BISTONES
Eth.
BISTONES (
Βίστονες or
Βίστωνες,
Steph. B. sub voce Βιστονία), a Thracian people occupying the country about Abdera and Dicaea. (
Plin. Nat. 4.18;
Strab. vii. p.331;
Hdt. 7.110.) From the fabulous genealogy in Stephanus B. about the founder of their race, it would seem that they extended westward as far as the river Nestus. The Bistones continued to exist at the time when the Romans were masters of Thrace. (
Hor. Carm. 2.19. 20;
Plin. Nat. 4.18.)
It should however be observed that the Roman poets sometimes use the names of the Bistones for that of the Thracians in general. (Senec.
Agam. 673; Claudian,
Proserp, ii. Praef. 8.) Pliny mentions one town of the Bistones, viz. Tirida; the other towns on their coast, Dicaea, Ismaron, Parthenion, Phalesina and Maronea, were Greek colonies. The Bistones worshipped Ares (
Steph. B. sub voce l.c.), Dionysus or Bacchus (Horat.
l.c.), and Minerva. (Ov.
Ibis. 379.)
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L.S]
