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The Thracian language (/ˈθreɪʃən/) is an extinct and poorly attested language, spoken in ancient times in Southeast Europe by the Thracians. The linguistic affinities of the Thracian language are poorly understood, but it is generally agreed that it was an Indo-European language with satem features.

Thracian
Region	Bulgaria, European Turkey, parts of Southern Serbia, parts of the region of Macedonia (including Paeonia), regions in Northern Greece, small parts of Albania, parts of Romania, parts of Bithynia in Anatolia. Probably also spoken in parts of Dardania.
Extinct	6th century AD[1]
Language family	Indo-European (?) Daco-Thracian Thracian
Writing system	Greek
Language codes
ISO 639-3	txh
Linguist List	txh
Glottolog	thra1250

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A contemporary, neighboring language, Dacian is usually regarded as closely related to Thracian. However, there is insufficient evidence with respect to either language to ascertain the nature of this relationship.

The point at which Thracian became extinct is a matter of dispute. However, it is generally accepted that Thracian was still in use in the 6th century AD: Antoninus of Piacenza wrote in 570 that there was a monastery in the Sinai, at which the monks spoke Greek, Latin, Syriac, Egyptian, and Bessian – a Thracian dialect.[2][3][4][5]

Other theories about Thracian remain controversial. A classification put forward by some linguists, such as Harvey Mayer, suggests that Thracian (and Dacian) belonged to the Baltic branch of Indo-European, or at least is closer to Baltic than any other Indo-European branch.[6] However, this theory has not achieved the status of a general consensus among linguists. These are among many competing hypotheses regarding the classification and fate of Thracian.[7]

Geographic distribution

The Thracian language or languages were spoken in what is now Bulgaria,[8][9] Romania, North Macedonia, Northern Greece, European Turkey and in parts of Bithynia (North-Western Asiatic Turkey).

Modern-day Eastern Serbia is usually considered by paleolinguists to have been a Daco-Moesian language area. Moesian (after Vladimir Georgiev et al.) is grouped with the Dacian language.

Remnants of the Thracian language

Little is known for certain about the Thracian languages, since no phrase beyond a few words in length has been satisfactorily deciphered, and the sounder decipherments given for the shorter phrases may not be completely accurate. Some of the longer inscriptions may indeed be Thracian in origin but they may not reflect actual Thracian language sentences, but rather jumbles of names or magical formulas.[10]

Enough Thracian lexical items have survived to show that Thracian was a member of the Indo-European language family and that it was a satemized language by the time it is attested. Besides the aforementioned inscriptions, Thracian is attested through personal names, toponyms, hydronyms, phytonyms, divine names, etc. and by a small number of words cited in Ancient Greek texts as being specifically Thracian.[11]^{[unreliable source?]}

Other ancient Greek lexical items were not specifically identified as Thracian by the ancient Greeks but are hypothesized by paleolinguists as being or probably being of Thracian origin. Other lexical items are hypothesized on the basis of local anthroponyms, toponyms, hydronyms, oronyms, etc. mentioned in primary sources (see also List of ancient cities in Thrace and Dacia, List of Dacian plant names).

Below is a table showing both words cited as being Thracian in classical sources, and lexical elements that have been extracted by paleolinguists from Thracian anthroponyms, toponyms, etc. In this table the closest cognates are shown, with an emphasis on cognates in Bulgarian, Albanian, Baltic, Slavic, Greek, and substratum and/or old-layer words in the Eastern Romance languages: Romanian, Aromanian, et cetera. See also the List of reconstructed Dacian words.

Significant cognates from any Indo-European language are listed. However, not all lexical items in Thracian are assumed to be from the Proto-Indo-European language, some non-IE lexical items in Thracian are to be expected.

There are 23 words mentioned by ancient sources considered explicitly of Thracian origin and known meaning.[12]

