From: Torsten
Message: 67650
Date: 2011-05-30
>Greek original:
>
>
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Torsten" <tgpedersen@> wrote:
> > Strabo 7, 3, 11
> > http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Strabo/7C*.html
> > 'As for the Getae, then, their early history must be left untold, but that which pertains to our own times is about as follows: Boerebistas a Getan, on setting himself in authority over the tribe, restored the people, who had been reduced to an evil plight by numerous wars, and raised them to such a height through training, sobriety, and obedience to his commands that within only a few years he had established a great empire and subordinated to the Getae most of the neighbouring peoples. And he began to be formidable even to the Romans, because he would cross the Ister with impunity and plunder Thrace as far as Macedonia and the Illyrian country; and he not only laid waste the country of the Celti who were intermingled with the Thracians and the Illyrians, but actually caused the complete disappearance of the Boii who were under the rule of Critasirus, and also of the Taurisci.'
> >
> > In other words, Burebista drove out the Boii and Taurisci, plus most likely their intermingled Thracians and Illyrians. I think he did it to obtain free passage to the Roman trade station in Nauportus. The area between the Istro-Romanians and the Daco-Romanians is now completely Macedonian-, Illyrian-, Celt-, Thracian-, Boii- and Taurican-free, what was left might have been flooded later by Ariovistus' deserted Charudes/Croats. Satisfied?
>
>
> ****GK: Actually this is not a good interpretation of Strabo. All he is really saying is that Burebista wasted a large area to the west of the Tysa (Pathissus), which was inhabited by the Boii and Taurisci ruled by Critasirus (see also 7,5,2). "Complete disappearance" is another example of imprecise Jonesian. Falconer has "utterly annihilated" which is serious enough, but not quite as emphatic as "COMPLETE" disappearance. We know from archaeology that the area up to Bratislava was colonized by Dacians at that time, but that some of the previous population remained. The Boii's earlier haunts were still remembered in Pliny's time as "the desert of the Boii" (in Pannonia actually). But west of Critasirus there remained other Taurisci (the Norici: both Strabo and Pliny agree that Norici=Taurisci), and Nauportus belonged to them, not to Critasirus. It may in fact have belonged to Voccio, Ariovistus' brother in law (:=))). Cf. also http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noricum*****