Dacian Wars

Britain came under increasing pressure from barbarian attack on all sides towards the end of the 4th century, and troops were too few to mount an effective defence. The army rebelled and, after elevating two disappointing usurpers, chose a soldier, Constantine III, to become Emperor in 407. He soon crossed to Gaul with an army, to be defeated by Theodosius I; it is unclear how many troops remained or ever returned, nor whether a commander-in-chief in Britain was ever reappointed. A Saxon incursion in 408 was apparently repelled by the Briton ...

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Roman Britain, Roman Britain - Early Roman contacts, Roman Britain - The Roman invasion, Roman Britain - Roman rule is established, Roman Britain - Occupation and retreat from southern Scotland, Roman Britain - Trade and industry, Roman Britain - The third century, Roman Britain - Government of Britannia, Roman Britain - The fourth century, Roman Britain - Town and country, Roman Britain - The end of Roman rule, Roman Britain - Religion, Roman Britain - Sub-Roman Britain, Roman Britain - The legacy

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Religion in Roman Britain consisted originally of pagan worship. A common element was the conflation of Roman gods and local Iron Age deities such as Mars Rigonemetos at Nettleham. The degree to which earlier native beliefs survived is difficult to gauge precisely. Certain northern European ritual traits such as the significance of the number 3, the importance of the head and of water sources such as springs remain in the archaeological record but the differences in the votive offerings made at Bath before and after the Roman conquest suggest that continuity was only partial. Worship of the emperor himself is wide ...

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Roman Britain, Roman Britain - Early Roman contacts, Roman Britain - The Roman invasion, Roman Britain - Roman rule is established, Roman Britain - Occupation and retreat from southern Scotland, Roman Britain - Trade and industry, Roman Britain - The third century, Roman Britain - Government of Britannia, Roman Britain - The fourth century, Roman Britain - Town and country, Roman Britain - The end of Roman rule, Roman Britain - Religion, Roman Britain - Sub-Roman Britain, Roman Britain - The legacy

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The Dacians were known as Geton (plural Getae) in Greek writings, and as Dacus (plural Daci) and Getae in Roman documents; also as Dagae and Gaete— see the late Roman map Tabula Peutingeriana. Strabo tells that the original name of the Dacians was "daoi", which could be explained with a possible Phrygian cognate "daos", meaning "wolf". This assumption is enforced by the fact that the Dacian standard, the ...

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Dacia, Dacia - Name, Dacia - Geography, Dacia - Culture, Dacia - Religion, Dacia - Society, Dacia - Occupations, Dacia - Language, Dacia - Political entities, Dacia - Roman conquest

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For the first twenty years, the Roman rule was oppressive, and this treatment led Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni, to revolt. The Trinovantes and Catuvellauni joined, and the alliance assaulted the Roman colony at Camulodunum, looting and burning the town as well as slaying every man, woman and child they found. The governor Suetonius Paullinus, upon reaching London from his campaigning in the western part of the province, found the town indefensible with the few troops he had. As a result, Paullinus was forced to abandon the city and took only ...

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Roman Britain, Roman Britain - Early Roman contacts, Roman Britain - The Roman invasion, Roman Britain - Roman rule is established, Roman Britain - Occupation and retreat from southern Scotland, Roman Britain - Trade and industry, Roman Britain - The third century, Roman Britain - Government of Britannia, Roman Britain - The fourth century, Roman Britain - Town and country, Roman Britain - The end of Roman rule, Roman Britain - Religion, Roman Britain - Sub-Roman Britain, Roman Britain - The legacy

Read more here: » Roman Britain: Encyclopedia II - Roman Britain - Roman rule is established

From A.D. 85 to 89, the Dacians were engaged in two wars with the Romans, under Duras or Diurpaneus, and the great Decebalus. In 87, the Roman troops under Cormelius Fuscus were defeated, and Cornelius Fuscus was killed by the Dacians under the authority of their ruler, Diurpaneus. After this victory, Diurpaneus took the name of Decebalus. The next year, 88 A.D., new Roman troops under Tettius Iullianus, gained a signal advantage, but were obliged to make peace owing to the defeat of Domitian by the Marcomanni, so the Da ...

