The Ancestral Apollo cult in ancient Thrace: a result of internal colonisation?

The aim of this paper is to examine the status of the ancestral cult in ancient Thrace, the identity of its dedicants and the reasons for its existence in the Thracian interior. Special focus is on the so-called sanctuary of Apollo at Dodoparon, which, according to the epigraphical evidence, held a unique position in comparison with other similar sites in Thrace. Analysis of personal names, expressions of identity and geographical connections presents the cult of Apollo in the wider Dodoparon area as a product of internal colonisation of ancient Thrace from the northern Aegean.