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.
About the Author: Ioana A. Oltean is Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Exeter, UK. She specializes in the archaeology of the Roman Empire, particularly in its European provinces, and in aerial archaeology; since 1998 she has been involved in establishing aerial reconnaissance as a standard method of archaeological prospection in Romania. Currently she is co-partner in the EU-funded project Archaeolandscapes Europe, promoting international collaboration, knowledge exchange, and technological advancement in remote sensing archaeology. Ioana is author of "Dacia: Landscape, Colonization, and Romanization" (Routledge, 2007) and co-editor of "Archaeology from Historical Aerial and Satellite Archives" (2013).
Ligia C. Ruscu is Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Cluj Napoca, Romania. She specializes in the history of the Greek and Roman presence on the Western Shore of the Black Sea and the impact of the coming of Rome on Greek and indigenous communities in the Western Black Sea region. She is author of "The External Relations of the Greek Cities on the Romanian Black Sea Coast" (2002).
Dan Ruscu is Senior Lecturer in Church History at the University of Cluj Napoca, Romania. He specializes in the history of early Christianity and the Late Antique period in the Lower Danube. Among his published work, including monographs and articles, he is author of a series of studies examining the early Christianity of Dobrogea.