Word	Meaning	Attested by	Cognates
ἄσα (asa)	colt’s foot (Bessi)	Dioskurides	Lit. dial. asỹs ‘horse-tail, Equisetum’, Latv. aši, ašas ‘horse-tail, sedge, rush’
βόλινθος (bólinthos)	aurochs, European bison	Aristotle	Proto-Slavic *volъ ("ox"). Pre-Greek, according to Beekes 2010: 225.
βρία (bría)	unfortified village	Hesychius, compare the Toponyms Πολτυμβρία, Σηλυ(μ)μβρία, and Βρέα in Thrace.	Compared to Greek ῥίον (ríon; "peak, foothills") and Tocharian A ri, B riye ("town") as if < *urih₁-. Alternatively, compare Proto-Celtic *brix- ("hill").
βρίζα (bríza)	rye	Galen	Perhaps of Eastern origin, compare Greek ὄρυζα, Sanskrit vrīhí- ("rice").
βρυνχός (brynkhós)	guitar[anachronism]		Compared with Slavic *bręčati "to ring".
βρῦτος (brŷtos)	beer of barley	many	Germanic *bruþa- ("broth"), Old Irish bruth ("glow"), Latin dēfrŭtum ("must boiled down").[lower-alpha 1]
dinupula, si/nupyla	wild melon	Pseudoapuleus	Lithuanian šùnobuolas, lit. ("dog’s apple"), or with Slavic *dynja ("melon").
γέντον (génton)	meat	Herodian., Suid., Hesych	Taken from IE *gʷʰn-tó-, cf. Sanskrit hatá- ‘hit, killed’
καλαμίνδαρ (kalamíndar)	plane-tree (Edoni)	Hesych.
κη̃μος (kêmos)	a kind of fruit with follicle	Phot. Lex.
κτίσται (ktístai)	Ctistae	Strabo
μίδνη (midne)	village	inscription from Rome	Latvian mītne ("a place of stay")
Πολτυμ(βρία) (poltym-bría)	board fence, a board tower		Old Norse spjald ("board"), Old English speld ("wood, log")
ῥομφαία (rhomphaía)	broadsword	many	Compared with Latin rumpō ("to rupture"), Slavic: Russian разрубать, Polish rąbać ("to hack", "to chop", "to slash"), Polish rębajło ("eager swordsman"), Serbo-Croatian ’’rmpalija’’ ("bruiser")
σκάλμη (skálmē)	knife, sword	Soph. y Pollux, Marcus Anton., Hesych., Phot. L	Albanian shkallmë ("sword"), Old Norse skolm ("short sword, knife")
σκάρκη (skárkē)	a silver coin	Hesych., Phot. Lex.
σπίνος (spínos)	a kind of stone (?)	Arist.
τορέλλη (toréllē)	a refrain of lament mourn song	Hesych.
ζαλμός (zalmós)	animal hide	Porphyr.
ζειρά (zeira)	long robe worn by Arabs and Thracians	Hdt., Xen., Hesych.
ζελᾶ (zelâ), also ζῆλα (zêla), ζηλᾱς (zelās)	wine	many	Compared with Greek χάλις (khális; "unblended wine") and κάλιθος (kálithos; "wine")
ζετραία (zetraía)	pot	Pollux
zibythides	the noble, most holy one	Hesych.	Lith. žibùtė ("shining")

An additional 180 Thracian words have been reconstructed.[12]

The proposed Thracian words in the Ancient Greek lexicon are not numerous. They include the parth- element in Parthenon;^{[citation needed]} balios ("dappled"; < PIE *bhel-, "to shine", Bul. bel/bial (бял) "white" or bljaskav 'bright, shiny'; Pokorny also cites Illyrian as a possible source, the non-Greek origin is argued on phonological grounds), bounos, "hill, mound".[14]

The Thracian horseman hero was an important figure in Thracian religion, mythology, and culture. Depictions of the Thracian Horseman are found in numerous archaeological remains and artifacts from Thracian regions. From the Duvanlii ring and from cognates in numerous Indo-European languages, mezēna is seen to be a Thracian word for "horse", deriving from PIE *mend-. Another Thracian word for "horse" is hypothesized, but it looks certain, there is no disagreement among Thracologists: aspios, esvas, asb- (and some other variants; < PIE *ekwo , the Thracian showing a satem form similar to Sanskrit áśva-, "horse", Avestan aspa, "horse", Ossetic jäfs, Prussian aswinan ‘mare milk’, Lithuanian ašvíenis ‘stallion’, ašvà, dial. ešvà ‘mare’[15]), from outaspios, utaspios, an inscription associated with the Thracian horseman. Ut- based on the PIE root word ud- (meaning "up") and based on several Thracic items, would have meant "upon", "up", and utaspios is theorized to have meant "On horse(back)", parallel to ancient Greek ephippos (epi-hippos).[16]

The early Indo-European languages had more than one word for horse; for example Latin had equus from PIE *ekwo- and mannus ("a pony") from another IE root, later receiving cabalus as a loanword.

In many cases in current Thracology, there is more than one etymology for a Thracian lexical item. For example, Thracian Diana Germetitha (Diana is from Latin while the epithet Germetitha is from Thracian) has two different proposed etymologies, "Diana of the warm bosom" (Olteanu; et al.?) or "Diana of the warm radiance" (Georgiev; et al.?). In other cases, etymologies for the Thracian lexical items may be sound, but some of the proposed cognates are not actually cognates, thus confusing the affinity of Thracian.

Inscriptions

The following are the longest inscriptions preserved. The remaining ones are mostly single words or names on vessels and other artifacts.

Ezerovo inscription

Only four Thracian inscriptions of any length have been found. The first is a gold ring found in 1912 in the village of Ezerovo (Plovdiv Province of Bulgaria); the ring was dated to the 5th century BC.[17] On the ring an inscription is found written in a Greek script and consisting of 8 lines, the eighth of which is located on the edge, the rim, of the rotating disk; it reads without any spaces between: ΡΟΛΙΣΤΕΝΕΑΣΝ / ΕΡΕΝΕΑΤΙΛ / ΤΕΑΝΗΣΚΟΑ / ΡΑΖΕΑΔΟΜ / ΕΑΝΤΙΛΕΖΥ / ΠΤΑΜΙΗΕ / ΡΑΖ // ΗΛΤΑ

as Dimitar Dechev (Germanised as D. Detschew) separates the words thus[18][19] ΡΟΛΙΣΤΕΝΕΑΣ ΝΕΡΕΝΕΑ ΤΙΛΤΕΑΝ ΗΣΚΟ ΑΡΑΖΕΑ ΔΟΜΕΑΝ ΤΙΛΕΖΥΠΤΑ ΜΙΗ ΕΡΑ ΖΗΛΤΑ i.e. Rolisteneas Nerenea tiltean ēsko Arazea domean Tilezypta miē era zēlta proposing the following translation:

I am Rolisteneas, a descendant of Nereneas; Tilezypta, an Arazian woman, delivered me to the ground.

