Romania – Early History
Many archaeologists think that Romania has been continuously lived for over 60,000 years. Some new proofs that support this theory have been discovered in 2002, when a 36,000 years old skeleton was found in Pestera cu Oase (the Cave with Bones) in a region in the south of Romania named Oltenia. Those mortal remains which are the oldest in Europe throw a new light upon the human race evolution from the Neanderthal to the early modern man.
Romania was part of the old south-eastern part of Europe that had improved faster than the Western region. Vestiges of Neolithic cultures ( Boian-Gumelnita in the Romanian Plain and the Dobrudjia, Cucuteni Ariusd in Moldavia and Eastern Transylvania, Turdas-Petresti in Transylvania, Banat and Oltenia) have one element in common – a polychrome pottery of exquisite beauty and remarkable technical achievement. There were found cave paintings in the north –west of Transylvania dated t 10,000 BC and pottery dated to the Neolithic Age in all regions of Romania since 4,000 BC.
Thracian tribes of Indo-European origin, who migrated from Asia occupied the actual territory of Romania. There are words like “balaur,” “doina” and “magura” that show the fact that the Thracian tribes have been the Romanians’ ancestors. A distinctive Thracian group emerged in what is considered to be Romania nowadays. The Greek called that people Getae (Getians) and the Romans called them the Dacians. The Greek historian Herodotus was the first to name the population north of the Danube. In fact, he called them “the most fairest and courageous men” because of their belief in the immortality of the soul and their no fear of dying.
The Greeks arrived and settled on the Western shore of the Black Sea (Pontus Euxinus), where they set up the colonies of Tomis (now Constanta), Callatis (now Mangalia), Histria, Olbia and Appolonia. Western style civilization developed significantly.
The Geto-Dacians inhabited a vast area that stretched between the Balkan Mountains and the Northern Carpathians chain.
The Dacian society flourished under king Burebista (ca 82 -44 BC) that was a Caesar’s contemporary and opponent but a Pompey’s friend. The External conditions were propitious to Burebista’s political and military actions and that’s how the Dacians became very strong and organized. Burebista’s power increased after he conquered the Greek cities that were settled at the Black Sea shore and after he eliminated the threat of Celtic invasion. He became the ruler over the whole Thracian-Geto-Dacian world, from the Haemus Mountains (the Balkans) to the Wooded Carpathians, from Tyras (Dnestr) to Tisza. Burebista was named “the first and the greatest of the Thracian kings” by Acornion of Dyonisopolis because he controlled both sides of the Danube. The unifying centre of the Dacian state lay in the Orastie Mountain zone, in Transylvania where Burebista developed a whole system of fortresses that was to be continued by his followers. Thinking his military strength was comparable to the Romans', he interfered in the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, giving his support to the latter. Pompey lost the war, however, and Caesar felt like taking revenge in another war against the Dacians but his murder in the year 44BC delayed the army confrontation for about 120 years. Shortly after Caesar’s death, Burebista lost his throne, too, because of a plot of the aristocracy that was discontented with the king’s absolute power. After that, the state weakened and lost part of its territory.
As the Roman Empire was expanding, the Danube became the border between the Romans and the Dacians, while Dobrudja was already under the Roman rule starting with Augustus’s reign. Eventually, the Romans declared war on the Dacians and waged two bloody wars, after a first confrontation in (87-89AD).
Romania-The Dacian Civilization
Romania-The Wars between the Dacians and the Romans
