Dacie

For the Roman province Dacia Felix (106 - 256 after JC), to see the Dacie Roman.

----

The Dacie is in antiquity a territory of the area Carpato - Danubiano - Pontique corresponding roughly to that of the current Romania. Dacie (of the Latin Dacia ) car its name of the Roman name of its principal occupants, the Daces, which are very close to the Thraces. They spoke a dialect Thrace (Indo-European language).

The other minorities are the Sarmates, the Scythes, and the Bastarnes. One raises some settlements Celtes, and probably a certain number of Greek and commercial colonists Romains. The enemies of Daces are the Romans and sometimes certain Celts. Their allies are Thraces and the Greeks, until the conquest of Greece by the Roman Empire.

Later, after 256, the allies of the tribes remaining daces are the Goths in a “federation of cruel people”. Goths are the last to be itself allied but was only one minority as of these invaders known of the historical sources as being " invasions gothes". These invaders included especially people as various as Scythians/Sarmates, Daces/Gètes/Carpes as well as Vénèthes of the Dniepr (ancestors of the Slaves nowadays (to be noted that the latter, which populated most of Europe, was practically unknown Romans before these invasions). This confusion between Goths and the other enemy of the Romans in Western Europe makes that the first historical studies tended to mix Goths and Gètes, believer who it is about the same people (before one discovers the Germanic origin of Goths). One evokes also late alliances with the Huns about the 3rd century (Zosimus, IV 34).

The invasions, encouraged by Daces free, which appear on a bottom of insurrections in the province of Dacie Roman are the primary reason of the retirement of Aurélien. It is the first large province lost by the Romain Empire at one time when it was still rather powerful. However, the loss was not officially allowed: the term used was that the whole province had been moved in the South of the Danube.

Some historians take with the letter this displacement, and consider that the areas in the north of the Danube slightly remained inhabited for one period going up to 600. But the majority of the historians, Daces romanized are nevertheless and probably the ancestors of the Rumanian current. According to Lovinescu, an author little known, contemporary of Mircea Eliade, in traditional Rumanian, Dacie appears under various names: Dochia, Baba Dochia, Deciana, Baba Gaia… Dacia Felix would be at certain time, a collective divinity dace, confused with Gaia, the female great principle, according to a current association in antiquity. It is a share of the old enigma of the Origine of the Rumanian people.

Dacie is in Rumanian modern: Dacia ; Latin : Dacia . The Daces are in Rumanian : Daci ; Latin : Daci ; grèque antique : Getae ; dace : Daoi meaning wolf . A Dace is in Rumanian : Dac ; Latin : Dacus ; grèque antique : Geton -->

Presentation

Social organization

They were divided into two classes: an aristocracy ( tarabostes ) and a proletariat - ordinary people ( comati ). Only the aristocrats had the right to cover the head, and wore a felt hat (thus tarabostesei = pileati ); they form the privileged class. The others (soldiers, peasants and craftsmen) carried the long hair ( capillati ).

They lived originally in wood huts gathered in villages surrounded by a palisade, then, at one late time, they built fortresses and conical turns out of stone.

Plato (Charmide) written that he learned from Thrace which venerated Zalmoxis (thus Dace), a melody to make a man immortal.

One discovered, in an area of Gèto-Daces (in Histria), a musical instrument, going back from, formed to three wood flutes.

Two types of weapons were found: weapons of remote fight and weapons of fight to the body with body. The cavalry has a role of harassing, to try to attract the enemy and to tighten traps to him and to put it in unfavourable position. Daces never used massive techniques with rigid and many units.

For the fights with the body with body, Daces prefer to carry a specific weapon, the Sica, decorated crowned symbols. This weapon will be used by part of the gladiators in Rome, called thraces by the Romans.

Religion

See Religion of Daces. See Christianity in Dacie.

Their religion would be containing Divination S and of Initiation S. Daces believe in the immortality of the heart, in the form of a continuation of the " soi" after death in another world, a world where Zalmoxis awaits them. (Zalmoxis being the first man to have had access to this world). The presence of some divinities, for the life on ground, completely testifies to a belief not monotheist.

The image opposite is a detail in Aleksandrovo in the south-east of Bulgaria. The character was identified as being Zalmoxis.

Daces give itself the name of wolves or those which are similar to the wolves . Thus, Daces have two types of symbols of war: the flag and the dragon with head of wolf and tail of snake, which flies while inflating.

The object found opposite with Biertan beside Sibiu testifies to the activity Christian and Latinizing at the beginning of the 4th century. EGO ZENOVIUS VOTUM POSUI, " Me, Zenovius, I offered this cadeau" .

