Thracians
Since the late Bronze Age (13th–12th c. BC), the area around Odessos had been populated with Thracians. During the 8th–9th c. BC local Thracians had active commercial and cultural contacts with people from Anatolia, Thessaly, the Caucasus, and the Mediterranean Sea. These links were reflected in some local productions, for example, forms of bronze fibula of the age, either imported or locally made. There is no doubt that interactions occurred mostly by sea, and the bay of Odessos is one of the places where the exchanges took place. Some scholars consider that during the 1st millennium BC, the region was also settled by the half-mythical Cimmerians. An example of their, probably accidental, presence is the tumulus dated 8th–7th c. BC found near Belogradets, Varna Province.
The region around Odessos was densely populated with Thracians long before the coming of the Greeks to the western seashore of the Black Sea. Pseudo-Scymnus writes: "...Around the city [Odessos] lives the Thracian tribe named Crobises." This is also evidenced by various ceramic pottery, made by hand or by a Potter's wheel, bronze ornaments for horse-fittings, and iron weapons, all found in Thracian necropolises dated 6th–4th c. BC near the villages of Dobrina, Kipra, Brestak, and others, all in Varna Province. The Thracians in the region were ruled by kings, who entered into unions with the Odrysian kingdom, Getae, or Sapaeans—large Thracian states existing between the 5th and 1st century BC. Between 336 and 280 BC, these Thracian states, along with Odessos, were conquered by Alexander the Great.
Archaeological findings have indicated that the population of northeast Thrace was very diverse, including the region around Odessos. Between the 6th century BC and the 4th century BC, the region was populated by Scythians who normally inhabited the central Eurasian Steppe (South Russia and Ukraine) and partly the area south of the river Istros (the Thracian name for the lower Danube). Characteristics of their culture, weapons, and bronze objects have been found all over the region. Scythian horse ornaments are produced in "animal style", which is very close to the Thracian style, a possible explanation for the frequent mixture of both folks in northeastern Thrace. Many bronze artefacts give testimony to such a process, for example, applications and front plates for horseheads, as well as moulds for such products in nearby and more distant settlements. Since the 4th century BC the region had been populated by more Getae, which is a Thracian tribe that populated both shores around the Danube Delta.
The Celts started populating the region after they invaded the Balkan peninsula in 280 BC. Throughout northeast Bulgaria and even near Odessos, a significant number of bronze items with Celtic ornaments and typical weapons were discovered, all quickly adopted by Thracians. Arkovna, 80 km near Odessos, was probably the permanent capital of the Celts' last king Kavar (270/260–216/210 BC). Probably after the downfall of his kingdom, Celts blended with the greatly numbered Thracians in the country.
Between the 2nd–1st c. BC in the present Dobrudja land, between Dyonissopolis (Balchik) and Odessos, many small Scythian states were established. Their "kings" minted their coins in mints located in cities on the western Black Sea coast, including Odessos.
The Thracians in northeast Thrace seem to be underdeveloped compared to their counterparts in South Thrace. The people lived in two types of settlements: non-fortified, located in fertile lands near water sources, and stone-built fortresses in a hard-to-reach mountain environment, where the kings' residences were usually located. Thracians engaged in farming, wood processing, hunting, and fishing. Among their art crafts is metal processing—especially weapons, excelling processing of bronze, making of bracelets, rings, Thracian type of fibulas, horse ornaments, arrowheads. Local goldsmiths used gold and silver to produce typical Thracian plate armour, ceremonial ornaments for the horses of the kings and the aristocracy, as well as valuable pateras and ritons.
Despite ethnic diversity, numerous internal and external conflicts, and cultural differences, the populations of northeastern Bulgaria and the cities along the seashore have demonstrated stable tolerance to each other. Conservatism is easily noticed in ceramic items and in religion. The highest deity of all was the Thracian horseman, who had different names and functions in different places. Water-related deities were honoured as well, such as the Three Graces or the water Nymphs and Zalmoxis by the Getae.
During the centuries, especially by the end of the Hellenistic period (2nd–1st c. BC), Thracians adopted the more elaborate Hellenistic culture, thus acting as an intermediate for the continental Thracians.
