King decebalus. The stone face of King Decebalus

The huge face carved into the rock, rising directly from the waters of the Danube, makes an indelible impression and looks like a set for a fantasy movie. This amazing monument is located on the very border of Serbia and Romania and is considered one of the largest in Europe. And it is dedicated to one of the most legendary rulers of these places - the Dacian king Decebalus.

Dacians and Romans

During the era of the Roman Empire, tribes of proud and brave Dacians lived on the banks of the Danube. Rome made more than once attempts to conquer Dacia, but they succeeded only during the reign of Emperor Trajan, in the 2nd century AD.

The war with the Dacians required great efforts and enormous resources from the Romans. To provide the army with everything necessary, Trajan had to build numerous military roads and bridges. One of the bridges built by the Romans at that time was considered a real miracle of engineering. Its length was almost a kilometer, and the height of each of the 20 stone supports, connected by arched spans, reached 28 meters. Unfortunately, the bridge has not survived to this day; only in a few places, through the thickness of the water, you can see the remains of several supports.

In the place where the Roman military road used to pass, a memorial tablet, the so-called Tabula Traiana, has been preserved. Until recently, it was the only monument to the brutal war that swept through these places almost twenty centuries ago.

And only in our time, opposite Tabula, a new monument appeared, completely eclipsing the modest Roman tablet. It was a monument to Trajan’s main opponent, the Dacian Decebalus.

Who is Decebalus

Decebalus was the leader of the Dacians, whose lot it fell to defend his land from the claims of Rome. At first, Decebalus managed to hold back the onslaught of the imperial army, and having won several major battles, pushed the enemy beyond the borders of his possessions.

But soon military luck turned away from the brave Dak; the forces were too unequal. Trajan's troops again invaded Dacia, and some of his fellow tribesmen rebelled against Decebalus, wanting to surrender to the mercy of the winner.
Betrayed by most of his army, seriously wounded, Decebalus did not want to become a prisoner of the Romans and was forced to commit suicide by throwing himself on his own sword.

History of the monument

The idea of ​​creating a monument to Decebalus in the very place where his life so tragically ended came to the mind of the famous Romanian businessman Joseph Constantin Dragan back in 1985. Inspired by his idea, Dragan personally chose the rock and, with the participation of several sculptors, developed a sketch of the future monument.

Work began in 1994 and continued for almost 10 years. Twelve sculptors worked to create the huge face of Decebalus, and in order to defeat the rebellious stone they needed more than a ton of explosives. We had to work almost in a shelter; the only aids were very unreliable scaffolding, climbing equipment and fire escapes.
However, in 2004 the monument was completely completed. The cost of its creation exceeded a million dollars, but no one even thought of regretting what they had done.

The grandiose monument, 42 meters high, has become the largest sculptural face in Europe and is in no way inferior in its impact on the viewer to the famous sculptures of the American Mount Rushmore.
The stern and undefeated Decebalus, from now on, will always look from the heights of a steep cliff at his native land, which he so ardently defended from enemies. And modern residents of Romania will always remember that they are descendants of the brave Dacians.

It should be noted that historians have not discovered writing among the Getae and Sarmatians; we learn about this or that tribe from Greek or Roman historians, that is, from subjective reviews of other peoples, which are mostly incorrect. The name "Sarmatians" is the name of the dominant tribe in the union of tribes. According to the legends of the Poles and Lyakhs of the 16th century, among the Sklavin tribes, the leaders were called Sarmatians.

Over time, the Slav tribe, one of the Sarmatian tribes living north of Moldova, multiplied and took a dominant position and spread far to the west and northeast. The lands where tribes of Rusyns, Sklavins, and Slavs lived before the new era are known as Ugric Rus (Carpathian Rus). To this day, in the north of the Eastern Carpathians, in the regions of Bukovyna and Verkhovyna, Slavic peoples have survived: fair-haired Rusyns (Rusnak, Rus, Rus), Lemkos, Poles, Lipovans, black-haired Hutsuls, Boyki (Boys), Slavins. Some historians believe that the Rusyn people have been known since ancient times under the name Rusolans. From an anthropological point of view, the Sarmatians were brachycranous Caucasians with a characteristic wide round head, many of them were fair-haired. The Alans, a group of Sarmatian tribes, were dolichocrane Caucasians with a characteristic narrow skull. Among the Slavs there are both representatives of Caucasians. Most representatives of the Rusyns, Poles, Lemkos, and Lipovans belong to dolichocrane Caucasians. The Hutsuls, Boykos, Polans were mostly black-haired, and perhaps Dacian blood predominated in them. The later tribes of the Sarmatians are marked by an admixture of Mongoloidity, which indicates the fact of the transfer of power in the kingdom of the Sarmatians into the hands of the eastern fraternal tribes, nomadic from Altai and Mongolia.

The military threat from the Roman Empire accelerated the formation of statehood among the Geto-Dacians, and in the 1st century BC the leaders of the Thracian and Sarmatian tribes united under the leadership of the leader Burebista, who is considered the first king of Dacia. At the council of the princes of the Dacians, Getae, Scythians and Sarmatians, Burebista was elected king by universal vote. Of great importance for the country was the unification of the wayward Iazyges of the Middle Danube Plain with the Rusolans and Dacians in the west of Dacia, the Iazyges of the Lower Danube with the peoples of the Bastarnae, Carps and Pantsyru. Burebista was the prince of the Boer tribe with the residence of Stolniceni in the commune of Ramnicu-Valcea, Valcea County, Oltenia in present-day Romania. Nearby was the Buridava fortress. Burebista and the high priest Decineus began the revival of the capital of Sarmizegetusa in place of the city of Apulum on the plain of the plateau. In the capital, modern houses were built according to the Roman type. Princes and generals (voivodes) considered it an honor to live in the capital. In terms of comfort of living, the revived capital of Sarmizegethusa was not inferior to Rome.

