Preview: The Getai

[Visarion]

Dacia was ruled by two great kings:
Burebista (82 ad - 44 ad) who united all the thracian tribes in what is now Romania. In this region used to live thracian, iranian, germanic and celtic tribes. The greeks had colonies at Pontus Euxinus. He fought against the celtic tribes: boii, taurisci and scordisci and defeated them. He conquered greek cities at Pontus Euxinus and had military campaigns in Illyria and Macedon. He ruled one of the greatest emipres of the time from the Pannonian plains to the Black Sea. Burebista was feared by the Romans because he had an army of 100.000 men. Because he had too much power the nobles assassinated him in 44 ad. During the same year Cezar, the emperor of Rome was assassinated too... Two great men died in that year... question mark...

Decebalus per Scorilo (86 ad - 106 ad) who fought the Romans defeating the emperor Domitian who after the peace treaty sent him craftsmen, weapons and armour and war machines such as balistas, onagers etc. Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus (98 ad- 117 ad) attacked Dacia for its gold. After two wars in Dacia (101-102, 105-106) {with heavy loses} he managed to conquer the south-central part of what is now Romania. Decebalus had the famous falxmen who teached the Romans a hard lesson of warfare and tarabostes, Dacian nobles. He was allied with the germanic bastarnae and buri tribes and with roxolani, an iranian tribe. Roxolani with their cataphracts helped the Dacians many times before. Decebalus used roxolani cataphractari. Tacitus describes them: they and their horses wore scale mail armour and each had a spear called conti and wielded a sword called gladius.
In that area there were about 9000 cataphracts.

I wonder is it possible for roxolani cataphractari to be recruitable in Getai settlements in EB II? There are historical evidence that roxolani fought alongside Dacians or Getai as Greeks called them in more than one occasions... just think about it! :) thx

Oh and one more thing I read that Thracians (Getai are included) had composite scale mail armour similar to the Skythians, golden helmets (the tarabostes - nobles) and a great variety of weapons such as: falx (two handed, single handed - sica), romphaia, swords, hand axes, two handed axes, throwing axes - the Scythian axe, spears, slings, javelins, bows etc, shields, manica. greaves, cloaks etc. I don't have enough evidence to suggest throwing axemen... yet... :D

EB rulls! :)