Kyolmen inscription

A second inscription, hitherto undeciphered, was found in 1965 near the village of Kyolmen, Varbitsa Municipality, dating to the sixth century BC. Written in a Greek alphabet variant, it is possibly a tomb stele inscription similar to the Phrygian ones; Peter A. Dimitrov's transcription thereof is:[20]

ΙΛΑΣΝΛΕΤΕΔΝΛΕΔΝΕΝΙΔΑΚΑΤΡΟΣΟ[21]

ΕΒΑ·ΡΟΖΕΣΑΣΝΗΝΕΤΕΣΑΙΓΕΚΟΑ[22]

ΝΒΛΑΒΑΗΓΝ[21]

i.e.

ilasnletednlednenidakatroso

eba·rozesasnēnetesaigekoa

nblabaēgn

Duvanlii inscription

A third inscription is again on a ring, found in Duvanlii, Kaloyanovo Municipality, next to the left hand of a skeleton. It dates to the 5th century BC. The ring has the image of a horseman with the inscription surrounding the image. It is only partly legible (16 out of the initial 21):

ΗΥΖΙΗ.....ΔΕΛΕ / ΜΕΖΗΝΑΙ

i.e.

ēuziē.....dele / mezēnai

The meaning of the inscription is 'Horseman Eusie protect!'

If this reading is correct, the Thracian word mezenai might be cognate to Illyrian Menzanas (as in "Juppiter/Jove Menzanas" 'Juppiter of the foals' or 'Juppiter on a horse');[23] Albanian mëz 'foal'; Romanian mînz 'colt, foal'; Latin mannus 'small horse, pony';[24][25] Gaulish manduos 'pony' (as in tribe name Viromandui[26] 'men who own ponies').[lower-alpha 2]

Classification

The Thracian language in linguistic textbooks is usually treated either as its own branch of Indo-European, or is grouped with Dacian, together forming a Daco-Thracian branch of IE. Older textbooks often grouped it also with Illyrian or Phrygian. The belief that Thracian was close to Phrygian is no longer popular and has mostly been discarded.[28]

No definite evidence has yet been found that demonstrates that Thracian or Daco-Thracian belonged on the same branch as Albanian or Baltic or Balto-Slavic or Greco-Macedonian or Phrygian or any other IE branch. For this reason textbooks still treat Thracian as its own branch of Indo-European, or as a Daco-Thracian/Thraco-Dacian branch.

The generally accepted clades branched from the Proto-Indo-European language are, in alphabetical order, the Proto-Albanian language, Proto-Anatolian language, Proto-Armenian language, Proto-Balto-Slavic language, Proto-Celtic language, Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Greek language, Proto-Indo-Iranian language, Proto-Italic language, and the Proto-Tocharian language. Thracian, Dacian, Phrygian, Illyrian, Venetic, and Paeonian are fragmentarily attested and cannot be reliably categorized.

Language/difference according to Duridanov (1985)

Change	o > a	r > ir, ur (or) l > il, ul (ol)	m > im, um (om) n > in, un (on)	kʷ, gʷ, gʷʰ > k, g (k), g	ḱ, ǵ, ǵʰ > s (p), z (d)	p, t, k > pʰ, tʰ, kʰ	b, d, g > p, t, k	bʰ, dʰ, gʰ > b, d, g	sr > str	tt, dt > st
Thracian	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+
Dacian	+	+	+	+	+	-	-	+	+	-
Balto-Slavic	+	+	+	+	+	-	-	+	-/+	+
Pelasgian	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	+	?	?
Albanian	+	+	-	+/-	+/-	-	-	+	-	-
Germanic	+	+	+	-	-	-	+	+	+	-
Indo-Iranian	+	-	-	+/-	+	-	-	+/-	-	+/-
Greek	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	+
Phrygian	-	-	-	-	+	+	+	+	-	?
Armenian	-	-	-	-	+	+	+	-	-	?
Italic	-	+	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Celtic	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	+	-	-
Hittite	+	-	-	-	-	-	+	+	?	?
Tocharian	+/-	-	-	-	-	-	+	+	-	?

Divergent sound-changes in Paleo-Balkan languages according to Georgiev (1977)[29]

Proto-Indo-European	Dacian	Thracian	Phrygian
*o	a	a	o
*e	ie	e	e
*ew	e	eu	eu
*aw	a	au
*r̥, *l̥	ri	ur (or), ur (ol)	al
*n̥, *m̥	a	un	an
*M	M	T	T
*T	T	TA (aspirated)	TA
*s	s	s	∅
*sw	s	s	w
*sr	str	str	br

Note: Asterisk indicates reconstructed IE sound. M is a cover symbol for the row of voiced stops (mediae), T for unvoiced stops (tenues) and TA for aspirated stops (tenues aspiratae). ∅ indicates zero, a sound that has been lost.

