Getae
The Getae were an ancient Thracian people who inhabited the lower Danube River region, primarily in modern-day Romania, from around the sixth or fifth century BCE. They are notably recognized for their role in the formation of the Dacian kingdom under King Burebistas around 60 BCE, which saw the unification of the Getae and nearby Dacians. This kingdom, known as Dacia, experienced a period of considerable power and territorial expansion but ultimately declined following Burebistas' death around 45 BCE. Dacia’s prominence ended after it was conquered by Roman forces in 106 CE, leading to significant loss of life among the Getae and the displacement of many survivors northward.
Historical accounts indicate that the Getae practiced agriculture and had trade relations with Greek settlements, which influenced their culture. They held a distinctive belief system centered around a deity named Zalmoxis, which included rituals that emphasized their view of immortality. While the Getae's distinct identity faded after the Roman conquest, their cultural legacy and religious practices were documented by Greek and Roman historians. The question of whether the Getae and Dacians were separate entities or part of the same cultural group remains a subject of scholarly debate.
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Getae
The Getae were an ancient Thracian people who lived in the lower portion of the Danube River region from roughly the sixth or fifth century BCE. Under the direction of a king known as Burebistas, the Getae united with a nearby people called the Dacians around 60 BCE to form a new kingdom commonly referred to as Dacia. While it was relatively short-lived, Dacia was a powerful state at its height, even expanding into other nearby regions. After Burebistas’ death, the kingdom began to decline. Ultimately, Roman forces seized control of the Geto-Dacian kingdom in 106 CE and incorporated its territories into the provinces of Moesia and Dacia. During the Roman conquest, many Getae were killed and most displaced survivors fled northward. As a result, historical reference to the Getae all but vanished from that point forward, but their memory was preserved in the writings of Greek and Roman historians.
Background
To modern scholars, the Getae are best known as being part of the kingdom of Dacia and playing a role in that kingdom’s conflicts with the Roman Empire. Dacia was a region in Central Europe bounded by the Carpathian Mountains and encompassing lands that today stretch over parts of Romania, Moldovia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. Traditionally, Dacia is said to have been inhabited by both the Getae and another people called the Dacians. This viewpoint is subject to dispute, however. While many experts argue that the Getae and the Dacians were indeed separate, but closely related peoples, others suggest that they were the same people. Historians who favor the latter theory typically believe that the names “Getae” and “Dacian” were simply alternate labels applied to the same group by different observers. Specifically, it seems that early Greek writers referred to the people in question as Getae, while Roman sources tended to call them Dacian. Some modern historians also hypothesize that the Getae and Dacians were separate peoples who happened to speak the same language. In any event, the Getae and Dacians are inextricably linked and united, at least, in their contributions to the rise of Dacia.
The proper kingdom of Dacia existed from around 60 BCE to 106 CE. It was founded by Burebistas, a Thracian king who ruled over the Getae and Dacian tribes between around 60 and 45 BCE. During his reign, Burebistas successfully united the Getae and the Dacians and established a thriving kingdom. He also led an effect military campaign to expand the Dacian kingdom into Bohemia, western Austria, northern Carpathia, the Balkans, and some areas near the Black and Adriatic seas. Burebistas’ reign ultimately marked the height of the Dacian kingdom. After his death, the kingdom receded in size and splintered into five separate tribal kingships. As a result, Burebistas’ reign could also be said to have marked the height of the Getae, whose time as a distinct people and culture eventually came to an end with the Roman conquest of Dacia.
Overview
The lands the Getae called home were mostly located in what is today Romania. The region was first settled by humans at some point during the Pleistocene Epoch, a period that started approximately 600,000 years ago. After Indo-European peoples arrived around 5500 BCE, the region eventually came to be inhabited by a number of Thracian tribes, one of which was the Getae. The Getae and the other Thracian peoples practiced agriculture and livestock raising during the Bronze Age. They also conducted trade with other ancient settlements along the Aegean Sea. In particular, the Thracian tribes developed a close trade relationship with Greek colonies on the western shores of the Black Sea. This relationship allowed the spread of Greek culture into Getian communities. Thanks in part to the fact that they repeatedly had to band together to fight off Scythian, Persian, and Macedonian invasions, these communities eventually formed a Getian state that was in place by approximately 300 BCE.
Through its early history, the Getian state was led by a line of kings that included Dromikhaites, Oroles, and Ruboostes. Still, the Getian monarchy remained unstable during this time. That changed with the rise of Burebistas about 60 BCE. Burebistas secured the Getian throne after earning the support of the religious establishment and expelling Celts who had been living in the area for some time. As king, Burebistas united the Getae and the nearby Dacians to found the Dacian kingdom. Moreover, Burebistas expanded the kingdom further into the surrounding areas and oversaw its rise to prominence. About 45 BCE, Burebistas was killed in the course of a civil uprising. After his death, control of Dacia fell to the kingdom’s religious elite. With the religious elite in power, Dacia was ruled as a theocracy for about fifteen years—a period of downturn during which the kingdom diminished in size and splintered into five separate tribal kingships. As a result of this fragmentation, the once powerful Dacia had to assume a defensive military posture in order to keep the threat of Roman invasion at bay. However, by the first century CE, Dacia was once again a powerful force thanks to a resurgence led by the kings Duras and Decebalus. The kingdom was so powerful, in fact, that both of these rulers were able to force Rome to pay tribute to Dacia. Realizing that this unfavorable status quo would make it increasingly difficult for Rome to enforce payment of tributes from other states, Roman emperor Trajan moved to conquer Dacia in the early second century. The subsequent Roman conquest was complete by 106 CE. With that, the independent kingdom of Dacia ceased to exist and the surviving Getae dispersed to other lands.
Despite vanishing from recorded history after the Roman conquest, the Getae did leave behind something of a cultural legacy. Much of that legacy revolves around their religious beliefs. The Getae worshiped a deity called Zalmoxis and believed they were essentially immortal. Specifically, they believed that they did not really die at their time of death, but actually moved on to be with Zalmoxis. Every five years, the Getae also performed a ritual in which they would cast lots to determine which of them would be sent to Zalmoxis as a messenger. Once the selected person was killed, it was believed that he would tell Zalmoxis what the Getae wished to be granted.
Bibliography
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