The Dacian Kingdom: Rome's Greatest Balkan Foe

Before there was Romania, there was Dacia. This episode follows the rise and fall of the Dacian kingdom under its most famous king, Decebalus, and the two brutal wars he fought against the Roman emperor Trajan. We explore Dacian society—their fortified citadels in the Carpathians, their belief in immortality, and the mysterious Sarmizegetusa Regia, their capital that still stands in the mountains. We talk about the Dacian weapon that gave Roman legions nightmares, the falx, and how Trajan's Column in Rome tells the story of the war from the Roman perspective—but what's missing from that narrative? We also cover the fate of the Dacian people after the Roman conquest: deportation, assimilation, and the question of whether modern Romanians are their descendants. Finally, we discuss the legacy of Dacia in Romanian national identity, from the 19th century 'Dacian hypothesis' to its role in shaping the language and culture of the region.

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