King Decebalus. Domitian and Decebalus: an unrealized version of the development of Roman-Dacian relations Who is Decebalus

The beginning of the reign

Suicide of Decebalus as depicted on Trajan's Column

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what "Decebal" is in other dictionaries:

- (Decebalus) (? 106), leader of the Dacians from 87. In 89, after a successful war with the Romans, he achieved peace, according to which Rome had to pay the Dacians an annual subsidy; the wars of the Dacians with Rome in 101 102 and 105 106 ended with the subjugation of the Dacians to Rome and ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Decebălus, Δεκεβαλος, actually Doipaneus, so Decebalus, a common noun and means king or prince of the Dacians, ruled over the Dacian tribes and by his invasion of the province of Mszia provoked Domitian's campaign against him. Tac. Agr. 41. ... ... Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities

- (Decebalus) (died 106), king of the Dacians (See Dacians) from 87. In 89, after a successful war against the Romans under the emperor Domitian, D. concluded a peace, according to which the Romans were obliged to pay annual subsidies and provide the Dacians with Roman artisans ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (Decebalus) King of the Dacians. In 86 A.D. X.D. invaded Mysia, defeated the Roman governor Oppius Sabinus, and took possession of most of the province. Emperor Domitian, despite the victory won by his commander Julian at Tanya, had to ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

- (Decebalus) (d. 106) the king of the Dacians, who united under his rule numerous. Dacian tribes. A stubborn enemy of Rome (the Romans fought with D. twice under Domitian and Trajan). Created an army trained and armed in Rome. manner. In the fight against Rome ... ... Soviet Historical Encyclopedia

Decebal- see Ducky. (I. A. Lisovy, K. A. Revyako. Ancient world in terms, names and titles: Dictionary reference book on the history and culture of Ancient Greece and Rome / Scientific ed. A. I. Nemirovsky. 3rd ed. Minsk: Belarus , 2001) ... The ancient world. Reference dictionary.

Decebal- (d. 106) king of the Dacians, obed. under their authority numerous. Dacian tribes. A stubborn enemy of Rome (the Romans fought with D. twice under Domitian and Trajan). Created an army, trained. and armed. to rome. manner. In the fight against Rome, he tried to conclude. unions ... Ancient world. encyclopedic Dictionary

Decebal- (Decebalus), the last outstanding king of the Dacians, who in 8586 invaded Moesia and threatened Rome. state (in 101 106 Dacia was conquered by Trajan). With great foresight, using the help of the Greek. and rome. specialists., D. spent ... ... Dictionary of antiquity

Decebal- іmennik of cholovich family, іstota ... Spelling vocabulary of the Ukrainian language

- (d. 106) the leader of the Dacians from 87. In 89, after a successful war with the Romans, he achieved peace, according to which Rome had to pay the Dacians an annual subsidy; the wars of the Dacians with Rome in 101 102 and 105 106 ended with the subjugation of the Dacians to Rome and the suicide of Decebalus ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

The largest monument in Europe, which was carved out of a monolithic rock, is located on the border of Serbia with Romania, seventeen kilometers from the Romanian city of Orshov. This unique sculpture is dedicated to the Dacian king Decebalus, who won fame for his long-term opposition to the Roman Empire.

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 on the creation of this monumental sculpture, which is about forty meters high and twenty-five meters wide, for almost a decade. In 2004, the sculpture was completed, while about a million dollars was spent on its construction, 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 contemplated from different angles from different distances. The best time for excursions along the Danube is considered to be the period from the beginning of May to the end of October, it is at this time of the year that the largest number of tourists from many countries, sailing by river, can appreciate the beauty and grandeur of this monumental work.

Decebal.

