In ancient geography, especially in
RomanAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
sources,
Dacia was the land in
East-Central EuropeEast-Central Europe – a term defining the countries located between German-speaking countries and Russia. Those lands are described as situated “between two”: between two worlds, between two stages, between two futures...
inhabited by the
DaciansThe Dacians were an Indo-European people, the ancient inhabitants of Dacia , present-day Romania and Moldova, parts of Sarmatia and Scythia Minor in southeastern Europe...
. Ancient
GreeksThe Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in diaspora communities around the world....
called the same people "
GetaeThe Getae was the name given by the Greeks to several Thracian / Dacian tribes that occupied the regions south of the Lower Danube, in what is today northern Bulgaria, and north of the Lower Danube, in Romania...
". This region had in the middle the
Carpathian MountainsThe Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the largest mountain range in Europe...
and was bounded approximately by the
DanubeThe Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows...
(then known as
Istros) or sometimes by the
Balkan MountainsThe Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea. The highest peaks of the Stara...
(then known as
Hemus) to the south (
DobrujaDobruja, or Dobrudja , is a historical region shared by Bulgaria and Romania, located between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta, Romanian coast and the northernmost part of the Bulgarian coast....
, a region south of the Danube, was a core area where the Getae lived and interacted with the Ancient Greeks),
Black Seaur a loser!The Black Sea is an inland sea bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. The Bosporus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects it to...
(then known as
Pontus Euxinus) and
DniesterThe Dniester is a river in Eastern Europe.-Geography:The Dniester rises in Ukraine, near the city of Drohobych, close to the border with Poland, and flows toward the Black Sea. Its course marks part of the border of Ukraine and Moldova, after which it flows through Moldova for , separating the...
(then known as
Tyras) to the east (but several Dacian settlements are recorded in part of area between Dniester and
Southern BugThe Southern Buh, Bug, or Boh River is entirely located in Ukraine. It rises in the west, in the Podolian uplands, about 145 km from the Polish border, and flows southeasterly into the Black Sea through the southern steppe...
), and
TiszaThe Tisza is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It originates in Ukraine, with the White Tisza in the Chornohora and Black Tisza in the Gorgany range, flows partially along the Romanian border, enters Hungary at Tiszabecs, marks the Slovak-Hungarian border, passes through Hungary, and falls...
(then known as
Tisia) to the west (but at times included areas between Tisza and middle Danube). It thus corresponds to modern countries of
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
and
MoldovaMoldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south....
, as well as smaller parts of
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
,
SerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country located in both Central and Southeastern Europe. Its territory covers the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and central part of the Balkans...
,
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
, and
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
.
Dacians, or Getae, were North
ThracianThe ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes who spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
. Dacian tribes had both peaceful and military encounters with other neighboring tribes, such as Celts, Ancient Germanics,
SarmatiansThe Sarmatians, Sarmatæ or Sauromatæ were a people of Ancient Iranian origin. Mentioned by classical authors, they migrated from Central Asia to the Ural Mountains around fifth century B.C...
, and Scythians, but were most influenced by the Ancient Greeks and
RomansAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. The latter eventually conquered, and linguistically and culturally assimilated the Dacians. A Dacian Kingdom of variable size existed between 82 B.C. until the Roman conquest in 106 A.D. The capital of Dacia,
SarmizegetusaSarmizegetusa was the most important Dacian military, religious and political centre...
, located in modern Romania, was destroyed by the Romans, but its name was added to that of the new city (
Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa) built by the latter to serve as the capital of the
Roman province of DaciaRoman Dacia, also Dacia Traiana or Dacia Felix, was a province of the Roman Empire . Its territory consisted of eastern and southeastern Transylvania, the Banat, and Oltenia . Dacia was from the very beginning organized as an imperial province and remained so throughout the Roman occupation...
.
Name
The Dacians, situated north of the lower Danube in the area of the Carpathians and
TransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term frequently encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, are the earliest named people from the present territory of Romania. They are first mentioned in the writings of
HerodotusHerodotus of Halicarnassus was a Greek historian who lived in the 5th century BC and is regarded as the "Father of History" in Western culture. He was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
(
Histories) and
ThucydidesThucydides was a Greek historian and author of the History of the Peloponnesian War, which recounts the 5th century B.C. war between Sparta and Athens to the year 411 B.C...
(
Peloponnesian Wars).
Later the Dacians were mentioned in the
RomanThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean. The term is used to describe the Roman state during and after the time of the first emperor,...
documents, and also under the name
Geta (plural
Getae) in
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
writings.
