Jordan Iliev

Plovdiv University · Research Centre for History and Archaeology of War

This article investigates the mysterious withdrawal of Perseus in Thrace, which occurred in the context of the dramatic events in the Macedonian royal court at the end of Philip V’s reign. The available comments of contemporary scholars on this issue are discussed. Finally, it is emphasized that all observations formulated here are based solely on...

This article discusses a study by the historian Reineccius (1541 – 1595) on aspects of the history of Ancient Thrace and the Thracians. Until now, this work – part of a comprehensive exploration entitled “Historia Ivlia, Siue Syntagma Heroicvm” – has remained unknown to modern researchers and they assumed, that scholarly interest in Thracian histor...

This paper deals with the fragmentary and incomplete ancient texts containing data on some events in the border areas between Macedonia and Thrace that took place during the First Macedonian War (215-205 BC). Alongside this war, the Romans fought in Italy, which was then the center of operations in the Second Punic War (218-201 BC). Therefore, the...

In 190 BC for the very first time Roman troops passed through Thrace; this happened within a campaign from Greece to Asia Minor, which was part of the Syrian war (192 – 188 BC). In this paper the available ancient sources on this issue are collected and analyzed. The data on the movement of the army and the conducted battles are considered. A speci...

The proposed paper presents some author’s observations about the current state of research on the history of Thrace and the Thracians during the Hellenistic age. The insufficient studies on some issues are explicitly emphasized. This situation is explained by the unsatisfactory condition of the available sources, although in some cases even the lim...

In this working paper a single reference of some campaign by Philip V of Macedon is analyzed and a new interpretation is proposed. The word is found in the text of an official inscription from Larissa, in Thessaly, dated to the summer of 215 or 214 B.C. Over the years researchers have been suggesting different approaches to identify the geographica...

Хронологичните рамки на настоящето изследване са формирани от дългогодишното царуване на Филип V Македонски (221 – 179 г. пр.Хр.), чиито взаимоотношения с траките – в контекста на амбициите на Птолемеите, Селевкидите и навлизането на римляните на Балканите – не са получили достатъчно внимание в проучванията на съвременните учени. Представлявайки оп...

This article investigates the mysterious withdrawal of Perseus in Thrace, which occurred in the context of the dramatic events in the Macedonian royal court at the end of Philip V's reign. The available sources of information on this issue, limited to a few short references of Titus Livy, are presented and analyzed, as well as the available comment...

In this paper are analyzed four fragments of Polybius’ Histories, Book XIII. These fragments are short references in Stephanus of Byzantium, providing information about three geographical objects (two cities, Adrane and Cabyle, and a plane called of Ares) and an ethnonym (Digeri) in Thrace. Their original context in Polybius is unknown. However, th...

In this article presented and analyzed is an epigram from the Greek or Palatine Anthology collection (Anth. Pal. XVI, 6), that reports for a booty, won by Philip V of Macedon in result of a military campaign. This booty had belonged to Ciroadas, his children and their territory, called Odryas. The content of the text and the opinions expressed for...

In this paper are analyzed several fragmentary and incomplete ancient evidences about Philip V of Macedon’s operations on land and sea along the Thracian coast of the Aegean Sea during the period 203 – 200 B.C. It is maintained that the Thracian lands were central to the policy of the Macedonian king. It seems that in 203 B.C. diplomatic efforts we...

Книгата има за цел да представи в структуриран вид основен хронологичен и фактологичен минимум за историята на Римската империя от нейното възникване през 27 г. пр.Хр. до установяването на Домината през 284 г. сл.Хр. Последователно са разгледани всички по-съществени аспекти на посочения период, като е акцентирано върху най-новите становища и интерп...

In this paper is analyzed one record in epigraphic monument, found in the temple of Athena Lindia at the island of Rhodes. It is about a dedication by Philip V of Macedon (221 – 179 BC), which is read as follows: “King Philip: ten skirmisher shields, ten sarissas, ten helmets. On which has been inscribed: ‘King of the Macedonians, Philip, son of Ki...

In this paper is analyzed one record in epigraphic monument, found in the temple of Athena Lindia at the island of Rhodes. It is about a dedication by Philip V of Macedon (221-179 BC), which is read as follows: "King Philip: ten skirmisher shields, ten sarissas, ten helmets. On which has been inscribed: 'King of the Macedonians, Philip, son of King...

The Thracian March of the Scipios in 190 B.C.: In the proposed paper are collected, translated in Bulgarian and analyzed all of the available ancient sources about the first documented march of Roman troops through the Thracian lands. A special attention is paid to the support that Philip V of Macedon gave to the Romans; it is explained with the se...

In this article are analyzed several passages of ancient texts with limited information, which are found in works of three authors: Polybius, Pompeius Trogus/Justin and Titus Livy. Each of them separately provides suggestions for military operations of Philip V of Macedon (221 – 179 B.C.) near the frontiers of his kingdom. Proposed is their interpr...

This article presents and analyzes all of the available evidence on Thracian participation in the Second Macedonian War. It is demonstrated that contingents (lightly armed infantrymen) from Thrace fought (as auxiliaries, and probably as mercenaries) on the side of the Macedonians, remaining reliable allies throughout the war. During the war, Roman...

MODERN SOCIETY AND ANTIQUITY: SOME REMARKS ON THE ADVANTAGES OF STUDYING THE HISTORY OF ANCIENT ROME. In this article are recapitulated main arguments in support of the study of the history of ancient Rome in our country. Successively are considered various aspects, such as the contribution of the ancient Romans to our world, the close and at the s...