Activities

Their main activities are agriculture and the breeding. The horses are especially used as draft animals.

The richnesses of Daces consist of very important cereal and salt, gold reserves. They work and the money gold mines of current the Transylvania.

They developed a agricultural civilization , have gold and money and practice the Commerce.

The external trade is important, within sight of the number of foreign currencies found in the country, and is carried out especially with Greece, then with the Roman Empire.

As of the end of, they start to manufacture gold coins, undoubtedly with the assistance of the Greek colonists. The majority are perfect counterfeits of the Roman parts, but part of the parts are not counterfeits, because also comprising inscriptions in Greek alphabet.

Most are famous parts KOSON, thus named according to the inscription KOSON which appears there, and which one supposes being the name of the chief of Daces in an area after the assassination of Burebista in Dacie (and of César to Rome the same year). On part of the parts, one sees a Roman consul considered as the adversary with a " R" and " KOSON" in Greek alphabet. The reverse presents a vulture with the wings opened, a greenhouse on a sceptre, and, in the other greenhouse, a crown. 8,41 grams but, 18-21mm diameter (description of Constantin Preda).

Daces know and use a crowned solar calendar, which is preserved inside the city of Sarmizegetusa. It would be one of most invaluable of all antiquity, since the error of this calendar would be only of 1:15 min 3sec each year (8840 years if one applies corrections every 3 years). See here and here, as well as images 3D

Medicine. They know many medicinal plants, and practice a medicine Holistique. The names of these plants were safeguarded by the Greeks, without their translation being correctly provided.

Daces seen by the Romans

The Daces were in Rome, with other populations originating in the current area of the Balkans, like the Illyrien S for example, as of the period between 44 av. J. - C. (death of Jules César) and 31 av. J. - C., during the introduction of the principate of Auguste.

They have many occupations, of which most important remains that of Gladiateur, which is appropriate to them well, considering their taste for the individual fight. The gladiators involve in small named arenas ludus . Four denominations of these arenas are known: Dacicus, Gallicus, Magnus, Matutinus. The existence of the Dacicus arena suggests a big number of Daces luting like gladiators.

Later, when Dacie becomes Roman province, Daces move more towards the military activities, becoming members of the imperial guard - the Praetorian ones and the horse guard. The dace presence in Rome in the imperial guard appears in many marble inscriptions, dedicated to the emperors, and on which are also raised the names of the soldiers, with the place of origin: Aurelius Valerius - Drubeta, Antonius Bassinass - Zermizegetusa, Titus Lempronius Augustus - Apulum. On a total of 120 names daces, 15 are originating in Sarmizegetusa. Among them, one notices Claudiano, centurion of the 6th troop.

Iulius Secondinus, natione Dacus, Praetorian called again with the service, 85 years old, under conditions or at that time seldom one exceeds the 50 years age.

The inscriptions of the funeral stones of the soldiers belonging to the imperial guard carry with a certain distinction the place of origin of the deceased ones. For example: natione Tharx - for the Thraces; Lucius Avilius Dacus , whose name is written out of marble (70 av. J. - C.), two centuries before the conquest of Dacie.

Another inscription was discovered on Via Flaminia, dedicated to the memory of the Zia queen, widow of the king of the Costoboces, Dieporus, put by its grandchildren Natoporus and Driglisa. It would seem that prisoners of royal and noble origin was received on Via Flaminia.

Trajan, Roman Emperor, known as: “receiving the empire pourrissant and weak in all his directions of this tyranny which had worked it a long time inside and of the many invasions of Gètes of outwards, I was to have only dared to attack these people on other side of the the Danube. I conquered even these Gètes, most warlike of the nations which ever existed, not only by the body, but also by these maxims of Zalmoxis, which saw with them in such a veneration that it touched them so deeply in their heart. Because not believing that they die, but that they change only their dwelling…”

See Dacie Roman

Cities of Dacie

See a List of the cities daces.

The capital of the Roman province Dacia Felix was Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, (of the name of the emperor Trajan, Ulpius Traianus ), is located today in the Judet d' Hunedoara, in Romania. It should not be confused Ulpia with the old capital of Daces under Décébale, Sarmizegetusa, located at 40 km of Ulpia, in the mounts Orăştie.

