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

[Robert Vermaat]

Hi 'diegis',

Please write your first name in your signature, forum rule.

Of course Goths know about Dacians, they raided togheter the Roman borders, and as i sad, Constantin the Great even take the title Dacicus Maximus, so yes, for sure they lived in the same era, they was contemporans. And as i said, the strongest example that Dacian prestige and heritage ( as well as a "physical" Dacian component of Goths ) influenced the Goths is the fact that they afirm that they are the ofsprings of Getae ( Dacians ).

So that is all? The superficial lijkeness between 'Gaet' and 'Getae'? We also have Veneti on the North gallic coast as well as south of the Alps - the same people? We have Domnonii in Scotland as well as Dumnonia in Cornwall - 'surely' a migration? I think you are stretching the evidence too far. Names of tribes in Europe can sound alike and yet be totally different.

So far I have seen no evidence of a Dacian tribe, comparable to that of Trajan's wars, still being present in the mid-4th century, strong enough to influence the Goths. Also tell us, what was the 'Dacian' culture in the 4th century AD like? And in what way were the dacians still powerful raider, strong enough to influence Gothic heritage no less (which you claim). Prestige? What prestige?
What you forget to mention is that Gothic heritage also made strong claims of their original homeland, namely Scandinavia, which is altogether different from the Dacian area! And as far as I know, nothing remotely 'Dacian' is present in Gothic folklore, Gothic legends, Gothic language or Gothic leadership.

As to the title of Constantine, 'Dacicus Maximus', I would not take that too literally. In his day, 'Dacia' consisted of two Roman provinces south of the Danube. Other emperors claimed titles without even beiong victorious: Justinian claimed a victory over the Franks upon accession!