Triballi
[3] The Triballi (Ancient Greek: Τριβαλλοί, romanized: Triballoí) are mentioned first in history by ancient Greek authors of the Classical period: by Aristophanes in his play Birds (414 BC) in which Triballos, a barbarian Triballian god of Thrace, accompanies Poseidon and Herakles as a diplomatic embassy, who are quite starving, meant to persuade the play's hero, Peisetairos, to end his blockade (Nephelokokkygia) preventing sacrifices – the sustenance of gods – from reaching them on Olympos; by Aristotle and Demosthenes, both of whom lived in the 4th century BC.
Aristotle writes that among the Triballi "it is honorable to sacrifice one’s life in a battle", while Demosthenes notes the gangs of "lawless youths" of ancient Athens were known as Triballoi.
[7] In 376 BC, a large band of Triballi under King Hales crossed Mount Haemus and advanced as far as Abdera; they had backing from Maroneia and were preparing to besiege the city when Chabrias appeared off the coast, with the Athenian fleet,[7] and organized a reconciliation.
[6] In 339 BC, when Philip II of Macedon was returning from his expedition against the Scythians, the Triballi refused to allow him to pass the Haemus unless they received a share of the booty.
[12] In the time of Ptolemy (90–168 AD), their territory was limited to the district between the Ciabrus (Tzibritza) and Utus (Vit) rivers, part of what is now Bulgaria; their chief town was Oescus.
Other historians and archaeologists who wrote on the Triballi include Milutin Garašanin [sr], Dragoslav Srejović, Nikola Tasić, Rastko Vasić, Miloš Jevtić and, especially, Milorad Stojić (Tribali u arheologiji i istorijskim izvorima, 2017).
[18] In Bulgaria, a male grave at Vratsa dated to the 4th century BC has been unearthed; the royal tomb contains beautiful goldwork, like pitchers and wreaths.
In turn, archaeologists of that era in Yugoslavia began to categorize all finds in the area defined as Triballian by Papazoglu as artifacts of the Triballi tribe.
[37] The motif had, in 1415, been used as the coat of arms of the Serbian Despotate and is recalled in one of Stefan Lazarević's personal Seals, according to the paper Сабор у Констанци.
[41] In another chapter, when talking about the inhabitants of Upper Debar that defended Svetigrad, he calls them "Bulgarians or Triballi" (Bulgari sive Tribali habitant).
[43] Even though the two names were used as synonyms by some Byzantine sources and certain heraldic inheritance, Serbian official historiography does not equalate the Serbs and the Triballi, nor does it fabricate a cultural continuity between the two.
[41] In another chapter, when talking about the inhabitants of Upper Debar that defended Svetigrad, he calls them "Bulgarians or Triballi" (Bulgari sive Tribali habitant).
