Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/1213

 THRACIA. oF its people into Macedonia: they then sometimes made retaliatory expeditions into Thrace ; but seem generally to have made their way back as soon as the immediate object was accomplished. The rela- tion existing between the Romans and the Thracians, for more than a century after the conquest of Ma- cedonia, thus bears a close resemblance to that which has long existed between our own countrymen and the Caffres. During the years B.C. 110, 109, the Consul M. Minucius Eufus was engaged in hostilities with the Scordisci and Triballi; and, according to Florus (Lc), laid waste the whole valley of the Hebrus (cf. Eutr. iv. 27). In B. c. 104, Calpurnius Piso penetrated into the district of Khodope (Flor. I. c). In b. c. 92, the Maedi defeated the praetor, C. Sentius, and then ravaged Macedonia (Cic. Pis. 34 ; Liv. Epit. 70). After the breaking out of the Mithridatic War (B.C. 88), mention is made in several successive ye.ars of the incursions of the Thracians into the Roman provinces, and it is probable that they were acting in concert with Mithridates, whose general Taxiles, in b. c. 86, led a vast army through Thrace, and Macedonia to the assistance of Archelaus. (Liv. /;/«■«. 74, 76, 81,82). On the final defeat of Archelaus, Sulla directe.l his march towards Asia through, Thrace B.C. 84, and, either to punish the people for their connection with Mithridates, or because they opposed his passage, made war upon them with complete suc- cess (Id. 83). C. Scribonius Curio defeated the Dardani, and penetrated to the Danube, being the first Roman who had ventured into that part of Europe (B.C. 75; Liv. Epit. 92 ; Eutr. vi. 2). Curio was succeeded as governor of Macedonia by M. Lucullus (B.C. 73), who defeated the Bessi in a pitched battle on Mount Haemus, took their capital, and ravaged the whole country between the Haemus and the Danube (Liv. Epit. 97 ; Eutr. vi. 10). The Bessi were again conquered in b. c. 60 by Octa- vius, the father of Augustus (Suet. Ang. 3 ; cf. lb. 94 ; Freinsh. Suppl. cxxxv. 2). In the years b. c. 58, 57, Piso, so well known to us from Cicero's cele- brated speech against him, was governor of Mace- donia ; and, if we may believe Cicero, acted in the most cruel and faithle.ss manner towards the Bessi and other peaceable Thracian tribes. (As. 34, de Prov. Cons. 2, seq.). From the latter passage it appears that although Thrace was not under the government of Rome, yet the Romans claimed the right of way through it to the Hellespont; for Cicero calls the Egnatian Way " via ilia nostra militaris." In the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, several Thracian princes furnished the latter with auxiliary forces. Why they interfered in the contest, and why they preferred Pompey to Caesar, are matters of conjecture only. Pompey had been chiefly engaged all his life in tlie East, Caesar in the West ; and that is probably sufficient to account for the greater influence of Pompey in Thrace. (Caes. li. C. iii. 4 ; Flor. iv. 2 ; Dion Cass. xli. 51, 63, xlvii. 25). At the time of Caesar's death two brothers, Rhas- cuporis and Rascus [Z>it'<. JSto;/. Vol. III. p. 647] ruled over the greater part of Thrace ; and when the war broke out between the triumvirs and the re- pablican party, Rhascuporis sided with the latter, while Riiscus aided the former. By this plan they hoped to be safe, whichever party might be victorious; and it is said that their expectations were realised. When the power of Rome was at length wielded by Augustus without a rival, the relation of Thrace THRACIA. 1189 to the Roman state .seems to have become in many respects hke that which the native princes of India long bore to the British. The Thracian kings were generally allowed to exerci.^e, without restraint, their authority over their own subjects, and when needful it was supported by the arms of Rome. But all dis- putes among the native rulers were referred to the decision of the emperors, who disposed of the coun- try as its acknowledged lords. These subject princes were expected to defend Thrace from external and internal foes ; to assist the Romans in the field ; to allow them to enlist troops, and in other ways to exercise the rights of sovereignty. For illustrations of these statements we must refer the reader to Tacitus, especially to the following passages : Ann. ii. 64 — 67, iii. 38, 39, iv. 5, 46—51. The few Thracian coins which are extant afford a proof of the de- pendent character of the Thracian kings ; they bear on the obverse the effigy of the reigning emperor, on the reverse that of the native prince. [See Diet. Biog. Vol. III. p. 653.] The interference of the Romans in the government of Thrace was not submitted to by the nation at large without several severe struggles. The most formidable of these occurred about b. c. 14, the fullest account of which is given by Dion Cassius (lib. liv.). The leader in this insurrection was o- logaesus, a Bessian priest of Bacchus, who availed himself of his sacerdotal character to inflame the religious feelings of his countrymen. Having thus assembled a large army, he attacked, defeated, and slew Rhascuporis, a king under Roman protection ; his uncle, Rhoemetalces, was next assailed and com- pelled to flee : the insurgents pursued him as far as the Chersonesus, where they devastated the country and captured the fortified places. On receiving in- formation of these proceedings, Augustus ordered L. Piso, the governor of Pamphylia, to transport his army into Thrace, where, after a three years' war and several reverses, he at length succeeded in sub- duing the Bessi, who had adopted Roman arms and discipline. They soon afterwards made a .second attempt to regain their independence ; but were now easily crushed. (Veil. Pat. ii. 98; Ta.c. Ann.. Q; Sen. Ep. 83; Flor. iv. 12 ; Liv. Epit. 137.) After this war, the Romans gradually absorbed all the powers of government in the countrj'. Ger- manicus visited it in A. n. 18. and introduced re- forms in its administration (Tac. Ann. ii. 54). A system of conscription seems to liave been imposed upon the Thracians about a. d. 26 (/i. iv. 46). The last native prince of whom we find any mention is Rhoemetalces II., who, in A. d. 38, was made by Caligula ruler over the whole country ; and at length, in the reign of Vespasian (A. I). 69 — 79), Tlirace was reduced into the form of a province. (Suet. Ve.^p. 8; Eutr. vii. 19; cf. Tac. Hist. i. 11.) The date of this event has been disputed on the authority of the Eusebian Chronicle, which states that it took place in a. d. 47, in the reign of Claudius; but the statement of Suetonius is express on the point. It is possible that Rhoemetalces 11. may have died about the year last mentioned ; and if Claudius refused to appoint a successor to him, this wonhl be regarded as equivalent to incorporating the country in tho Roman empire, although its fonnai constitution a.s a province was delayed ; as wo know was conmionly the case. It is remarkable that Mocsia was made a province upwards of 50 years before Thrace Proi)er, its first propraetor being mentioned in a. d. 15. (Tac. Ann. i. 79; cf. lb. ii. 66; Plin. iii. 26. s. 29.) 4u 3