România
2
I actually compiled kind of a personal short cheat sheet on the most recent theories coming from leading historians, archeologists and geneticists from Romania.
It's not much, but here's what I have so far.
Thracians
Language: Satem branch of IE, related to Balto-Slavic and Iranic families
Ceramic vases characteristic to the East-Balkanic area were found in the VII B2 level from Troy. Dated to around XII BC, they confirm the migration of people from the Balkans to the Near East.
By XII BC Thracians divide into ethnic groups and distinct tribes.
During LBA, in the region of the future Dacia, populations from the steppes, bearers of the Noua and Coslogeni cultures, settled in.
Economy of cattle breeding
Noua and Coslogeni are derived from Sabatinovka; evolved until IA.
Iron objects intra-Carpathic region - one of the oldest (axes, knives, daggers) in this region.
Metallurgy is supposed to have been introduced from South - Greece or East - Cimmerians via Armenia, Caucasus and the steppe.
IA objects show connections to Mycenaean Greece.
They were either traded or appeared due to individual mobility.
By X - VIII BC, region of modern Romanian territory was roughly divided in 2: Gava-Holihrady (grooved ceramics) - North, Babadag, Cozia-Brad - South (incised and printed ceramics)
Gava-Holihrady believed the ancestors of the Dacians, Babadag and Cozia-Brad -- Getae and Moesians.
Due to the uniformity of the materials and the forms of the manifestation.
Both influenced Basarabi culture, arose in VIII BC, combined both ceramic designs, created spiral and geometric motifs. Also shaped by Illyrian elements.
Pastoral type of economy, based on transhumanism.
Formed ties with North Pontic Greek colonies.
In Wallachia, Basarabi transitioned to the Ferigile-Barsesti culture.
Characterised by kurgan burials with incineration. Funerary inventory shows Scythian elements, as well as Illyrian and South Thracian.
These are considered the Getae.
Scythian groups in Transylvania represented by warriors who imposed their authority on local communities. Borrowings and influences happened on both sides.
Will disappear gradually during V BC.
Around middle of V BC, in the necropolis from Baita, Mures, Scythian burials transit to the incineration style, while the inventory retains the usual Scythian elements. Hence, their assimilation was happening in full swing by then.
Next century characterised by Illyrian influences.
Sigynnae lived to the West, in the basin of Tisa. Iranic Thracians of Scythian provenience, similar clothing to that of the Medes. Identified as the Szentes-Vekersug culture. Evolved until the arrival of the Celts in IV BC.
Near Carei-Satu Mare, local communities were not ruled by outsiders. Sanislau-Nir, characterised by necropoles with burials of urn incineration style, no Scythian artefacts.
Apart from usual vases worked by hand, 20-30% worked by the wheel. Likely transfer of know-how from North Pontic Greek colonies.
Getae V - III BC
Under authority of the Odrysian Kingdom in V BC - IV BC.
According to Tucidide, the Getae are neighbouring the Scythians with whom they share the same weapons and are all mounted archers.
After the death of Alexander the Great, the Thracian domain rebelled against the new diadochi - Lysimach. The Getae, who lived in Wallachia and Northeastern Bulgaria were led by Dromichaites.
Sboryanovo in Bulgaria, believed to be the Getic residence of Dromichaites. The architectural elements, together with the paintings suggest strong ties with the Greek world. Balkan_IA_5769 is 150km away from there, in Dzhulyunitsa.
Most common iconographic themes: men riding horses, hunting scenes, men and women riding war chariots, sacrifices, winged feminine divinities, hierogamy, animal fights, animal processing, fantasy animals, mythical heroes (Herakles).
Kurgans started to disappear around III BC. The phenomenon indicates the dissolution of the aristocracy, determined by societal transformation.
As the political power of the aristocracy weakened, Celts and Bastarnae managed to settle in the region.
Thracian Dark Ages, III - II BC
In this period, the local aristocracy changed, both ethnically and archeologically.
Kurgans disappeared and where replaced by incineration style tumulus burials, which contained the remains that were placed in urns, armory and weaponry representative of local types (sica, shields of type umbo) and sometimes also Celtic. This phenomenon is called the Padea-Panaghiurski Kolonii group.
Characteristic for Southern Romania, this group expanded to Transylvania and Southern Moldova. They gave birth to the Dacian kingdom under Burebista.
Dacia
During Burebista
The migration from the South towards Transylvania happened due to both strategic and economic reasons.
Salt exploitation in Mures valley; open to distribution both to the West and South.
The aristocracy migrated together with people from Wallachia. Number of rural settlements doubled in this period. Also, the first raised settlements appeared, which are characteristic of the flourishing period of the Dacian civilisation.
In Serbia, Gomolava, lots of archeological Dacian materials like ceramic vases and graves with weapons similar to those in Transylvania.
Greek builders from Pontic colonies raised military, civil and religious buildings in Sarmizegetusa. They were constructed with shaped stone, typical of Greeks, and according to the Greek techniques. They were a permanent population there, as stone buildings and ceramic vases with Greek inscriptions and letters have been attested.
In the 1st century AD, Lentulus and Aelius Catus moved over 50k Dacians from the mountains to South of the Danube and established garrisons North of the Danube. The purpose of the garrisons was to stop Dacians from descending from the mountains in winter to pass the frozen Danube and raid the territories South of the Danube, some of which were Roman provinces.
In years 66-67 AD, governor of Moesia Tib. Plautius Silvanus Aelianus resettled over 100k Transdanubians to Moesia as a workforce and also tribute. This population comes from the intersection of the Danube between Southern Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Thus, this population was likely a mix of Getae, Bastarnae and Sarmatians.
From a visual aspect, the Dacian capital - Sarmizegetusa Regia resembled a Mediterranean town. Historians compared it to Pergamon.
For Getae and Dacians, burials by incineration main practice between V-III BC, found in ~2k necropolises. However, some members of aristocracy practiced inhumation. In II BC there are almost no burials, which leads to the speculation that burial practices changed fundamentally. It is speculated that individuals were incinerated and their remains were thrown in the river. From the time of Burebista, I BC, several kurgan necropolises of the aristocracy were discovered. The remains were incinerated though. Victims of human sacrifices in I AD were buried by inhumation and usually in a shared pit.
Originally Posted by Bigby
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