A new religion was introduced into the country according to the teachings of the philosopher Zalmoxis, a student of Pythagoras. The basis of religion was monotheism.

Burebista united the lands of the Geto-Dacians with the lands of the Iazyges of the Middle Danube Plain, with the lands of the Rusolans in the south, and annexed the lands of the Scythians up to the Southern Bug. There is information about the campaigns of King Burebista in the Greek colony of Olbia. In Dacia they spoke two languages.

The Romans did not like the strengthening of the neighboring state, with the help of intrigue they rallied the opponents of Burebista, and the conspirators from the Dacian nobility killed the king, the state fell apart into small entities. The intra-Carpathian tribes found themselves at the mercy of the high priest Decineus. After his death, power passed to Komosik. He was succeeded by Skorilo (Koril), who ruled for about forty years. The successor was Darus (Darpanei), a get from the Kosbobok (Pantsyru) tribe. Darus voluntarily transferred power to Scorilo's son, the young energetic Decebalus (Dakebalus - Big Duck).

In northeastern Oltenia, Tiamarch ruled the kingdom of the Getae.

On the territory of modern Muntenia there was a kingdom of Dikoma. It is believed that the kingdom belonged to the Carp and Sochi tribes.

On the lands of Southern Dobruja there was a kingdom led by Rol. Dapig (Dapix) reigned in the central part of Dobruja. In the Lower Danube region was located the Getic kingdom of Ziraxa. The small kingdom of Kotiso (Kotison) was located in the lands south of the Danube.

On the territory of the future free Dacians, there were several principalities: the kingdom of the Costobocs (Pantsyru), the kingdom of the Carps, the kingdom of the Galatians and the kingdom of the Bastarnae. In the north-east of the Carpathians, in Stolnicheny, there was a residence of the Costoboks, where King Sabatui, a relative of Decebalus, ruled.

After the assassination of Burebista, centralized rule in Dacia was interrupted for decades, and, as a consequence, Dacian military pressure on the Roman provinces along the Danube weakened. During the reigns of Claudius and Nero, the Romans acted mainly diplomatically. It is known that under Nero the Romans persuaded a large tribe of demons to come down from the mountains. They were taken from Dacia to Moesia on the right bank of the Danube and settled on the plain. The policy of appeasement brought certain results, but did not solve the problem. Roman detachments of slave traders and marauders, secretly from the Roman authorities, continuously carried out raids into Dacia. The Dacians made retaliatory raids.

And again, military clashes escalate and take on a massive and very deplorable character for the Romans. The emperors send more and more forces to the border, but cannot qualitatively change the situation in their favor. Mobile and warlike detachments of the Sarmatians and Geto-Dacians defeated the Romans at their posts and fortifications. For example: General Mutianus, a politician and writer, sent by Emperor Vespasian for inspection in the province of Moesia, was unexpectedly attacked from across the Danube. In the battle, the general was wounded, as a result the emperor was forced to send an additional legion to guard the border. The following year, 70, the geths chose their moment and attacked again. As a result of the attack of the Getae, the Romans lost their legion and the governor Fonteus Agrippa was killed. Vespasian urgently transferred new legions to the Danube. Meanwhile, military tension grew from year to year. At that time, the organized and well-trained Roman army repeatedly defeated the troops of other nations and posed a threat to any state, but small partisan detachments of the Dacians inflicted significant damage, and in response the Roman Empire was preparing a strike. Continuous military skirmishes became a serious problem also for the Dacians, and everyone understood that the Roman Empire would soon launch a major military campaign against Dacia.

The leaders of the tribes of Dacians, Getae and Sarmatians, out of fear, united again under the rule of the young king Decebalus. The previous king Darus, the leader of the Costoboks, took the post of adviser to the young king. The energetic king gathered the principalities of Dacia into a single state, created state troops and brought to the obedience of wayward leaders and nobles, especially the kings of the left bank of the Danube, the Dacian kings of Oltenia and the Iazygian kings of Panonia. Tall and physically strong, the king became the leader and favorite of the entire people. Through clever diplomatic actions, he concluded military alliances with the Sarmatian tribes: the northern Rusolans and Slavs, and began negotiations with many Germanic tribes dependent on Rome. Under the influence of negotiations, these tribes refused to provide auxiliary cavalry to the Romans, and then rebelled against Roman rule. But he made a mistake with one of the wayward Iazyge princes of the Middle Danube Plain, and a minor conflict turned into a military confrontation. Decebalus took a small piece of land from the Iazyges, and the leader of the tribe broke the military alliance. Following this minor conflict, the leaders of other Iazyge tribes also broke off relations with Decebalus. The formation of the state took place with great difficulty, there was opposition from Roman agents of influence, and especially strong opposition from the leaders of the Western Dacians and the local elite, who were afraid of losing their privileges and influence. They were not worried about the fate of the country, their own envy and pride did not allow them to live in peace, but their fellow tribesmen would not allow them to go to the collapse of the country. The elite resisted the strengthening of the state by all means, slowed down innovations in every possible way and reported to the Romans about all events in Dacia. As a result, statehood in Dacia developed slowly.