The charismatic Dacian leader may not have actually been a Dacian. By the second half of the 1st century. n. NS. Dacians in their country, apparently, became a national minority, yielding in numbers to the Celts, Iranians and Bastars (East German tribe). Therefore, whoever Decebal is of ethnic origin, his non-Dak name is not surprising. An intelligent commander, he proved that he is able to bring together all these disparate nationalities into a single monolithic military fist. According to Dio Cassius, Decebalus was “discerning in his understanding of the art of war and also discerning in the methods of warfare. He knew exactly when to attack and chose the right moment to retreat.
He was an ambush specialist and master of battle. He knew not only how to build on success, but also how to survive defeat. " Decebalus borrowed a significant number of techniques of military art from a self-evident source: he offered attractive conditions to the Roman legionnaires, inclined to change places, and these deserters formed the backbone of the formidable army of Decebalus. He "recruited the largest and best part of the army, urging people to go over to him from Roman territory." It is believed that he was able to lead an army of 40,000 of his own soldiers and another 20,000 allies to the battlefield.
Decebalus, naturally, poured the first number into the megalomaniac Emperor Domitian. In 85 AD 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 moved on the Dacians. Of course, he himself did not move anywhere. This was not his habit. He sent one of his generals, Cornelius Fusca, with a huge army. Meanwhile, Domitian himself “stayed in one of the cities of Moesia (on the Roman side of the Danube), leading, as was his custom, a riotous lifestyle. Because he was not only lazy in body and timid in soul, but also dissolute and lustful, not even neglecting boys. " Decebalus, learning of this, immediately sent another ambassador to Domitian with an insulting proposal to conclude peace with the emperor on the condition that every Roman would pay "two obols" a year to Decebalus. Otherwise, it was said, Decebalus will go to war against the Romans and inflict "great sorrows" on them.
Fuscus crossed the Danube in 87 and attempted to penetrate the central regions of Dacia by crossing the Transylvanian Mountains through a gorge known as the Iron Gate. Here, near the place that the chronicles call Tape, he was attacked by the Dacians. Fusk was killed in action, one of his legions was destroyed, and his banners and equipment were captured. It is possible that some Romans joined the Dacian army.
Two years later, Decebalus discovered the emissaries of the emperor, who delivered the request for an armistice. The barbarian king was a skilled negotiator and, given that Domitian had failed in his recent campaign against the Germanic Suebi tribe, he did not hesitate to take advantage of his position. Under the terms of the contract, Decebalus received from Domitian a large sum of money, as well as "artisans of every craft related to war and peace" And guarantees of future payments. In exchange, Decebalus was asked to return the prisoners and weapons and pay his respects to the emperor. However, Decebalus was too careful to personally introduce himself to the crazy Domitian. In exchange for himself, he sent to Rome as his representative a certain Diegis, along with several prisoners and some kind of weapon, "supposedly this was all that he had."
In fact, he expressed complete contempt for the Roman emperor, since his envoy did not even belong to the noble Dacians, whose distinguishing feature was the headdress. He had long hair, which in Dacia indicated that he belonged to the lower classes. Perhaps Domitian did not understand the insulting attack, or maybe it was more profitable for him to ignore this "hitting". One way or another, but the usually proud emperor did not begin to pump the rights and signed an agreement. The fact is that Domitian intended to present this convulsive reconciliation as a great victory. He had already thrown a "phony" holiday to commemorate the victory over Germany in 83, when he is believed to have disguised the slaves to appear as captive Germans. Now Domitian has rolled out a triumph in the same spirit in connection with the victory over the Dacians.
He crowned the emissary of Diegis as king of Dacia, "as if he (Domitian) were really a conqueror and could give the Dacians as tsar whoever he wanted," awarded the soldiers with honors and money and pulled junk from the imperial storerooms, presented as war booty. Then triumphant games were arranged, in which, as the unquestionably biased Dio Cassius informs us, "there was nothing worthy of being included in the annals of history, except for a race among girls"! However, a playful naval battle was still played out in the new arena, during which "practically all the participants, as well as many spectators, were killed." A violent storm with heavy rain flooded the event, but the emperor did not allow anyone to take off 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 from here, in Dacia, Decebalus grappled with the new Roman commander, Julian. Julian brought the Roman army to life and defeated the Dacians, and again at Tapa. Decebalus was forced to go on the defensive and yet again managed to switch roles with the Romans. This time with a trick. 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 mistake them for soldiers, fear and retreat," writes Dio Cassius. This is obviously what happened.
This bizarre combat encounter ended Decebalus' 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 endure it.
Domitian was killed - to everyone's relief - and in 96 he was replaced by the elderly Nerva, who ruled for only two years, but wisely chose as his successor the extremely prudent Spaniard - Trajan.
Trajan was as intelligent as Domitian was insane, and he was determined to show the Dacians who was boss. One could even say that the conquest of Dacia was something of an obsession with him. They said when he wanted to emphasize something especially, his god was: "so that I do not see how Dacia will become a province" or "so that I do not cross the Danube and the Euphrates on bridges."
Decebalus should have realized that he was facing difficult days as soon as Trajan became the head of the largest army in the world. It was a tradition for each new emperor to warm up his rule with a small victorious war, and Trajan was not going to depart 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 business. In addition, Trajan took "pleasure in the war."
Decebalus had to understand that the empire, when Trajan appeared, was in a state of economic bankruptcy. A cash injection was required, and pretty soon. And in Dacia, Decebalus literally had a gold mine. But, instead of developing it for the greater benefit of Rome, Decebalus contrived to bargain out for himself huge annual payments from Rome. This, writes Dio Cassius, was the main reason why Trajan moved to Dacia: "he grieved for the money they received annually, and also saw that their power and their pride grew more and more."
When Trajan set out on the campaign, Decebalus became worried. He knew that in the person of the new empire he had acquired an enemy who was at the peak of his power and, unlike Domitian, enjoyed a certain respect among his soldiers.
"Decebalus ... knew that in the previous case he defeated not the Romans, but Domitian, while now he will fight both the Romans and Trajan, their emperor." The Dacian king watched in despair as Trajan prepared competently and carefully for the offensive. The spies of Decebalus reported that the emperor built the long-promised bridge across the Danube (or maybe two) and now leads roads through the territory of Dacia.
But Decebalus was not the type to pee in his pants with fear, and showed presence of mind by laughing at the Romans. When Trajan reached the Iron Gates, Decebalus sent him a warning, carved, as Dio Cassius 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 advised Trajan to turn back and "keep the peace."
Decebalus, of course, did not expect Trajan to accept his advice. And I would be extremely surprised if this happened. As a result, Roman troops reached the Dacian capital, Sarmisegetuza. They captured several mountain fortresses, and also found several catapults and even a standard captured from Fuska. They also captured Decebala's sister.
The Dacian leader was defeated. He appeared to Trajan, fell on his face and paid homage to the emperor. According to the terms of the armistice, Decebalus agreed to become an ally of Rome, give the Romans their territory, destroy fortresses, stop recruiting Roman soldiers and craftsmen, and return those recruited to Trajan. He also sent ambassadors to the Roman Senate to ratify the armistice. There, in the Senate, these barbaric officials, perhaps still wearing caps, "laid down their arms, clasped their hands in a prisoner position, and uttered pleading words." The treaty was ratified and their weapons were returned. Decebalus, however, was no more going to fulfill the peace terms he signed than Trajan was going to leave all the gold to the Dacians. Decebalus should have realized that Trajan would not get "the pleasure of war" until he completely subdued Dacia. The king of the barbarians could see how the Romans were strengthening the 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 decided to stay in Dacia. Decebalus did the only thing he could. He seized the initiative and attacked Roman Moesia, taking 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 asked for peace, but this time he did not appear for surrender in person. He was too busy to participate in diplomatic receptions as he desperately tried 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 about Trajan, who, according to Cassius Dio, had become too accessible to everyone and "in times of war allowed absolutely anyone who wanted to attend meetings." But one of the conspirators was captured and betrayed the rest under torture.
However, Decebalus pulled another trick. He invited the commander of the Roman army in Da cius, Longinus, to a meeting, assuring him that he was now ready to fulfill all the requirements of the Romans. Instead, Decebalus calmly arrested Longinus and publicly interrogated him about Trajan's plans to conquer Dacia. Longinus refused to report anything, so Decebalus took the Roman commander with him, not bound, but in custody. He also informed Trajan that he would be able to get his general back in exchange for all the Dacian lands up to the Danube, which are now ruled by Rome.
Decebal demanded, in addition, to compensate him for the money spent so far on the war. Well, it’s not bad 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 him, Longinus promised to persuade Trajan to accept the Dacian offer, and with the blessing of Decebalus presented the petition to the former slave. By the time Longinus committed suicide, the messenger had already departed. Decebalus, apparently beside himself with the loss of such a prestigious and important prisoner, demanded that Trajan give the former slave in exchange for the body of Longinus and 10 prisoners. But Trajan, as a practical man, strove to encourage Dacian desertion. He decided that the safety of the daredevil (former slave) who took such a huge risk in transferring the poison to Longinus would be "more important to the dignity of the empire than the burial of Longinus," and refused to send the freedman to certain death.
Throughout 105, Trajan waged war "with cautious prudence, not haste, and in the end, after a hard struggle, defeated the Dacians." When Decebalus realized that the end had come, he committed suicide, and his head was sent to Rome.

