Bellum Dardanicum
| Bellum Dardanicum (Dardanian War) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Roman–Dardanian wars | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Roman Republic | Dardani | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Gaius Scribonius Curio (75–73 BC)[1] Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus (72–71 BC)[2] | Unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Several legions with auxiliaries (est. 20,000–30,000) | Unknown (tribal levy, likely 20,000+) | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Light | Heavy | ||||||||
The Bellum Dardanicum (Latin for "Dardanian War"; 75–73 BC) was a Roman military campaign against the Dardani, a Thracian-Illyrian tribe inhabiting the region of Dardania (modern Kosovo, northern North Macedonia, and southern Serbia). The war formed part of Rome’s efforts to secure the northern frontier of the province of Macedonia.
Background
After the dissolution of the Macedonian kingdom in 168 BC, the Dardani repeatedly raided the Roman province of Macedonia. These incursions intensified during the Third Mithridatic War (73–63 BC), when Roman forces were preoccupied in Asia Minor. Together with the Scordisci and other neighbouring tribes, the Dardani exploited the power vacuum to launch major raids southward.[3][4]
The war
In 75 BC, the proconsul of Macedonia, Gaius Scribonius Curio, launched a punitive expedition into Dardanian territory. Ancient sources claim he became the first Roman commander to reach the Danube.[5]
The campaign continued under Curio until 73 BC and was resumed in 72–71 BC by his successor, Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus (brother of Lucullus fighting Mithridates). Marcus Lucullus inflicted a decisive defeat on the Dardani and also campaigned against the Bessi in Thrace, celebrating a triumph in 71 BC.[6][7]
Aftermath
Rome achieved a tactical victory and imposed tribute and submission on the Dardani, but did not annex the region. Dardanian raids resumed periodically. Full conquest was only achieved in 29–28 BC by Marcus Licinius Crassus during Augustus’s Illyrian wars, after which Dardania was incorporated into the new province of Moesia.[8][9]
References
- ^ Florus 1.39; Eutropius 6.2; Broughton, MRR II, p. 95, 99
- ^ Livy, Periochae 97; Sallust, Histories fr. 4.34M; Mócsy (1964)
- ^ Papazoglou (1978), pp. 271–281
- ^ Wilkes (1992), pp. 216–217
- ^ Florus 1.39 ("primus Romanorum ducum ad Danubium accessit"); Eutropius 6.2; Broughton, MRR II, p. 99
- ^ Livy, Periochae 97; Mócsy (1964), pp. 93–102
- ^ Broughton, MRR II, pp. 109–110
- ^ Mócsy (1974), pp. 10–20
- ^ Wilkes (1992), pp. 256–258
Bibliography
- Broughton, T. R. S. (1952). The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, Volume II (99 B.C.–31 B.C.). New York: American Philological Association.
- Mócsy, András (1974). Pannonia and Upper Moesia: A History of the Middle Danube Provinces of the Roman Empire. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- Mócsy, András (1964). "Der vertuschte Dakerkrieg des M. Terentius Varro Lucullus". Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. 12: 93–102.
- Papazoglou, Fanula (1978). The Central Balkan Tribes in Pre-Roman Times: Triballi, Autariatae, Dardanians, Scordisci and Moesians. Amsterdam: Adolf M. Hakkert. ISBN 978-90-256-0793-7.
- Wilkes, John J. (1992). The Illyrians. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-19807-5.