BESSOI
(THRACE)
Tribal
Kingdom of the Bessoi (Thrace) :
The
Thracian tribe of the Bessoi (or sometimes the Bessi) existed between
the fifth and first centuries BC. The tribe occupied an area of
the Rhodopi Mountains and the northern foothill mountain plain on
the upper and middle streams of the River Maritsa (the ancient Hebros),
and the adjoining mountain hinterland, all of which is in modern
southern-central Bulgaria. Other tribes around them included the
Odrissae (of which the kingdoms of Astean and Sapes appear to have
been part), none of which were entirely under Roman control once
Thrace had been incorporated into the province of Macedonia in 146
BC.
Thanks
to Herodotus, the somewhat erratic 'father of history', and to archaeological
finds, it is clear that the Bessoi possessed a stable political
organisation as early as the fifth century BC. Herodotus says 'The
Satrai, as far as I know, were never conquered by anyone and are
the only ones of the Thracians who continue to be free until today;
they live high in the mountains covered with all kinds of forests
and snow, and they are excellent warriors; among the Satrai, they
engage with prognostications in the sanctuary, a priestess tells
the predictions as in Delphi - there is nothing different.' Herodotus
fails to reveal which 'highest mountain' is discussed, whether it
was Rhodopi, Rila, Pirin or Pangaion, even though most scholars
consider it to be the Rhodopi.
Gradually
the name Bessoi - the name of the clan from which the priests and
priestess were drawn - replaced the name Satrai. It seems that the
Bessoi were a constituent tribe of the Satrai, and perhaps achieved
dominance within that collective, thereby giving their name to the
entire people over time. That would have been easier than expected,
given that the tribe disappeared from history for a period of about
three hundred years from 346 BC. By the time they were recorded
again, the transformation was complete.
(Information
by Peter Kessler, with additional by Edward Dawson, from Continuity
and Innovation in Religion in the Roman West, R Haeussler, Anthony
C King & Phil Andrews, from Liber Prodigiorum, Julius Obsequens,
from Periocha, Livy, from Res Gestae, Ammianus Marcellinus, from
Valerius Maximus, Pseudo-Quintilian, and Paulus Orosius, from Epitome
of Roman History, Florus, from Historia Romana, Cassius Dio, from
Flavius Eutropius, from Strategemata, Frontinius, from 'Breviary',
Sextus Festus, from St Jerome Emiliani (Hieronymus), from Getica,
Jordanes, from Archaeology in Gela and The Celts in Macedonia and
Thrace, G Kazarov, from The Origin of the Gundestrup Cauldron, Antiquity,
Vol 61, 1987, A K Bergquist & T Taylor, from The Getae in Southern
Dobruja in the Period of the Roman Domination: Archaeological Aspects,
S Torbatov, and from External Links: Journal of Celtic Studies in
Eastern Europe and Asia-Minor, and Scordisci Swords From Northwestern
Bulgaria, and The Illyrian Wars, Appian (Livius.org).)
c.525
- 500 BC :
The Bessoi nobles of the plains are laid to rest in a rich necropolis
during this quarter of the sixth century BC. The necropolis is located
near the village of Duvanlii, in the Plovdiv region of modern southern-central
Bulgaria. The rich funerals indicate that these Bessoi have a differentiated
dynastic house as well as trade contacts with the Aegean, the Marmara
and the Anatolian coast.
![Gradishte fortress](Thrace_Gela01_full.jpg)
The
fortress at Gradishte was Thracian, seemingly lying at the heart
of the Bessoi territory in Rhodopi Mountains and the northern foothill
mountain plain on the upper and middle streams of the River Maritsa
490
BC :
In response to the Athenian support of revolts by Salamis and the
Ionians, Darius I leads a Persian invasion of mainland Greece. Athens
is sacked, but only after its citizens withdraw safely, and subsequently
the invaders are defeated by Athens and Plataea at the Battle of
Marathon in August or September of the year.