Domitian's war with the Dacians ended in peace in 89. The emperor was satisfied with a formal expression of submission on the part of the Dacian king Decebalus and celebrated a triumph in honor of the victorious end of the military campaign. Peace with the Dacians allowed Domitian to ensure the security of the empire's borders on the lower Danube and to transfer the army to another theater of operations. One can only guess how long the world would have lasted on the Dacian border if Domitian had not been killed in 96 by the conspirators. The new emperor Trajan did not continue the policy of his predecessor and began to prepare for the final solution of the Dacian question.

Best Emperor

Trajan was born on September 18, 53. His first step in the public arena was service under his father's command in Syria. In 84 he became praetor, in 86 legate of the VII Double Legion, stationed in Tarracon Spain. In 89, by order of Domitian, he led his legion to Upper Germany, whose governor, Anthony Saturninus, declared himself emperor. The uprising was suppressed even before his arrival, but Trajan managed to take part in the campaign against the Germans on the Rhine and Danube.

As a reward for his achievements in 91, he received a consulate, and then a viceroyalty, first in the province of Lower Moesia or Pannonia, and then in Upper Germany. Here, in the late autumn of 97, he first received news of his adoption by the emperor Nerva, and then, after the death of Nerva at the end of January 98, he received the news of the succession of supreme power in the empire. Trajan was in no hurry to leave for Rome. He spent almost a year and a half in Germany, where he was engaged in the reconstruction of the border. Here Trajan's policy was focused on armed containment and peacekeeping with the Germans.

Trajan was tall and well built. He possessed great physical strength and incredible endurance. His face was characterized by a concentrated expression, full of self-dignity and enhanced by premature gray hair.

On the contrary, the situation on the lower Danube gave him serious fears. Before leaving for Rome, in 99 he undertook an inspection trip to Pannonia and Moesia, as a result of which he decided to start a war against the Dacians.

The reason for the war and preparation for it

On Roman coins, imprinted on the eve of the war, Mars the Avenger was depicted, which was supposed to depict a campaign to take revenge on the enemy, who over the past fifty years invaded Roman territory several times, was guilty of the deaths of two military leaders and a huge number of ordinary soldiers. The peace concluded with the Dacians in 89 immediately after the death of Domitian began to be perceived by his successor as disadvantageous and even shameful for Rome. The dependence of the Dacians established by the terms of the treaty was not too great, their military assistance during the subsequent conflicts with the Marcomannians and Sarmatians was insignificant. Decebalus used the monetary subsidy that Rome pledged to pay him, as well as the help of Roman military specialists, to build up his own forces.

It should be borne in mind, however, that these statements were partly the result of the course of deliberate discrediting of the foreign policy of his predecessor, which was carried out by Trajan. They were also caused by fear of the growing power of the Dacians. The official point of view was voiced by Pliny the Younger in his Panegyric to Trajan, pronounced around the year 100:

“So, they became proud and threw off the yoke of subordination and were already trying to fight us not for their liberation, but for enslaving us, they did not conclude a truce otherwise than on equal terms, and in order to borrow our laws, they imposed their own on us.”

Trajan addresses the soldiers. The Emperor is the most frequently depicted character in the reliefs that adorn Trajan's Column. In total, he is depicted on it 59 times.

The main base for the offensive of the strike group was Upper Moesia. During 100 - 101 years, 12 legions from various provinces were drawn to its capital Viminacii (Kostolac). The army was based on the Upper Mesian IV Flavius ​​and VII Claudius legions, which were joined by the V Macedonian and I Italic legions from Lower Moesia. Probably the full complement of the campaign also involved the I Auxiliary, X, XIII and XIV Twinned, as well as the XV Apollo legions from Pannonia. Vexillations of the VI Victorious and VIII Augustus legions were brought up from the Rhine. Even from distant Britain, the vexillations of the XX Valerius the Victorious Legion arrived. In the winter of 102, the vexillations of the XII Lightning and XVI Flavius ​​legions from Cappadocia were used to eliminate the Sarmatian invasion on the lower Danube.

In addition to the legions, a large corps of auxiliary troops, at least 19 cavalry al, 63 auxiliary and mixed cohorts, as well as contingents provided by dependent rulers and allies of Rome, took part in the war. The Mauritanian cavalry arrived under the command of their leader Luzius Quiet, the eastern archers, and troops of the German allies. The total number of the assembled troops exceeded 100,000.

Roman ships on the Danube, relief from Trajan's column

For the convenience of supplying this mass of people, the old routes of communication were reconstructed and new ones were laid. In 100 AD, in the Iron Gate (Djerdap Gorge) on the modern border of Serbia and Romania, a road was carved into the rock, which looked like a hanging balcony. To ensure the smooth sailing of ships on the section of the Danube between the cities of Gradach and Karatash, which abounded with dangerous rapids and rapids, a channel 3 km long and 11 - 35 m wide was laid.

I Dacian War 101-102

Trajan left Rome on March 25, 101. It is assumed that he first arrived in Ancona, from there he crossed the sea to Dalmatia and then continued his journey along the course of the Morava to Viminacii. With his arrival, the army crossed the Danube in two columns over pre-built pontoon bridges. The western column, crossing at Lederate (Palanka), was commanded by Trajan himself. Eastern, under the command of the governor of Lower Moesia, Mania of Liberia Maxim, was ferried at Dierna (Orshov).

The emperor's army moved along the same route that Tettius Julian used in 88. A few accidentally preserved words from Trajan's travel message - "From there we entered Berzobis (Berzovia), and then Aizis (Firlyug)"- are accurate topographic referencing of the route. The army of Liberia Maxim was advancing along the valley of the Cherna River through the Teregoversky Pass to meet her. In the area of ​​Tibisca (Caransebash), both columns of the Roman army successfully united.

Then they proceeded along the valley of the Bistra river in the direction of Tap (Deva), where the main forces of Decebalus were located. As in the previous campaign, a decisive battle took place here. The Romans were victorious again, but the price was great. Decebalus managed to retreat with the remnants of his forces to the mountains of Orastia. Leaving Liberia Maximus with half the army to besiege the fortress of Tapa, Trajan himself rushed in pursuit of the retreating. His target was the Dacian capital Sarmisegetuza, but the winter that had begun early that year made it impossible to continue the campaign.

Dacian War of Trajan, routes of the main campaigns of the Romans

Trajan returned to winter across the Danube, leaving 4 legions in the captured part of the country and intending to continue the campaign next spring. Meanwhile, Decebalus organized a second front against the Romans. At the end of winter 102, his allies, the Roxolans and Aors, under the leadership of their kings Susag and Inismay, as well as the Dacians, Bastars and Getae, crossed the frozen Danube. They swept away the barrier put up against them by Liberius Maximus and broke into the territory of Lower Moesia. Trajan had to send additional forces to support him, primarily cavalry formations from his army. Part of the army was transferred on the ships of the Danube flotilla.

Thanks to timely assistance, the barbarian detachments were blocked on both sides and utterly defeated in a series of bloody battles. The largest of these occurred near the modern Romanian city of Adamiklissi. Its scale is evidenced only by the number of Roman losses, which amounted to almost 4 thousand people. In connection with this battle, for the first and last time, Roman wounded are depicted in the scenes of Trajan's column telling about the battle. Perhaps, it is to this event that the episode mentioned by Cassius Dion refers to when, in order to bandage the wounded, Trajan ordered his own clothes to be torn into bandages.

Subsequently, in 109 in honor of this victory, Trajan's monumental trophy was erected in the form of a mound on a stepped base with a diameter of 38 m and a height of 40 m.The crown of the monument was encircled by a frieze decorated with 54 metopes depicting battle scenes and figures of captured barbarians.

Scene of the battle between the Romans and the Dacians on Trajan's Column

In the spring of 102, the war in Dacia resumed. The Romans again moved towards Sarmisegetuse, advancing in two columns. One of them, under the command of Trajan himself, relying on previously created bases, advanced from the west through Tapy. Another, under the command of Liberia Maxim, went from the south along the Olt River valley and the Turnu Rosu Pass to Apul. As evidenced by the reliefs of Trajan's Column, on the way the soldiers continued to pave roads, build bridges and towers. Decebalus sent his ambassadors to the Roman camp, offering to enter into negotiations, but the summit never took place.

The reliefs of the Column show the Romans storming some kind of fortress, it must be Apul. Numerous trophies were taken during the offensive. In one of the mountain fortresses, weapons and a banner were found, captured by the Dacians during the defeat of the army of Cornelius Fusca in 86. Liberia Maximus managed to capture the sister of King Decebalus. Somewhere between Apulus and Sarmisegetusa, another great battle took place, which again ended in victory for the Romans.

The Dacians laid down their arms and beg the Roman emperor for mercy. The full-length figure depicts the Dacian king Decebalus. On the right, the Dacians are tearing down their fortifications

Having lost hope of victory and fearing for his capital, Decebalus finally asked for peace. His ambassadors arrived at a Roman military camp set up in the vicinity of Sarmisegetuza. The king was ordered to hand over weapons, defectors and prisoners, tear down the fortifications, pay a huge indemnity and take an oath of allegiance to Rome. All conditions, despite their severity, were accepted. Decebalus' messengers were sent to Rome to appear before the Senate. Trajan returned to Rome, where he celebrated his triumph and received the solemn title "Dacian" from the Senate.

Interwar years

Immediately after the end of the I Dacian War, Roman troops began fortifying camps and strongholds around Dacia and building communications in the border zone on the Lower Danube. The brick stamps, inscriptions and coins on the left bank of the Danube reveal the presence of the I Auxiliary, III Flavius ​​the Happy and XIII Double legions.

VII Claudius Legion in 103 - 105 years was occupied at Drobeta (Kostol) with the construction of a large stone bridge across the Danube. The bridge was built according to the design of Apollodorus of Damascus, a brilliant engineer, whose works also include Trajan's Forum and Trajan's Column in Rome. The bridge over the Danube became a real engineering marvel of its time. The length of the bridge was 1.2 km, it was erected on 20 stone pillars about 50 m high and 18 - 20 m wide each. The bridge spans had an arched structure and were made of wooden beams. Images of this wonder of the world have been featured on the reliefs of Trajan's Column and in a large series of minted Roman coins.

Trajan makes sacrifices before starting the campaign to Dacia. Behind, as a background, there is a bridge over the Danube, built in 103-105 by Apollodorus of Damascus

Despite defeat and surrender, Decebalus did not consider himself completely defeated. When he surrendered his arms, he managed to conceal a significant part of it, and also continued to accept Roman defectors. The clause of the agreement providing for the demolition of the fortifications was completely ignored by him. In addition, the king sought to strike up negotiations with the opponents of Rome. In particular, in the capital of the province of Bithynia, Callidrome was identified, a former slave of Liberius Maximus, who in 102 was captured by the Sarmatians and presented to Decebalus. He sent Callidrome to the Parthian king Pacorus II in order to induce the Parthians to attack the Roman borders. On the way back, he managed to escape and so he ended up in his native Nicomedia, where he was exposed and sent under escort to Trajan.

Finally, the emperor's cup of patience was overflowing in the winter of 104, when Decebalus attacked the Yazy Sarmatians living along the Tissa. Unlike their relatives, the Roxolans, the Iazygs were Roman allies during the previous war. Decebalus avenged them for the support of Rome and took away part of their territory, thereby directly violating the terms of the peace treaty. In light of these events, at the beginning of 105, the Senate declared war on him.

II Dacian War 105-106

Decebalus tried to take the initiative into his own hands, dealing a preemptive blow to the Roman garrisons left on the left bank of the Danube. The Romans were ready and managed to repel all attacks. The attack on the bridge was also unsuccessful. On June 6, 105, Trajan left the capital for the theater of operations. By this time, the army on the border with Dacia had grown to 16 legions. On the Danube arrived I Minerva and XI Claudius legions from the Rhine, as well as the newly created legion II Trajan. With the arrival of Trajan, the legions crossed the Danube over the bridge at Drobeta and marched north in several columns. Their goal was again the capital of the Dacians, Sarmisegetuza, which, contrary to the treaty, Decebalus hastened to strengthen.

Dacians besiege a Roman fortification

The details of the war are not fully understood, because its description in the sources, as well as the scenes depicted on Trajan's column, represent an incomplete and inaccurate reflection of events. The war seems to have taken an extremely violent form, involving the killing of prisoners on both sides and the destruction of the Dacian homes.

Decebalus captured a high-ranking military man, Gnaeus Pinarius Aemilius Pompey Longinus, suffect consul in 90, governor of Upper Moesia in 93-96 and Pannonia in 98. After the end of the first war with the Dacians, he commanded the Roman troops on the left bank of the Danube. Decebalus promised to return the prisoner if Trajan would withdraw his troops across the Danube. While the emperor pondered his answer, Pompey Longinus took poison, which he obtained through a loyal freedman. He sent the freedman himself with a letter to Trajan. Having discovered what had happened, Decebalus offered to hand over the body of Longinus in exchange for the return of the freedman, but Trajan refused, considering the preservation of his life more significant than the burial of the dead.

The battle of the Romans with the Dacians

Sarmisegetuza was surrounded and fell after a fierce assault. The Dacian leaders preferred to commit suicide so as not to fall into the hands of the enemy. One scene from Trajan's Column depicts them taking a goblet of poison in a circle. The gold treasury of Decebalus fell into the hands of the Romans. The money was hidden at the bottom of a cave dug in the bed of the Sargetia River flowing near the capital. The prisoners who performed this work were all killed, but the secret was revealed by one of the tsar's entourage.

Decebalus himself fled from the capital and with a few associates retreated to the mountains in the east of the country. Here he continued to resist until he died in 106. One of the reliefs of the Column depicts the persecution and death of the Dacian king. The retinue accompanying him was killed by the Roman horsemen. Seeing no salvation, Decebalus pierced himself with a sword.

Decebalus' suicide scene, relief of Trajan's Column

In 1965, a funeral stele and epitaph belonging to Tiberius Claudius Maximus was found at Philip in Macedonia. The inscription testifies that it was he who captured Decebalus and gave his severed head to Trajan in the fortress of Ronistore in the territory of modern Transylvania. The head of Decebalus was sent to Rome and was thrown here on the Gemona Stairs at the foot of the Capitol.

Results of the war

As a result of the Roman conquest, Dacia was devastated. Cities and fortresses lay in ruins, the country's wealth was plundered, cattle were slaughtered, fields were burned. A significant part of the country's population died, thousands of survivors were forced to leave their homeland. About half a million Dacians were captured and sold into slavery. To settle the newly conquered lands, Trajan had to resettle there many colonists from among the romanized population of the Balkan and eastern provinces. A significant part of the new population consisted of army veterans and members of their families.

The Romans capture the Dacians

During the war, huge booty was captured. According to Ioann Lida, it was 5 million pounds of gold (2 thousand tons) and 10 million pounds of silver (4 thousand tons). In terms of value, this was the equivalent of 30 years of imperial revenues! Trajan donated about 50 million sesterces to the temple of Jupiter Capitoline, in addition, every Roman citizen received from him 2,000 sesterces. At the expense of Dacian riches, the emperor was able to completely resolve financial problems and make generous distributions to the soldiers on the eve of new preparations for campaigns against Parthia.