Acidava (Slatina)
Aegyssus (Tulcea)
Apoulon (Alba Iulia)
Buridava (Râmnicu Vâlcea)
Cumidava (Râşnov)
Dakidava (Şimleu Silvaniei)
Dierna/Tierna (Orşova) (Tierna)
Germisara/Germizera (Geoagiu)
Pelendava (Craiova)
Petrodava (Piatra Neamţ)
Sangidava (Topliţa)
Sucidava/Succidava (Suceava)
Singidava (Deva)
Utidava (Târgu Ocna)
Ziridava (Pecica)
Drubeta
Napoca (Cluj-Napoca, Cluj)
Potaissa (Turda, Cluj)
Apulum (Alba-Iulia, Judeţ de Alba)

N.B. : dava means " cité" in dace.

History

See the Chronology of Dacie.

The period dace

towards 2400-1700 av. J. - C., at the end of the Neolithic , a tribe of Indo-European origin, is installed on a territory which will become later roughly that of Dacie. Begin a flourishing civilization then, with many objects gold and silver and the worship of Zalmoxis.
700 av. J. - C., installation of Greek colonies on the edges of the Black Sea
112-109 av. J. - C., then 74 av. J. - C., 60-59 av. J. - C. and so on, of the conflicts with the Romans. Burebista gains without difficulty all the battles against the Celtes and fights against César on the side of Pompée, but it arrives too late. Burebista is assassinated by the aristocracy dace the same year as Jules César, very little time after this one.

The Roman period

All these details on these two conflicts are provided by Dion Cassius, but one finds better comments on the column of Trajan built in Rome by Apollodore of Damas. For this victory, the Roman Empire mobilized more 150 000 men during six years. They built a bridge hones some on the Danube, first of the kind in the world, which was not used for the conquest, but rather after this one (as one sees it on the Colonne Trajane, with a new floating bridge used for the attack, the bridge out of stone and wood who was at side being flaring).

After the conquest of the cities which made obstacle before the capital (Blidaru, Costeşti, Piatra Roşie, Băniţa, Capâlna, Tilisca), starts the seat of Sarmizegetusa Regia. The city, conquered after a wild resistance, is destroyed to its foundations. Only the crowned calendar is saved.

All the fortresses daces are destroyed. Part of Daces succeed in nevertheless escaping from Sarmizegetusa with Décébale at their head and organize a resistance. Pursued and not to fall prisoner, their Décébale chief commits suicide.

Traitors resulting from the aristocracy dace help the Romans to find the site of the treasures (evaluated by Jerome Carcopino with 165 500 kg of gold and 331 000 kg of money -) which they carry in Rome. A legend is born, according to which there remains still a great number of hidden treasures. The inhabitants of this area believe firmly in a “curse of Décébale”, a series of misfortunes for which finds treasures and sells them with the enemy.

Roman side, the construction of the Colonne Trajane is not the only way of celebrating the conquest of part of Dacie. The Roman State gives a 123 days festival, during which the population can drink and eat at will with the expenses of the State, with the participation of 10 000 gladiators and 11.000 animals.

The province is limited by the Transylvania and the Olténie. Between 14 % and 50 % of the territory are under Roman control. One can see it on certain charts. It remains under the authority of a governor of Praetorian row. Legion XIII Geminated, with many auxiliaries, has its districts in the province.

Chronology

85 - 89 a. J. - C., Daces engage two Great Wars against the Romans, with major incursions into the Roman Empire which make devastations. Victoire de Décébale, king of Daces. Décébale agrees to recognize customer of the empire, but omits to return the prisoners and the standards of the legions. A treaty sanctions the status quo .
101 - 102 a. J. - C., to put an end to this humiliating agreement, Trajan lance its first countryside of war. In 105 - 106 a. J. - C., at the time of the second countryside, part of Dacie becomes Roman province.
256 a. J. - C., the attack of the Carps (Daces free) allied to the Goths (which will continue the attack towards the south of the Danube). Dacie is then lost by the Romans and passes under control of Carps and Goths. In testifies the brutal stop to the Roman inscriptions and the currencies in the country after 256.

After the Roman retirement of Dacie

See: Thraco-Romans

271 - 275 - the retirement aurélienne of the administration and the military forces in the South of the Danube and the creation of Dacie Aurélienne as a Messiah to support the exchange between Daces of North and Daces which wanted to take refuge in the South. It is also a political reason: not to admit the final loss of a whole province.
After the Roman withdrawal and the division of the empire in two, several emperors of origin dace will direct the oriental party of the Roman Empire (see Galère). Important exchanges between Dacie of the North of the Danube and the South of the Danube explain the Latin origin of the Rumanian people in spite of an occupation of Dacie short and partial. See Origin of the Rumanian people for more details.

See too

Random links: