Getae and Dacians? Are they the same? Or is this unknowable?

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi Razvan,

Hello Valerius
OK, i know my english is not that good, so maybe some things wasnt said too clear, but i see that you pass over some other as well, and prefer to not observe them. First, Roxolani was based in north west area outside Dacian kingdom, most probably, since we dont know exactly the borders back then.
About Dacian kingdom as the major power in Europe, outside ofcourse the Roman empire, "The Dacian Threat" by Michael Schmitz is a good book to read, as well the fact that romans used the biggest army ever deployed against an foreign enemy, and this at the peak of the empire power, leaving practicly unprotected the provinces as Germania and Britania, after take the troops from there to assemble that army, without to worry of any big danger from there.
Anyway, in Burebista times, Dacian kingdom (even empire we can say) was streched from near Crimeea in east (Olbia was conquered by them) to close to the Danube springs in west (archeology show their presence in today Slovakia for ex., and Jordanes said that they "burned" too the germans lands where in his time lived Franks (probably today Bavaria).

It was just a general question, I'm glad you also agree that the Roxolani were base outside the Dacian kingdom.

As to the second, we may be confusing influence and territory here. I agree that the Dacian kingdom was probably the major power outside the Empire in Eastern Europe, but I had my doubts about statements regarding the actual geographical borders.
the statements of Schmitz regarding the Germanic and British provinces being virtually unprotected during the Dacian Wars are nonsense and not to be taken seriously.
The springs of the danube are in SW Germany. I don't think for one second that Dacian power reached that far. Even Slovakia seems very far to the West for a continued presence - sources for that?

Jordanes is muddling all and everything, but more about that in the next reply. Suffice to say that the Franks occupied west and mid-Germany in Jordanes' day, not yet Bavaria. Maybe he included Goths accompanying Attila in his statement, and he is constantly muddling Getae and Dacians and Goths (more later).