Divergent sound-changes in Dacian and Thracian according to Duridanov (1985)[30]

Indo-European	Dacian	Thracian
*b, *d, *g	b, d, g	p, t, k
*p, *t, *k	p, t, k	ph, th, kh
*ē	ä (a)	ē
*e (after consonant)	ie	e
*ai	a	ai
*ei	e	ei
*dt (*tt)	s	st

Thraco-Dacian has been hypothesized as forming a branch of Indo-European along with Baltic.[31]

For a large proportion of the 300 Thracian geographic names there are cognates within the Baltic toponymy, most similarities between Thracian and Balto-Slavic personal and geographic names were found, especially Baltic. According to Duridinov the "most important impression make the geographic cognates of Baltic and Thracian" "the similarity of these parallels stretching frequently on the main element and the suffix simultaneously, which makes a strong impression". According to him there are occasional similarities between Slavic and Thracian because Slavic is related to Baltic, while almost no lexical similarities within Thracian and Phrygian were found.[32] This significant relatedness show close affinity and kinship of Thracian with Baltic.

The following table shows the cognate Thracian and Baltic place names,[12] some Polish and related Lechitic names from the transitional area of the ancient Veneti-Eneti along the Amber Road were added:^{[citation needed]}

Thracian place	Lithuanian place	Latvian place	Old Prussian place	Polish / Lechitic place	cognates
Alaaiabria	Alajà				Lith. aléti ‘to be flooded’
Altos	Altis
Antisara		Sarija	Sarape
Armonia	Armona, Armenà				Lith. armuõ, -eñs ‘a swamp, bog’, arma ‘the same’[citation needed]
Armula	Armuliškis				lit. arma ‘mud’[citation needed]
Arpessas	Varpe, Varputỹs, Várpapievis		Warpen, Warpunen		Latv. vārpats ‘whirlpool’; Lith. varpýti (-pa, -pia) ‘to dig’[citation needed]
Arsela		Arsen	Arsio, Arse	Ursynów	May refer to multiple etymologies: ursa ("she-bear"), अर्थ artha (arəθa) ("true meaning", "truthfulness", "honesty", "integrity", "wealth", "prosperity"), some other word derived from अश्व (Aśvā) ("horse"), or rather its back like the English arse or some combination based on selo, e.g. ("village of the honest people", "prosperious hamlet", "wealthy residences", "river of wealth"). The -a ending denotes a plural or feminine form. In Taunus there is Urselbach, originally probably Arsela (compare Ašarya near mines in Harz and Ašaperk in Vindelicia) from आशा āśā́ ("hope", "desire", "prospect") and/or aṣ̌a (the Zarathuštrian concept of "truth") next to antique goldmines of the zibythides of Bithynia, Apaša, Sparda, Sparte, Aśa and Chaldia (goldmines, e.g. near Speri) referred above known for their Golden hats. [citation needed]
Aspynthos					Latv. apse; Old-Pruss. abse; Lith. apušẽ[citation needed]
Atlas		Adula
Asamus					aśman- ‘stone’; Lit. ašmuo, ašmenys, also derived from आशा āśā́ ("hope", "desire", "prospect") and/or aṣ̌a (the Zarathuštrian concept of "truth") - the gem or any kind of [precious] stone being totally "integer", "truthfull" and "honest" not changing "itself", "equal" to "oneself", withstanding interference and passing of time, "promising" "wealth", therefore being object of "desire" from samъ, सम sam, also "hymns" were composed about its multiple aspects and "weapons" साम sām were made of it. The "weapons" of "wrath" were called in Avestan aēšma and so eventually the terminus aēšma-daēva Lat. Deus Asmodeus was born. The name Osama, Arsenius but also Arya and Siddhartha may be related. The names around the Thracian river Asamus incl. Yantra point to the presence of Sarmatians, probably Zychy (Zyx) (House of Zyx - Zy- "from" + x or Sanskr. ६ short for क्षत्रिय kṣatriya kšatrija xšaθra (Varńa caste), "ruler, authority, satrap, voivode") who were not only guards of the Solar dynasty, e.g. Iakšaku of Andhra Pradeś but also of their European kinsmen, the aforementioned zibythides known as Sperun, Spyra, Pernus e.t.c. The Yantras of Zyx or their Sindi followers carved in stone have been discovered on Crimea. [citation needed]
Vairos	Vaira				Lit. vairus ‘diverse’
Baktunion	Batkunu kaimas
Beres	Bẽrė, Bėrẽ, Bėr-upis, Bėrupė	Bēr-upe, Berēka		Bieruń, Beroun, Pěrno	Lit. bėras, Latv. bęrs ‘brown, swarthy’, Pol. apparently germanized P>B form of original Pieruń / Pěroun (sanctuary of Perun - Perkūnas - Perkwunos)
