Decebalus
Decebalus (Romanian: Decebal; Ancient
Greek: Δεκεβαλος, romanized: Dekebalos; r. 87 – 106 AD), sometimes referred to
as Diurpaneus, was the last Dacian king. He is famous for fighting three wars, with
varying success, against the Roman Empire under two emperors. After raiding south
across the Danube, he defeated a Roman invasion in the reign of Domitian, securing
a period of independence during which Decebalus consolidated his rule.
When Trajan came to power, his armies invaded Dacia to weaken its threat to the
Roman border territories of Moesia. Decebalus was defeated in 102 AD, and his own
sister was abducted within this timeframe and forcibly wed into Roman nobility,
causing some historians to infer that she was the ancestress of the
usurper, Regalianus, who claimed to be a kinsman of Decebalus.[1] He remained in
power as a client king, but continued to assert his independence, leading to a final
and overwhelming Roman invasion north of the Danube in 105 AD. Trajan reduced
the Dacian capital Sarmizegetusa to ruins in 106 AD, absorbing some of Dacia into
the Empire. Decebalus died by suicide to avoid capture.
Early life[edit]
After the death of Great King Burebista, Dacia split into four, then five smaller
kingdoms. Nothing is known about Decebalus' youth or background. Decebalus
appears to have risen to prominence in the court of the Dacian king Duras, who
claimed authority over all Dacian territory. An ancient Dacian pot bearing the words
“Decebalus per Scorilo” led to the suggestion that this might mean "Decebalus son of
Scorilo".
The Dacian kingdom under Burebista
According to Lucian Boia this suggestion was originally a "scholarly joke", but the
theory has been considered plausible by several writers.[2] It has been suggested that
"Scorilo" may be identical to the "Coryllus" or "Scorillus" identified by Jordanes as a
Dacian king prior to Duras.[3] Duras may have been Decebalus' uncle, having taken
over the throne by agnatic right on his brother's death.[4]
In 85 AD the Dacian army began minor raids upon the heavily fortified Roman
province of Moesia, located south of the Danube. In 86 King Duras ordered a more
vigorous attack south into Moesia. Roman sources refer to the attack being led by
"Diurpaneus" (or "Dorpaneus"). Many authors have taken this person to be Duras
himself, and refer to him as "Duras-Diurpaneus".[5][6][7] Other scholars argue that Duras
and Diurpaneus are different individuals, or that Diurpaneus is identical to
Decebalus.[8] Recent sources take the view that "Diurpaneus" is most likely
Decebalus.[8]
The Dacians defeated and killed Oppius Sabinus, the governor of Moesia, forcing
Domitian to deploy more troops to the area. Marcus Cornelius Nigrinus replaced
Sabinus. Domitian took command to deal with the problem himself, arriving with his
general, prefect of the Praetorian Guards, Cornelius Fuscus.[9]
War against Emperor Domitian[edit]
Main article: Domitian's Dacian War
Domitian pushed back the Dacians from Moesia, then returned to Rome to celebrate
a Triumph, leaving Fuscus in charge of the army. Fuscus advanced into Dacia, but
his four or five legions suffered a major defeat when ambushed by the forces of
Decebalus (the sources say "Diurpaneus" was in command, which might mean
Decebalus or Duras). Two Roman legions (among which was the V Alaudae) were
ambushed and defeated at a mountain pass the Romans called Tapae (widely
known as the Iron Gates of Transylvania). Fuscus was killed, and Decebalus was
crowned king after the ageing Duras abdicated.
Dio Cassius described Decebalus as follows:
This man was shrewd in his understanding of warfare and shrewd also in the waging
of war; he judged well when to attack and chose the right moment to retreat; he was
an expert in ambuscades and a master in pitched battles; and he knew not only how
to follow up a victory well, but also how to manage well a defeat. Hence he showed
himself a worthy antagonist of the Romans for a long time.[10]
Fuscus was replaced by Tettius Julianus. In 88 Julianus commanded another
Roman army under Domitian against the Dacians, defeating them in a battle near
Tapae. However, elsewhere in Europe, Domitian was having to deal with revolts
along the Rhine, and suffered heavy defeats at the hands of the Marcomanni, and
Sarmatian tribes in the east, notably the Iazyges. Needing the troops in Moesia,
Domitian agreed to peace terms with Decebalus. He agreed to pay large sums (eight
million sesterces) in annual tribute to the Dacians for maintaining peace.
[11]
Decebalus sent his brother Diegis to Rome to accept a diadem from the Emperor,
officially recognising Decebalus's royal status.[11]
Consolidation of power[edit]
Decebalus' victory greatly increased his prestige. He proceeded to centralize power
and build up his fortifications and war machines, using engineers supplied by
Domitian.[12] Decebalus's court also became a haven for malcontents and deserters
from the Roman empire becoming "the nucleus for anti-Roman sentiment" in the
words of historian Julian Bennett.[13] He also sought to build alliances with
independent tribes, notably the Getic Bastarnae and the Sarmatian Roxolani. He
failed to secure the support of the Quadi, Marcomanni and Jazyges, but ensured that
they would not interfere with his plans.
