Thracian Closed Societies: The Power of Knowledge and the Use of Wine, Kykeon, Herbs and Music as Means of Reaching an Altered State of Consciousness

The Thracians are present in the historiography of closed societies with some of the earliest records of aristocratic male communities inaccessible to the entire society. The origins of closed societies are rooted in their religious beliefs and initiation rites. This study focuses on the scarce sources of Thracian closed societies: they were built on a clan and social principle, with initiated members preserving, developing and passing on philosophical, esoteric, cosmogonic, theogonic, astronomical, musical and medical knowledge to succeeding generations. Wine and psychotropic drinks were of great importance to the priestly class and were used for divination and reaching an altered state of consciousness. After the 5th century BC and the formation of the first Thracian (Odrysian) kingdom the power of acoustics, music, singing and chanting was implemented in the tomb architecture as a further means of reaching a mystical experience.