Free Dacia flourished during the reign of Burebista. Historians agree that he was a contemporary of Gaius Julius Caesar. “Having stood at the head of his people, Burebista so contributed to strengthening their spirit, introducing all kinds of exercises, teaching them to abstain from drinking wine and obeying orders, that within a few years he created a huge power, subjugating most of the neighboring peoples,” Strabo wrote with surprise. “Even the Romans began to fear him, because he, having boldly crossed the Danube and plundered Thrace all the way to Macedonia and Illyria, devastated the possessions of the Celts.”

Surprisingly: the Dacians agreed to cut down the vineyards and live without wine! Apparently, this decision was a reaction to the unbridled cult of Dionysus, widespread in the Mediterranean. Its basis was the excessive consumption of wine in combination with ivy leaves, which have psychotropic properties. Burebista carried out all measures to strengthen the state with the help of the high priest Dekenei, with whom he shared power. Having spent a long time in Egypt, Dekenei learned to interpret the will of the gods and prophecies. He created a caste of priests in Dacia, raised the magical authority of the deity responsible for the sovereignty of the country, created an official religion and made it an instrument of state ideology. Today we know practically nothing about the beliefs of the Dacians, although archaeologists have found numerous traces of their sanctuaries - sites where animals were sacrificed. Ritual objects for magic spells were also discovered.

From written sources it is known that Burebista between 35 and 48 AD. subjugated many Greek cities. After all his campaigns, Dacia's possessions extended from the Middle Danube in the west to the western coast of the Black Sea and from the northern Carpathians to the Balkan Mountains. According to Strabo, the king could field an army of 200 thousand people and even intervened in the civil war between Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompey, siding with the latter. Pompey was defeated, and Caesar planned a great war against Dacia. It did not take place due to the assassination of the Roman emperor in 44 AD.

Shortly afterwards, Burebista was overthrown in a rebellion. After his death, power briefly passed to Decenaeus, after which Dacia split into several parts. Evidence of those times are the remains of fortified settlements in the Siret River valley, Dobruja, Transylvania, Muntenia and Western Moldova.

In the era of Burebista, the Dacians first declared themselves, and this became entrenched in the minds of the peoples of the Mediterranean. From then on, Dacia increasingly became the focus of Roman foreign policy. However, it was mentioned in written sources only during periods of war, which is why there are huge gaps in the knowledge about Dacia during the period of its independence. The names of many kings have not reached us for the simple reason that they did not fight with Rome. The Dacians did not have a written language, and they did not keep chronicles.

Dacia as part of the Roman Empire. Nowadays its central territory is located within Romania, the peripheral regions are part of Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.

PUNITIVE EXPEDITIONS OF ROME

The military campaign against Dacia, postponed due to the death of Caesar, took place under the Emperor Octavian, led by the famous Roman commander Crassus. For the Romans, Dacia acquired particular importance due to the gold mines in the mountains of Transylvania. Emperor Augustus decided to finally conquer it. During the war of 11-12, the Dacians were scattered, and their fortifications on the left bank of the Danube were burned.

After the Romans built fortresses on the right bank of the Danube and settled colonists there (a “safe space” policy), the number of Dacian raids decreased sharply. However, after the death of Emperor Nero, war broke out throughout Italy. The Dacian invasion of the Roman province of Moesia strengthened Rome's decision to deal with Dacia, which seriously threatened the security of Roman possessions.

Despite the wars, Dacia's economic relations with Rome constantly developed, and the country integrated into the Mediterranean economy. The Dacian kings began to copy Roman denarii; about 30 thousand such coins were found - much more than in other regions neighboring the Roman Empire. In the places of Dacian settlements, numerous items of Roman import were discovered - weapons, military equipment, dishes.

The Dacians lived in settlements of several households, located along the banks of rivers, on hills and in the mountains and fortified with earthen ramparts and wooden walls. Fortresses were built, the remains of which were found, for example, in Maramures. The most impressive fortifications were found around Sarmezegetus regio - the first capital of Dacia and its religious center. It was a completely Mediterranean city at an altitude of thousands of meters above sea level, the approaches to it were blocked by fortresses, there were many workshops of artisans and there was even a water supply.

The “safe space” strategy has not worked. Under Vespasian, Rome began to change its policy towards Dacia. The imperial army was concentrated on the demarcation line along the Danube. The most important events were the campaigns against the Dacian kingdom of Decebalus in Transylvania. However, the latter proved himself to be a talented military leader, and the most rational solution was to turn him into a friendly king, which was done by the treaty between Rome and Dacia of 89.

Why a new conflict broke out between Dacia and Rome under Emperor Trajan is not known for certain. In written sources one can find vague references to the growth of the power of the Dacians, which began to exceed the limits acceptable for a dependent country, to the threat of creating a powerful coalition of barbarians against Rome, to Trajan’s desire to achieve the glory of Alexander the Great.

DECEBALUS, ENEMY OF THE ROMAN PEOPLE

Evidence of Trajan's two wars with the Dacians has been preserved. These are fragments of Trajan's Column in Rome and the writings of Dio Cassius.

Presumably the first campaign began in the spring of 101 and was marked by the siege of the Dacian mountain fortresses by the Romans. The second campaign began after Decebalus left his mountain residence and attacked the Romans, crossing the Carpathians and the Danube. Trajan hastened to repel the attack of the Dacians and their allies - barbarian tribes who were advancing from the territory of modern Moldova. Historians consider the armored horsemen of the Roxolans, a tribe that lived between the Prut and the Dniester, to be the most formidable in the anti-Roman coalition. Having suffered heavy losses, Trajan defeated the barbarian coalition near Nicopolis. An altar was erected in memory of the death of three thousand Roman soldiers.

