Are modern Romanians really descendants of ancient Romans and warlike Dacians?

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

As soon as the historiography of the Romanians was not interpreted. In different eras, they were either attributed to Roman roots, or insisted on the huge influence of other tribes that lived on the territory of modern Romania. Under Ceausescu, both claims were rejected. The politician promoted the ethnic purity of the people, questioning any genetic and cultural influence of other tribes and nationalities.

However, in the second verse of Romania's national anthem, there is a clear reference to the origins of its inhabitants:

The hymn refers to the Roman emperor Trajan, famous for his military exploits. It was under him that the army of legionaries conquered the Romanian territories, and the Thracian Dacians living on them were forced to become Roman subjects.

Dacians - the warlike ancestors of the Romanians

In the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, Dacians are mentioned as the most numerous people after the Indians. They lived on the territory of present-day Romania and the entire Balkan Peninsula. If not for territorial fragmentation, the Thracian Dacians would have become a dangerous military force of those times.

But even in a disunited state, they posed a serious threat. Describing Dacian warriors, Herodotus spoke of their boundless courage. The warriors considered themselves immortal, so they died with a smile on their lips. The Dacians rejoiced at the opportunity to die in battle, because this gave them the opportunity after death to go to their god Zalmoxis.

The heyday of the Dacians fell on the reign of Burebista, a contemporary of Caesar. The tribe occupied the territory from the Northern Carpathians to the Balkan Mountains, from the Middle Danube to the Black Sea. United by the warlike king, the Dacians repeatedly intervened in the affairs of neighboring peoples. They destroyed the Celts encroaching on their territory, subjugated part of the Greek cities and even tried to influence the outcome of the war between Pompey and Caesar.

Conquest of Dacia by the Roman legions

After the overthrow of Burebista, the Dacian kingdom fell into five parts, but it still continued to threaten the Romans. Under the leadership of the experienced commander Decebalus, the warring tribes from time to time attacked the possessions of the Roman Empire, which forced them to make peace with them. The agreement with the Dacians was extremely disadvantageous to the Romans, despite the fact that, according to its terms, Decebalus admitted himself defeated.

The young emperor Trajan could not put up with such a state of affairs. He decided to conquer Dacia. Having completely exhausted the military power of the opponents in exhausting battles, Trajan achieved the surrender of Decebalus. As a result, the Dacians lost most of their territories, which became Roman provinces. This was the starting point in the gradual merging of the locals and the Romans.

The genetic link between Romanians and the Romans

For a century and a half, Roman legionaries were sent to Dacia for settlement. Only a small part of them came with their families, while the majority entered into relationships with Thracian women.

The settled legionnaires remained in Dacia even after it lost its strategic importance for the Roman Empire, and all the military nobility was withdrawn from there. This did not add stability to the region: soon the migration of warlike peoples began through the territory of modern Romania. At different times, the Slavs, Huns, Visigoths, Avars, Gepids passed through Dacia. Despite this, it continued to be considered a Roman province.

Origin of the Romanian language

A century and a half colonization significantly influenced the Dacians. The Romans made Latin the official language of the occupied territories, imposing it on the local population at all levels. Trying to adapt, the Dacians modernized Latin so much that in some provinces it was impossible to recognize it. However, the language policy gave its results: all the indigenous people mastered Latin at one level or another.

Interestingly, the Slavs and other ethnic groups who raided the Dacians after the Romans did not have a significant impact on their language. The indigenous people continued to be predominantly Latin-speaking. Over time, Latin became so widespread that many Romanians began to consider it their native language.

The modern Romanian language has not lost its Roman roots. It belongs to the Balkan-Roman subgroup, and, moreover, is one of the most common in it. Having developed on the basis of the colloquial Latin of the colonists and the dialect of the ancient Dacians, Romanian became the state and main spoken language of the whole country.

Romanians - direct descendants of the ancient Romans

The period of Roman rule over Dacia was not very long, but its influence on the future Romanian people turned out to be colossal. What tribes would not later come to the Thracian Dacians - they fell under the residual influence of the Roman Empire and were romanized.

The name given to modern Romania speaks volumes about this. Remaining on the outskirts of the Roman Empire for almost two centuries, and subsequently surviving exhausting wars and numerous attacks by various peoples, at the end of the 19th century, the state became Romania (in Russian: Romania). An approximate translation of the term sounds like "the country of the Romans." It was transformed from the Latin word romanus ("Roman") - this is how the indigenous population was called, which during the rule of the Romans mixed with the legionnaires-immigrants.

Anyone interested in history will be interested to know what these gestures actually meant in ancient Rome - "thumbs up" and "thumbs down".