Dacian kingdom during Decebalus
Conflicts with Trajan[edit]
Trajan
First Dacian war[edit]
When Trajan came to power in 98, he immediately toured the Danube area and
ordered the strengthening of fortifications along the Dacian frontier. Three years
later, Trajan decided to launch an offensive against Dacia. According to Cassius
Dio this was because "he had taken stock of [their] previous record, resented the
annual sums of money they were getting, and saw that their powers and their pride
were on the increase."[14] Trajan's force crossed the Danube in 101 and advanced
into Dacia, pushing back Dacian forces. According to Dio, Decebalus sent envoys
asking for negotiations, but Trajan refused a personal meeting.
At the Second Battle of Tapae, Decebalus was defeated, but he inflicted serious
losses on the Romans.[15] Trajan chose not to pursue the war until the spring.
Decebalus tried to wrongfoot Trajan by launching a surprise attack on Moesia, but he
suffered a major defeat at the Battle of Adamclisi. Despite stiff resistance, the
Romans closed on the Dacian capital by early 102. Decebalus was forced to
concede defeat and accept Trajan's terms, which included the loss of some
territories in the vicinity of the Danube and the dismantling of his fortresses.
However, Decebalus retained his throne.
Second Dacian war[edit]
Main article: Battle of Sarmisegetusa
Decebalus had no intention of remaining subject to Rome, or giving up his lost
territory. As soon as he was able to, he took revenge on those who had supported
Rome. He annexed territory from the Jazyges and violated the peace treaty by re-
arming and receiving refugees and deserters from Roman territory.[16] He also
restored his fortifications. This time, Decebalus did not wait for Trajan to strike. In
105 he authorised a direct attack on the newly occupied Roman territory, probably
the fortress at Banat. The attack seems to have taken Trajan and the Senate by
surprise. Trajan immediately travelled north to review fortifications.
Meanwhile, Decebalus continued to disrupt Roman positions with guerrilla attacks.
[16]
He also developed a plan to assassinate Trajan by using Roman auxiliaries who
had defected to the Dacians to infiltrate the emperor's camp. The plot failed.
However he succeeded in capturing one of Trajan's senior officers, Pompeius
Longinus, whom he tried to use as a hostage to bargain with Trajan. Longinus
took poison to avoid being so used.[16]
Trajan, meanwhile, was building a large force for a full-scale invasion. Decebalus
tried to negotiate a peace settlement, but Trajan demanded that Decebalus
surrender himself, which he refused to do.[16] Decebalus' allies among the
surrounding tribes seem to have deserted him at this point. Trajan launched a direct
attack on the Dacian capital, Sarmizegetusa. After a long siege of
Sarmizegetusa and a few skirmishes in the nearby region, the Romans conquered
the Dacian capital. Decebalus managed to escape with his family. He and his
remaining supporters continued a guerrilla campaign in the Carpathian mountains.[16]
Dacia after the war with Trajan
Death[edit]
Plaster
cast (Cichorius 108) of panel on Trajan's Column. The head of the defeated Dacian king
Decebalus (left background) is displayed on a shield to Roman troops (AD 106). The head
was then taken to Rome to form the central exhibit in the emperor Trajan's official Triumph
Tiberius Claudius Maximus memorial
Decebalus was hunted down and finally cornered by Roman detachments seeking
his head. Rather than being captured only to be exhibited and humiliated at Rome,
Decebalus committed suicide by slashing his own throat, as depicted on Trajan's
Column (spiral 22, panel b).
It is likely that he killed himself as a Roman cavalry scout named Tiberius Claudius
Maximus from Legio VII Claudia was approaching. He was probably still alive when
Maximus reached him, as is claimed on Maximus' funerary stele discovered at
Gramini in Greece. Maximus is presumably the figure seen on Trajan's column
reaching out to Decebalus from his horse.
Decebalus' head and right hand were then taken to Trajan in "Ranisstorum" (an
unidentified Dacian village, perhaps Piatra Craivii) by Maximus, who was decorated
by the emperor. The trophy was sent to Rome where it was thrown down
the Gemonian stairs.[17] Tiberius Claudius Maximus' tomb cites two occasions where
the legionary was decorated for his part in the Dacian wars, one of which being the
acquisition of Decebalus' head.[18]
Romanian national hero[edit]
Decebalus is considered a national hero in Romania, and has been portrayed in
numerous literary works, movies, public sculptures, and other memorials.
