Transilvania's Iron Gates - First Battle of Tapae

[Lanista]

Hi - I'm hoping someone can help. I've got it in mind to write a scene at the first Battle of Tapae, but I'm really struggling to find any sort of explanation as to the lay of land at "Transylvania's Iron Gates." Wikipedia is brief:

 

Domitian, started a strong offensive against Dacia in 87, ordering General Cornelius Fuscus to attack. Therefore, in the summer of 87, Fuscus along with five or six legions crosses the Danube.

 

They encountered the Dacian army at Tapae, where the Romans were ambushed, suffering a great defeat. Almost all of the soldiers from Legio V Alaudae were killed, the Dacians captured their flags and war machines, and general Cornelius Fuscus himself was killed in battle.

 

After this victory, the Dacian king Diurpaneus received the name of Decebalus, meaning the brave or the most powerful.

 

I know that they crossed the Danube on a pontoon bridge, and had some initial success. Currently, I have my Romans in their marching camp, the following day they will march out and face their nadir at Tapae. But...I really don't know what Tapae looked like, what the forces were on the Dacian side, how the trap was sprung and so forth. It would appear to me that "Transylvania's Iron Gates" are a mountain pass just by the name. Can anyone advise?

 

As I type, maybe there would be more on Trajan's battle there? I don't know - anyhow, if anyone can help, I'd be really grateful.

 

Cheers

 

Russ

[Primus Pilus]

Unfortunately the written ancient source detail is lacking, so there are corresponding holes in the story

 

Cassius Dio's Book 68.13 provides a brief account of the building of the bridge, but the battle is glossed over. In addition to Dio's account being fragmentary, the Historia Augusta begins with Hadrian and doesn't discuss the Dacian wars at all.

 

Trajan's Column certainly provides an in depth pictorial account of Trajan's campaigns but it won't provide the type of "who, what, when" detail you are probably looking for without an accompanying guide. While there are newer versions, Lacus Curtius provides a solid 19th century account: "A Description of the Trajan Column" by John Hungerford Pollen. I referred to it quite a bit while writing my own bio of Trajan.

 

The relevant passages:

On the Danube Bridges

The Second Dacian War

 

There are biographies of Trajan of course and Bennett's "Trajan: Optimus Princeps" is probably the best, but the lack of source information on the wars is still an issue. Fair warning though: this book is academic and thorough, but hardly written in a style that will draw you in.

 

[bIG EDIT] Oops... you were also asking about Domitian's campaign... posting more shortly.

[Primus Pilus]

[bIG EDIT] Oops... you were also asking about Domitian's campaign... posting more shortly.

 

Dio's account of Domitian's campaign: Cassius Dio 67.6. Chapter 10 briefly (and I do mean briefly) describes the actual encounter at Tapae.

 

Suetonius' account is cursory (Life of Domitian 6) and Tacitus only discusses it in a dismissive sense in Life of Agricola 39 (you'll have to scroll down).

[Kosmo]

During Domitian's dacian war there were 2 battles at Tapae. The first was a dacian victory the second a roman one. It's rather confusing as there were some battles at the same spot during Trajan's wars also.

Tapae it's usually identified as the Transilvanian Iron Gates, an almost 700 m high mountain pass that connects Banat and Transilvania. The pass is very steep and closed on the sides by high cliffs. The area was and is forested. In that area arhelogists found dacian fortifications at a hill fort, dava, that it's presumed to be named Tapae. This was a direct road beetwen Middle Danube and mountain dacian capital Sarmizegetusa.

Not much info and loads of it are rather speculations.

[Lanista]

Not much info and loads of it are rather speculations.

 

 

Hi guys:

 

really, thanks for all this information, it's really going to help. The last part about speculation is great - it means I can make things up without getting my fingers too badly burned. Which is a result!

 

Again, thanks for all your help. I'll be sure to add the UNRV url in the acknowledgements section if the book sees print!

 

Cheers

 

Russ

[diegis]

Not much info and loads of it are rather speculations.

 

 

Hi guys:

 

really, thanks for all this information, it's really going to help. The last part about speculation is great - it means I can make things up without getting my fingers too badly burned. Which is a result!

 

Again, thanks for all your help. I'll be sure to add the UNRV url in the acknowledgements section if the book sees print!

 

Cheers

 

Russ

I read as well some opinions that actualy the first battle between Domitian army ( that one leaded by Fuscus, with some 5-6 legions, and auxiliary troops, a quite important army, in fact, twice bigger as Varus one ), was fought somewhere on Olt river defile ( as well on Carpatian mountains ), east of Transilvania Iron Gates, romans tryied to follow the river path, after cross the Danube. The first battle of Tapae beeing fight between dacians and romans under Tettius Iulianus, beeing a roman victory. But, both dacians and romans act as well thru their allies, and romans have faill to defeate dacian ones ( quazii and marcomanii tribes ), and dacians, acording with what i read, defeating in another campaigne the iazigs sarmatians, allies with romans. This will make the Domitian to agree with a shamefull peace for romans. The second battle of Tapae was one of the biggest and bloodiest battles of that times, with probably around 100,000 romans deployed, under Traian, and a close number ( thus a smaller one, more probably ) of dacians, under Decebal. Battle ended with a inconclusive roman victory, because, even if romans cann`t defeate the dacian army, the later one retreated from the battlefield when a storm occur, and a thunder hit their lines. Dacians beeing a very religious peoples, who, acording with ancient writings, shot arrows in clouds, to make the sky clear, consider this a very bad sign from the gods, so retreated ( btw, i read an opinion that almost all writings and acounts about daco-roman wars, or even about dacians was destroyed by early roman church, precisely because of this moment from battle, probably considered then as a miracle made by pagan gods, this beeing the reason why are soo poor sources to know about ).

[Lanista]

I read as well some opinions that actualy the first battle between Domitian army ( that one leaded by Fuscus, with some 5-6 legions, and auxiliary troops, a quite important army, in fact, twice bigger as Varus one ), was fought somewhere on Olt river defile ( as well on Carpatian mountains ), east of Transilvania Iron Gates, romans tryied to follow the river path, after cross the Danube. The first battle of Tapae beeing fight between dacians and romans under Tettius Iulianus, beeing a roman victory. But, both dacians and romans act as well thru their allies, and romans have faill to defeate dacian ones ( quazii and marcomanii tribes ), and dacians, acording with what i read, defeating in another campaigne the iazigs sarmatians, allies with romans. This will make the Domitian to agree with a shamefull peace for romans. The second battle of Tapae was one of the biggest and bloodiest battles of that times, with probably around 100,000 romans deployed, under Traian, and a close number ( thus a smaller one, more probably ) of dacians, under Decebal. Battle ended with a inconclusive roman victory, because, even if romans cann`t defeate the dacian army, the later one retreated from the battlefield when a storm occur, and a thunder hit their lines. Dacians beeing a very religious peoples, who, acording with ancient writings, shot arrows in clouds, to make the sky clear, consider this a very bad sign from the gods, so retreated ( btw, i read an opinion that almost all writings and acounts about daco-roman wars, or even about dacians was destroyed by early roman church, precisely because of this moment from battle, probably considered then as a miracle made by pagan gods, this beeing the reason why are soo poor sources to know about ).

 

This is great information - thanks so much. (I'm literally just about to write this part of the story!)

 

Cheers

 

Russ

[Kosmo]

Yes, Diegis is right, some say that the battle in which Fuscus died was at Turnu Rosu near the Olt river, south of Sibiu.