Dacology
Encyclopedia
Dacology is a branch of Thracology
which focuses on the scientific study of Dacia
and Dacian antiquities and is a regional and thematic branch of the larger disciplines of ancient history
and archaeology
. A practitioner of the discipline is a Dacologist. Dacology investigates the range of ancient Dacian culture (language
, literature
, history
, religion
, art
, economics
, and ethics
) from c. 1000 BC up to the end of Roman
rule in the 4th-7th centuries AD. It is directly subordinated to Thracology
, since Dacians are considered a branch of the Thracians by most mainstream research and historical sources. Other theories sustain that the Daco-Thracian relation is not as strong as originally thought and as such Dacology has the potential to evolve as an independent discipline from Thracology.
and Ion I. Russu. The Romanian Thracology Institute I.G Bibicescu, part of Romanian Academy
, was founded in Bucharest
in the same year. One of his first directors was the thracologist Dumitru Berciu
(1907–1998).
The related term Thraco-Dacology also exists, eluding to Thraco-Dacian, and one of the first uses is also from around 1980, in the Romanian government archive.
The term Dacologist has been negatively affected by the association with Protochronism
. Some researchers prefer to call themselves Thracologists instead of Dacologists , out of fear of being associated with the term Dacoman , a pejorative used for neo-Protochronists especially by the Romanian Thracologists. This choice of title is made in the context of their research being focused on the Dacians and without necessarily promoting a strong connection between the Thracians and Dacians.
, thus making the term Dacology synonymous with Protochronism in this ambiance.
Thracology
Thracology is the scientific study of Ancient Thrace and Thracian antiquities and is a regional and thematic branch of the larger disciplines of ancient history and archaeology. A practitioner of the discipline is a Thracologist...
which focuses on the scientific study of Dacia
Dacia
In ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...
and Dacian antiquities and is a regional and thematic branch of the larger disciplines of ancient history
Ancient history
Ancient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history to the Early Middle Ages. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC...
and archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
. A practitioner of the discipline is a Dacologist. Dacology investigates the range of ancient Dacian culture (language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, and ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
) from c. 1000 BC up to the end of Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
rule in the 4th-7th centuries AD. It is directly subordinated to Thracology
Thracology
Thracology is the scientific study of Ancient Thrace and Thracian antiquities and is a regional and thematic branch of the larger disciplines of ancient history and archaeology. A practitioner of the discipline is a Thracologist...
, since Dacians are considered a branch of the Thracians by most mainstream research and historical sources. Other theories sustain that the Daco-Thracian relation is not as strong as originally thought and as such Dacology has the potential to evolve as an independent discipline from Thracology.
History
One of the first mentions of the term Dacology was done by the historian Radu Vulpe at the 2nd International Congress of Thracology in September 1976 in connection with the Romanian historians Bogdan Petriceicu HasdeuBogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu
Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu was a Romanian writer and philologist, who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history. Hasdeu is considered to have been able to understand 26 languages .-Life:...
and Ion I. Russu. The Romanian Thracology Institute I.G Bibicescu, part of Romanian Academy
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 acting members who are elected for life....
, was founded in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
in the same year. One of his first directors was the thracologist Dumitru Berciu
Dumitru Berciu
Dumitru Berciu was a Romanian historian and archaeologist, honorary member of the Romanian Academy....
(1907–1998).
The related term Thraco-Dacology also exists, eluding to Thraco-Dacian, and one of the first uses is also from around 1980, in the Romanian government archive.
The term Dacologist has been negatively affected by the association with Protochronism
Protochronism
Protochronism is a Romanian term describing the tendency to ascribe, largely relying on questionable data and subjective interpretations, an idealised past to the country as a whole...
. Some researchers prefer to call themselves Thracologists instead of Dacologists , out of fear of being associated with the term Dacoman , a pejorative used for neo-Protochronists especially by the Romanian Thracologists. This choice of title is made in the context of their research being focused on the Dacians and without necessarily promoting a strong connection between the Thracians and Dacians.
Dacologists
Researchers who have been noted in the field of Dacology include:- Bogdan Petriceicu HasdeuBogdan Petriceicu HasdeuBogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu was a Romanian writer and philologist, who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history. Hasdeu is considered to have been able to understand 26 languages .-Life:...
- Ion I. Russu
- Radu Vulpe
- Andrei Vartic
International Congress of Dacology
There have been 11 editions of the International Congress of Dacology organized so far. However, they have been organized by the controversial Dacomanic group around Napoleon SăvescuNapoleon Savescu
Napoleon Săvescu is a Romanian-American physician famous for being the supporter of some controversial theories regarding the origins and history of Dacians and Romanians...
, thus making the term Dacology synonymous with Protochronism in this ambiance.
See also
- DaciaDaciaIn ancient geography, especially in Roman sources, Dacia was the land inhabited by the Dacians or Getae as they were known by the Greeks—the branch of the Thracians north of the Haemus range...
- ThracologyThracologyThracology is the scientific study of Ancient Thrace and Thracian antiquities and is a regional and thematic branch of the larger disciplines of ancient history and archaeology. A practitioner of the discipline is a Thracologist...
- Dacian languageDacian languageThe extinct Dacian language may have developed from proto-Indo-European in the Carpathian region around 2,500 BC and probably died out by AD 600. In the 1st century AD, it was the predominant language of the ancient regions of Dacia and Moesia and, possibly, of some surrounding regions.It belonged...
- Thracian languageThracian languageThe Thracian language was the Indo-European language spoken in ancient times in Southeastern Europe by the Thracians, the northern neighbors of the Ancient Greeks. The Thracian language exhibits satemization: it either belonged to the Satem group of Indo-European languages or it was strongly...
- ProtochronismProtochronismProtochronism is a Romanian term describing the tendency to ascribe, largely relying on questionable data and subjective interpretations, an idealised past to the country as a whole...