In the spring of 103, the third campaign began. The sister of Decebalus was captured - the wife of the leader of a tribe who lived in the north of Moldova, an important ally of Dacia. The Romans established control of the main routes leading through the mountains from Transylvania to the Danube. Military camps were created at important crossings and passes. (Fragments of tiles with the marks of Roman legions were found in the south of Moldova). Soon Trajan captured the fortified heights on the approaches to Sarmizegetus regio.

Decebalus lost hope of stopping the advance of the Roman legions and began peace negotiations. In the end, Cassius Dio reports, the Dacian king appeared before Trajan, throwing away his weapons, kneeling, and admitted defeat. Apparently, Trajan did not want the destruction of Dacia, since he did not capture or kill Decebalus. Apparently, this was explained by the desire to use the authority of the king against the leaders of the barbarian tribes.

Trajan's Column in Rome

TRAJAN OF DACIAN

At the end of the third campaign, Trajan celebrated a triumph in Rome and received the title of Dacian in 102. The altar and sanctuary in honor of the goddess Victoria were erected, as historians suggest, near the town of Tapy, near the mountain pass leading from Banat to Transylvania. However, no traces of Roman-era settlements have been found at this site. According to another version, the altar should be looked for closer to Sarmizegetus-regia.

The Romans eventually conquered Banat, southwestern Transylvania, including the fortified mountainous region around Sarmisegetusa, and western Oltenia. The east of Oltenia, Muntenia, the south of Moldova and the extreme southeast of Transylvania, which were not part of Dacia, came under the control of the governor of the Roman province of South Moesia. The areas between the Danube and the middle reaches of Mures were also occupied by the Romans.

UNDER THE OPRESS OF OCCUPATIONS

From now on, under the rule of Decebalus was the Dacian kingdom, dependent on Rome, whose territory, significantly reduced, covered Central and Northwestern Transylvania. The military power of Decebalus was greatly undermined, and most importantly, he was cut off from his allies, the leaders of the North Danube barbarian tribes. The threat of creating a broad anti-Roman front had passed. The Dacian king surrendered his weapons, siege engines and military masters, razed the fortresses, left his residence in Sarmizegetus, and abandoned his own foreign policy. It is believed that the reliefs of Trajan's Column represent the last great siege of Sermisegetusa Regia during the second campaign. After this, the capital under the same name was moved to another place. But this is just a hypothesis.

Decebalus could not come to terms with his new status, and the Roman Senate declared him an enemy of the Roman people for the second time. In 105, Trajan began a new campaign with the goal of seizing the kingdom and capturing the king. However, Decebalus managed to lure Gnaeus Pompey Longinus, the commander of the Roman troops north of the Danube, into a trap and capture him. Having become a bargaining chip in negotiations, Longinus committed suicide.

But in the end, the Romans apparently captured the second Sermisegetusa. Decebalus had no choice but to commit suicide. The famous inscription in Philippi (Greece) tells how Tiberius Claudius Maximus, who was pursuing the Dacian king, brought the head of Decebalus to Trajan.

TRAYANOVA DACIA

Thus, in 106, the Roman province of Dacia arose. It covered Banat, a large part of Transylvania and western Oltenia. Three legions were stationed here, the first governor was a veteran of the war with the Dacians, Julius Sabinus. The position of consul-governor of Dacia in the era of Trajan, like the position of governor of Syria and Britain, was considered the crowning achievement of the career of a Roman consul.

The new province underwent its first test in 116-117. When the Roman legions went to war with the Parthians, the barbarian tribes of the Iazyges invaded Dacia and demanded that the western territories of the province be given to them. At this moment, Emperor Trajan died, the throne passed to Hadrian. In 118, the war with the Iazyges was ended by Quintus Marcius Turbo, who became the new governor of Dacia. But the Iazyges, apparently, still received part of the Dacian lands.

The war showed that the buffer zone mission assigned to Dacia was ineffective. That is why Emperor Hadrian decided to withdraw the legions from the most vulnerable lowland territories - Muntenia and southern Moldova. The remaining areas of Trajan's Dacia were divided between two provinces. Dacia was redrawn for the second time already during the time of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

THEIR NAME IS LEGION

Immediately after the capture of Dacia, streams of colonists - immigrants from Italy and Illyria - rushed into it from all over the Roman Empire. Thrace, Germany, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt. These were mainly legionnaires, veterans of the war with Dacia.

Traces of 104 camps of legions and auxiliary units, four thousand inscriptions from the Roman era, mostly in Latin, were found. Proof of the complete Romanization of the province is the fact that Roman names in the inscriptions account for 76 percent - more than in Rome. The first Roman settlement was named Sarmisegetusa in memory of the capital of the free Dacians.

The greatest flow of migration to Dacia occurred in 117-118. At this time, settlements of aliens called “peregrins” appeared on the conquered territory. These were mainly Celts who received Roman citizenship by marrying citizens. Subsequently, direct evidence of migration becomes less and less.

THE COUNTRY OF THE DACIANS WENT TO OBSESSION LIKE ATLANTIS

Historians believe that the Romans adopted the names of the rivers Mures, Somes, Cris, Tisa, and Olt from the Dacians. The Romanian words “gard”, “copil”, “brad”, “fasole”, “moş”, “brânză”, etc. are considered Dacian. But there is practically no information about the fate of this people after the Roman invasion, and this is one of the most mysterious mysteries of history. Roman sources do not record the indigenous population of Dacia at all. Archaeologically, no traces of him have been found either. There is quite a lot of evidence of indigenous populations living in other Roman provinces; we know a lot about the Gauls, Celts, Germans and other tribes - but we know nothing about the Dacians. On the territory of Dacia and in neighboring areas, only references have been found to individual people who claim to be Dacians by birth, but they could simply come from Dacia without being ethnic Dacians.

