218
WABS UNDEB DOMITIAN.
the Eomans were left undisturbed in that quarter. On the
northern boundaries of the empire, however, wars were waged
on which some light is thrown by Tacitus’ life of Agricola,
which is one of the great master-pieces of ancient biography.11
The Eomans had gradually made progress in Britain, but
Agricola was the first who penetrated to the north, beyond the
two Friths, towards the Highlands of Scotland. He built a
fleet with which he sailed round the coast and visited the
Orkney islands. The time of these exploits is the glorious
military epoch in the reign of Domitian.12
In his earliest youth, Domitian had been in Gaul during the
insurrection of Civilis. As emperor, he carried on a war against
the Chatti in the Countryabout the river Main. Ifwe believe
the statements of the medals, which begin to be of importance
at this period of Eoman history, and the flatteries of Martial—
who was likewise a man of great talent and enjoyed the favour
of Domitian, — the emperor obtained the surname of Germani-
cus with perfect justice; but the historians arc unanimous that
those victories were not realities, though they cannot be wholly
fictitious, for Eoman armies did at that time carry on wars on
the eastern bank of the Ehine, and not wholly without suc-
cess;13 but we cannot wonder at the Germans, who had only
an untrained militia, not making a vigorous resistance against
the Eoman legions. In addition to this, the Germans were,
as usual, suffering from their own internal divisions: the Che-
rusci demanded assistance against the Chatti, and the Lygii
against the Suevi.14 A war was also waged on the upper and
middle Danube; and nations, which had for some time disap-
peared from history, are now mentioned again, and described
as very powerful, such as the Marcomanni and Suevi, who
were feebly united with Slavonic tribes, and that not in small
numbers.
The most dangerous war of Domitian was that against the
Dacians, a Thracian tribe, the same as the ancient Getae, which
had pressed upon the Scythians as early as the time of
11 The two best ancient biographies that have come down to us, are Tacitus’
Agricola, and the life of Atticus by Corn. Nepos.—N.
121 refer to Agricola’s circumnavigation of Scotland, the statue of Oceanus
which, throughout the middle ages, lay at the entrance of the Forum Martium,
(the Socalled Marforio, Beschreib. d. StadtRom, iii. 1. p. 138). A statue of the
Rhine at Rome likewise belongs to the reign of Domitian.—N.
13 Compare Frontinus, Strateg. i. 3.10. 14 Dion Cass. Ixvii. 5.
WAES UNDEE DOMITIAN.
219
Alexander the Great, Since the days of Diceneus, about the
time of Augustus, they formed a great monarchy comprising
Transylvania, the mountains of Moldavia, a part of the Banat,
and perhaps the whole of Wallachia. The country was rich,
on account of its mines and precious metals ; and it is clear from
the column of Trajan, that they are not to be considered as
barbarians, but that they had a higher civilisation than the
Germans. They had fortified towns, and lived in houses built
of wood, such as are found at the present day in some parts of
the Tyrol. Decebalus1 who was king of the Dacians, was a
man of great character, and worthy to rule over them in those
dangerous times. Their form of government was not des-
potic; they had a well developed constitution, and an aris-
cracy151 and were a free and brave nation. They had fre-
quently harassed the Roman frontier since the time of Augustus,
and had invaded Moesia1 whenever Rome was weak. They do
not, however, seem to have touched the Roman frontier in
Pannonia ; for the country between the Theiss and the Danube
consisted of deep marshes. The country further down about
Presburg was inhabited partly by Gallic, partly by German
tribes. Our knowledge of Domitian’s war against the Dacians
is very confused ; for Xiphilinus and Zonaras pass over its details
altogether. This much, however, is clear, that, on one occasion,
the Romans suffered a great defeat, and that the Dacians occu-
pied Moesia. Such bold nations as ventured to wage war
against the Romans, found in the end that Rome was a dan-
gerous enemy if the war was protracted; and they preferred
concluding an honourable peace to the risk of provoking Rome
to exert all its powers against them. Hence Decebalus, after
having carried on a glorious war, concluded a peace, on terms
which seem to us humiliating. Domitian thus, after great
losses, returned to Rome in triumph, and was enabled to assume
the name of Dacicus.
After this campaign, the government of Domitian changed
for the worse, and his cruel disposition now began to give itself
free vent. Some persons had already been put to death on
mere suspicions, or because Domitian disliked them. L. Anto-
nius Saturninus, who hated Domitian1 had caused the legions
of Germania Superior, which embraced not only Alsatia, but
15 The Dacians on the column of Trajan, who wear caps and long hair are
the nobles.—N.