The Getae: Changing Landscapes of Colonization, Imperialism, and Memory

Together the Dacians and the Getae were the creators of the largest unified power of ancient Europe outside of the Roman Empire, yet each was colonized and integrated into the Roman imperial system differently. Unlike the short-lived but intense Roman experience of the Dacians, the Getae met first Greek colonists who settled along the western Black Sea shore, followed by Roman expansion and integration of the territory in stages over many years. As the imperial system gradually changed its ideology, priorities, and control mechanisms, the Getae were afforded numerous opportunities for contact and cultural change. The data and literature on the Getae to date has however emerged from traditional site-based investigations and surveys, resulting in heavily biased and fragmented understandings of the scale, nature, and impact of their conquest and colonization. This sweeping volume utilizes high-resolution GIS mapping, extensive analysis of remote sensing data, and archival aerial and satellite imagery to present a holistic view of changes to the landscape and to reconsider the extent of human settlement in antiquity. It offers a fresh investigation of the evolution of urbanization, developments in local economy, taxation, and administration, as well as long-term changes in material culture, social behavior, and identity over a period of more than a thousand years. The Getae offers a uniquely realistic appreciation of the nature and character of Roman military occupation and the participation of provincial subjects in the Roman imperial system.