Chronicle (1966)

The Gold of the Thracian Horsemen (1976x1)

: 15, 1976

The Thracians gave the ancient Greeks their belief in life after death, the legend of Orpheus, and the god Dionysus. In return the Greeks called them barbarians. Today, as a result of 30 years' work by Bulgarian archaeologists, we can judge for ourselves what one of the greatest barbarian civilisations of the ancient world was really like. Magnus Magnusson traces the history of Thrace from Neolithic to Roman times and tells the story of the horse-riding tribal aristocracy whose rich burials and treasure troves have been found all over Bulgaria and were brought to the British Museum for a special display in 1976. Re-aired 3 May 1977