tribal confederation · Balkans and Hungary
Triballi
Origins
The Triballi held the plains south of the Danube between the Morava and Iskar rivers, in modern eastern Serbia and north-western Bulgaria, by the 5th century BCE. Greek historians treat them as one of the largest Thracian peoples, independent of the Odrysian Kingdom.
Rule and society
Ruled by kings and war leaders, they were feared raiders. In 424 BCE the Odrysian king Sitalces died fighting them, and in 376 BCE they attacked Abdera on the Aegean. In 339 BCE they ambushed Philip II returning from Scythia, wounding him and seizing his booty. In 335 BCE Alexander defeated them, and their king Syrmus took refuge on the Danube island of Peuce before submitting.
Decline and legacy
Defeats by the Autariatae and later the Celtic Scordisci weakened them. Rome conquered the region when Marcus Licinius Crassus campaigned in 29 BCE, and their land became part of Moesia.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Triballi was conquered by Macedonian Empire335 BCE
- Triballi was conquered by Roman Republic29 BCE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Triballi. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/triballi
- MLA
- “Triballi.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/triballi. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Triballi.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/triballi.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Triballi’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/triballi (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