Bersamae	Berezina, Brest			Brześć, Brest (incl. Brest of the Veneti in Armorica), Brest (Dravěnopołabski), Brzózki (multiple entries), Brzeziny (multiple entries), Břest, Brest (ancient settlement), Brest (Merošina), Brest (depopulated), Brest (repopulated)	Lith. béržas; Latv. bẽrzs; Old-Pruss. berse, Pol. brzoza ‘birch’ The Breton language Brezhoneg, Pol. przybrzeżny less the przy- prefix, of the Veneti, Namnęti and their Samožony of Armorica was considered by the Norman invaders a "tongue of the Dacians", in contrast to the "tongue of the Romans" used by the Gauls and even already by the Franks. Toponyms derived from brzeg, e.g. Brzeg do not appear in the listing, however close to brzoza they may sound. [citation needed][citation needed]
Veleka	Velėkas			Łęg (multiple entries), Wieluń, Wylewa, Wysieka	Lit. velėklės ‘place in the water’, Pol. łęg ‘flood-meadow, riparian forest‘, wylewa ‘overflows, spills over‘, wycieka present tense 3rd person singular ‘leaks out‘, wysiąka ‘leaks out‘ (less intensive)[citation needed]
Bolba bria		Balvi, Bàlvis, Bolva			Lith. Bálvis 'a lake'; Old-Pruss. Balweniken
Brenipara				Brenna (Brennabor), Branibor / Braniborsko, Brenna, Brenno, Brenica, Brenik, Brennik (multiple entries), Brynica (multiple entries), Branew (Thracians among settlers), Branica (multiple entries)	Messapian brendon, Latv. briedis ‘deer’, Pol. Branibor ‘the protecting forest/woods’[citation needed]
Calsus		Kalsi, Kalsiņš, Kals-Strauts ‘dry stream’		Kalisz	Latv. kalst, kaltēt ‘dry’, the town Kalisz already mentioned by Ptolemy[citation needed]
Chalastra				chałastra, hałastra	Lith. sravà ‘a stream’; Latv. strava ‘stream, torrent’, Pol. hałastra ‘a disorderly crowd, stream of peoples, mob’, chałtura ‘an ad hoc job, unprepared performance (often of low quality), a forced slaverish work’, chała ‘substandard, poor quality, worthless’ - so the toponym may mean a "worthless stream" (muddy or poisonous water)[citation needed]
Daphabae					Lith. dãpas ‘a flood’; Old-Pruss. ape ‘river’[citation needed]
Dingion		Dingas, Dindze, Dingupite	Dinge	Dynów	Latv. dinga ‘a plant’ and ‘fertile place’[citation needed]
Dimae	Dūmė	Dūmis	Dumen	Dukla (Scythian settlement since 2nd millennium BCE)	Lit. dūmas ‘dark (for beef)’; Latv. dūms ‘dark-brown’[citation needed]
Egerica	Vegerė	Vedzere
Ereta	Veretà
Gesia	Gesavà	Dzêsiens	Gesaw	Gąsiek, Rzeszów?	Latv. dzēse ‘heron’, Pol. gęś ‘goose’, Gesia (Gęsia) in Pol. genitive ‘of the goose’, Gąsiek nominative from gęś+zasieki ‘fenced goose’, compare Gusle and Duzagaš Pol. duża gęś ‘big goose’ - apparently a certified poultry weight found among "Kassite deities". Gęsia seems to be one of the most popular IE words.[citation needed][citation needed][citation needed][citation needed]
Ginula		Ginuļi	Ginulle	Goniądz	Latv. g'inis, g'inst ‘to spoil’, Pol. ginąć ‘to get lost, to perish’, compare Engl. gone[citation needed]
Armonia	Armona				Lit. armuo, -ens ‘quagmire’[citation needed]
Iuras	Jūra, Jūrė, Jūrupis			Jura	Lit. and Latv. jūra ‘sea’[citation needed]
Kabyle		Kabile	Cabula
Kallindia			Galindo, Galinden, Galynde	Golina, Goleniów, Gołdap, Gołańcz	Galindai, Lit. galas ‘end’[citation needed]
Kapisturia	Kaplava	Kapas-gals	Kappegalin	Kopanica (multiple entries)	Latv. kãpa, kãpe ‘long mountainous strip, dune, slope’; Lith. kopà ‘sandy hill’, Pol. directly from kopa ‘heap, pile’, from kopati ‘to dig’, e.g. kop+pernik ‘dig+rock/stone’ Kopernik ‘rock digger, miner’ > Copper ‘dugout/mined rock’, Kopa is still the original Venetic name of the main mountain massive of the Hallstatt culture[citation needed]
Kurpisos, Kourpissos	Kurpų kámas, Kurpulaukis	Kazūkurpe, Kurpesgrāvis, Kurpkalns		Kurpie	Lit. kurpti ‘to dig', Pol. kierpce (kurpś) - archaic mocassinss called in Romania opincă[citation needed]
Kersula	Keršuliškių kaimas				Lit. keršulis ‘pigeon’
Knishava	Knisà	Knīsi, Knīši, Knīsukalns		Knyszyn	Lith. knìsti ‘to dig, to rummage’
Kypsela	Kupšeliai	Kupšeļi		Kutno?
Lingos	Lingė, Lingenai	Lingas, Lingi, Lingasdikis	Lingwar	Lędziny, Leżajsk, Legnica,	Lit. lengė 'valley’
Markellai	Markẽlis, Markelỹne		Marken	Marki (mesolithic settlement)	Lit. marka ‘pit’, merkti ‘dunk’
Meldia	Meldė, Meldínis	Meldine, Meldini	Mildio, Mildie		Zhemait. Melьdəikvirshe, Melьdəinəi, Lith. meldà, méldas ‘marsh reed’; Latv. meldi ‘reed’