Literature:

1. Kruglikova, I.T. Dacia in the era of the Roman occupation / I.T. Kruglikova. - M., 1955.
2. Parfenov V.N. Domitian and Decebalus: an unrealized version of the development of Roman-Dacian relations // Antique World and Archeology. - Issue. 12. - Saratov, 2006 .-- S. 215―227.
3. Kolosovskaya Yu.K. Rome and the world of tribes on the Danube. 1st-4th centuries AD, Moscow, 2000
4. Zlatkovskaya T.D. Moesia in the 1st - 2nd centuries AD. M., 1951.
5. Rubtsov S. M. Legions of Rome on the Lower Danube: the military history of the Roman-Dacian wars (late 1st - early 2nd century AD). - SPb .: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2003 .-- 256 p.
6. Chaplygin, N.A. Romans on the Danube (I – III centuries AD) / N.A. Chaplygin. - Chisinau, 1990, - 187 p.
7. Salmon E.T. Trajan's Conquest of Dacia // Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 67 (1936), pp. 83-105
8. Bennet J. Trajan, Optimus Princeps. A Life and Times. - London-New York: Routledge, 2006 .-- 317 p.
9. Speidel M. A. Bellicosissimus Princeps // Traian. Ein Kaiser der Superlative am Beginn einer Umbruchszeit? Nünnerich-Asmuss A. (Hrsg.). - Mainz a. R .: Verlag Philipp von Zabern, 2002. - S. 23-40.
10. Strobel K. Die Untersuchungen zu den Dakerkriegen Trajans. - Bonn: Rudolf Habelt, 1984 .-- 284 p.

Dacia from Burebista to Decebala. Relations between Dacians and Romans

Dacian rulers. After the overthrow of Burebista, power briefly passed to Deceeney. Then the throne was inherited, according to Jordan, by Komozik, who had the same strong power as his predecessor. The same historian notes that "after this one also left human affairs, King Corillus reigned over the Goths, and he ruled his tribe in Dacia for forty years."

Corill's name is not confirmed by other sources. It is possible that Jordan confused him with King Scorilon, who is mentioned in later monuments and who was a contemporary of Nero. On the other hand, it is possible that after Komozik, the throne in Sarmizegetuz was really occupied by the king, who ruled for a very long time. Other sources call a certain Kotizon ( Cotiso), who reigned in Dacia in the last third of the 1st century. BC NS. and at the beginning of the next century. So, in one of the odes of Horace, written in 29 BC. e., it is said that "the army of the Dak Kotizon was defeated" (III, 8, 18). In turn, Suetonius mentions Cotizon, talking about the conflict between Octavian and Mark Antony. In the oldest manuscripts of Suetonius' writings, the spelling is preserved Cosoni (Cosini) Getarum regi... In the vicinity of the capital of the Dacian kingdom, numerous treasures of gold /29/ coins with the inscription "Koson" in Greek letters. Therefore, it is possible that Tsar Koson is the very Kotizon mentioned in the sources. Moreover, Cotizon is again mentioned as an adversary of Rome in the context of the events of 11–12. n. NS. His power extended to the mountainous part of Dacia, which may coincide with those mountains where the capital of Dacia Sarmisegetuza was located (Flor, 11, 28, 18-19). This Koson-Kotizon ruled for a very long time (about four decades), which corresponds to the data of Jordan, who, however, could well have confused the name of the Dacian king with the name of another, later ruler.

After the era of Augustus, ancient authors no longer mention the Dacian kings, since most of the first half of the 1st century. n. NS. and the first decades of the second half of this century were a relatively calm period, with no major clashes between the Dacians and the Romans. Therefore, it should be borne in mind that the names of several rulers who followed each other might simply not have reached us.

In the time of Nero, King Skorilon is mentioned. The dates of his life are unknown, but it is likely that his brother Duras inherited the throne, who attacked Moesia in the winter of 85/86. Soon after this, according to Dio Cassius, "the former ruler of Douras voluntarily handed over power to Decebalus, since he was a skilled commander ..." (LXVII, 6, 1).

All the rulers of Dacia, up to the wars with Trajan, were known to their contemporaries, mainly because of the conflicts that arose between the Dacians and the Romans. However, there were relatively calm periods when tensions eased and the economy of Dacia flourished thanks to the trade exchange with the Roman Empire.

Daco-Roman relations. As already mentioned, after the conclusion of the alliance between Burebista and Pompey, Caesar became an enemy of the Dacians and planned a large campaign against them. The assassination of Caesar postponed its beginning, but Octavian did not abandon this plan, and after the Pannonian War of 35–33. BC NS. the city of Segest became the base for preparing a military campaign against the Dacians (Appian, Illyrica, 22, 65–66). However, the decisive clash with the Dacians was again postponed due to the outbreak of the Civil War.

In 29 BC. NS. the Dacians (under the leadership of Koson-Cotizon) and the Bastarna attacked the Roman possessions south of the Danube, after /30/ what the governor of Macedonia Mark Licinius Crassus undertook in the years 29-28. two punitive campaigns. The Dacians and Bastars were defeated, and the Romans went to Dobrudja. Supported by the king of the Getae, Rol, who owned the regions in the south of Dobrudja, Crassus won a victory first over Dapix, taking possession of Central Dobrudja, and then over Zirax, whose possessions were in the north of this region. After Crassus' campaign in the eastern part of the Lower Danube, peace was established for some time.

