Dacians In Roman Sculpture And Where Can We See Them Today

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« The Goths [Getae] were not, therefore, so short of people to teach them philosophy. Wherefore the Goths [Getae] were always superior to the barbarians and almost equal to the Greeks. »
Iordanes, Getica, 39-40 ; Fontes II, p. 413, 417

"The dignified image of the Dacians was placed in the most prestigious place of the Roman world, in the heart of Rome, the Forum of Trajan. This is a very important and valuable fact for the history of the ancient representations of the Dacians in Roman art and for the history of the culture of Romania."

Read the entire interview
with Dr Leonard Velcescu

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Fitzwilliam Museum / Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB / fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk

Head of Dacian (Pileatus) nr. inv. GR. 12.1850

Place of discovery: presented by Dr.J.Disney. Purchased in Italy (?) by mid-century XVIII.

Material: alabaster with strands.

Dimensions: height 0, 296 m

State of preservation: the sculpture is very well preserved, except for a damaged area on the back, at the base of the neck. The overall area is well processed.

Date: eighteen century (probably early XVIII^th century.). The sculpture is of an excellent quality, but its sculptor was probably so influenced by the originals from the time of Trajan that the date of accomplishment of this work is difficult to be determined. A modern head very similar to that presented is currently in Boston. This statue preserved in Boston is in red porphyry.