Mygdonia	Mūkė	Mukas		Myszków, Myšno	Zhemait. river Muka, Mukja, Pol. mysz ‘mouse’ (the same in Iranian languages) is cognate rather with Moesia, another region of Thrace and Mysia across Propontis. Mygdonia is rather akin to ‘land of heroes’ or more precisely ‘land, that gives men/(heroes)’ [citation needed]
Ostophos	Uõstas, Ũstas	Uostupe, Ũostup		Ustup (part of Zakopane), Ústup, Puszczykowo	Lit. pušynas ‘spurs forest’, Pol. ostęp (regional: ustup) ‘wilderness’, ‘section set aside’, compare pustynia ‘desert’, pustkowie ‘wasteland’[citation needed]
Paisula	Paišeliai		Paissyn	Pasłęk, Pasym	Lit. paišai ‘soot’
Palae	Palà			Połczyn-Zdrój, Pelpin, Pełczyce, Poltava	Lit. palios ‘swamp'
Palnma	Palminỹs, Palmajos káimas	Paļmuota		Palmiry	Lit. palios ‘swamp'
Panion				Panewniki	Old-Pruss. pannean ‘swamp, quagmire’, Pol. panew (panewka) ‘frying pan, flash pan, socket’, compare Panis, Punics, Pan, Pan (god), Pannonia.[citation needed].[citation needed][citation needed]
Pannas			Panyen	Panewniki	Old Pruss. pannean ‘quagmire’, Pol. panew (panewka) ‘frying pan, flash pan, socket’, compare Panis, Punics, Pan, Pan (god), Pannonia..., Gothic fani[citation needed]
Pautalia	Paũtupis	Pauteļi, Pautupīte, Pautustrauts	Pauta, Pauten	Puck, Pułtusk, Puławy	Lith. putà, pl. pùtos ‘foam, froth’, putóti ‘to foam’; Latv. putas ‘foam’
Pizos		Pisa ęzęrs	Pissa, Pissen, Pisse, Pysekaym, Piselauk	Pyskowice	Latv. pīsa ‘swamp’
Praizes Limne	Praustuvė			Praga	Lith. praũsti (prausiù, -siaũ) ‘to wash’, prausỹnės ‘washing’; Latv. prauslât ‘to spray, to sprinkle’, Pol. prać ‘to wash, to beat’
Pusinon	Pusyne, Pušinė, Pušyno káimasPušinė			Pszczyna	Lit. pušynas ‘spurs forest’, Zhemait. Pushina 'a stream', Pushine 'meadows', Pol. pszczoła ‘bee’, an animal living on the meadows
Pupensis vicus(village)	Pupių káimas, Pupinė	Pupa	Pupkaym, Paupayn		Latinized vicus for ‘village', Lit. and Latv. pupa 'beans', kaimas 'village'(cf. Bobov Dol)
Purdae			Porden, Purde		Zhemait. Purdjaknisə Popelьki
Raimula			Raimoche		Lith. ráimas ‘motley, particoloured’
Rhakule	Rãkija, Rakavos káimas		Roklawken, Rocke	Raciąż, Racibórz	Lith. ràkti, rankù, rakiaũ ‘to dig out, unearth’; Latv. rakt, rùoku ‘to dig’, rakņât ‘to dig’
Rhamae	Rãmis, Ramùne	Rāmava	Ramio, Rammenflys	Rumia (populated since 6th century BC)	Lit. ramus ‘quiet’
Rhodope Mountains	Rudupe			Rudawy, Rudawy, Rudohoří, Rudnik, Ruda Śląska, Rudno, Rudniki, Rudnia e.t.c.	Zhemait. Rudupja, Rudupə, Rudupi, Lith. rùdas ‘reddish, ruddy, dark yellow’, Lith. ùpė ‘river’, Pol. directly from ruda ‘ore, mineral’
Rhusion			Russe, Russien, Rusemoter		Lith. rūsỹs (and rúsas) ‘a pit for potatoes; cellar, basement’; Latv. rūsa ‘a pit’
Rumbodona		Rum̃ba, Rum̃ba, Rum̃b, Rum̃bas, Rumbai		Porąbka, Zaręby, Rębaczów e.t.c.	Latv. rum̃ba ‘waterfall, river rapids’; Lith. rum̃bas, rùmbas, rumbà ‘periphery’, Pol. rąbać ‘to chop, to hew, to fell, to cut down’
Sarte	Sar̃tė, Sartà	Sār̃te, Sārtupe			Zhemait. Sarta, Sarti, Lit. sartas ‘red (horse)’; Latv. sarts ‘ruddy’
Scretisca	Skretiškė			Zakręt	Lit. skretė ‘circle’, Pol. skręcić się ‘to twist, to turn’ + the suffix -się ‘-oneself’
Seietovia	Sietuvà, Siẽtuvas				Zhemait. Setuva, Lit. sietuva ‘whirlpool’
Sekina	Šėkinė			Siekierki, Sieczka	Lith. šėkas ‘recently mowed down grass, hay’; Latv. sêks ‘the same’, Pol. siekiera, sieczka directly from sekyra ‘axe’ and sěťi ‘to chop, cut, mow’ - from those roots derived also the Aryan name शक, शाक, Śaka, Śāka of the ‘Scythians‘ and of any kind of ‘chopped herbs/vegetables‘ and also of the Engl. ‘Scythe‘ and everything ‘Scottish‘. Via the proto-Celto-Scythian Iakšas and Kaśśu with the help of chariots and ships of the Panis, Pany (gemstone, ores, fabrics, fragrants, ghee and pan traders) and Pany (of their western colony) those and many other words, customs and inventions (Amber, Iškur, Sugar, Mead, Chariot, Bearing, Lathe, Industry, Wrought iron...) of proto-Balto-Slavic and Indo-Iranian origin entered Mesopotamia, Arabia, Ancient Egypt, Kingdom of Kush etc., see Scythopolis. Some IE languages and dialects render शक, शाक, Śaka, Śāka as Saka, Sákai, Sacae, Sieka-, Siepa- (also variant Sierp, Serbi, Serboi...), Csaka, Caka, Ćaka (Ciaka-, Ciacha-), Čaka (Czaka-, Chaka-) related to the Scythians of Haraxvaitī / Haravati, Čechy (Czechy), Česko (Czesko-)... and Romance-Celto-Germanic borrowings (most from Magyarized version Csák) include Shaka, Shako, Sakko, Sacco, Sjako, Sciaccò, Chacó, Checo, Tchéqu, Tschako, Tschecho, Tsjech. The name Tesla (Cieśla) (‘carpenter‘) has similar roots. Another prominent शक, शाक, Śaka, Śāka name used in Sogdia and Europe, incl. ancient Thrace and Škudra is Škoda (‘archer‘).[citation needed]