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Dacia, Dacia - Name, Dacia - Geography, Dacia - Culture, Dacia - Religion, Dacia - Society, Dacia - Occupations, Dacia - Language, Dacia - Political entities, Dacia - Roman conquest

Read more here: » Dacia: Encyclopedia II - Dacia - Roman conquest

The dragon of the modern period is typically depicted as a huge fire-breathing , scaly and horned dinosaur-like creature, with leathery wings, with four legs and a long muscular tail. It is sometimes shown with feathered wings, crests, fiery manes, and various exotic colorations. Iconically it has at last combined the Chinese dragon with the western one. Asian dragons are long serpent like creatures which possess the scales of a carp, horns of a deer, feet of an eagle, the body of a snake, a feathery mane, large eyes, and can be holding a pe ...

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European dragon, European dragon - Dragons in modern times, European dragon - Roman dragons, European dragon - Dragons in Slavic mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Germanic mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Catalan mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Italian mythology, European dragon - Dragons in fantasy fiction

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It it is theorized that western dragons have descended from Roman dragons. Roman dragons evolved from serpentine Greek ones, combined with the dragons of Persia, in the mix that characterized the hybrid Greek/Eastern Hellenistic culture. From Babylon, the "Dragon of Marduk" in molded glazed terracotta bricks that was part of the 6th century Gate of Ishtar has come to rest at The Detroit Institute of Arts. [1]. The later Babylonian dragon worshiped by the court of the Persian Cyrus the Great, in the Hebrew narrative in Bel and the DragonSee also:

European dragon, European dragon - Dragons in modern times, European dragon - Roman dragons, European dragon - Dragons in Slavic mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Germanic mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Catalan mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Italian mythology, European dragon - Dragons in fantasy fiction

Read more here: » European dragon: Encyclopedia II - European dragon - Roman dragons

Dragons of Slavic mythology hold mixed temperaments towards humans. For example, dragons in Bulgarian mythology are either male or female, each gender having a different view of mankind. The female dragon and male dragon, often seen as brother and sister, represent different forces of agriculture. The female dragon represents harsh weather and is the destroyer of crops, the hater of mankind, and is locked in a never ending battle with her brother. The male dragon protects the humans' crops from destruction and is generally loving to humanity ...

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European dragon, European dragon - Dragons in modern times, European dragon - Roman dragons, European dragon - Dragons in Slavic mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Germanic mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Catalan mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Italian mythology, European dragon - Dragons in fantasy fiction

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Dragons are well-known in Catalan myths and legends, in no small part because St. George (Catalon Sant Jordi) is the patron saint of Catalonia. Like most dragons, the Catalan dragon (Catalan drac) is basically an enormous serpent with two legs, or rarely, four, and sometimes a pair of wings. As in many other parts of the world, the dragon's face may be like that of some other animal, such as a lion or bull. As is common elsewhere, Catalan dragons are fire-breathers, and the dragon-fire is all-consuming. Catalan dragons als ...

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European dragon, European dragon - Dragons in modern times, European dragon - Roman dragons, European dragon - Dragons in Slavic mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Germanic mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Catalan mythology, European dragon - Dragons in Italian mythology, European dragon - Dragons in fantasy fiction

Read more here: » European dragon: Encyclopedia II - European dragon - Dragons in Catalan mythology

A kingdom of Dacia was in existence at least as early as the beginning of the 2nd century BC under a king, Oroles. Conflicts with the Bastarnae and the Romans (112 BC-109 BC, 74 BC), against whom they had assisted the Scordisci and Dardani, had greatly weakened the resources of the Dacians. Under Burebista (Boerebista), a contemporary of Julius Caesar, who thoroughly reorganized the army and raised the moral standard of the people, the limits of the kingdom were extended to their maximum. The Bastarnae and Boii were conquered, and even the Greek towns of Olbia and Apollonia on the Black Sea (Pontu ...

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Dacia, Dacia - Name, Dacia - Geography, Dacia - Culture, Dacia - Religion, Dacia - Society, Dacia - Occupations, Dacia - Language, Dacia - Political entities, Dacia - Roman conquest

Read more here: » Dacia: Encyclopedia II - Dacia - Political entities

It was traditionally thought that the Column was a propagandistic monument, glorifying the emperor's military exploits. But because the structure would have been generally invisible, surrounded by other buildings in Trajan's Forum, and simply the difficulty involved in following the frieze from end to end, it is now considered to have had much less propagandistic value. Based on the inscription, the column may have been a measuring guide for the construction of the forum. After Trajan's death in 117, the Roman Senate voted to have Trajan's ashes buried in the Column's base in a ...

