, Miloš Jevtić and, especially, Milorad Stojić (Tribali u arheologiji i istorijskim izvorima, 2017).[14]
Based on the work of Fanula Papazoglou, several archeological findings in theMorava Valley (Great Morava andSouth Morava) region in the Iron Age have been linked to the Triballi.[15] In 2005, several possibly Triballi graves were found at theHisar Hill inLeskovac, southeasternSerbia.[16] In June 2008, a Triballi grave was found together with ceramics (urns) inPožarevac, central-eastern Serbia.[17] A tomb labeled as "Triballian" was unearthed atLjuljaci, west ofKragujevac, central Serbia.[18] In Bulgaria, a male grave atVratsa dated to the 4th century BC has been unearthed; the royal tomb contains beautifulgoldwork, like pitchers and wreaths.[14] These findings are labeled as "Triballian" in Yugoslav and post-Yugoslav archaeology based on the definitions of Triballian territory byFanula Papazoglu (1978) who constructed a Triballian area which in reality is undeterminable via available data. In turn, archaeologists of that era in Yugoslavia began to categorize all finds in the area defined asTriballian by Papazoglu as artifacts of the Triballi tribe.[19] Based on Papazoglu, a periodization of Triballian finds was proposed: Proto-Triballian (1300–800 BC), Early Triballian (800–600 BC), Triballian (600–335 BC) and period from 335 BC until Roman conquest.[14]
The term "Triballians" appears frequently in Byzantine and other European works of the Middle Ages, referring toSerbs, as the Byzantines sought to create an ancient name for the Serbs.[20][21][22][23][24][25] Some of these authors clearly explain that "Triballian" is synonym to "Serbian".[26][27][28][29][30] For example,Niketas Choniates (or Acominatus, 1155–1215 or-16) in his history about Emperor Ioannes Komnenos: "... Shortly after this, he campaigned against the nation of Triballians (whom someone may call Serbians as well) ..."[31] or the much laterDemetrios Chalkokondyles (1423–1511), referring to an Islamized Christian noble:"... This Mahmud, son of Michael, is Triballian, which means Serbian, by his mother, and Greek by his father."[32] orMehmed the Conqueror when referring to the plundering of Serbia.[33]
Mihailo Vojislavljević succeeded asKnez of "Duklja" in 1046, or as his realm was called by contemporaryCedrenus:"Triballorum ac Serborum principatum".[34] According toGeorge Kedrenos (fl. 1050s) andJohn Skylitzes (fl. 1057), he was thePrince of Triballians and Serbs (Τριβαλλών και Σέρβων...αρχηγός[35]/ Τριβαλλῶν καὶ Σέρβων...ἀρχηγός).[36]
In the 15th century, a coat of arms of "Tribalia", depicting a wild boar with an arrow pierced through the head (seeBoars in heraldry), appeared in the supposed coat of arms of EmperorStefan Dušan 'the Mighty' (r. 1331–1355).[37] The motif had, in 1415, been used as the coat of arms of theSerbian Despotate and is recalled in one ofStefan Lazarević's personal Seals, according to the paperСабор у Констанци.[38]Pavao Ritter Vitezović also depicts "Triballia" with the same motif in 1701[39] andHristofor Zhefarovich again in 1741.[40]
Marin Barleti (1450–1513), wrote in his biography ofSkanderbeg (published between 1508 and 1510), that father of Skanderbeg's motherVoisava was a "Triballian nobleman" (paternobilissimus Triballorum princeps).[41] In another chapter, when talking about the inhabitants of UpperDebar that defended Svetigrad, he calls them "Bulgarians or Triballi" (Bulgari sive Tribali habitant).[42]
With the beginning of theFirst Serbian Uprising, the Parliament adopted the Serbian coat of arms in 1805, their official seal depicted theheraldic emblems of Serbia and Tribalia.[43]
Even though the two names were used as synonyms by some Byzantine sources and certain heraldic inheritance, Serbian official historiography does not equalate the Serbs and the Triballi, nor does it fabricate a cultural continuity between the two.[14]
Tribals and Tribalia are often identified in a historical context with Serbs and Serbia, as these interpretations refer only toLaonikos Chalkokondyles of the 15th century, who often resorted to archaisms in his historical writings that have come down to us (Mizi, Illyrians, etc.) to indicate the subjects of the individual rulers, without attaching ethnic meaning to their content.
Marin Barleti (1450–1513), wrote in his biography ofSkanderbeg (published between 1508 and 1510), that father of Skanderbeg's motherVoisava was a "Triballian nobleman" (paternobilissimus Triballorum princeps).[41] In another chapter, when talking about the inhabitants of UpperDebar that defended Svetigrad, he calls them "Bulgarians or Triballi" (Bulgari sive Tribali habitant).[44] In Barleti's work Triballian is used as a synonym for Bulgarians.[45]
InRomania, "Tribalia" refers to theTimok Valley region split between Serbia and Bulgaria in which the Romanian-speakingVlachs live.[46]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Triballi".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 261.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)The Triballi lived deep in the interior of the Balkan Peninsula, between the lower course of the Southern Morava and the ... many centuries later, learned Byzantine writers, seeking the ancient name for the Serbs, chose the term Triballi as the ...
The Serbs were often called Triballi by Byzantine authors.
Τριβαλλών και Σέρβων
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