TRIBALLI, in ancient geography, a Thracian people whose earliest home was near the junction of the Angrus and Brongus (the east and west Morava), and included towards the south "the Triballian plain" (Herodotus iv. 49), which corresponds to the plain of Kossovo in Turkey. In 424 B.C. they were attacked by Sitalces, king of the Odrysae, who was defeated and lost his life in the engagement. On the other hand they were overcome by the Autariatae, an Illyrian tribe; the date of this event is uncer tain (Strabo vii. 317). In 376 B.C. a large band of Triballi crossed Mt. Haemus, and were preparing to besiege Abdera when Chab rias appeared off the coast with the Athenian fleet and compelled them to retire. In 339 B.C. when Philip II. of Macedon was re turning from his expedition against the Scythians, the Triballi refused to allow him to pass the Haemus unless they received a share of the booty. Hostilities took place, in which Philip was
defeated (Justin ix. 3), but the Triballi appear to have been sub sequently subdued by him. After the death of Philip, Alexander the Great in 334 crossed the Haemus and drove the Triballi to the junction of the Lyginus with the Danube. Their king Syrmus took refuge in Peuce, an island in the Danube, whither Alexander was unable to follow him. The punishment, however, inflicted by him upon the Getae (q.v.) induced the Triballi to sue for peace. In spite, however, of misfortunes at the hands of the Gauls, they continued (135-84 B.C.) to cause trouble to the Roman gover nors of Macedonia. Under Tiberius mention is made of Triballia in Moesia, and the Emperor Maximin (A.D. 235-237) had been commander of a squadron of Triballi.