Decebalus began to be seen in these terms during the 19th century, when he came
to be associated with Romantic ideals of national freedom and resistance to
imperialism. Romanian politician Mihail Kogălniceanu gave a speech in 1843 in
which he called Decebalus "the greatest barbarian king of all time, more worthy to be
on the throne of Rome than the rascally descendants of Augustus!"[19]
Alecu Russo compared him to the medieval hero Stephen the Great, saying "The
one and the other both had the same aim, the same sublime idea: the independence
of their country! Both are heroes, but Stephen is a more local hero, a Moldavian
hero, while Decebalus is the hero of the world."[19] Mihai Eminescu, the Romanian
national poet, wrote the historical drama Decebalus. George Coșbuc's 1896
poem Decebal către popor (Decebalus to his People) lauds the Dacian leader's
scorn of death.
Decebalus is often paired with his enemy Trajan, with the former representing
national identity and the latter the grandeur and classical values brought by Rome.
[20]
Decebalus and Trajan were depicted as a pair on many Romanian banknotes.[21][22]
Decebalus and Trajan were regularly invoked at the coronation of new rulers. Both
featured significantly in the imagery of Ferdinand I of Romania and his wife Marie of
Romania. The Romanian poet Aron Cotruș wrote a long poem "Maria Doamna"
("Lady Marie") after Marie's death, invoking both Decebalus and Trajan as admirers
of Marie. The Dacian king, along with the Roman emperor who conquered Dacia are
sometimes invoked as the fathers of the Romanian nation.[23]
He remained a hero in the Communist era, especially in the Stalinist "national
Communism" of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej. According to Lavinia Stan and Lucian
Turcescu, "In a process paralleling the way modern Serbs perceive the defeat by the
Ottomans in the Battle of Kosovo of 1389, Decebal's defeat at the hands of Trajan in
101–107 CE and the resulting population mix were reclaimed as the cornerstones of
Romanian ethnic identity". The nationalist model progressed further under Nicolae
Ceaușescu, under whom Decebalus was listed as one of the ten great leaders of
Romania.[24]
He was depicted as a great national leader in two major epic films in this period, The
Dacians (1967, directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu), and The Column (1968, directed
by Mircea Drăgan). In both films he was portrayed by Amza Pellea. Several public
statues of Decebalus were also set up in the Ceaușescu era, including an equestrian
statue in Deva created in 1978 by the sculptor Ion Jalea, and a column topped by a
bust in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, created in 1972.
He was central to the nationalist protochronism movement, which identifies Romania
as the cradle of east-European civilisation, and the Dacianism movement, which
directly relates Romania as descendants of the Dacians. During the 1990s, a team of
sculptors carved a 40-metre-tall rock sculpture of Decebalus from a stone outcrop
overlooking the Danube near the city of Orșova, Romania. It was devised and
funded by Iosif Constantin Drăgan, a supporter of the protochronist and Dacianist
movement. He is quoted saying, "Anyone travelling towards 'Decebal Rex Dragan
Fecit' [King Decebalus made by Dragan] is also travelling towards the origins of east-
European civilization and will discover that a United Europe represents the natural
course of history".[25]
Image gallery[edit]
Statue of Decebalus in Timișoara
Statue of Decebalus in Deva, Romania
The rock sculpture of Decebalus at the Iron Gates
1915 Romanian banknote pairing Trajan and Decebalus
GETO-DACII. Adevărul istoric vs. ignoranța
păguboasă a autorităților românești (cu Gen. M.
Chelaru)
Românii sunt moștenitorii unor culturi extraordinare precum Cucuteni, Boian, Gumelnița,
Hamangia, cultura Geto-Dacică și, cu toate că aceste culturi sunt excepționale în economia
istorei europene, autoritățile românești sunt incapabile să valorifice cultural, identitar și
turistic moștenirea pe care o avem.
Referindu-ne la perioada geto-dacică, există mai multe finanțări pentru cetățile grecești de pe
malul Mării Negre sau pentru capitala romană a Daciei – Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, decât
pentru siturile arheologice geto dacice.
Nici măcar nu trebuie să fii prea inteligent ca să înțelegi că turistul străin care vrea să viziteze
obiective istorice romane se duce în Italia, iar cel care vrea să vadă cetăți și temple grecești
călătorește în Grecia.
Cu toate acestea, filozofia tâmpă a autorităților românești favorizează și din punct de vedere
turistic obiectivele grecești și romane de pe teritoriul României, în loc să se concentreze pe
cele geto-dacice, care sunt cele pentru care turistul străin ar veni în România dacă ar fi
promovate corespunzător.
Astăzi, împreună cu invitatul meu, gerneralul în rezervă Mircia Chelaru, fost Șef al Marelui
Stat Major al Armatei Române, vom vorbi despre Geto-Daci și ignoranța păguboasă a
autorităților românești.
Vizionare ccu folos!
Daniel Roxin
https://youtu.be/W_SvI2hTmOo