By the end of the 1st century. BC NS. and at the beginning of the next century the theater of war between the Dacians and the Romans shifted to the west and southwest of Dacia. During the war that the Romans waged against the Pannonian tribes in 13-11 years. BC e., the Dacians attacked the western regions of the Lower Danube. Marcus Vinicius repulsed the attack and pursued the enemy up to Mures. Due to the frequent raids of the Dacians, especially on the western "front", at the beginning of the 1st century. n. NS. Eliy Kat made a campaign in the area north of the Danube (probably to Banat), from where he resettled 50 thousand Dacians in the area south of the Danube. At the same time, in 11-12 years. BC BC, the Dacians of Koson-Kotizon suffered a new defeat. Flor (II, 28, 18-19) narrates these facts and tells how these predatory raids took place. “The life of the Dacians was closely connected with the mountains. From there, under the leadership of the king Kotizon, they descended and devastated the neighboring regions, as soon as ice bound the Danube and connected its banks. Emperor Augustus decided to put an end to this people, which were not easy to reach. He sent Lentulus there, who drove them to the opposite bank, and left garrisons on this bank. Thus, then (11–12) the Dacians were not defeated, but only thrown back and scattered. " Traces of these collisions have been found by archaeologists. Dacian fortifications on the left bank of the Danube, at the Iron Gates (Lyubkova, Pescari, Divich), were burned at the beginning of the 1st century. n. NS. Some were later rebuilt, but then destroyed again during the Daco-Roman wars at the end of the 1st - beginning of the 2nd century.

After the formation of the province of Moesia and the construction of a Roman fortress on the right bank of the Danube (probably during the reign of Tiberius), the Romans were able to effectively protect their possessions south of the Danube. As a result, the number of Dacian raids dropped sharply. Until the wars of Domitian and Trajan, there were no serious conflicts between the Dacians and the Romans, with rare exceptions. /31/

In 66 or 67, the governor of Moesia, Titus Plautius, Silvan Elian, resettled over 100 thousand "Trans-Danube inhabitants" in the area south of the Danube, which can be learned from the inscription dedicated to him on a tombstone found in Tibur. This new "colonization" of the right bank was carried out in order for the forcibly displaced to cultivate the land and pay tribute. Soon after these events, taking advantage of the unrest that arose in Rome in connection with the death of Nero, and the fact that the fortress was left without protection, the Dacians attacked Moesia in the first months of 69. Tacitus wrote: “The Dacian tribe was also seized by indignation; they were never truly loyal to Rome, and after the withdrawal of troops from Moesia, they decided that now they had absolutely nothing to fear. At first they kept calm and only watched what was happening, when the war flared up throughout Italy and the armies one after another began to be drawn into the struggle, the Dacians seized the winter camps of foot cohorts and horse detachments, captured both banks of the Danube and were about to attack the camps of the legions "( History, III, 46, 2). The situation was saved by Mucian, the governor of Syria, whose troops were quickly sent to Italy from the eastern regions. Having learned about the invasion of the Dacians, he hastened to restore the former position along the entire course of the Danube. This Dacian raid foreshadowed a number of conflicts during Domitian's reign. The invasion of the Dacians to Moesia during the reign of Duras (winter 85/86) was even more devastating and became a kind of prelude to those events that ultimately led to the conquest of Dacia by the Romans.

Despite constant clashes, economic relations between the Dacians and Romans developed along an ascending line for most of this period. During the reign of Burebista in Dacia, the products of Roman workshops fall; the most famous of them are bronze vessels of the late period of the republic. In the last quarter of the 1st century. BC NS. in a number of settlements, jewelry and metal parts for Roman-type clothing appeared. But a particularly large number of items produced in the Roman Empire (bronze and ceramic vessels, glass and iron items, jewelry, mainly bronze, etc.) penetrated into Dacia during the 1st century. n. e., which is explained by the relatively peaceful situation in the period after /32/ the reign of Augustus, as well as the formation of the border provinces of Pannonia and Moesia.

Products from the Roman Empire spread throughout Dacia. But their special concentration is observed in a number of economic and commercial centers (for example, in large settlements in the Sireta valley in the southern Carpathian region, in Ocnitsa in Oltenia, in Piatra Kraivia in Transylvania), mainly in fortresses and settlements around the capital of the Dacian kingdom. In Dacia in the 1st century. n. NS. Roman artisans were already working. The technologies used in a number of metalworking workshops and the products of these workshops clearly indicate where the craftsmen were from. And finally, due to the integration of Dacia into the Mediterranean economy, the Dacian kings began to accurately copy Roman coins, abandoning the minting of coins characteristic of the period before the formation of the kingdom of Burebista. Two coin workshops (one discovered on the site of a fortress in Tilishka, and the other in Sarmizegetuse-Regia itself), as well as a number of finds in other settlements, indicate that the Dacian kings reproduced silver Roman denarii with great accuracy. These coins were minted until the conquest of Dacia by the Romans, and it is no coincidence that about 30 thousand of these coins were found on the territory of Ancient Dacia, much more than in other "barbarian" regions adjacent to the Roman Empire.

From the book Empire - II [with pictures] the author

20. Linguistic ties between Russia and Egypt in the Middle Ages 20. 1. What alphabet did the Copts use - the inhabitants of Egypt Copts are the Christian inhabitants of medieval Egypt. They, according to the Scaligerian history, gave the country their name: Copt - Hypt - Egypt. And then we find out

From the book Reconstruction of World History [text only] the author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich

8.12.7. THE CLOSE LINKS BETWEEN "ANCIENT" AMERICA AND "ANCIENT" EURASIA ARE WELL KNOWN. BUT THEY STARTED NOT IN "ANCIENT", BUT ONLY IN THE XIV-XV CENTURIES Modern historical science has accumulated a lot of evidence of a close connection between the "ancient" Mayan cultures in America and the "ancient"

From the book New Chronology of Egypt - II [with pictures] the author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich

9.21. Links between Ancient Egypt and Horde Russia The astronomical dates of the Egyptian zodiacs set out in this book - as well as the numerous traces of Christian symbolism in ancient Egyptian art - clearly show that Ancient Egypt was medieval

From the book Rus and Rome. Colonization of America by Russia-Horde in the XV-XVI centuries the author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich

