2007, NR. 9
Aurora Peţan, Attempts to locate Helis Citadel
Translation from Romanian
Helis is the oldest Getic toponym established in the sources. At the beginning of the 3rd century B.C., the Macedonian Lysimachus fails, in two campaigns, against the Getic king Dromichaetes. He defeats then captures him, releasing him afterwards. But from the ten Ancient authors [1] who talk about this event, only one tells us which was the name of Dromichaetes’ residence: Diodor Siculus. Many historians tried to locate Helis citadel according to contextual details found in the texts. The proposed solutions are numerous and divergent. Here is the „road followed” by Helis citadel in the attempts to locate it, for a period of a houndred years:
1. Between the Prut and the Dnestr, according to G. Kazarow.[2].
2. In the uplanders’ plain (« Muntenia » plain), according to Parvan [3], who supposes : «whether at the Crasanilor Peak, on Ialomita river, whether at Scutesti, on Buzau, whether at Bontesti near Focsani, whether in an unknown and different place, in the same plain area between Carpathian mountains and Danube river ». However Parvan admits that the army crossed, in the north side, the Danube, reaching the area between Prut and Dnestr, but does not comment the absurd detour which was made by the Macedonians in order to reach the uplanders’ plain, when it would have been easier for them to directly cross over Danube river in the south side, at Sucidava, or another riding way. Strabo’s text doesn’t tells us, however, that Lysimachus crossed over Danube ; Parvan erroneously understood the excerpt and all historians copied his mistake, with one exception (see bellow).
3. Radu Florescu, in the afterword of Getica, comments upon the inconsistency of Parvan who admits that Lysimachus crossed over in the north side reaching the land between Prut and Dnestr, but locates Helis in Muntenia. He translates the Greek texts belonging to Strabo in the same way as Parvan does, but locates Helis in the south of the actual Basarabia: „it is clear that also Lysimachus suffered a defeat in the same area as Dareios, meaningly in the North of Danube river, where the Getic wastelands must be located”. [9].
4. On Arges river, according to Daicoviciu [4], who misinterprets a text belonging to Polybios, where Dromichaetes was named king of Odrysae: η τε Λυσιμάχου στρατεία δια της Θράκης επι Δρομιχαίτην τον βασιλεα των Οδρυσων [5] “ Lysimachus expedition, through Tracia, against Dromichaetes, king of the Odrysae”. Daicoviciu misinterprets Odryson = Ordeson and considers Dromichaetes to be « king of the ones on the Arges », placing an equal sign between Helis and Argedava. However, also Suidas [6] and Didorus Siculus [7] and Plutarch [8] considered Dromichaetes as king of the Odrises, and Trogus Pompeius (XVI, 1, 9) names Dromichaetes rex Thracum meaning « king of the Thracians ». Moreover, Daicoviciu doesn’t take into consideration the hint from Polybios δια της Θράκης, which means “through Thracia”, clue that makes us think more about the Odrysae than Arges river.
5. And on Ialomita, according H. Mihaescu [10], who sees an etymological connection between Helis and Helibakia, the old name of Ialomita [ 11].
6. On Siret, according to C. Preda [12], who identifies it with Poiana citadel (Galati county); also Mihailescu Birliba places it there [13], making an etymological stunt „translating” Helis through “(Citadel) of the Sun” and Piroboridava through “Citadel of the Fire”, which means, according to him, one and the same, in this way admitting that the Getic people named their citadels with hybrid Geto-Greek names.
7. Finally, after one century of constantly perpetuating the misinterpretation of Parvan, N. Ursulescu[14] used the original source, re-read the Greek text and reasonably stated that „de ce fragment ne résule pas nettement que Lysimachos aurait suivi le tracé de Darius aussi” [15]. He interprets that the battle took place on the right side of Danube and places Helis citadel somewhere in the N-E of Bulgaria.
8. Also in the N-E of Bulgaria, at Shvestari, where in 1982 was discovered a great Thracian tomb, P. Delev[16] places Helis citadel.
All this „ride” started from the misinterpretation of Strabo’s text, who says that in the same way it happened to Lysimachus, meaningly he imperiled himself in the country of the Getae, just like Darius, moreover, he was caught by Dromichaetes. And that was all! Nothing about crossing over the Danube, important event in those times, which couldn’t have been overlooked by all ten historians[17], nothing about the absurd promenade of Lysimachus’ army through the south of Moldavia and Muntenia. Moreover, if we are to confide in these sources, Lysimachus was caught „in Pontus (Euxinus)”, as Trogus Pompeius[18] clearly states it.