480
- 479 BC :
Invading
Greece in 480 BC, the Persians subdue the Thracian tribes, and they
join his forces, all except the Satrai, precursors to the Bessoi,
who refuse to succumb. Then the vast army of the Persian King Xerxes
makes its way southwards and is swiftly engaged by Athens and Sparta
in the Vale of Tempe. The Persians are subsequently stymied by a
mixed force of Greeks led by Sparta at Thermopylae. Athens, as the
leader of the coalition of city states known as the Delian League,
then defeats the Persian navy at Salamis, and after Xerxes returns
home, his army is decisively defeated at the Battle of Plataea and
is kicked out of Greece.
fl
c.460s BC :
Skythodokos
: Probable
ruler of the Bessoi from the plain.
The name of Skythodokos is found among a group of the Thracian royal
names, engraved on a massive golden ring found in the Big Mound
near the village of Divanlii (now in the Plovdiv region in southern-central
Bulgaria). The find is dated to the period shortly before the middle
fifth century BC. A horseman - the typical personification of a
king - is also depicted in the relief.
c.450
- 430 BC :
At some point around the middle of the fifth century, the territory
of the Bessoi of the plains is subjugated by the newly founded Odrysian
kingdom. Subsequently, the second Odrysian king, Sitalces, gradually
enlarges his subordinate territories on the Maritsa river valley
and transforms the region of the Bessoi plains in a territory that
is controlled by him.
429
BC :
The mountain Bessoi inhabiting the Rhodopi Mountains retain their
independence. Some of them now join the Odrysian army of Sitalces
in his campaign against Macedonia, most likely for the expected
spoils.
352
- 346 BC :
The Bessoi stubbornly assert their independence during the invasion
of Philip II of Macedonia into Thrace. He gains ascendancy until
about 346 BC. Over the course of the following three years the long-reigning
Odrysian King Cersobleptes throws off Macedonian control. It seems
that he still either shares power with multiple minor kings (such
as the Bessoi), or is over-king of the entire region, which is still
highly tribal. Following this event, the Bessoi disappear from the
historical record for the best part of three centuries.
119/117
BC :
Although generally ascribed to 119 BC, Kazarov places this event
in 117 BC. After a general period of peace lasting for more than
fifteen years, the Celtic Scordisci manage to push all the way through
the Roman defences, reaching the Aegean coast. The Roman governor
of Macedonia, Pompeius, is killed during an attack on Argos. A force
led by Quaestor Marcus Annius finally ends their adventure, pushing
them back. A subsequent attack by the Scordisci together with the
Thracian Maedi tribe is also repulsed.
The involvement of the Maedi tribe in the second attack marks the
beginning of a new, more widespread involvement in the frequent
campaigns between Romans and barbarians. While the Celts in Thrace
and the lower Balkans continue to offer the biggest threat to Roman
expansion, the native Balkan tribes frequently support them, especially
the Bastarnae, Dardani, and the free Thracian tribes (the Bessoi,
Denteletes, Maedi, and Triballi). It takes this Macedonian raid
to make Rome fully aware of the severity of the threat to its security
in the region.
109
BC :
Retaliation is delivered by Rome when a Roman army enters Thrace
under the command of Marcus Minucius Rufus. According to several
Roman writers and also an inscription at Delphi (which is probably
ordered by Rufus himself), both the Scordisci and the Bessoi tribe
are defeated. The attack targets not only barbarian military means
but, in a change to previous encounters, targets the civilian populations
in a rather brutal manner. Rome triggers a pattern of increasing
atrocities in its war against the tribes in Thrace and the Balkans.
Interestingly, the campaign ignores the perils of the Struma Valley
and instead proceeds along the much more open River Hebrus river
valley (the modern Maritsa), which is much more suitable for a Roman
army. It also seems to be aimed at the heart of the territory controlled
by the previously peaceful Bessoi tribe, although it happily involves
any other tribes, especially the Scordisci. As the Bessoi live along
the Hebrus they make an ideal target without the involvement of
dangerous forays away from the river valley. No territory is gained
as a result of the raid, but it lays down a marker for the future,
as well as bringing the Bessoi back into the historical record.