StraboStrabo was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born in a wealthy family from Amaseia in Pontus , which had recently become part of the Roman Empire.. He studied under various geographers and philosophers; first in Nysa, later in Rome...
tells that the original name of the Dacians was "daoi", which could be explained with a possible
PhrygianThe Phrygian language was the Indo-European language of the Phrygians, a people from Thrace who later migrated to Asia Minor.-Inscriptions:Phrygian is attested by two corpora, one from around 800 BC and later , and then after a period of several centuries from around the beginning of the Common Era...
cognate "daos", meaning "wolf". This assumption is enforced by the fact that the Dacian standard, the
Dacian Dracothumb|rightThe Dacian Draco was the standard of the ancient Dacian military. It had a wolf head with the mouth open, with a balaur body, made out of bronze and it ended with some linen stripes...
, had a wolf head. The late Roman map
Tabula PeutingerianaThe Tabula Peutingeriana is an itinerarium showing the cursus publicus, the road network in the Roman Empire. The original map of which this is a unique copy was last revised in the fourth or early fifth century. It covers Europe, parts of Asia and North Africa...
indicates them as
Dagae and Gaete.
Much later, in the
Late Middle AgesThe Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe European history in the period of the 14th and 15th centuries . The Late Middle Ages were preceded by the High Middle Ages, and followed by the Early Modern era ....
, the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
used on a few occasions the term
Dacia to denote
ScandinaviaScandinavia is a geographical region in northern Europe that includes, and is named after, the Scanian Province. It consists of the kingdoms of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark...
or
JutlandJutland , historically also called Cimbria, forms the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish-German border to its south...
, and refer to several royalty from northern Europe as "of Dacia". As the term did not catch and was disused soon after its (re)introduction, normally there is no confusion with the usage of the original.
Geography
Towards the west Dacia may originally have extended as far as the Danube, where it runs from north to south at Waitzen (Vác). In the 1st century B.C., at the time of the first Dacian King
BurebistaBurebista is widely considered to be the greatest king of Dacia. He ruled between 82 BC and 44 BC. He unified the Thracian population from Hercynia in the west, to the Bug River in the east, and from the northern Carpathians to Dionysopolis...
,
Julius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar , , was a Roman military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
in his
De Bello Gallico (book 6) speaks of the
Hercynian forestThe Hercynian Forest was an ancient and dense forest that stretched eastward from the Rhine River across southern Germany and formed the northern boundary of that part of Europe known to writers of antiquity. The ancient sources are equivocal about how far east it extended...
extending along the
DanubeThe Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows...
to the territory of the Dacians. In the 2nd century A.D., after the Roman conquest,
PtolemyClaudius Ptolemaeus , known in English as Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Greek ancestry. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer and a poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under the Roman Empire, and is believed to have been born in the town of...
puts the eastern boundary of Dacia Trajana (the Roman provice) as far east as the Hierasus (
SiretSiret is a town in Suceava County in the Northeast of Romania. The town is on the right bank of the Siret river and borders to Ukraine at North....
) river, in modern
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
. Roman rule extended to almost all Dacian area; it however did not extend to what later became known as
MaramureşMaramureş may refer to the following:*Maramureş, a geographical, historical, and ethno-cultural region in present-day Romania and Ukraine, that occupies the Maramureş Depression and Maramureş Mountains, a mountain range in North East Carpathians...
, to the parts of the later Principality of Moldavia east of the Siret and north of the Upper Trajan Wall, as well as to areas in modern Ukraine, except the Black Sea shore.
The extent and location of the geographical entity
Dacia varied in its three distinct historical periods (see
History, below);
- The Dacia of King Burebista
Burebista is widely considered to be the greatest king of Dacia. He ruled between 82 BC and 44 BC. He unified the Thracian population from Hercynia in the west, to the Bug River in the east, and from the northern Carpathians to Dionysopolis...
(82–44 BC), stretching from the Black Seaur a loser!The Black Sea is an inland sea bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. The Bosporus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects it to...
to the AdriaticThe Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges. The Adriatic Sea is a part of the Mediterranean Sea...
and from the Balkan MountainsThe Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea. The highest peaks of the Stara...
to BohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Czech Republic...
, was only ephemerously (30 years) in such boundaries.
- The Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of the Italian peninsula...