But, if Helis was in the Getic wastelands or more in the north side, why would have Lysimachos dig his heels in conquering those territories, when it is known that his goal was to transform Danube river into a border line? In the same time, Strabo’s description is not according to south of Basarabia and Parvan is right when he says that „if it’s about thirst dying, this "occasion" is reserved to an army, in the Baragan area rather than in southern Basarabia, where many great lakes with fresh-water exist, with insignifiant distances between them” [19]. That is why Helis citadel is not placed between Prut and Dnestr. On other hand, Florescu shows that in Baragan area, Getic citadels do not exist, dating back to 3rd century B.C., whilist in Moldavia, in the south and north areas of Iasi, multiple citadels lie there, so the capital of the Getic king should have been placed there. If we take into consideration both arguments, Helis citadel couldn’t have been between Prut and Dnestr nor in Baragan area.
If Dromichaetes was king of Thracians, more exactly of the Odrysae, he must have reigned over the territory from southern Dobrudja, also territories from both banks of Danube, fact certified through Pausanias text. All who placed Helis in Moldavia or Muntenia ignored, on one side, the Odrysian or Thracian king attribute belonging to Dromichaetes, and on the other side, the absence of information regarding the cross-over of the entire Macedonian army on the left of the Danube.
The key for solving this dilemma is Strabo’s text, misinterpreted by Parvan and his followers. According to his interpretation „Strabo, p.305, clearly states that in the region between Danube, Black Sea and Dnestr, meaning sun-rising Moldavia, where Greeks place the Getic „wastelands”, with which Dareios confronted against the Scythians, making a bridge over the Danube „in the lower side from Peuce island”, there Lysimachos crossed over against the Getic people” [20]. The interpretation is completely erroneous – Strabo does not say anywhere that Lysimachos might have crossed over the Danube. We find it in the text below together with its translation:
7.3.14
μεταξυ δε της Ποντικης θαλάττης της απο Ιστρον επι Tυραν και η των Γετων ερημία πρόκειται πεδιας πασα και ανυδρος, εν η Δαρειος αποληφθεις ο Υστάσπεω, καθ'ον καιρον διέβη τον Ιστρον επι τους Σκύθας, εκινδύνευσε πανστρατια διψε διαλυθηναι˙ συνηκε δ' οψε και ανέστρεψε. Λυσίμαχος δ'υστερον στρατεύσας επι Γέτας και τον βασιλέα Δρομιχαίτην ουκ εκινδυνευσε μόνον, αλλα και εάλω ζωγρία.
« In the area between Black Sea, Istros and Tyras the Getic wastelands can be found, only plains without waters, where Dareios, the follower of Hystaspes, when about to cross the Istros to the Scythians, got in great danger because of thirst and almost died together with his entire army ; later on he realized the situation, and went back. Later, Lysimachos, coming with war against the Getic people and their king Dromichaetes, endangered himself and even became prisoner. »
According to the text, we acknowledge that Strabo made a comparison between the danger that threatened Darius in the land of the Getic people, when his army almost died because of thirst, and the danger which Lysimachos went through, even greater than the one of Darius, as Lysimachos was captured. Taking into consideration other sources, we can assume that Strabo indirectly talked about an identical danger that Darius army experienced: according to Plutarch, Lysimachos and his army were forced to surrender because of thirst, and Diodorus Siculus states that the Macedonian army was tortured by hunger. Therefore, the excerpt from Strabo does not make a comparison between the two moments when the armies crossed over Danube to the Getic country, through the same place, as Parvan interpreted it, and his followers. Placing Helis citadel in this side of Danube, in the Muntenia plain, is an error.
II. In the thick locating file of Helis citadel we add another hypotesis, the most recent one, but paradoxically, the oldest one. The author of the texts from the leaden plates[21], considered by the majority of historians as plain forgeries, associates Helis with Carsium. In plate no. 120 the generals of Burebista are mentioned together with the citadels they ruled. Orolio, one of the main generals, rules at Elya Carseu: maybe a citadel with a double-name – an older one and a newer one, maybe two citadels, one on the left bank, the other on the right bank of Danube. Toponym Elya is associated in another plate with the name of Dromichaetes, from where our supposition that it is about Helis. Two centuries after Dromichaetes, Helis is governed by Orolio. However, the Carsium diggings up until now did not reveal the traces of a Dacic citadel (according to ear i s.v.Carsium). On the other hand, it’s difficult to admit that we are talking about only one citadel with two names, more likely it’s about two neighbouring citadels, both ruled by Orolio.
