Between Medusa and Helios

I here are very frequent references to "cult" in the literature on religious issues. Moreover, about cult of such abstract notions as "Nature" "fertility" "rock", "water", "Sun", "death", etc. However, the cult has strictly defined parameters: the deity that is worshipped in it, the place and time of the festivity, the participating priests, the ritual (songs, dances, actions, ritual objects, etc.). Unfortunately, our knowledge about the cult practices of the Thracians is extremely insufficient from the point of view of both the written sources and the archaeological documentation. Therefore, every theory or hypothesis that tries to be based on a certain cult tends to be dubious as reliable evidence. However, this does not prevent the permanent use of that concept. It is most frequently applied when there is no consistent system of arguments for a differentiated characterisation of an event. Therefore, in most cases the concept remains blurred and does not turn into a working term. One of the most frequently cited theories in the specialised literature on Thracian studies claims the real existence of a "solar cult" among the ancient Thracians. The attempts to support it with arguments are based on fragmentary written evidence (in interpretation) or of separate iconic signs, but it has not been proven so far on the basis of the results of the investigation of an entire complex.