Dacia TrajanMarcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan , was a Roman Emperor who reigned from A. D. 98 until his death in A. D. 117...
a, established as a consequence of the Dacian WarsThe Dacian Wars were two brief wars between the Roman Empire and Dacia during Emperor Trajan's rule. The conflict was a result of raiding across the Danube by Dacians in 86 AD into the south bank Danubian Roman Province of Moesia....
during 101–106 AD, initially comprised only the regions known today as BanatThe Banat is a geographical and historical region in Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the eastern part lies in Romania , the western part in Serbia , and a...
, CrişanaCrişana is a historical region of Romania and Hungary, named after the three tributaries of the Criş River that flow through it: the Crişul Alb , Crişul Negru and Crişul Repede...
, OlteniaOltenia is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia...
, TransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term frequently encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, and was subsequently gradually extended to MunteniaMuntenia is a historical province of Romania, usually considered Wallachia-proper . It is situated between the Danube , the Carpathian Mountains and Moldavia , and the Olt River to the west...
and parts of MoldaviaMoldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
, while DobrujaDobruja, or Dobrudja , is a historical region shared by Bulgaria and Romania, located between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, including the Danube Delta, Romanian coast and the northernmost part of the Bulgarian coast....
and BudjakBudjak or Budzhak is a historical region in the Odessa Oblast of Ukraine. Lying along the Black Sea between the Danube and Dniester rivers this multiethnic region was the southern part of Bessarabia...
belonged the Roman province of MoesiaMoesia was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River...
.
- The later Roman province
In Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of the Italian peninsula...
of Dacia AurelianaDacia Aureliana was a province of the Roman Empire that occupied most of what is today Bulgaria . Its capital was in Serdica Dacia Aureliana was a province of the Roman Empire that occupied most of what is today Bulgaria (271/275-285). Its capital was in Serdica Dacia Aureliana was a province of...
, reorganised as Dacia RipensisDacia ripensis was the name of a Roman province first established by Aurelian after he withdrew from Dacia north of the Danube River...
(as military province) and Dacia Mediterranea (as civil province), inside former MoesiaMoesia was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River...
Superior after the retreat of the Roman Army from Dacia during the emperor AurelianLucius Domitius Aurelianus , known in English as Aurelian, Roman Emperor , was the second of several highly successful "soldier-emperors" who helped the Roman Empire regain its power during the latter part of the third century and the beginning of the fourth.During his reign, the Empire was...
during 271-275.
Culture
According to archaeological findings, the cradle of the Dacian culture is considered to be north of the Danube towards the Carpathian mountains, in the modern-day historical Romanian province of
MunteniaMuntenia is a historical province of Romania, usually considered Wallachia-proper . It is situated between the Danube , the Carpathian Mountains and Moldavia , and the Olt River to the west...
. It is identified as an evolution of the
Iron AgeIn archaeology, the Iron Age is the prehistoric period in any area during which cutting tools and weapons were mainly made of iron or steel. The adoption of this material coincided with other changes in society, including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles.The...
Basarabi cultureThe Basarabi culture was an archeological culture in Romania, dated between 8th - 7th centuries BC. It was named after Basarabi, a village in Dolj County, south-western Romania, nowadays an administrative component of the Calafat municipality....
.
The
Dacian gold braceletsThe Dacian gold bracelets represent the cultural and aesthetic sense of the Dacians, an Indo-European people who lived in and around the Carpathian Mountains in present-day Romania...
depict the cultural and aesthetic sense of the
DaciansThe Dacians were an Indo-European people, the ancient inhabitants of Dacia , present-day Romania and Moldova, parts of Sarmatia and Scythia Minor in southeastern Europe...
. They were made from a gold ore mixed with very small quantity of silver using techniques that are considered by archaeologists technologically very advanced for that period of time.
Religion
According to
HerodotusHerodotus of Halicarnassus was a Greek historian who lived in the 5th century BC and is regarded as the "Father of History" in Western culture. He was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
History (book 4) account of the story of
ZalmoxisZalmoxis was a legendary social and religious reformer, regarded as the only true god by the Thracian Dacians...
(or Zamolxis), the Getae (speaking the same language as the Dacians, according to
StraboStrabo was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born in a wealthy family from Amaseia in Pontus , which had recently become part of the Roman Empire.. He studied under various geographers and philosophers; first in Nysa, later in Rome...
) believed in the immortality of the soul, and regarded death as merely a change of country. Their chief priest held a prominent position as the representative of the supreme deity,
ZalmoxisZalmoxis was a legendary social and religious reformer, regarded as the only true god by the Thracian Dacians...
