Domitian's Dacian War

The most significant threat the Roman Empire faced during the reign of Domitian arose from the northern provinces, where the Suebi, the Sarmatians and the Dacians continuously harassed Roman settlements along the Danube river. Domitian's Dacian Wars were started by Dacian incursions in the Roman province of Moesia. Despite an unsuccessful campaign in Dacia, the Romans eventually emerged victorious.

The battle of 86

Sometime around 84 or 85 the Dacians, led by King Decebalus, crossed the Danube into the province of Moesia, wreaking considerable havoc and killing the Moesian governor Oppius Sabinus.^[1]

Domitian immediately launched a counteroffensive, personally travelling to the region accompanied by a large force commanded by Cornelius Fuscus. Fuscus successfully drove the Dacians back across the border in mid-85, prompting Domitian to return to Rome and celebrate an elaborate triumph.^[2] The victory proved to be short-lived however, as early in 86, Fuscus embarked on an ill-fated expedition into Dacia, which resulted in the complete destruction of the fifth legion, Legio V Alaudae, near Tapae. As Fuscus's men marched into Dacia, the forces of Decebalus attacked from all sides, and Fuscus attempted to rally his men, but was unsuccessful. Fuscus was killed, and the battle standard of the Praetorian Guard lost. The Praetorian cohorts would be restored, but the 5th Alaudae was never reformed.^[3]

Domitian returned to Moesia in August of 86. He divided the province into Lower Moesia and Upper Moesia, and transferred three additional legions to the Danube.

The battle of 88

In 87, the Romans invaded Dacia once more, this time under the command of Tettius Julianus, and finally defeated Decebalus in late 88 at the same site where Fuscus had previously perished.^[4] An attack on the Dacian capital Sarmizegetusa was forestalled however, when new troubles arose on the German frontier in 89. In order to avert having to conduct a war on two fronts, Domitian agreed to terms of peace with Decebalus, negotiating free access of Roman troops through the Dacian region while granting Decebalus an annual subsidy of 8 million sesterces.^[5] Contemporary authors severely criticised this treaty, which was considered shameful to the Romans and left the deaths of Sabinus and Fuscus unavenged.^[6]

Aftermath

For the remainder of Domitian's reign Dacia remained a relatively peaceful client kingdom, but Decebalus used the Roman money to fortify his defences.^[7] Domitian probably wanted a new war against Dacians, and reinforced Upper Moesia with two more cavalry units brought from Syria and with at least five cohorts brought from Pannonia. Trajan continued Domitian's policy and added two more units to the auxiliary forces of Upper Moesia, and then he used the build up of troops for his Dacian wars.^[8][9]

Notes and references

Bibliography

• Griffin, Miriam (2000). "The Flavians". The Cambridge Ancient History. XI (2 ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–83. 
• Jones, Brian W. (1992). The Emperor Domitian. Routledge. 
• MacKendrick, Paul Lachlan (1975). The Dacian Stones Speak. The University of North Carolina Press. 
• Mattern, Susan P. (1999). Rome and the Enemy: Imperial Strategy in the Principate. University of California Press. 
• Mócsy, András (1974). Pannonia and Upper Moesia: A History of the Middle Danube Provinces of the Roman Empire. Routledge. 

See also

• Dacian warfare

External links