Not a single intact Dacian settlement survived before the Roman invasion; all of them were destroyed. There is not a single case known when a Roman settlement was built on the site of a Dacian one, as was the case, say, in Gaul. Sarmizegetusa-regia turned out to be the only settlement of the pre-Roman era that retained its name, known from written sources, which was identified during excavations.

The gods of the Dacians did not find a place in the hospitable Roman pantheon, as happened with the gods of other conquered tribes. On the territory of Dacia, during excavations, traces of Celtic, Egyptian, Syrian cults are found, but there are no traces of the Dacian religion. And, what is most strange, there are no traces of burials of the indigenous population - neither the pre-Roman era, nor the provincial era!

What is the reason for the strange situation of the complete destruction of local specificity against the background of the obvious sympathy of the Romans for the conquered Dacians (which is clear from the writings of Latin writers)? Why did the population of an entire country disappear without a trace in broad daylight? There is no satisfactory explanation for this. Dacia, together with the Dacians, sank into oblivion like Atlantis. Will this secret ever be revealed?

Some historians believe that after the wars with Trajan, the human resources of the Dacians were depleted, men died in the war or fled, women and children were captured. Others argue that the indigenous population may have been forcibly removed, but this is unlikely. Other hypotheses also have no documentary basis.

R Uman scientists point out that by the time of the conquest, the Dacians, unlike other tribes, had already passed the stage of the tribal system; they had a state, but did not have an aristocracy that owned land. The land was apparently in the king's possession, and after the invasion the Romans easily drove the landless Dacians out of economic life. But why did the indigenous population not join the ethnically diverse urban and rural communities founded by the colonists?

Some probably collaborated with the occupiers, joined the Roman army and lost their identity completely. A contemporary of the events, Dio Cassius, claimed that many Dacians went over to Trajan’s side. Presumably the Dacian was Publius Aelius Dacian, decurion of Napoca, the first settlement of the province mentioned in documents as a city. There are no traces of indigenous people in this place.

In total, 11 cities of Roman Dacia are known. There is no evidence as to whether Romanization in these places was forced or natural, but sources indicate that it was much more widespread and rapid than in other provinces. As a result, Dacia turned out to be the most Romanized, although it was one of the last to become part of Rome. Latin here did not experience serious competition from other languages ​​and soon became native to the vast majority. By comparison, in Britain the population retained its spiritual values ​​and language during the first two centuries of Roman rule.

HOW THE DACIC HERITAGE WAS DIVIDED

Rome's political and military crisis reached its climax in the second half of the third century AD. The provinces were in decline, Dacia's financial situation was dire, and panic rumors spread in an atmosphere of instability. Officially, the Romans abandoned Dacia under the Emperor Aurelian, who in 270-275 abandoned the province to its fate and transferred Roman colonists across the Danube to the middle parts of the province of Moesia, forming the province of Dacia Aureliana. Emperor Diocletian in 285 formed two new provinces from it: Dacia ripensis (“Coastal Dacia”) and Dacia mediterranea (“Inland Dacia”).

Almost nothing is known about the life of Dacia after the departure of the Romans, although, for example, in Britain there is a lot of evidence of the period of the fall of the empire and the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons. Before the onset of the Middle Ages, there was no mention of this territory and its population in written sources. It can be assumed that society was going through a period of disorganization, cities disintegrated, and people lived isolated in villages. In the 6th-10th centuries, Romance-speaking Vlachs came into intensive contact with migrating Slavic tribes, and after the 12th century, the core of Romance-speaking Dacia, Transylvania, was conquered by the Hungarians for a long time.

The problem of continuity seems insoluble, although historians cannot come to terms with it. In the Middle Ages, the largest part of Roman Dacia (Transylvania and Banat) became part of Hungary. After the disappearance of the kingdom and a short period of autonomy, the Principality of Transylvania became a province of the Habsburg Empire, transformed into XIX century into the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy.

Romanian historians believe that during all these centuries the majority of the population of Transylvania were Romanians. The study of Dacia's past and the recognition of the Latin basis of the Romanian language led to the birth of the intellectual movement of Transylvanian Romanians, which culminated in the memorandum " Supplex Libellus Valachorum " The authors demanded that the Romanians be given political and civil rights, arguing that the ancient population of Transylvania was unfairly deprived of equal rights with those who came to this territory later - the Magyar nobility, the Saxons and the Székelys.

The controversy about the continuity between the Dacians and Romanians of Transylvania flared up in a raised voice. The formation of the Romanian state took her even further. The struggle for the unification of Trnasylvania and Banat with Romania began. The debate in Romanian and Hungarian historiography continued throughout the twentieth century. Even in communist Hungary, there was complete rejection of the fact of the reunification of various areas within the borders of the Romanian state. During the reign of Nicolae Ceausescu, disputes took on extreme forms. The consequences of this are still felt at the level of everyday consciousness.

The most ancient reliefs depict only one horseman, the later ones - two horsemen on either side of the goddess, whose main symbolic attribute is a fish. There are other symbols surrounded by horsemen - the Moon, the Sun, stars, images of animals and birds. According to one version, the Dacian horsemen descend from the Dioscuri (in Greek mythology - the sons of Zeus, twins), and according to another - from the Cabiri (ancient Greek gods of fire and light, who delivered from danger). None of the hypotheses are reliable.