. The chief priest was also the king's chief adviser. The
GothThe Goths were a heterogeneous East Germanic tribe. The historian Jordanes claimed that the Goths arrived from semi-legendary Scandza, believed to be somewhere in modern Götaland , and that a Gothic population had crossed the Baltic Sea before the 2nd century, lending their name to the region of...
JordanesJordanes , was a 6th century Roman bureaucrat , who turned his hand to history later in life.Though he also wrote Romana, a book about the history of Rome, his most known work is his Getica, written in Constantinople about AD 551...
in his
Getica (
The origin and deeds of the Goths), gives an account of Dicineus (
DeceneusDeceneus refers in The Origin and Deeds of the Goths by Jordanes to two different men in Dacia:* Deceneus, the predecessor of Zalmoxis in the distant past ....
), the highest priest of King Buruista (
BurebistaBurebista is widely considered to be the greatest king of Dacia. He ruled between 82 BC and 44 BC. He unified the Thracian population from Hercynia in the west, to the Bug River in the east, and from the northern Carpathians to Dionysopolis...
), and considered Dacians a nation related to the
GothsThe Goths were a heterogeneous East Germanic tribe. The historian Jordanes claimed that the Goths arrived from semi-legendary Scandza, believed to be somewhere in modern Götaland , and that a Gothic population had crossed the Baltic Sea before the 2nd century, lending their name to the region of...
.
Besides Zalmoxis, the Dacians believed in other deities such as Gebeleizis and
BendisBendis was a Thracian goddess of the moon and the hunt whom the Greeks identified with Artemis, and hence with the other two aspects of the former Minoan Triple Goddess, Hecate and Persephone. She was a huntress, like Artemis, but was accompanied by dancing satyrs and maenads on a fifth century...
. Dacian religion and mythology was very elaborate.
Society
Dacians were divided into two classes: the aristocracy (
tarabostes) and the common people (
comati). The aristocracy alone had the right to cover their heads and wore a felt hat (hence
pileati, their Latin name). The second class, who comprised the rank and file of the army, the
peasantA peasant is an agricultural worker who subsists by working a small plot of ground. The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district A peasant is an agricultural worker who subsists...
s and artisans, might have been called
capillati (in Latin). Their appearance and clothing can be seen on
Trajan's ColumnTrajan's Column is a monument in Rome raised in honour of the Roman emperor Trajan and probably constructed under the supervision of the architect Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Roman Senate. It is located in Trajan's Forum, built near the Quirinal Hill, north of the Roman Forum...
.
Dacians had developed the
Murus dacicusMurus Dacicus is a construction method for defence walls and fortifications developed in ancient Dacia sometime before the Roman conquest...
, characteristic to their complexes of fortified cities, like their capital Sarmizegetusa in what is today
Hunedoara CountyHunedoara is a county of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 485,712 and the population density was 69/km².*Romanians - 92%*Hungarians - 5%*Romas - 2%*Germans under 1%....
,
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
. The degree of their urban development can be seen on
Trajan's ColumnTrajan's Column is a monument in Rome raised in honour of the Roman emperor Trajan and probably constructed under the supervision of the architect Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Roman Senate. It is located in Trajan's Forum, built near the Quirinal Hill, north of the Roman Forum...
and in the account of how Sarmizegetusa was defeated by the Romans. The Romans identified and destroyed the water aqueducts or
pipelinesPipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquid and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air have also been used....
of the Dacian capital, only thus being able to end the long siege of Sarmizegetusa.
Greek and Roman chroniclers record the defeat and capture of
LysimachusFor other uses, see Lysimachus Lysimachus was a Macedonian officer and diadochus of Alexander the Great, who became a basileus in 306 BCE, ruling Thrace, Asia Minor andMacedonia.-Early career:Lysimachus was born in 362/361 BC, the son of the Thessalian Agathocles from Crannon...
in the 3rd century BC by the Getae (Dacians) ruled by
DromiheteDromichaetes was ruler of the Getae on both sides of the lower Danube around 300 BC. His capital was named Helis and Romanian historians traditionally located it somewhere in the Romanian Plain...
, their military strategy, and the release of Lysimachus following a debate in the assembly of the Getae.
The cities of the Dacians were known as
-dava,
-deva,
-δαυα ("-dawa" or "-dava",
Anc. Gk.Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic , Classical , and Hellenistic periods of ancient Greece and the ancient world. It is predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
),
-δεβα ("-deva", Byz. Gk.) or
-δαβα ("-dava", Byz. Gk.), etc. . A list of Dacian davas
1 and, more actual,
at SOLTDM:
- In Dacia: Acidava, Argedava
Argedava was the capital of Burebista's Dacian kingdom. Modern Costeşti is located near ancient Argedava....
