Când a fost fondată provincia Dacia?
When was the Dacia Province Founded?

Summary/Abstract: The vast majority of history books claim that in the summer of 106 the war with the Dacians was over and the Dacia province was already founded. It all started with a huge error of interpretation, that if on August 11, 106 we have attested Decimus Terentius Scaurianus as the first governor of Dacia, it means that at that time the province of Dacia was already founded. The military diploma from Ranovac shows us the fact that before Scaurianus we have at least one more governor, Iulius Sabinus and in 106 the troops receive only Roman citizenship, while their massive demobilization begins only in 109. From a huge error like this, although it is difficult to call it an error because it was not known that Scaurianus was the first governor, all the others followed in a cascade: conclusion of the war in 106, the founding of the province in the same year, the deployment of the auxiliary troops on limes in the same year, the bringing of the legion XIII Gemina to Apulum at the same time and, last but not least, the founding of the first city in Dacia, colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Dacica Sarmizegetusa in 106.In the conditions of the data known at this moment we can draw the following conclusions:- the year 106 has no relevance in the discussion related to the end of the war or the founding of the province, it is only the moment when the Roman citizenship is granted massively to the auxiliary troops, which will become the central element in completing the last stages of the war;- the episode of Decebalus' capture and suicide is likely to take place only in 107;- as the scenes on the column in Rome show, the military conflicts continue even after the moment of presentation of Decebalus' head and right hand, which is why a secunda expeditione or the references in the inscription at the Forum Claudii, in conjunction with the events in Rome related to the celebration of triumph, seem to indicate a decisive defeat of the Dacians at the beginning of 108; certainly after this moment we can talk about a diminishing of military conflicts;- on the background of this diminishing of military nature, the province of Dacia also seems to be founded in 108; the fact that in the year 109 we already have D. Terentius Scaurianus as governor indicates that the governership between 108-109 must have belonged to Iulius Sabinus; even if mathematically the founding of the province cannot be excluded in 107, the violent events of a military nature and the realities of an unfinished war still from no point of view, seem to categorically reject such a possibility; also in the year 108 probably begins the bringing of civilian colonists, but which do not seem to be in sufficient numbers for the Roman authorities, who are forced to grant all kinds of benefits to encourage and accelerate the process;- because governor D. Terentius Scaurianus began the massive process of demobilization of the auxiliary troops in 109, in conjunction with the end of the triumph in Rome, I believe that this year, perhaps even the end of 109, can be considered a credible moment to formalize the end of second war between Romans and Dacians, started in 105;- although the option of founding colonia Dacica Sarmizegetusa for the year 109 cannot be rejected, subsequent events, numismatics, the problems of delayed urbanization of the province and why not, even of a military nature (the city will have to be protected by two legions for a long time), I believe that it rather indicates the year 110;- even if the decisive defeat at the beginning of 108 resulted in a diminishing of military conflicts, the numismatic element shows us that, at least from an organizational point of view, we do not know whether administratively or from what other points of view, the situation will remain sufficiently confused and perhaps even tense for the legends on the coins to change from Dacia Capta to Dacia Augusti Province only around the year of 112; probably only after this moment can we speak of a withdrawal of Leg IIII FF from Banat and only from this moment can we consider a settled province, structured, with troops stationed on limes and with Leg XIII G at Apulum as the only legionary troop that ensured the protection of the province for 60-80 years, a troop that, however, will ensure in a very serious way the civil development and urbanization of the newly created province.

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