Hellenisation of Ancient Thrace based on epigraphical evidence

Petra Janouchová - Hellenisation of Ancient Thrace based on epigraphical evidence Abstract: More than 4600 inscriptions in the Greek language come from Thrace, the area located in the Southeastern Balkan Peninsula. These inscriptions provide socio-demographic data, allowing the study of changing behavioural patterns in reaction to cross-cultural inter- actions. Traditionally, one of the essential indications of the influence of the Greek culture on the population of ancient Thrace was the practice of commissioning inscriptions in the Greek language. By using quantitative and systematic analysis, the inscriptions can be studied from a new perspective that places them into broader regional context. I use this methodology to assess the concept of Hellenization as one of the possible interpretative frameworks for the study of ancient society. Using a spatiotemporal analysis of inscrip- tions, this research shows that epigraphic production cannot be solely linked with the cultural and political influence of Greek speaking communities. However, the phenome- non of epigraphic production is closely connected to the growth of social complexity and consequent changes in the behavioural patterns of the population. The growth in social complexity is followed by an increase of epigraphic production of public and private..