, Burridava, Dokidava, Carsidava, Clepidava, Cumidava, Marcodava, Netindava, Patridava, PelendavaCraiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube . Craiova is the chief...
, *Perburidava, Petrodaua, Piroboridaua, Rhamidaua, Rusidava, Sacidava, Sangidava, Setidava, Singidava, , Tamasidava, Utidava, Zargidava, Ziridava, Sucidava – 26 names altogether.
- In Lower Moesia (the present Northern Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
) and Scythia minor (Dobrudja): Aedeba, *Buteridava, *Giridava, Dausadava, Kapidaua, Murideba, Sacidava, Scaidava (Skedeba), Sagadava, Sukidaua (Sucidava) – 10 names in total.
- In Upper Moesia (the districts of Nish, Sofia, and partly Kjustendil): Aiadaba, Bregedaba, Danedebai, Desudaba, Itadeba, Kuimedaba, Zisnudeba – 7 names in total.
Gil-doba, a village in Thracia, of unknown location.
Thermi-daua, a town in
DalmatiaDalmatia , is a region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and is situated in modern Croatia. It spreads between the island of Rab in the northwest and the Bay of Kotor, in Montenegro, in the southeast...
. Probably a Grecized form of
*Germidava.
Pulpu-deva, (Phillipopolis) today
PlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, with a population of 380,312. Known in ancient times as Philippoupolis, it is the administrative center of Plovdiv Province in southern Bulgaria and three municipalities and Bulgaria's Yuzhen tsentralen planning region , as well as the...
in
BulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a country in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe. Bulgaria borders five other countries: Romania to the north , Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Greece and Turkey to the south...
.
Occupations
The chief occupations of Dacians were
agricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
, apiculture,
viticultureViticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
,
livestockLivestock are one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food or fiber, or labor...
,
ceramicsIn art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery, so excluding glass and also mosaic, normally made from glass tesserae...
and metal working. The Roman province Dacia is represented on Roman
SestertiusThe sestertius, or sesterce, was an ancient Roman coin. During the Roman Republic it was a small, silver coin issued only on rare occasions...
(coin) as a woman seated on a rock, holding aquila, a small child on her knee holding ears of grain, and a small child seated before her holding grapes.
They also worked the gold and silver mines of
TransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term frequently encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. They carried on a considerable outside trade, as is shown by the number of foreign coins found in the country (see also
Decebalus TreasureThe Decebalus Treasure is a legendary story written by Dio Cassius concerning events said to have happened in the Roman world in the second century AD.-The story:...
).
Commercial relations flourished for centuries, first with the Greeks, then with Romans, as we can find even today an impressive collection of gold currency used in various periods of Dacian history. The first coins produced by the Geto-Dacians were imitations of silver coins of the Macedonian kings Philip II and Alexander III (the Great). Early in the 1st century BC, the Dacians replaced these with silver denarii of the Roman Republic, both official coins of Rome exported to Dacia and locally made imitations of them.
Language
Some historians consider Dacian language to be a dialect of, or the same language as
ThracianThe Thracian language was the Indo-European language spoken in ancient times by the Thracians in South-Eastern Europe.-Geographic distribution:...
. Others consider that Dacian and Illyrian form regional varieties (dialects) of a common language. (Note: Tracians inhabited modern southern Bulgaria and northern Greece. Illyrians lived in modern Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Croatia.)
Political entities
The migrations of the fore bearers of
Ancient GreeceAncient Greece is the civilisation belonging to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca. 1100 BC and the Dorian invasion, to 146 BC and the Roman conquest of Greece after the Battle of Corinth. It is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the...
(ca. 750 BC— or earlier) most likely originated at least in part from periodic swelled populations in the easy living found in the fertile plains of the region. Such migrations were in mythological times, and well before historical records. It is likely that trade with communities along the
DanubeThe Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe's second longest river after the Volga.The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows...
via the
Black seaur a loser!The Black Sea is an inland sea bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. The Bosporus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects it to...
was a regular occurrence, even in
MinoanThe Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. The Minoan culture flourished from approximately 2700 to 1450 BC; afterwards, Mycenaean Greek culture became dominant at Minoan sites in Crete...
times (2700 to 1450 BC).
At the beginning of the 2nd century BC, under the rule of
RubobostesRubobostes was a Dacian king in Transylvania, during the 2nd century BC.He was mentioned in Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus's Prolegomena. Trogus wrote that during his rule, the Dacians' power increased, as they defeated the Celts who previously held the power in the region.-References:*Dicţionar de istorie...
