L'Epopée des rois thraces Des guerres médiques aux invasions celtes 479-278 avant J.-C. / Découvertes archéologiques en Bulgarie

Ancient Thrace is still mainly associated with the emblematic figure of Orpheus and various Thracian kings such as Rhesus and Tereus, who punctuated the Greek mythological world. Yet this region, located between the Aegean and Black Seas, actually witnessed the rise of a powerful kingdom headed by a people called the Odrysae. Stimulated by its numerous exchanges with the Greeks, the Macedonians, the Persians, and the Scythians, the Odrysian kingdom forged its own identity around a turbulent warrior aristocracy. In recent years, the vitality of Bulgarian archaeological research has spurred a rediscovery of Thracian civilization, epitomized by exceptional tombs that convey the economic, social, cultural, and artisanal wealth of the Odrysian kingdom. This exhibition catalogue explores ancient Thrace by looking at various components of the Odrysian kingdom. On show for the first time will be several complete sets of major tomb furnishings, allowing comparison of previously unseen items with similar material found in Greek city-states along the coast.

Alexandre Baralis is an archaeologist with the Department of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities at the Musée du Louvre. Jean-Luc Martinez is the President-Director of the Musée du Louvre. Néguine Mathieux is head of the History of the Louvre Department at the Musée du Louvre. Milena Tonkova is a researcher at the Bulgarian National Archaeological Institute.