11-09-2012, 09:09 PM
What, ever? Surely not! Carthage, Persia, the Goths, Alamanni, not to mention the Huns - all far more dangerous and persistent enemies I'd say.
Dacia was a powerful and advanced state in the 1st century, but never posed much of a threat to the empire. Domitian and Trajan's wars were mainly a response to repeated Dacian raids across the Danube, and an attempt to grab the vast mineral wealth of Dacia. After Trajan's conquest, the Dacians rapidly faded from view as an adversary, while other groups proved more tenacious. The Quadi and Marcomanni were far more dangerous in the later 2nd century, and the Alemanni in the 3rd - both groups penetrated far inside the Roman borders and invaded Italy.
As for defeating legions - first Tapae was quite probably an ambush of some sort. The Sarmatians and/or Suebi wiped out XXI Rapax only a few years later. The Batavians neutralised several legions in 69, and the Jews under Bar Kochba appear to have destroyed at least one more. In the third and fourth centuries losses were perhaps even greater, although we don't have the sources to clarify the extent of the damage, and legions tended not to operate as full-strength formations by this point anyway.
Dacia was a powerful and advanced state in the 1st century, but never posed much of a threat to the empire. Domitian and Trajan's wars were mainly a response to repeated Dacian raids across the Danube, and an attempt to grab the vast mineral wealth of Dacia. After Trajan's conquest, the Dacians rapidly faded from view as an adversary, while other groups proved more tenacious. The Quadi and Marcomanni were far more dangerous in the later 2nd century, and the Alemanni in the 3rd - both groups penetrated far inside the Roman borders and invaded Italy.
As for defeating legions - first Tapae was quite probably an ambush of some sort. The Sarmatians and/or Suebi wiped out XXI Rapax only a few years later. The Batavians neutralised several legions in 69, and the Jews under Bar Kochba appear to have destroyed at least one more. In the third and fourth centuries losses were perhaps even greater, although we don't have the sources to clarify the extent of the damage, and legions tended not to operate as full-strength formations by this point anyway.
Nathan Ross