, a Dacian king in present-day
TransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term frequently encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, the Dacians' power in the Carpathian basin increased by defeating the Celts who previously held the power in the region.
A kingdom of Dacia was in existence at least as early as the first half of the 2nd century BC under King
OrolesOroles was a king of Dacia during the first half of the 2nd century BC.He successfully opposed the Bastarnae, blocking their invasion into Transylvania....
. Conflicts with the
BastarnaeThe Bastarnae or Basternae were an ancient tribal group of probably mixed Celtic and Germanic origin which, between not later than 200 BC and until at least 300 AD, inhabited the region between the eastern Carpathian mountains and the Dnieper river...
and the Romans (112 BC-109 BC, 74 BC), against whom they had assisted the
ScordisciThe Scordisci were an ancient tribe centred in what would become the Roman Provinces of lower Pannonia, Moesia and present-day Serbia at the confluence of the Savus , Dravus and Danube rivers. They were historically notable from the beginning of the third century B.C. until the turn of the common...
and
DardaniDardania was the region of the the Dardani . An Illyrian tribe while their origin, is somewhat debated as perhaps been Thracian. In 88 BC, they invaded the Roman province of Macedonia together with the Celtic Scordisci and the Thracian Maedi...
, greatly weakened the resources of the Dacians.
Under
BurebistaBurebista is widely considered to be the greatest king of Dacia. He ruled between 82 BC and 44 BC. He unified the Thracian population from Hercynia in the west, to the Bug River in the east, and from the northern Carpathians to Dionysopolis...
(Boerebista), a contemporary of
Julius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar , , was a Roman military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, who thoroughly reorganised the army and raised the moral standard of the people, the limits of the kingdom were extended to their maximum. The Bastarnae and
BoiiBoii is the Roman name of an Iron age tribe located at the beginning of their history in central Europe, perhaps in or including the regions that still bear their name: Bavaria and Bohemia...
were conquered, and even the Greek towns of
OlbiaOlbia , is a town of approximately 54,000 inhabitants in northeastern Sardinia , in the Gallura sub-region....
and
ApolloniaApollonia may be:People:*Saint Apollonia, of Alexandria*Apollonia Kotero, musician & actressPlaces:* Apollonia, Illyria* Apollonia, Thrace now Sozopol* Apollonia , an inland city in Epirus, founded by Corinth....
on the
Black Seaur a loser!The Black Sea is an inland sea bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. The Bosporus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects it to...
(Pontus Euxinus) recognised
BurebistaBurebista is widely considered to be the greatest king of Dacia. He ruled between 82 BC and 44 BC. He unified the Thracian population from Hercynia in the west, to the Bug River in the east, and from the northern Carpathians to Dionysopolis...
's authority.
Indeed the Dacians appeared so formidable that Caesar contemplated an expedition against them; something his death prevented. About the same time, Burebista was murdered, and the kingdom was divided into four (or five) parts under separate rulers. One of these was
CotisoCotiso was a Dacian king who ruled the mountains between Banat and Oltenia . Florus wrote that Cotiso and his armies used to attack towards south when the Danube froze. Suetonius says Marcus Antonius wrote that Augustus betrothed his daughter Julia to marry Cotiso Cotiso (approximately 30 BC) was...
, whose daughter
AugustusGaius Julius Caesar Augustus was the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in AD 14.
[These are the contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian after 45 BC...]
is said to have desired to marry and to whom Augustus betrothed his own five-year-old daughter Julia. He is well known from the line in
HoraceThis article is about the Roman poet Horace. For other uses, see Horace .Quintus Horatius Flaccus, , known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.-Life:Born in the small town of Venusia in the border region between Apulia and Lucania...
(
Occidit Daci Cotisonis agmen, Odes, III. 8. 18).
The Dacians are often mentioned under Augustus, according to whom they were compelled to recognise Roman supremacy. However they were by no means subdued, and in later times to maintain their independence they seized every opportunity of crossing the frozen Danube during the winter and ravaging the Roman cities in the province of
MoesiaMoesia was an ancient region and Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River...
.
Roman conquest
TrajanMarcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, commonly known as Trajan , was a Roman Emperor who reigned from A. D. 98 until his death in A. D. 117...
turned his attention to Dacia, an area north of Macedon and Greece and east of the Danube that had been on the Roman agenda since before the days of Caesar when they had beaten a Roman army at the Battle of Histria. In 85, the Dacians had swarmed over the Danube and pillaged Moesia and initially defeated an army the Emperor Domitian sent against them, but the Romans were victorious in the Battle of Tapae in 88 AD and a truce was drawn up.
