Ancient empire (6000 BC-AD 300) in the
Balkans, SE Europe, formed by parts of modern
Greece and Bulgaria. It was held successively
by the Greeks, Persians, Macedonians, and
Romans. The area was divided 1923 into
western Thrace (the Greek province of Thraki)
and eastern Thrace (European Turkey). The
heart of the ancient Thracian Empire was
Bulgaria, where since 1945 there have been
tomb finds of gold and silver dishes,
drinking vessels, and jewellery with animal
designs. The legend of Orpheus and the cult
of Dionysus were both derived by the Greeks
from Thrace. The area was conquered by Persia
6th-5th centuries BC and by Macedonia 4th-2nd
centuries BC. From AD 46 it was a Roman
province, then part of the Byzantine Empire,
and Turkish from the 15th century until 1878;
it was then subject to constant dispute until
after World War I.