192 Book Reviews / Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 18 (2012) 183-194 Lyudmil F. Vagalinski (ed.), In Search of Celtic Tylis in Thrace (III C. BC). Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary Colloquium Arranged by the National Archaeological Institute and Museum at Sofia and the Welsh Department, Aberystwyth University, Held at the National Archaeological Institute and Museum, Sofia, 8 May 2010. Sofia, NOUS Publishers Ltd., 2010, 129 pp., many black and white photographs, drawings, plans and maps. Paperback. ISBN 978-954-92566-2-8 The present proceedings contain important contributions, which provide an updated over- view and study on the Celtic settlement in Early Hellenistic Thrace and discuss the enig- matic location of Tylis, the royal residence of the Thracian Galatians, which was mentioned by Polybius (4.46.2) and Stephanus Byzantinus (640.20-21). The first introductory article “Celtic – Definitions, Problems and Controversies” by Simon Rodway is dealing with the complex debate about the existence of Celtic ethnicity and its regional distinctions. The whole issue is heavily influenced by modern political agenda and nationalistic propaganda, which is well recognizable in certain publications. While one can hardly imagine the existence of a monolithic Celtic ethnos, located in the vast area from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the West to the Balkans and Asia Minor in the East, a number of ancient historical sources and archaeological data allow us to conclude that various tribal groups who shared similar languages and material culture occupied extensive regions of Iron Age Temperate Europe and gradually migrated far beyond their original tribal territories, being designated as Keltoi, Galatai and Galli by the Greek and Roman authors during the second half of the 1st millennium BC. Simon Rodway discusses in detail the contradictory early modern and modern scholarly interpretations, constructions and speculations, referring to their political background, and he also provides a good insight into the relevant ancient records. In my view, the Simon Rodway’s article is a balanced and objective scholarly study, which is supporting neither the modern propo- nents of the “Celtoskepticism”, nor the protagonists of the “Celtophilic” trends. The second article “The Ancient Historians on the Celtic Kingdom in South-Eastern Thrace” by Dilyana Boteva is a key contribution presenting a comprehensive analysis of selected historical records. The various sources are discussed in a chronological framework, while the critical reading of the ancient texts is supplemented with epigraphic evidence and opinions by different scholars who worked on the relevant topics. The ancient authors, whose texts on the Celtic invasion and settlement in Thrace during the end of the th4 and early 3rd centuries BC are analyzed, include Polybius, Titus Livius, Pompeius Trogus and Pausanias. Dilyana Boteva successfully reconstructs the complex historical events that accompanied the Celtic penetration in the Eastern Balkans. Her article provides explicit historical evidence about the presence of Celtic tribes in the region. The next article is “Celts, Greeks and Thracians in Thrace during the Third Century BC. Interactions in History and Culture” by Kamen Dimitrov. The introduction of the article provides a brief, but very useful overview on the historiography on the Celtic presence in Thrace. A holistic and detailed picture of the complex historical events related to the Celtic invasion and settlement, as attested in the written sources and numismatic evidence, fol- lows the historiography introduction. Of particular interest is the discussion dealing with the highly disputable location of Tylis, placed in the context of the critical reading of differ- ent and controversial scholarly studies. At the end of the article, Kamen Dimitrov pro - vides an interesting and original insight into the Hellenization of the Celts who lived in © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2012 DOI: 10.1163/157005712X638708 Book Reviews / Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 18 (2012) 183-194 193 Hellenistic Thrace, based particularly on studying the iconography of the coins minted by King Kauaros. The article “Ancient Texts on the Galatian Royal Residence of Tylis and the Context of La Tène Finds in Southern Thrace. A Reappraisal” by Julij Emilov is a central contribution in the present volume. It begins with a very useful introduction presenting an overview on the previous studies on the topic. The core of Julij Emilov’s article is a critical analysis of Polybius’ text giving the information about Tylis, which is the main historical source. Julij Emilov discusses the different scholarly opinions about the location of Tylis and emphasizes the limitations of any modern interpretations, imposed by the unspecified character of the concise Polybius’ information. Next, the author deals with Pompeius Trogus’ reference to the Tyleni, an ethnikon supposedly connected with Tylis, and the relatively late evidence given by Stephanus Byzantinus. The article also contains valuable analysis and re-examina- tion of La Tène material from Thrace, particularly originating from Seuthopolis and Philip- popolis, which give a further insight into the complex multilateral ethnic interactions and cultural interrelations that occurred in the region during the 3rd century BC. The next article “In Search of Tyle (Tylis). Problems of Localization” by Metodi Manov presents another trend in the modern scholarship on the Celtic presence in Thrace. The article extensively deals with various hypotheses, regarding the location of Tylis, while it presents a reconstruction of the turbulent historical events in the 3rd century BC, related with the arrival of the Celts in Thrace and their activities in the region. In addition, Metodi Manov proposes some interesting suggestions about Tylis being associated with Seuthopo- lis, the capital of the Thracian King Seuthes III (c. 330-300 BC), and about some La Tène finds being interpreted as unquestionable evidence for Celtic occupation of certain archae- ological sites. Such proposals are challenging, but they are hypothetical and still need more solid proofs. The article “The Celtic Tylite State in the Time of Cavarus” by Lachezar Lazarov is a contribution well compatible with the previous one. The author presents a number of bronze coins minted by Kauaros and some La Tène objects, discovered in modern North- eastern Bulgaria mostly by chance. While this interesting material definitely shows the Celtic influence and ethnic presence in certain regions of Thrace during therd 3 century BC, although the finds often come from unclear archaeological context, the author’s conclu- sions regarding the location of Kauaros’ realm and the overwhelming Celtic presence in Northeastern Thrace remain highly disputable. The next article “The Mal-Tepe Tomb at Mezek and the Problem of the Celtic Kingdom in South-Eastern Thrace” by Totko Stoyanov discusses the Celtic La Tène B2/C1 bronze chariot fittings found in the tomb interior and their historical and archaeological contexts. Totko Stoyanov presents in detail the previous scholarly interpretations of these remarkable Celtic decorations, placed in a typical Thracian aristocratic tomb interior. The author emphasizes the accidental character of the discovery of the chariot fittings and the lack of sufficient archaeological evidence about Celtic occupation in the region, which heavily restrict the scholars from proposing possible scenarios explaining the presence of such a Celtic material in an Early Hellenistic Thracian funerary context. The last article “Ancient Place-Names of the Eastern Balkans: Defining Celtic Areas” by Alexander Falileyev is another key contribution in the volume. Alexander Falileyev exam- ines in details certain toponyms attested in Greek and Roman records, and identifies and specifies the Celtic place-names in the region. While the author uses numerous linguistic .