The military strength of the Dacians, well known
and feared by their neighbors, was a result of their mentality and
education, as well as the weapons and tactics that they used.
One of the main advantages of the Dacians was given
by the extensive use of the bow, especially as the main weapon of the
cavalry. The bow was a worshipped instrument in the Dacian culture, more
than a weapon. On one side, they used it as a weapon, for hunting and in manly
contests, but it also played an important role in several rituals. The supreme
god Gebeleizis is often represented as an archer, and in some moments in their
history the Dacians have used arrow heads as money. Basing a large part of
the troops on archery allowed the Dacians to destroy an important part of
the enemy force before it reached them in close combat, and the light cavalry
equipped with bows was able to deal large amounts of damage to the enemy
infantry, while being very hard to stop. As a matter of fact, the military
history regards the bow and cavalry combination as one of the most efficient
and mobile weapons, until the invention of heavy armor.
For melee combat, the Dacians used a one-handed sword,
called the
Sica. The blade of this sword was about 25 inches long and
was sharp on only one side. It became narrower towards the end: the back was
straight, and so was the edge near the hilt, until a point where only the
cutting side started to describe a curve, so that the tip of the blade was a
sharp point. The guard was fairly big, in order to offer good protection for the
hand and was often ornated with sacred symbols.
Some of the dacian fighters used another kind of sword,
which resembled the celtic model. This sword was sharp on both sides and it had
a triangular blade. The celtic sword also inspired the Gladius, the famous sword
that the roman soldiers used.
The Dacians wore light armor for defense, made of
tanned leather and in some cases covered with metal scales. This kind of
armor offered maximum mobility, which was necessary especially for the
archers. Those who chose to fight with a one-hand sword also used a
medium sized round or oval shield. Very few fighters - usually the nobles -
wore metal breast plates. The Dacians also wore metal helmets, with
defenses for the face, but with a short back side, in order to allow
free movement. Some of the helmets were ornated, as the swords, with ritual
symbols or with a special sign: a pair of eyes on the forehead.
The Dacian flag was a wolf head with a tail made of
metal scales, and it was called a
Drakon. The Drakon was built
so that when the wind passed through it, it would make a sound that resembled
a wolf's cry, which lead to the association of the Dacians with the image of
this animal.
