Geto-Dacians Had Each by Ten Wives
By Diana Ungureanu/ Chisinau/ Moldova.ORG/ -- Although in the history books you won't find any words about this issue, it seems that our ancestors were polygamists. From the writings of several Greek and Roman historians it is concluded that the Geto-Dacians had several women whom they procured with money.
"So we are, the Thracians, and especially the Gets – I am proud that I draw from the lineage of the second – we are not too temperate ... None of us take a single woman, but ten, eleven, or twelve, and some even more. When someone, who had only four or five wives, dies the locals say about him: the poor he was not married, he never knew love"(Geography, VII, 3, 4), these are according to Menander, author of comedies in IV BC.
The famous Greek historian, Herodotus, wrote in one of his habits of wives: "wives... they buy them with lots of money from her parents." (Histories, V, 8). The price given for a girl depended largely on her beauty and cleanliness: "... the girls are not married men by parents, but publicly are bought to be taken into marriage or sold (with dowry). In one or another way, as they are beautiful and honest. The honest and beautiful have a good price. For the others they are looking for someone to take as wives with money" (Description of the Earth, II, 21).
But it seems that not all the girls were asked and purchased with much money, the procedure for the uglier ones was exactly the reverse, men were paid with the girl's dowry to take her as wife.
The woman in the world of the Geto-Dacians was not valued: "They use them as servants ... and copulate with each of them from time to time; but (the wives) wash laundry and serve them... After the death of the men, women are inherited just like other things", wrote Heraclid from Pont.
The whole ancient world is sprinkled with such situations, all the ancient patriarchal nations placed great value on the man and the woman was a servant. Such habits still persists in the 21st century at some nations.
But, it seems that not all the Geto-Dacians were polygamists, some of them were celibate, who did not have relations with women and were considered Saints. In Strabo's writings we find that there were the Thracians who "were carrying life without contacts with women".
The existence of these two extremes celibate and polygamy are quite strange into a single society, so many contemporary historians doubt the veracity of the statements of the ancient historians.
Reading from the writings of ancient historians we can note another feature of the Geto-Dacian society who say that polygamy was peculiar to Thracians, and with the creation of the Dacian state, it would be turned into monogamy, after the reforms of Dacian Kings: "polygamy habits, common to Thracian tribe, did not rule in Dacia... the family differed by manners cleaner, even puritanical", says the historian Grigore Tocilescu.
History is written by people, and like any work written by men there take place interpretations, especially that the writings of the Greek and Roman historians were of second hand. There are too few the writings of persons who had traveled to these lands.
And finally, the truth is at the bottom of the sea.
Comments