From AD85 to AD89, the Dacians (under
DecebalusDecebalus or "The Brave One" was a king of Dacia
) were engaged in two wars with the Romans.
In AD87, the Roman troops under Cornelius FuscusCornelius Fuscus was a Roman general who fought campaigns under the Emperors of the Flavian dynasty. During the reign of Domitian, he served as prefect of the imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard, from 81 until his death in 86...
were defeated, and Cornelius Fuscus was killed by the Dacians under the authority of their ruler, Diurpaneus. After this victory, Diurpaneus took the name of Decebalus. The next year, AD88, new Roman troops under Tettius Iullianus, gained a signal advantage, but were obliged to make peace owing to the defeat of DomitianTitus Flavius Domitianus , known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his death...
by the MarcomanniThe Marcomanni were a Germanic tribe, probably related to the Buri, Suebi or Suevi.- Origin :Scholars believe their name derives from one of two possible sources: old Germanic forms of "march" and "men"; or the name of a Roman legate, Marcus Fabius Romanus, who deserted Drusus' legions during...
, so the Dacians were really left independent. Even more, Decebalus received the status of "king client to Rome", receiving from Rome military instructors, craftsmen and even money.
Emperor Trajan recommenced hostilities against Dacia and, following an uncertain number of battles, defeated the Dacian general DecebalusDecebalus or "The Brave One" was a king of Dacia
in the Second Battle of Tapae in 101 AD. With Trajan's troops pressing towards the Dacian capital Sarmizegethusa, Decebalus once more sought terms. Decebalus rebuilt his power over the following years and attacked Roman garrisons again in 105 AD. In response Trajan again marched into Dacia, besieging the Dacian capital in the Siege of Sarmizegethusa, and razing it to the ground. With Dacia quelled, Trajan subsequently invaded the Parthian empire to the east, his conquests taking the Roman Empire to its greatest extent. Rome's borders in the east were indirectly governed through a system of client states for some time, leading to less direct campaigning than in the west in this period.
To expand the glory of his reign, restore the finances of Rome, and end a treaty perceived as humiliating, Trajan resolved on the conquest of Dacia and with it the capture of the famous Treasure of Decebalus and control over the Dacian gold mines of TransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term frequently encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. The result of his first campaign (101–102) was the siege of the Dacian capital Sarmizegethusa and the occupation of a part of the country. The second campaign (105–106) ended with the suicide of Decebalus, and the conquest of the territory that was to form the Roman provinceIn Ancient Rome, a province was the basic, and until the Tetrarchy , largest territorial and administrative unit of the empire's territorial possessions outside of the Italian peninsula...
Dacia TraianaRoman Dacia, also Dacia Traiana or Dacia Felix, was a province of the Roman Empire . Its territory consisted of eastern and southeastern Transylvania, the Banat, and Oltenia . Dacia was from the very beginning organized as an imperial province and remained so throughout the Roman occupation...
. The history of the war is given by Cassius Dio, but the best commentary upon it is the famous Column of TrajanTrajan's Column is a monument in Rome raised in honour of the Roman emperor Trajan and probably constructed under the supervision of the architect Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Roman Senate. It is located in Trajan's Forum, built near the Quirinal Hill, north of the Roman Forum...
in RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
.
Although the Romans conquered and destroyed the ancient Kingdom of Dacia, a large remainder of the land remained outside of Roman Imperial authority. Additionally, the conquest changed the balance of power in the region and was the catalyst for a renewed alliance of Germanic and Celtic tribes and kingdoms against the Roman Empire. However, the material advantages of the Roman Imperial system wasn't lost on much of the surviving aristocracy. Thus, most of the Romanian historians and linguists believe that many of the Dacians became Romanised (see also Origin of RomaniansThe Romanians are a people who speak Romanian, a Romance language, and live in Central and Eastern Europe....
).
In 183 war broke out in Dacia: few details are available, but it appears two future contenders for the throne of emperor CommodusLucius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus was a Roman Emperor who ruled from 180 to 192 . The name given here was his official name at his accession to sole rule; see Changes of name for earlier and later forms...
, Clodius Albinus and Pescennius Niger, both distinguished themselves in the campaign.