Greek historian Strabo (left) spoke about Decebalus's "anti-alcohol campaign". He called the Dacians Getae. On the right is a Dacian horseman.

There are few inscriptions on the images, they are short and often cannot be deciphered, and therefore the myth of the Dacian horsemen is unknown. But it can be assumed that it was based on the mystical beliefs of the Dacians. It is believed that the two horsemen and the goddess served to communicate between the cosmic levels (heaven, earth and underworld).

Scientists believe that in the mysteries of the Dacian horsemen there were three levels of initiation: Aries (ram), Miles (warrior) and Leo (lion). The first two were under the influence of Mars, and the highest was under the influence of the Sun. The level of those who passed initiation was determined using tokens and seals. The sacrifice of a ram probably played an important role in the Mysteries.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus mentions a certain supreme deity of the Dacians named Zalmoxis (or Zamolxis), to whom the Dacians went after death. There are also references to Gebeleisis, the thunder god, whom Herodotus identified with Zalmoxis. Perhaps the cults of the two gods simply merged. Zalmoxis was also mentioned by Socrates, Plato and Strabo. Mythologies of the Dacians The Romanian historian of religions Mircea Eliade, who published Journal of Religious Studies "Zalmoxis". We also note that in the Republic of Moldova, a film about the Dacians “Wolves and Gods” was shot with budget money.

On the very border of Romania and Serbia, where the Djerdab Gorge lies, there is a very young landmark of Romania, which bears the title of the tallest statue in Europe.

We are talking here about the sculpture of King Decebalus, carved into the coastal rock. But the rock on which the bas-relief of the legendary figure is located can be found near the Romanian city of Orsova.

The height of the carved giant image is 40 meters and the width is 25. In addition to auxiliary workers, 12 sculptors with mountaineering skills were involved in the creation of this masterpiece.

And this miracle was started by the Romanian historian Iosif Draganu, who managed to find funds for its creation in the amount of one million dollars.

In the first century AD, the Romans came to Dacia and, out of their habit, began to behave at home, placing signs at all intersections indicating the direction in which taxes should be taken.

But as elsewhere in previous places, the indigenous population did not like a policy that did not take into account their vital interests. It was precisely these motives that the Dacian king Diurpaneus pursued. He led the uprising and resisted Roman troops for a year.

But in the end, the Romans began to win battle after battle against Diurpaneus and he was forced to hand over the reins of government of the remaining territories to his like-minded Decebalus.

The new Dacian ruler turned out to be much more perspicacious than his predecessor and immediately began negotiations with the Romans in order to gain time to put in order the inheritance he had inherited.

As a result, Decebalus managed to improve discipline in his army and curb the corruption that reigned among the Dacian nobility. In addition to these measures, he took effective steps to incite neighboring tribes and peoples to do dirty tricks on the representatives of ancient Rome.

And as a logical result of the described actions, the army of Decebalus in 86 invaded Moesia - the region between the Southern Carpathians and the Balkans. Good preparation for war immediately brought results. In a battle with the army of the Roman governor Oppius Sabinus, Decebalus celebrated his victory. And most of the above-mentioned province was arbitrarily annexed by him into Dacia.

To say that the above actions could not have any consequences means to say nothing. Such treachery greatly outraged the Roman Emperor Domitian and he sent new troops to Moesia.

In 87, a new battle took place between the Romans and the army of Decebalus and again, as before, the king of Dacia celebrated the victory. But it was not for nothing that the Romans had conquered half the world by that time, and all because their stubbornness knew no bounds. As a result, a third followed the second army.

This time the Romans were much better prepared and, most importantly, took their enemy seriously. In 88, the warring parties met near the village of Tape in Transylvania. As a result of the bloody battle, the Romans celebrated victory.

But Decebalus turned out to be not only a good commander, but also simply a man born under a lucky star. As a result of an attack on the northern outskirts of the Roman Empire by the Germanic tribes of the Quadi, the army of the commander Hypatius was recalled from Dacia and Decebalus received a new chance to start all over again.

The next 14 years turned out to be the calmest in the Dacian kingdom. The situation changed in 102, when the new emperor Trajan, who came to power, set out to return Dacia to the empire. In the same year, without delaying the matter until tomorrow, Trajan invaded Dacia at the head of a large army.

Decebalus was unable to resist such pressure and, despite the resistance provided, suffered one defeat after another. In 105, Decebalus was wounded in battle and, in order to avoid being captured, he killed himself with his sword. That's how this beautiful story ended.

This place was not chosen by chance, because it was here in a canyon called Djerdap in 105 that the emperor of Ancient Rome Trajan finally defeated the army of Dacia, while the proud commander of the defeated army did not want to surrender to the mercy of the enemy and pierced himself with a sword.
The author of the idea of ​​perpetuating the Dacian king Decebalus is the Romanian historian and businessman Joseph Dragan, who also acted as the main sponsor of the project.


Twelve mountaineering sculptors worked for almost a decade to create this monumental sculpture, which is about forty meters high and twenty-five meters wide. In 2004, the sculpture was completed, while about a million dollars were spent on its construction, and a ton of dynamite was used.


You can see this great creation of human hands both from the shore and from a boat, and the second option will be the best, because the monumental sculpture can be viewed from different angles from different distances. The best time for excursions along the Danube is considered to be from the beginning of May to the end of October; it is at this time of year that the largest number of tourists from many countries, sailing along the river, can appreciate the beauty and grandeur of this monumental work.

DECEBALUS.