« Conceiving » this site, the forger proves that :
1) he correctly interpreted Strabo, unlike all his followers, until Ursulescu: he understood that the army of Lysimachos did not cross over Danube and that the battle took place on the right side of Danube;
2) he conformed with the text of Trogus Pompeius-Iustinus, who says that Lysimachos was captured and released in Ponto;
3) he regarded the texts of Suidas, Diodorus Siculus, Polybios and Trogus Pompeius, who considers him king of Odrysae, or Thracian king: if the battle took place somewhere in the center of Dobrudja, his reign over the southern Dobrudja is quite plausible;
4) same as Mihaescu, later on, he presumed an etymological connection between Helis and Helibakia (=Ialomita), who drains into Danube, exactly at Carsium;
5) Pausanias text gets a meaning I, 9, 7, - who says that Lysimachos gave to Dromichaetes the citadels on the other side of the Istros, probably in the south side going from Carsium, as Parvan assumed.
Taking all the information together, from all ten authors, we can’t find a more adequate location than the one conceived by the author of the apocryphal texts, although this is not archaeologically confirmed. The draining place of Ialomita, into Danube, was a strategic place in Ancient times and it is possible that the home of the Getic king might have existed there. This interpretation can be considered an important argument in favour of the authenticity of the texts found on the leaden plates.
[1] Strabo 7, 3, 8 and 7, 3, 14; Pausanias I, 9, 6; Diodor Siculus XXI, 11, 12; Polyainos VII, 25th ed. Melber; Memnon la C. Muller, FGH III, 53, 1; Ptolemy; Polybios, fragm. 102; Suidas I, 167; Trogus Pompeius, 16, 1, 9 and prologue 16; Plutarch, Demetrios 39.
[2] G. Kazarow, Beitrage zur Kulturgeschichte der Thraker, Sarajevo 1916, p. 33.
[3] Vasile Parvan, Getica, 1926, 65.
[4] Constantin Daicoviciu, Ţara lui Dromichaetes (Lectio in Polyb. fragm. 102), in „Emlékkönyv Kelemen Lajos”, Tudománys Konyvkiadó Koloszvár, 1957, p. 179-182.
[5] Polybios, ed. Th. Buttner-Wobst, vol. IV, Lipsiae, Teubner, 1904, p. 258, apud. Daicoviciu.
[6] I, 167.
[7] XXI, 12, 2-4, 6.
[8] Demetrios 39.
[9] P. 593.
[10] Theophylact Simocatta, Byzantine History, interpretation and comments by H. Mihaescu, Bucharest, 1985, p. 128, n. 24.
[11] “Between Helibakia and Helis, (…) citadel from Munteana Plain, it is a close connection, meaning that Helis is located somewhere on Ialomita”.
[12] In Enciclopedia arheologiei şi istoriei vechi a României, vol. II, 1996, s.v. Helis.
[13] V. Mihailescu-Barliba, Dacia Răsăriteană în sec. VI-I î.e.n. Economie şi monedă, Iasi, 1990, p. 14.
[14] N. Ursulescu, Une hypothèse concernant la localisation du puvoir du Dromichaites et du son conflit avec le roi Lysimachos, in „Bulletin of Thracology. Recherches paléo balkanique et carpato-pontiques”, III, Mangalia, 1996, p. 191-193.
[15] Ursulescu, art. cit., p. 192.
[16] P. Delev, Lysimachus, the Getae, and Archaeology, "The Classical Quarterly", New Series, 2000, vol. 50, No.2, p. 384-401.
[17] Ursulescu loc. cit.
[18] Iustinus de facto, his interpreter, in foreword, book XVI: ut Lysimachus in Ponto captus ac missus a Dromichaete.
[19] Op. cit., p. 61.
[20] Op. cit., 57.
[21] V. Dan Romalo, Cronică getă apocrifă pe plăci de plumb? (Apocryphal Getic Chronicle on leaden plates?), Alcor Publishing House, Bucarest, 2005.