Serme	Sermas				May be connected to Sarmatians, most probably to Siraces, who traded with Ancient Egypt and Syria or to Zychy (Zyx, Zichi…), Zakaryans of Armenia, House of Zik of the Seven Great Houses of Iran and finally the kidnapped by Nogais young Zych of Zychia who established the Burji dynasty of Egypt) who protected Thacians, Dacians, Kotyni, Speroi e.t.c. from the invasion of the Roman Empire, annihilated the Roman Legio XXI Rapax in battle [33][34][35] until Trajan crushed their forces. Legio XXII Deiotariana was then sent to subdue Kingdom of Pontus, Kingdom of Armenia (both partners of the Iazyges), Judea, Egypt and Nubia.[citation needed]
Silta	Šiltupis	Siltie, Siltums, Siltine			Lit. šiltas ‘warm, nice’; Latv. sìlts ‘warm’
Skaptopara, Skalpenos, Skaplizo	Skalbupis, Skalbýnupis, Skalbstas, Skaptotai, Skaptùtis			Toporów	Lith. skãplis ‘a type of axe’; Lith. skaptúoti ‘to cut, to carve', Pol. topór a special kind of siekiera ‘axe’ - a ‘cutting axe’ using asymmetric cutting edge[citation needed]
Skarsa			Skarsin, Skarsaw	Skoczów	Lith. sker̃sas ‘transverse, oblique, slanting’, Sker̃sė, Sker̃s-upỹs, Sker̃sravi, Pol. directly from skakati ‘to hop, to leap’
Scombros					Lith. kumbrỹs, kum̃bris ‘hill, top of a mountain; small mountain’; Latv. kum̃bris ‘hump, hunch’
Spindea	Spindžių káimas, Spindžiùs	Spindags			Lit. spindžius, spindis, 'clearing'; Latv. spindis ‘spark’
Stambai			Strũobas, Struõbas		Lit. stramblys ‘cob’; Old-Pruss. strambo ‘stubble-field’
Strauneilon	Strūnelė, Strūnà				Lit. sr(i)ūti ‘flow’
Strymon				Stryj, Strumień, Czerwony Strumień, Strumień Godowski e.t.c.	Lit. sraumuo ‘stream’, Pol. strumień ‘stream’
Strauos	Strėva			Strawa, Strawka (rivers)	Latv. strava, Lit. srava ‘course’, Pol. strawa ‘food, fodder’ also ‘costs, expenses’ - ’something that vanishes’ or precisely ’something that is being digested’ but also ’something that traces (a path)’, obviously names of small streams and a source of Celtic and English etymology of ‘trace’[citation needed]
Suitula		Svite		Świecie	Lit. švitulys ‘light’, Pol. światło ‘light’, świecić ‘to light’, świt ‘dawn’, Świtula ‘the dawning one’ (feminine)
Souras	Sūris, Sūrupė, Sūupis		Sure	Soła, Solina, Solinka, Wisła (Vysoła), (Wesoła)	Lit. sūras ‘salty’, Pol. direct from solь ‘salt’, (Wesoła may have a different etymology veselъ ‘merry’)
Succi	Šukis	Sukas, Sucis		Sucha (multiple entries)	Pol. suchy ‘dry’, susi (akin to Succi) is the masculine plural nominative form
Tarpodizos	Tárpija	Târpi, Tārpu pļava		Tarnów, , Tarnowola, Tarnowskie Góry, Tarnowo (multiple entries)	Lith. tárpas ‘an interstice’ and ‘a gap, a crack’; Zhemait. Tarpu kalьne, Tarpdovdəi
Tarporon				Poronin	Lith. tárpas ‘an interstice’, Pol. ronić ‘to shed, to moult‘, poronić ‘to miscarry‘, compare Perkwunos - Perun - Tarḫunz - Tarchon - Taranis. Maybe a syncretism Tar(hun/ḫunz/chon/anis)-Poron(Perun) ? Something abrupt, shocking, hard... ?
Tarpyllos	Terpìnė, Tárpija			Cierplewo, Cierpisz, Łańcut County, Cierpisz, Ropczyce-Sędziszów County, Cierpięta (multiple entries), Cierpigórz (multiple entries), Cierpice (multiple entries)	Pol. cierpienie ‘suffering, anguish‘, cierpliwość ‘patience‘
Tirsai		Tirza	Tirskaymen		Lith. tir̃štis ‘density, thickness’ and ‘thicket, brush-wood’
Tranoupara	Tranỹs	Trani, Tranava			Lit. tranas ‘hornet’
Trauos	Traũšupis				Lith. traũšti ‘to break, to crumble’, traušus ‘brittle’; Latv. traušs, trausls ‘brittle, fragile’
Tynta		Tunti, Tunte	Thuntlawken		Lit. tumtas, tuntas ‘flock'
Urda, Urdaus	Ùrdupis, Urdenà	Urdava			Zhemait. Urdishki; Lit. urdulys ‘mount stream’, virti ‘spring’
Veleka	Velėkas			Wielichowo (Pomerania), Wielichowo	Lith. velėkles ‘a place, used for washing’
Verzela	Vérža, Véržas				Lith. váržas ‘a basket for fish’; Latv. varza ‘dam’
Vevocasenus		Vàive	Woywe, Wewa, Waywe		Latin vicus
Zburulus	Žiburių káimas				Lit. žiburỹs ‘a fire, a light, something burning; a torch’
Zilmissus	Žilmà, Žilmas				Latv. zelme ‘green grass or wheat’
Zyakozeron	Žvakùtė	Zvakūž			Lith. žvãkė ‘a light, a candle’