The charismatic Dacian leader may not have actually been a Dacian. By the second half of the 1st century. n. e. The Dacians in their country apparently became a national minority, inferior in number to the Celts, Iranians and Bastarnae (an East German tribe). Therefore, no matter who Decebalus was by ethnic origin, his Nedacian name does not cause surprise. A smart commander, he proved that he was able to bring together all these disparate nationalities into a single monolithic military fist. According to Cassius Dio, Decebalus was “astute in the understanding of the art of war and also astute in the methods of warfare. He knew exactly when to attack and chose the right moment to retreat.
He was a specialist in ambushes and a master of pitched battles. He knew not only how to build on success, but also how to survive failure.” Decebalus borrowed a significant number of techniques of military art from a self-evident source: he offered attractive conditions to Roman legionaries prone to changing places, and these deserters formed the backbone of Decebalus’s formidable army. He “recruited the largest and best part of the army, convincing people from Roman territory to come to him.” It is believed that he could bring an army of 40,000 of his own soldiers and another 20,000 allies to the battlefield.
Decebalus, naturally, poured the first day into the megalomaniac Emperor Domitian. In 85, the Dacians crossed the Danube and killed the Roman governor. Domitian decided to respond with reprisals, while Decebalus proposed negotiations. The emperor ignored attempts at reconciliation and marched on the Dacians. Of course, he himself did not move anywhere. This was not his habit. He sent one of his generals, Cornelius Fuscus, with a huge army. Meanwhile, Domitian himself “stayed in one of the cities of Moesia (on the Roman side of the Danube), leading, as usual, a riotous lifestyle. Because he was not only lazy in body and timid in soul, but also dissolute and lustful, not even disdaining boys.” Decebalus, having learned of this, immediately sent another ambassador to Domitian with an insulting proposal to make peace with the emperor on the condition that every Roman would pay “two obols” per year to Decebalus. Otherwise, it was said, Decebalus would go to war against the Romans and cause them “great sorrows.”
Fuscus crossed the Danube in 87 and tried to penetrate the central regions of Dacia by crossing the Transylvanian Mountains through a gorge known as the Iron Gate. Here, near a place which the chronicles call Tape, he was attacked by the Dacians. Fuscus died in battle, one of his legions was destroyed, and his standards and equipment were captured. It is possible that some Romans joined the Dacian army.
Two years later, Decebalus discovered the emperor’s emissaries who delivered a request for a truce. The barbarian king was a skilled negotiator and, given that Domitian had failed in a recent campaign against the Germanic Suebi, did not hesitate to take advantage of his position. Under the terms of the agreement, Decebalus received from Domitian a large sum of money, as well as “craftsmen of every craft related to war and peace” and guarantees of future payments. In exchange, Decebalus was offered to return the prisoners and weapons and pay his respects to the emperor. However, Decebalus was too cautious to introduce himself personally to the crazy Domitian. In exchange, he sent himself to Rome as his representative, a certain Diegis, along with several prisoners and some weapons, “allegedly this was all he had.”
In fact, he expressed complete contempt for the Roman emperor, since his envoy did not even belong to the noble Dacians, whose distinctive feature was the headdress. He had long hair, which in Dacia indicated he belonged to the lower classes. Perhaps Domitian did not understand the offensive attack, or perhaps it was more profitable for him to ignore this “attack.” One way or another, the usually proud emperor did not download his rights and signed the agreement. The fact is that Domitian intended to present this convulsive reconciliation as a great victory. He had previously held a "fake" party to commemorate the victory over Germany in 83, when he is believed to have dressed slaves to look like captured Germans. Now Domitian celebrated a triumph in the same spirit in connection with the victory over the Dacians.
He crowned the emissary Diegis as king of Dacia, “as if he (Domitian) were truly a conqueror and could give the Dacians king whomever he wished,” awarded the soldiers with honors and money, and pulled out junk from the imperial storerooms, presented as war booty. Then the triumphal games were held, at which, as the indisputably biased Dio Cassius tells us, “there was nothing worthy of entry into the annals of history, with the exception of the running competition among girls”! However, a mock naval battle was also played out in the new arena, during which “almost all the participants, as well as many spectators, died.” A furious storm with torrential rain flooded the event, but the emperor did not allow anyone to remove or change their clothes. Although, of course, he did it himself. As a result, “a considerable number fell ill and died.” Dio Cassius also adds that dwarfs and women often fought with each other, but it is not entirely clear whether dwarfs fought with dwarfs, or women with women, or a team of dwarfs with a team of women.
And six hundred miles away, in Dacia, Decebalus clashed with the new Roman commander, Julian. Julian brought the Roman army to its senses and defeated the Dacians, and again at Tape. Decebalus was forced to go on the defensive and yet again managed to switch roles with the Romans. This time with the help of cunning. Fearing that Julian would storm his royal residence, Decebalus cut down all the trees in the area, and then arranged the trunks in military formations and hung armor on them, “so that the Romans would take them for soldiers, get scared and retreat,” writes Cassius Dio. This is exactly what happened, obviously.
This bizarre battle ended Decebalus's contacts with Domitian. Decebalus theoretically still remained a vassal of Rome, and Rome paid him for this privilege. This state of affairs suited the Dacian king, but no other Roman emperor was ready to tolerate it.
Domitian was killed - to everyone's relief - and in 96 he was replaced by the elderly Nerva, who reigned for only two years, but wisely chose the extremely prudent Spaniard, Trajan, as his successor.
Trajan was as sane as Domitian was crazy, and he was determined to show the Dacians who was boss. One might even say that the conquest of Dacia was something of an obsession with him. It was said that when he wanted to especially emphasize something, his god was: “so that I don’t see how Dacia becomes a province” or “so that I don’t cross the Danube and Euphrates on bridges.”
