Although Thrace now lies in the lands of three states, in the ancient times it was socioculturally homogenic. If we bear in mind that Istanbul, the culture capital of Europe in 2010, was originally a Thracian settlement, the importance of XIth Thracology Congress is easily understood. The congress will host scholars from Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy. It will not be confined only to the settlements and their archaeological record in Thrace, but also include the regions such as the southern shores of the Sea of Marmara, the Asian side of the Istanbul, northwestern Anatolia and islands in the north Aegean, which were in the Thracian sphere of influence.
