On Some Aspects of Thracian Agriculture

In recent years, more and more interdisciplinary studies have been brought to supplement written records, which have greatly increased our knowledge of Thracian agriculture. The analysis of organic remains, pollen curves, and the interpretation of archaeological material show a significant intensity in agricultural development throughout the 1st millennium BC, with the expansion of deforested lands and a wide presence of larger cultivated areas and pastures. Of course, it is necessary to consider the specifics of individual climatic regions and how the population of these areas adapted to the different conditions they offer. Temperatures, the nature of the soil, rainfall, altitude, and the hydrology in different regions can explain the selection of a particular crop or animal species over others. This necessitates the consideration of Thracian climatic zones separately, so their specificities can be traced. Climatic features outline several agroecological regions in Ancient Thrace – a Temperate continental zone, the Northern Coast of the Western Black Sea, a Transitional continental zone, a Mountainous zone, a Continental-Mediterranean zone, the Southern Coast of the Western Black Sea, and a Mediterranean zone. The article will present the various agricultural activities and economic strategies of these regions, and will also showcase the Thracian agricultural calendar. Interdisciplinary research establishes the existence of four seasons in economic activity. For the Thracian farmer, the agricultural year begins in autumn, with the gathering of grapes, and ends in summer, with the crop harvest. Some of the religious rituals witnessed in various sites are probably connected with certain moments of the Thracian agricultural calendar. Finally, the profile of the Thracian farmer will be examined from the point of view of societal status and gender.