Re-use of Mounds in Thrace during the Late Iron Age

What is it about?

This paper considers three different aspects related to the untraditional use of mounds in Thrace during the Late Iron Age. The first case discusses a ritual that consists in reusing mounds erected during the Bronze Age in the Classical period in order to bury Thracian rulers or aristocrats. The author interprets such a ritual as a means to establish continuity between the generations by linking the actual ruler to the previous mythical rulers of the land (including the first ruler/forefather). In this way the ritual provided the ruler's successors with " legitimate " rights to the land. The second case focuses on possible reasons for erecting mounds that do not contain any burials. By using the mound near the village of Valchi Izvor, municipality of Boliarovo, as an example, the authors shows that in some cases the erection of a mound can be seen as a medium for requesting the protection or help from a local forefather/hero in order to overcome (or avoid) disasters that the native people had met (or were going to meet). In the third case, using a mound near the village of Bulgari, municipality of Tzarevo, as an example, the erection of a mound without burials is considered as a part of a periodical ritual aimed at calling the local mythical forefather/hero to protect his heirs by preserving their sources of subsistence. The most representative and enigmatic evidence of Thracian antiquity are the thousands of mounds covering the land of Thrace. For more than a century, they have been the subject of intensive investigations. In the present paper, I will try to analyze some observations obtained from the excavations conducted on mounds in southeastern Thrace during the last ten years, which have provided significant material and scientific results. Unfortunately, a large part of the investigated mounds has been partially destroyed in the last two decades by looters which hampers a full interpretation of all aspects associated with the erection and the use of built mounds. However, in spite of these depredations, it is still possible to assume that the burials and commemorative rituals of the Thracians living in southeastern Thrace are comparable to likewise practices as seen in the other regions of Thrace. On the other hand, one can observe some differences between the ritualism of the areas. The present paper is an attempt to interpret these differences.

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