To take the gloss off the campaign's success, during their homeward
march a large part of the Roman army drowns when ice on the river
breaks underfoot. The attack on the Bessoi also turns them into
one of Rome's most bitter enemies in Thrace, and forces them into
forging closer links with the Celts in Thrace.
1st
century BC :
The
Bessoi show fierce opposition to the Roman invaders. While perhaps
placated to an extent between the mid-second century BC and the
mid-first century BC, it is the murder of Rabokentus that inflames
Bessoi hatred against the Romans.
fl
57 - 55 BC :
Rabokentus
: Mentioned
by Cicero. Murdered.
55
BC :
Rabokentus is mentioned by Cicero in relation to action that is
taken by the Roman governor of Macedonia, Lucius Calpurnius Piso,
to suppress unrest in the province. Rabokentus is murdered by Piso
after the latter accepts a bribe from Kotys II of the Astean, a
typical example of Roman officials playing off the native leaders
against one another.
42
BC :
During his reign, Raskouporis of Sapes has already granted assistance
to both Pompey and Caesar during their struggle for power. Now,
immediately after the murder of Julius Caesar, he supports the Roman
republican faction under Brutus and Cassius against Mark Antony
and Octavian. In return, Brutus and Cassius lead campaigns against
the tribal Bessoi in the highlands in defence of their allies.
35
- 33 BC :
Appian's account of the Illyrian Wars proves highly useful
in documenting the fall of several Illyrian tribes, but also that
of the Bessoi themselves. Prior to conquering the eastern Tauriscan
tribes between 35-33 BC, Octavian defeats several other tribes in
the region, including the Cambaei, Cinambri, Bathiatae, Meromenni,
Oxuaioi, Perthoneatae, Pyrissaei, and the Taulantii in one campaign.
By
more prolonged effort he also overcomes the Docleatae, the Carui,
the Interphrourinoi, the Narensi, the Glintidiones, and the Taurisci.
From these tribes he exacts the tributes that they have been failing
to pay. When these are conquered, the Hippasini and the Bessoi,
neighbouring tribes, are overcome by fear and surrender themselves
to him.
28
BC :
Dio Cassius Cocceianus reports that Marcus Licinius Crassus, governor
of Macedonia, undertakes a punitive expedition against the Thracians
in southern Bulgaria, mainly against the Bessoi. The ancient sanctuary
of Dionysos, described by Herodotus, is captured, taken away from
the Bessoi priests and priestesses, and delivered to the Astean,
who are Roman allies. The Bessoi do not accept the settling of these
Odrysian Thracians in their ancient sanctuary and revolt. This first
uprising is quickly suppressed.
c.15
- 11 BC :
Vologeses
: Dionysian
priest and leader of an uprising. Fate unknown.
15
- 11 BC :
Vologeses is a Dionysian priest (and possible king) who leads his
fellow mountain Bessoi in one of the most prolonged uprisings against
the Romans. Their initial aim is to free and re-conquering the sanctuary
of Dionysos. Other Thracians join the uprising, and it quickly grows
into a storm. Dio Cassius relates that a number of regions in Thrace
are ravaged and the Odrysians of Astean are persecuted by the revolting
Bessoi. Raskouporis II of Astean is killed and his relative, Roimitalkes
I of Sapes, is forced to seek protection from the Romans.
![Roman Plovdiv](Roman_Plovdiv01_full.jpg)
Following
the destruction of the Bessoi, the Plovdiv region of modern Bulgaria
witnessed a golden age of Roman monumental building and civilisation
To
suppress the uprising, the Romans receive help from Pamphylia, and
manage to quell the revolting Bessoi by drowning the country in
blood and fire. After the rout, some Bessoi are sold as slaves while
others are expatriated to Dobruja (today in north-east Bulgaria).
Contemporary writers curse the Bessoi as 'the most savage' and 'the
cruellest' Thracian tribe due to their fierce resistance. Simultaneously,
the Bessoi become a common noun for bellicose and rebellious Thracians,
and after the third century AD the name is used for all Thracians
for a time.
Source
:
https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/
KingListsEurope/
GreeceThraceBessoi.htm