18. Close ties between "ancient" America and "ancient" Eurasia are well known. But they did not begin in "antiquity", but in the XIV-XV centuries. Modern historians have accumulated a lot of evidence of a close connection between the "ancient" Mayan cultures in America and the "ancient »Cultures of Europe and

From the book No Fear, No Hope. Chronicle of World War II through the eyes of a German general. 1940-1945 the author Zenger Frido background

LINKS BETWEEN THE TWO GENERAL STAFF From March 1942, the Joint Anglo-American Headquarters began to operate in Washington. The American Joint Chiefs of Staff was reinforced by representatives of a similar British committee. Last by then

From the book History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages the author Gregorovius Ferdinand

2. Henry IV besieges Rome for the third time (1082-1083). - Taking Leonina. -Gregory vii in the castle of St. Angel. - Heinrich is negotiating with the Romans. - Pope's intransigence. - Jordan of Capuan swears allegiance to the king. - Desiderius mediates peace. - Henry's pact with

From the book Barbaric Invasions of Europe: the German Onslaught author Musset Lucien

V. Was there an ideological confrontation between the barbarians and the Romans? Ancient historiography depicts barbarians only in black colors: they bring chaos or destruction and are incapable of creation. Is this stamp confirmed by the events of the 5th and 6th centuries? Did it move

From the book Legions of Rome on the Lower Danube: A Military History of the Roman-Dacian Wars (late 1st - early 2nd century AD) the author Rubtsov Sergei Mikhailovich

Chapter 3 The Army of Decebalus and His Allies

From the book Book 2. The flourishing of the kingdom [Empire. Where Marco Polo actually traveled. Who are the Italian Etruscans. Ancient Egypt. Scandinavia. Rus-Horde n the author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich

14. Linguistic ties between Russia and African Egypt in the Middle Ages 14.1. What alphabet did the Copts use - the inhabitants of Egypt Copts are the CHRISTIAN inhabitants of medieval Egypt. They, according to the Scaligerian history, gave the country their name: Copt = Hypt = Egypt. And here we are

From the book Ancient East and Asia the author Mironov Vladimir Borisovich

Ties between Russia and India In Russia, interest in India has arisen for a long time. But first, it would be necessary to make a small digression, giving (of course, in the most general outline) a picture of the settlement and movement of Indo-European tribes across the vast expanses of Eurasia. Today they say more often

From the book History of Armenia author Khorenatsi Movcec

77 About the peace between the Persians and the Romans and about the arrangement of affairs by Artashir in Armenia during the years of anarchy. Artashir, having seized the Nakharar tribe,

From the book World History. Volume 2. Bronze Age the author Badak Alexander Nikolaevich

Ties between the South Siberian and Chinese tribes NS. began to differ so sharply from the culture of the western territory that this forced historians to identify

From the book Book 2. The development of America by Russia-Horde [Biblical Russia. The beginning of American civilizations. Biblical Noah and medieval Columbus. Revolt of the Reformation. Old the author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich

22. Close ties between "ancient" America and "ancient" Eurasia are well known. But they did not begin in "antiquity", but only in the XIV-XV centuries. Modern history has accumulated a lot of evidence of a close connection between the "ancient" Mayan cultures in America and the "ancient »Cultures of Europe and

From the book Ancient zodiacs of Egypt and Europe. Dating 2003-2004 [New chronology of Egypt, part 2] the author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich

5.2. Connections between Ancient Egypt and Horde Rus' The astronomical dates of the Egyptian zodiacs, as well as numerous traces of Christian symbolism in ancient Egyptian art, set out in this book, clearly show that Ancient Egypt was MEDIEVAL

From the book The Battle of Syria. From Babylon to ISIS the author Shirokorad Alexander Borisovich

From the book God of War the author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich

3.8. Old ties between the Nile and the Volga Let us now turn to the very interesting work of the Egyptian historian Amin al-Holi. In the middle of the last century, he wrote a book based on materials from medieval Arab chronicles. The book is titled like this: "Connections between the Nile and the Volga in

The largest monument in Europe, carved from a monolithic rock, is located on the border of Romania and Serbia. The sculpture to the Dacian king Decebalus, famous for his frequent raids on the Roman Empire, was erected over ten years; the work was completed in 2004. Twelve sculptors-climbers worked on the statue 40 meters high and 25 meters wide. The place was not chosen by chance: it was here, in the narrow canyon of the Danube, that the Roman emperor Trajan won a final victory over the army of Dacia in 105 AD, building a bridge over the river. Decebalus, who did not want to surrender, committed suicide by impaling himself with a sword.

More than a ton of dynamite was used to create the composition. The rock, which served as the basis for the monumental bust of the Dacian king, rises above the majestic Djerdap canyon (in Romanian - Porţile de Fier). The Decebalu statue, which cost over a million dollars to create, was commissioned by the Romanian businessman and historian Joseph Constantin Dragan.

You can see the monumental sculpture of the Dacian king Decebalu from the shore, but the best option is a boat trip along the Djerdap canyon. Such trips along the Danube start from Orsova; guided tours are available from May to October.

How to get there

The sculpture to the Dacian commander Decebalu is located 17 kilometers south-west of the city of Orshov, on the border of Romania and Serbia. The monument rises above a canyon, called Djerdap in Serbian, and Porţile de Fier (Iron Gate) in Romanian. If you are traveling in Romania, then you can get to the attraction on the DN57 highway, which runs along the picturesque bank of the Danube.

If your path runs along, then you can see the statue from the opposite bank of the river in good and clear weather. Route 25-1 runs along the Danube, a short distance from the high rocky shores. Leaving the car by the road, you can walk to the coast through the forest (about 200-300 meters); the monument will be located behind the bridge. The distance to the nearest town of Tekija (Tekija) is about 11 kilometers.