Thracian allies in Athenian armies?

[Tim Haslam]

I’m thinking during the Peloponnesian war, 480BC kind of thing.

Would they be the traditional looking hill tribe kind of dudes, loads of patterns and colours on their tunics.
OR
Would they be ‘Greek’ looking at this time, more like a traditional peltast?

Ta

Happy New Year

[Basementboy]

Mostly up to you- I'm sure it varied from group to group. Certainly the Athenians were happy to take on more "exotic" units like the Scythian Archers, so it's perfectly reasonable to go a bit ham.

[Easy E]

It is not really clear if the term Thracian actually meant Thracians or was just a style of fighting, as in fighting in the Thracian manner.  Therefore, you can do whatever you have models for and want to paint!   

[Cat]

Hill dudes are always more fun to paint and see on the table!

[DalyDR]

The Peloponnesian War started in 431 BC.  Here's a link to a vase in the British Museum collection that is dated to that general period and shows some Thracians:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1836-0224-227

Of course, it might be depicting Thracians from an earlier period, I don't know.  But, it's something.

And another, this one dated to about 430 BC:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Manner_of_the_Kleophon_Painter_ARV_1148_7_Orpheus_singing_before_the_Thracians_-_three_draped_youths_%2801%29_%28cropped%29.jpg

[Triarius]

Tribal style is definitely appropriate for this period. The Thracians had a pretty savage reputation, I believe one band hired by the Athenians was infamous for rampaging and massacring a Greek town.

The Hellenized Thracian look is more for the Post-Alexander period and the Macedonian Successors.