Fate of the Thracians and their language

According to Skordelis, when Thracians were subjected by Alexander the Great they finally assimilated to Greek culture and became as Greek as Spartans and Athenians, although he considered the Thracian language as a form of Greek.[36] According to Crampton (1997) most Thracians were eventually Hellenized or Romanized, with the last remnants surviving in remote areas until the 5th century.[37] According to Marinov the Thracians were likely completely Romanized and Hellenized after the last contemporary references to them of the 6th century.[38] This theory holds the Christianization of the Roman Empire as the main factor of immediate assimilation.

A quick extinction would intensely contrast the avoidance of Hellenization at least by Albanian till the present, possibly with the help of isolated mountainous areas.

Another author considers that the interior of Thrace have never been Romanized or Hellenized (Trever, 1939).[39] This was followed also by Slavonization. According to Weithmann (1978) when the Slavs migrated, they encountered only a very superficially Romanized Thracian and Dacian population, which had not strongly identified itself with Imperial Rome, while Greek and Roman populations (mostly soldiers, officials, merchants) abandoned the land or were killed.[40] Because Pulpudeva survived as Plovdiv in Slavic languages, not under Philippopolis, some authors suggest that Thracian was not completely obliterated in the 7th century.[41][42]

See also

• Dacian language
• List of reconstructed Dacian words
• Thraco-Illyrian
• Illyrian languages
• Paeonian language
• Phrygian language
• Ancient Macedonian language
• Thraco-Roman
• Paleo-Balkan languages
• Proto-Indo-European language
• Proto-Albanian language
• Proto-Balto-Slavic language
• Proto-Greek language

Footnotes

References

Further reading

External links

• The Language of the Thracians, an English translation of Ivan Duridanov's 1975 essay Ezikyt na trakite
• Thracian glossary
• Palaeolexicon – Word study tool of ancient languages (including Thracian dictionary)

На других языках

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[de] Thrakische Sprache

Die ausgestorbene thrakische Sprache (gelegentlich auch Dako-Thrakisch genannt) ist ein eigenständiger Zweig der indoeuropäischen bzw. indogermanischen Sprachen und wurde in der Antike vom Volk der Thraker gesprochen, das weite Teile der Balkanhalbinsel (Thrakien), mehrere Ägäisinseln und einige Gebiete des nordwestlichen Kleinasiens, also der heutigen Türkei, bewohnte (Mysien, Bithynien, Paphlagonien).

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- [en] Thracian language

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[es] Idioma tracio

El idioma tracio era una lengua indoeuropea hablada en la antigüedad por los tracios en el sureste de Europa.

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[it] Lingua tracica

La lingua tracica, detta anche lingua tracia[1], trace o tracio[2], è una lingua indoeuropea estinta, un tempo parlata dagli antichi Traci, nell'area balcanica corrispondente grosso modo all'attuale Bulgaria e zone limitrofe (sud-est della Serbia, Repubblica di Macedonia orientale, Grecia nord-orientale, Turchia europea e parte di quella asiatica corrispondente all'antica Bitinia). Non sviluppò mai una propria scrittura ma si servì dell'alfabeto greco e, più tardi, di quello latino. La lingua trace nel V secolo era stata parzialmente latinizzata per cui la si può classificare come un "embrione" tra le prime lingue romanze balcaniche. Scomparve completamente agli inizi dell'VIII secolo con le invasioni degli Slavi (i quali, secondo lo storico Francis Conte, «sommersero la civiltà urbana dei Traci romanizzati con il loro numero, approfittando della scarsa protezione offerta dalle guarnigioni bizantine, al tempo impegnate nelle vittoriose campagne d'Occidente ordinate da Giustiniano nel 527-565»[3]).

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[ru] Фракийский язык

Фраки́йский язы́к — мёртвый индоевропейский язык фракийцев, входящий в палеобалканские языки. Был широко распространён в древней Фракии — области в юго-восточной Европе (на месте современных Болгарии, Северной Македонии, европейской Турции, частично — Румынии (Добруджа), Греции и Сербии), а также в некоторых регионах Малой Азии. Иногда близким к фракийскому языку считается также дакийский (гетский) язык.

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