Decebalus must have realized that he would have difficult days ahead as soon as Trajan became the head of the largest army in the world. It was a tradition for each new emperor to end his reign with a small, victorious war, and Trajan was not going to deviate from this tradition. A couple of glorious deeds on the borders helped the emperor establish his power in the empire, improve his reputation and provide the army with work. In addition, Trajan received “pleasure from war.”
Decebalus also had to understand that the empire, when Trajan appeared, was in a state of economic bankruptcy. Cash injections were required, and quite soon. And in Dacia, Decebalus literally had a gold mine. But, instead of developing it for the greater benefit of Rome, Decebalus managed to negotiate huge annual payments for himself from Rome. This, writes Cassius Dio, was the main reason why Trajan marched on Dacia: “he grieved for the money that they received annually, and also saw that their power and their pride were growing.”
When Trajan set out on a campaign, Decebalus became worried. He knew that in the person of the new empire he had acquired an enemy who was at the height of his power and, unlike Domitian, enjoyed a certain respect among his soldiers.
“Decebalus... knew that on the previous occasion he had defeated not the Romans, but Domitian, whereas now he would fight both the Romans and Trajan, their emperor.” The Dacian king watched in despair as Trajan prepared his attack competently and carefully. Decebalus's spies reported that the emperor had built the long-promised bridge across the Danube (or maybe two) and was now leading roads through the territory of Dacia.
But Decebalus was not one to pee his pants out of fear, and showed his presence of mind by laughing at the Romans. When Trajan reached the Iron Gate, Decebalus sent him a warning, scratched, as Cassius Dio writes, “on a huge mushroom.” Perhaps it was a mushroom-shaped ritual dish, then, unfortunately, this case cannot be considered the only example in history of conducting diplomatic correspondence on mushrooms. The inscription recommended that Trajan turn back and “keep the peace.”
Decebalus, of course, did not expect that Trajan would accept his advice. Yes, and I would be extremely surprised if this happened. As a result, Roman troops reached the Dacian capital, Sarmizegetusa. They captured several mountain fortresses, and also found several catapults and even a standard captured from Fuscus. They also captured Decebalus’ sister.
The Dacian leader was defeated. He came to Trajan, fell on his face and expressed his respect to the emperor. According to the terms of the truce, Decebalus agreed to become an ally of Rome, give the Romans the territory they had captured, destroy fortresses, stop recruiting Roman soldiers and craftsmen, and return those recruited to Trajan. He also sent envoys to the Roman Senate to ratify the truce. There, in the Senate, these barbarian officials, perhaps still wearing their caps, “laid down their weapons, clasped their hands in the pose of prisoners and uttered words of supplication.” The treaty was ratified and their weapons were returned to them. Decebalus, however, had no more intention of honoring the peace terms he had signed than Trajan had any intention of leaving all the gold to the Dacians. Decebalus must have understood that Trajan would not receive “the pleasure of war” until he completely subjugated Dacia. The barbarian king could see the Romans strengthening their fortifications along the Danube, and he knew that they were preparing for the complete conquest of his country. At the same time, Trajan replaced the wooden bridge over the Danube with a stone one.
It was clear that the Romans had decided to remain in Dacia. Decebalus did the only thing he could. He seized the initiative and attacked Roman Moesia, seizing control of the fortresses. The Senate declared him an enemy of Rome, and Trajan immediately went to war against him. This time the outcome was obvious, so many Dacians began to go over to the side of the Romans.
Decebalus sued for peace, but this time did not appear in person to surrender. He was too busy to participate in diplomatic receptions, as he was desperately trying to raise a barbarian army against Trajan. He also tried to organize an assassination attempt on the emperor while he was in Moesia. Several Roman deserters were sent to see if anything could be done with Trajan, who, according to Cassius Dio, had become too accessible to everyone and "under wartime conditions allowed absolutely anyone to attend conferences." But one of the conspirators was captured and betrayed the others under torture.
However, Decebalus pulled off another trick. He invited the commander of the Roman army in Dacia, Longinus, to a meeting, assuring him that he was now ready to fulfill all the demands of the Romans. Instead, Decebalus calmly arrested Longinus and publicly interrogated him about Trajan's plans to conquer Dacia. Longinus refused to say anything, so Decebalus took the Roman commander with him, not tied up, but in custody. He also informed Trajan that he could get his general back in exchange for all the Dacian lands up to the Danube, which were now ruled by Rome.
Decebalus also demanded compensation for the money spent so far on the war. Well, it doesn’t hurt to want!
Trajan gave an evasive answer.
Longinus did what he considered a worthy way out of an intolerable situation. He received poison from a freed slave. Before accepting it, Longinus promised to persuade Trajan to accept the Dacian proposal, and with the blessing of Decebalus, he handed the petition to the former slave. By the time Longinus committed suicide, the messenger had already departed. Decebalus, apparently beside himself at the loss of such a prestigious and important captive, demanded that Trajan give up the former slave in exchange for the body of Longinus and 10 prisoners. But Trajan, as a practical man, sought to encourage Dacian desertion. He decided that the safety of the daredevil (former slave) who took such a huge risk in delivering the poison to Longinus would be “more important to the dignity of the empire than the funeral of Longinus,” and refused to send the freedman to his certain death.
Throughout 105, Trajan waged war "with cautious prudence, and not with haste, and, in the end, after a difficult struggle, defeated the Dacians." When Decebalus realized that the end had come, he committed suicide and his head was sent to Rome.