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

[Alanus]

Geto-Dacians was the memeber of "european" branch of so called "indo-europeans", thats sure, i didnt hear until now that indo-europeans being split in 3, Getae, Indians and Europeans. I hear about "arians" ( the "indians" ones who write the Veda ), iranians, greeks, latins, celts, germanics, and, the first ones formed as a distinct peoples among this "indo-europeans" was proto-thracians, who was split in some peoples as cimmerians, phrygians, getae-dacians and southern thracians ( called simple - thracians ).

Hello Diegis,
I stand corrected, a slip of the pen. The Dacians spoke an Indo-European language that fell into the European structure. But, the cataloging is probematical and places the Thracians and Dacians on this side. The Cimmerians and Phrygians spoke Indo-Iranian, a second language group. In this group we also find the Saka, Massagetae, Alans, and Persians-- in other words, those who spoke Iranian languages. The third and distinct group (perhaps the oldest) were the Indus, the peoples who left the "homeland" to settle below the Indu Kush. I have mixed thoughts on the term "Arians," not terribly politically-correct today. All the tribes and peoples who spoke (and still speak) an Indo-European language could be termed "Arians"... even South and Meso American Indians. hock:

The "homeland" theory for the majority of these tribes (excluding the native Americans) places it either in the Lavant or in the area between the river Don and Caspia, below and just westward of the Urals. This is not a bloodline (genetic) association, but only of language. We cannot call "proto-Thracian" the "first," if such a language existed. Those speakers who traveled the furtherest were the Celts (all the way to Ireland) and the Saka/Massagetae/Alans who went as far as Mongolia and China. Eastern speakers also included the Tokarians, Sogdians and Bactrians. The Tokarian "A" language was the closest to Celtic, and Tokarian "B" was still spoken until around AD 600. Strangely enough, the "tribal memory" of the progenitor tribe was recorded by the Celtic Britons who referred to "Alanus" as the "first man in Europe" (in other words, the first Indo-European man... the language progenitor).

So, there are three Indo-European language groups, although Indo-Iranian is often considered part of the Indo-European group. None of this explains the Greek term "getae;" but I still contend that it is too old, and too ambiguous, to be accepted as a definitive term for the Dacians. 8)