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Trajan's Column, Trajan's Column - The relief, Trajan's Column - The inscription, Trajan's Column - Its purpose, Trajan's Column - External link

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The inscription at the base of the column in finest lettering reads: SENATVS·POPVLVSQVE·ROMANVS IMP·CAESARI·DIVI·NERVAE·F·NERVAE TRAIANO·AVG·GERM·DACICO·PONTIF MAXIMO·TRIB·POT·XVII·IMP·VI·COS·VI·P·P· AD·DECLARANDVM·QVANTAE·ALTITVDINIS MONS·ET·LOCVS·TANT<...>IBVS·SIT·EGESTVS Translated, the inscription reads: The senate and the people of Rome [built this] for the emperor, son of the divine Nerva, Caesar Nerva Traianus Augustus Germanicus Dacicus, po ...

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Trajan's Column, Trajan's Column - The relief, Trajan's Column - The inscription, Trajan's Column - Its purpose, Trajan's Column - External link

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Towards the west Dacia may originally have extended as far as the Danube where it runs from north to south at Waitzen (Vacz). Julius Caesar in his De Bello Gallico (book 6) speaks of the Hercynian forest extending along the Danube to the teritory of the Dacians. Ptolemy puts the eastern boundary of Dacia Trajana as far back as the Hierasus (Siret river, in modern Romania). The extent and location of the later geographical entity Dacia varied in its three distinct historical periods (see History, below); < ...

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Dacia, Dacia - Name, Dacia - Geography, Dacia - Culture, Dacia - Religion, Dacia - Society, Dacia - Occupations, Dacia - Language, Dacia - Political entities, Dacia - Roman conquest

Read more here: » Dacia: Encyclopedia II - Dacia - Geography

It was traditionally thought that the Column was a propagandistic monument, glorifying the emperor's military exploits. However, the structure would have been generally invisible and surrounded by other buildings in Trajan's Forum, and because of the difficulty involved in following the frieze from end to end, it is now considered to have had much less propaganda value. Based on the inscription, the column may have been a measuring guide for the construction of the forum. After Trajan's death in 117, the Roman Senate voted to have Trajan's ashes buried in the Column's base in a gol ...

See also:

Trajan's Column, Trajan's Column - The relief, Trajan's Column - The inscription, Trajan's Column - Purpose, Trajan's Column - External link

Read more here: » Trajan's Column: Encyclopedia II - Trajan's Column - Purpose

Throughout the 1st century, Roman policy largely dictated that threats from neighbouring nations and provinces were to be contained promptly, following a heavy defeat at the hands of the Dacian King Decebalus's skirmishing forces. Despite some co-operation on the diplomatic front with Domitian, Decebalus continued to oppose Rome. Thus, Dacia was considered one such threat. At the time, Rome was suffering from economic difficulties largely brought on by extensive military campaigns throughout Europe, in part due to a low gold content in Roman currency brought on by Emperor Nero. Confirmed rumors of Dacian gold and ot ...

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Dacian Wars, Dacian Wars - Background to the Conflict, Dacian Wars - The First War, Dacian Wars - The Second War, Dacian Wars - Conclusion and Aftermath

Read more here: » Dacian Wars: Encyclopedia II - Dacian Wars - Background to the Conflict

After gaining support in the Roman Senate and its blessing for war, by 101 Trajan was ready to advance on Dacia. This was a war in which the Roman military's ingenuity and engineering might were well demonstrated: a stone bridge later known as Trajan's bridge was constructed across the Danube to assist with the legionaries' advance. The Roman offensive was spearheaded by two legionary columns, marching straight to the heart of Dacia, burning towns and villages in the process. Trajan defeated a Dacian army at the Battle of Tapae, and in 102 Decebalus chose to surrender after some additional minor conflicts. The war, spanning only month ...

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Dacian Wars, Dacian Wars - Background to the Conflict, Dacian Wars - The First War, Dacian Wars - The Second War, Dacian Wars - Conclusion and Aftermath

Read more here: » Dacian Wars: Encyclopedia II - Dacian Wars - The First War