Slavic Ethnogenesis - where did we come from?

[Sarmata]

Our history is a bit complicated since there are many theories but here's one I subscribe to. Where Bulgaria is today is where Thrace used to be. Thracians spoke a separate Thracian language but Greek were also widely spoken. There were Thracians who became Hellenized by Greeks in Western Thrace and regions close to Hellespont. Thracians managed to create a substantial kingdom called the Odrysian Kingdom but that didn't last for very long after the Romans conquered the region. Fast forward a couple hundred of years, the Slavs came to Thrace, from that point, there existed a mixed population of Thraco-Slavs. We were that way until the Bulgars came with their heavily armored horses and began war with the Byzantines and eventually the existing Thraco-Slavic population adopted a Bulgarian identity.

Well Bulgarians are mixed population...I know some Bulgarians who doesn't considered themselves as Slavs what is probably true. Thracs, Romans, Slavs...the question is who were "original Bulgarians" I heard theories about their Turic-Mongoloid origin or even Scythian/Sarmatian

[Jarl]

Our history is a bit complicated since there are many theories but here's one I subscribe to. Where Bulgaria is today is where Thrace used to be. Thracians spoke a separate Thracian language but Greek were also widely spoken. There were Thracians who became Hellenized by Greeks in Western Thrace and regions close to Hellespont. Thracians managed to create a substantial kingdom called the Odrysian Kingdom but that didn't last for very long after the Romans conquered the region. Fast forward a couple hundred of years, the Slavs came to Thrace, from that point, there existed a mixed population of Thraco-Slavs. We were that way until the Bulgars came with their heavily armored horses and began war with the Byzantines and eventually the existing Thraco-Slavic population adopted a Bulgarian identity.

Actually I had a discussion here with Tabiti on the origins of Bulgarians. I cannot remember which thread exactly, but if you're interested I will look it up send you the link. Tabiti was a proponent of Sarmatian origin of Bulgarian elites, while I was aruging for Turkic origins due to linguistic and historical ties with the Avar Khaganate - Kubrat, Greater Bulgaria:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Great_Bulgaria

Thraco-Slavs indeed adopted Bulgarian identity, yet Bulgarians themselves adopted the Slavic language and blended in.

[Guapo]

Thraco-Slavs indeed adopted Bulgarian identity, yet Bulgarians themselves adopted the Slavic language and blended in.

Same story as the minority Franks adopting Latin but forcing their funny name on the native Celto-Romance people.

[Tabiti]

Thraco-Slavs...Never heard so stupid thing, really...I'm amazed there are still people who believe in that theory, after even the modern official history denies it. The only similarities with so called Slavs and "Thracians" that came is that we share the same roots of origin (Eurasian steppes). Main difference is that the so called "Thracians" just were the earliest settlers on the Balkans, while the other similar ones (including those naming themselves Bulgarians) came later.
As for mixed population, just look at our types - around 70% of the so called Pontids.

PS. Both Thracian and Scythian are terms used for various Eurasian tribes.

[Jarl]

I believe he had in mind Thracians absorbed by the South Slavic element after expansions in VIth century.

[Tabiti]

I believe he had in mind Thracians absorbed by the South Slavic element after expansions in VIth century.

Yes, this is one of the popular believes, since historians always "wondered" what happened to Thracians as one of the largest populations in the ancient world according to Herodotus. There aren't any evidences of "Slavization" as well as significant presence of the so called South Slavic tribes here.

[Crux]

I'm pretty sure that the origin of the European people is very diverse and ''intertwined'' so I think that this is more of a question of where did the roots of our maternal language first develop.

[Cail]

Thraco-Slavs...Never heard so stupid thing, really...I'm amazed there are still people who believe in that theory, after even the modern official history denies it. The only similarities with so called Slavs and "Thracians" that came is that we share the same roots of origin (Eurasian steppes).

There are plenty of similarities between Thracian and Balto-Slavic actually. They weren't Slavs of course, or even Balto-Slavs, but probably closely related to them (us).

F.e. http://groznijat.tripod.com/thrac/thrac_9.html

[Amarantine]

For me it's quite logic that Slavs assimilated all existing tribes or parts of them,Tracians, remaining Roman soldiers, remaining Celts, remaining Saxs and they mixed among them...and after Christianisation , they all stay as Slavs.

[Mordid]

Slavs come from Southern Poland, Southern Belarus and Northern Ukraine.