Nonetheless, Germanic and Celtic kingdoms, particularly the Gothic tribes made a slow progression toward the Dacian borders and soon within a generation were making assaults on the province. Ultimately, the Goths succeeded in dislodging the Romans and restoring the independence of Dacia following Aurelian's withdrawal, in 275. The province was abandoned by Roman troops, and, according to the Breviarium historiae Romanae by EutropiusEutropius was an Ancient Roman Pagan historian who flourished in the latter half of the 4th century. He held the office of secretary at Constantinople, accompanied the Emperor Julian on his expedition against the Persians , and was alive during the reign of Valens , to whom he dedicates his...
, Roman citizens "from the town and lands of Dacia" were resettled to the interior of Moesia. http://www.ccel.org/p/pearse/morefathers/eutropius_breviarium_2_text.htm
However, Romanian historians maintain that the bulk of the civilian population remained and a surviving aristocratic Dacian line revived the kingdom under RegalianusP. C Regalianus was a Roman usurper against Gallienus.The main source of information is the unreliable Historia Augusta. Other sources are Eutropius, who calls him Trebellianus, and Aurelius Victor and the Epitome, which call him Regillianus. About his origin, the Tyranni Triginta says he was a...
. About his origin, the Tyranni Triginta says he was a Dacian, a kinsman of Decebalus. Nonetheless, the Gothic aristocracy remained ascendant and through intermarriage soon dominated the kingdom which was absorbed into their larger empire.
During DiocletianGaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus , born Diocles and commonly known as Diocletian , was Roman Emperor from 20 November 284 to 1 May 305. Born to a Dalmatian family of low status, he rose through the ranks of the military to become cavalry commander to the emperor Carus...
, circa AD296, in order to defend the Roman border, fortifications are erected by the Romans, on both banks of the Danube.By AD336 Constantine the Great had reconquered the lost province, however following his death, the Romans abandoned Dacia for good.
See also
- Dacian warfare
The history of Dacian warfare spans from ca. 10th century BC up to the 2nd century AD in the region defined by Ancient Greek and Latin historians as Dacia. It concerns the armed conflicts of the Dacian tribes and their kingdoms in the Balkans...
- List of Dacian kings
- List of Dacian chiefs
- List of Dacian cities
- List of Dacian names
- List of Dacian tribes
- Getae
The Getae was the name given by the Greeks to several Thracian / Dacian tribes that occupied the regions south of the Lower Danube, in what is today northern Bulgaria, and north of the Lower Danube, in Romania...
- Carpians
The Carpi or Carpiani were a Dacian tribe that were located, between not later than ca. 100 and until at least ca. 400 AD, in the central eastern Carpathian Mountains, and in what is today central Moldavia...
- Dacian Draco
thumb|rightThe Dacian Draco was the standard of the ancient Dacian military. It had a wolf head with the mouth open, with a balaur body, made out of bronze and it ended with some linen stripes...
- Trajan's Column
Trajan's Column is a monument in Rome raised in honour of the Roman emperor Trajan and probably constructed under the supervision of the architect Apollodorus of Damascus at the order of the Roman Senate. It is located in Trajan's Forum, built near the Quirinal Hill, north of the Roman Forum...
- Dacian language
The Dacian language was spoken by the ancient inhabitants of Dacia. It belongs to the Indo-European language family.Dacian is often considered to be a dialect of the same language as Thracian or to be a separate language from Thracian but closely related to it. -Characteristics and sources:Many...
- Falx
Falx is a Latin word originally meaning sickle, but was later used to mean any of a number of tools that had a curved blade that was sharp on the inside edge such as a scythe. Falx was also used to mean a weapon, particularly that of the Thracians and Dacians, and later a siege hook used by the...
(weapon)
- Trajan's Bridge
Trajan's Bridge or Bridge of Apollodorus over the Danube was a Roman bridge , the first to be built over the lower Danube. For more than a thousand years, it was the longest arch bridge in the world to have been built, in terms of both total and span length...
- Dacian bracelets
The Dacian gold bracelets represent the cultural and aesthetic sense of the Dacians, an Indo-European people who lived in and around the Carpathian Mountains in present-day Romania...
- List of Dacian plant names
< PrehistoryFor the history of Earth before the occupation by the genus homo, including the period of early hominins, see Geology of Europe and Human evolution....
| History of RomaniaThis article provides only a brief outline of each period of the history of Romania; details are presented in separate articles . -Prehistory:...
| Roman DaciaRoman Dacia, also Dacia Traiana or Dacia Felix, was a province of the Roman Empire . Its territory consisted of eastern and southeastern Transylvania, the Banat, and Oltenia . Dacia was from the very beginning organized as an imperial province and remained so throughout the Roman occupation...
>
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