ANCIENT SOURCES ABOUT BESSAPARA. In the article are chronologically presented and carefully analyzed the currently available ancient sources about Bessapara. It’s noted that the evidences suggest for settlements with different status: road station (Bessapara, other documented variants: Belsufaro, Bessabara and Basapare), village (Bessopara) and for...

The author argues the need for this study with the ascertainment that there is not even a general idea of the role of the Thracians and the importance of Thrace in the Second Macedonian War (200 – 197 B.C.). Therefore, in the following lines is collected and commented all of the available information on the issue; its analysis not only raises new q...

Paola Schirripa (editor). Greci e Romani sulle sponde del Mar Nero, 2019

In the proposed paper our contention is that the realities from the history of Ancient Thrace and the Thracians must be verified in the manuscript tradition of the ancient texts. This was already suggested several decades ago in the accepted research methodology in the field of Thracology, designated as Interpretatio Thracica. However, until recent...

The following paper is dedicated to the study of ‘templum Mendidium’, mentioned only by Titus Livy in connection with the march of the Roman troops under the command of Gnaeus Manlius Vulso from the Thracian Chersonese towards the Hebrus River in 188 BCE. This toponym was located, according to the ancient historian, less than a day away from the bo...

This paper presents some examples of non-scientific corrections and replacements of Thracian names in ancient works, suggested in new and newest times only because their meaning was not well understood by the first researchers. These changes were often accepted uncritically by the modern scholars. For instance, a temple appears as ‘Mendidium’ in al...

http://riviste.unimi.it/index.php/aristonothos/article/view/6459

The focus of the article is the available information about the oracles of Dionysos in ancient Thrace. After a careful analysis of the currently know sources the author states that in the ancient Thracian lands there was not only one or two (as most modern scholars assume) but several oracles of Dionysos. The author proves this point by giving a sp...

Настоящата книга е фокусирана върху наличната комплексна информация за древните обитатели на Родопите. Съставена е от три части. Първата от тях е въведение, подчертаващо необходимостта от повече проучвания и несигурната датировка на археологическите паметници. Втората разглежда достъпните изворови данни за древните общества, обръщайки внимание на в...

In the proposed paper are collected and analyzed all of the currently available literary, epigraphical and archaeological evidences about Bessapara in Ancient Thrace (sought near the modern town of Pazardzhik). On this basis some observations on the most important issues from the history of that settlement are formulated, such as etymology of its n...

The proposed first book of the series, entitled „Rhodope Mountains as Reality in the Ancient World”, consists of 3 parts: I. Introduction Here is presented an overview of all available sources about the history of Rhodope Mountains in antiquity. They are differentiated in such categories as: - Literary dates, founded in the works of some ancient...

The author presents a systematization of all ancient sources, which can be associated with the Thracian campaign of Antiochus II Theos. As a result he thinks that there is no indisputable evidence about the connection of this king with the Thracian lands, except his coins. Presumably he never made war with the Greek cities over the Thracian coast,...

Extended abstract of PhD dissertation | Автореферат на дисертация за присъждане на образователната и научна степен "доктор"

The text states that the largest duty of the historiography to Rhodope Mountain is the lack of a systematic vision on the destiny of the Mountain and the indigenous peoples in the history of Antiquity. The proposed article is an attempt this important gap to be fill for only one period of the Mountain’s history, namely the Roman times. It’s done a...

The article is addressed to only one thematic group in Stefan Zahariev's book, which remained in the shadow of his contributions to the post-ancient history of Bulgarian lands, namely: the various data, collected by the author and their importance for the history of Rhodope Mountain in antiquity.

In the article are discussed in detail the ancient sources about the Thracian campaign of Alexander the Great in 335 BC from its beginning to the so called „peak of Haemus”. Special attention is paid on some sources, remained unknown for the Bulgarian historiography, such as a papyrus from the Hellenistic age and an epigraphic monument from Philipi...

The article presents some political aspects about the reflection of the crisis in Thrace in the time of Philip II of Macedon over Rhodope Mountains and the problems, connected with her. After a systematization of all available sources, consist of literary, epigraphical, numismatical and archaeological evidences, several observations about the speci...

The article presents an overview over the ‘Geography’ of Claudius Ptolemy and some early renaissance maps under the heading ‘Tabula Europae IX’, in which the Rhodope Mountain is presented. The information is in several fields of study classified, as follows: (1) The Information of Ptolemy, (2) The maps from the 15th century and after an emphasizing...

In the article is pointed out that if we want to know most about the Thracian policy of the Macedonian king Philip II, we must investigate first – as far as possible – the facts about its reflection on separate areas in ancient Thrace, also the differences between these separate areas and only then maybe will be possible some well grounded general...

After a collecting of all epigraphic records about the religious offices connected with the emperor’s cult in the roman provinces of Moesia Superior and Moesia Inferior, the author formulated some observations about this problematic. The most important of them is that there are some variations about these offices in the different towns. The full gr...

The author presents a systematization of all ancient sources, which can be connected with the Thracian campaign of Antiochos II Theos. As a result he thinks that there are no indisputable evidences about a connection of this king with the Thracian lands, except his coins. Presumably he never makes war with the Greek cities over the Thracian coasts....

The author is trying to present the history of the Rhodopes in antiquity looking at the works of some ancient writers. The information is differentiated in several fields of study, arranged in chronological order and enriched with new sources. The first one is about the geographical position and territory of the Rhodopes. The mountain was mentione...

The author makes a review of all the most important references to the education in ancient Thrace (arranged in several fields of study) and formulated in a nutshell some observations about this problematic. He shows (after peaces of information to social rising and influence of some legendary and real persons) that the education was in ancient Thra...