Disclaimer: The images above were supplied by the manufacturer and painted by their artists.

introduction

The ancient Roman writings used the name of Dacians (Daci in Latin) to designate the people that inhabited the Carpathians-Danube territory between the 2nd c. BC and the 2nd c. AD. In Greek texts beginning with the history of Herodotus, they are named as Getae. They inhabited an area bordered by the rivers Tisza, Dnestr, the Balkan Mountains and the Black Sea (this area is called the Carpathian-Danube territory, because it includes most of the Carpathian Mountains and the lower course of the Danube).

Between 2500-2000 BC the Indo-Europeann tribes migrated from the steppes north of the Black Sea and occupied the entire European territory. The newcomers assimilated the local populations and imposed everywhere the Indo-European language. After a process of separation and individualization, these Indo-Europeans populations became the European peoples of the ancient times, like the Greeks, the Italics, the Celts, the Germans, the Illyrians. The Dacians were, also, one such Indo European people, that was completely individualized in the Carpathian-Danube territory at the beginning of the Iron Age (9th century BC).

The Dacians are often considered as thhe northern branch of the Thracians. This fact is mostly based on several ancient Greek texts. When the Greeks, who used to call their northern neighbors with the name of Thracians, met the Getae and noticed certain similitudes in language and customs, they considered them a Thracians tribe. But, the political history, the archeological findings and especially the little that we know of the two languages, prove that the Thracians and the Dacians are two distinct peoples, well individualized, that spoke two different Indo-Europeans languages and that were only related to one another. The Thracians, those who were always called so, inhabited an area bordered by the Vardar River, the Balkan Mountains, the Aegean Sea, the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, being the southern neighbors of the Dacians.

In 101 A.D.; they were attacked by the Romans under the command of emperor Traianus. The Dacians lived in a prosperous land that attracted the interests of Rome. In the spring of 102, after a long siege, the Romans conquered the fortresses of Costesti and Capalna, forcing Decebalus, the Dacian chief, to ask for peace. The conditions imposed were extremely harsh for the Dacians who rebelled against them, so Traianus decided to definitely subdue that people. In June 105, he left Rome and after having crossed the Danube, attacked Sarmizegetusa. Decebalus escaped to the Carpathian Mountains, but in order not to be captured, he committed suicide. At the end of the summer of 106 the Dacians had been completely defeated and Dacia became a Roman province.

The last paragraph is quoted from the historical text inside the figure kit.

The figure represents a Dacian Celtic warrior on 2nd century A.D wearing a long cloak, conical helmet and carrying a shield in Celtic style decoration.

box

The figure comes in 125 x 85 x 30 mm.standard Romeo Models light blue cardboard box. The front cover shows a photo of the painted figure from 2 different angles – front and back-right.

Inside the box, there is an A4 paper sheet including historical info about Dacians and painting instructions for this figure. This document is represented in 2 languages; Italian and English. It is so good to see the historical search of this figure is made by Historicus Forma Associate Editor Costas Rodopoulos and text is translated by Riccardo Carrabino.

Parts are well protected between two slabs of thick white polyfoam and figure base is placed under the polyfoam not to damage the figure parts.

parts

The figure is sculpted by Italian master sculptor Gianni La Rocca and made up of 9 white metal parts. All parts are cast clean and crisp in very good details. There was no visible seamlines on my sample, just a small excess metal to clean inside the shield. No more need for a serious clean up, filling or sanding.

One of the two main parts is upper torso with cloak. He wears iron leaf scale armor over his textile tunic. Belt and left shoulder-crosswise sword belt are casted on the torso part. The long cloak is crossed on the right shoulder and attached with a metal cloak clasp.Scale armor and folds of the cloak are well defined.

Other main part is lower torso with legs. In this part, it is shown that he has a fur garment between his armor and tunic. Fur texture, scale armor details, straps attaching dagger to belt and folds on skirts are well represented. He wears knee length leg protectors and leather shoes.

Other parts are ;

Head : Facial details, moustache and beard are well defined. He wears a conical helmet with a solid crest, cheek guards and scale armor neck guard. Dacian helmets design was heavily influenced from the East. 2 different helmets were common in Dacians. One is Phrygian style helmets with its characteristic apex curved forward and usually worn by the soldiers. Second, as seen in this figure, is Sarmatian style helmets with its conical or dome shape, formed from several strips of metal welded together and worn by Leaders and also the allies of Dacians. Dacian helmets are decorated in floral designs and this is well represented in this figure’s helmet.

Right hand : Casted as hand with forearm and posed to put on the waist. It makes a good fit to the hole on the right arm.

Left hand : Posed to hold the shield and makes a good fit to the left arm covered with cloak.

Sword : Though the most common battlegear of Dacians is Falx, a curved, double edged sword similar to old Greek and Egyptian falx, this figure, as a leader, carries a short sword with a simple hilt in leather scabbard on his right thigh.

Dagger : He carries a slightly curved dagger in leather scabbard, attached to his belt with straps.

Shield : He carries a big oval shaped shield as Celtics used. The Dacian warriors carried flat wooden shields 4 to 5 feet tall. They were usually oval in shape, based on the celtic design. It was covered in leather to protect the wood from warping. Riveted to the center of the shield face there appeared an iron or bronze hemisphere, or curved plate to protect the shield hand. This metal boss could also be used offensively when punched. The shield graphics painted on by the Dacians tended to have a vine and floral theme. The floral designs on the boss and wooden texture inside the shield are well defined.

Figure base : Ground texture is well defined and different sizes of small rocks add realism to the base.

reference

Osprey Publishing has a book related to the subject. Rome's Enemies-Germanics and Dacians

conclusion

A good posing figure with nice details and colorful painting options in Romeo Models quality ; clean casting, easy assembly and perfect fit with pins on parts.



Highly Recommended