CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AURELIAN RETREAT REFLECTED IN LITERARY SOURCES
CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE AURELIAN RETREAT REFLECTED IN LITERARY SOURCES

Summary/Abstract: The comparative analysis of the narrative sources shows that the Roman retreat from Dacia was motivated by the need to defend the south-Danube provinces, constantly devastated by barbarian attacks. Information from the sources regarding the loss of Dacia under Gallienus has created confusion in historiography as to the exact time of the withdrawal, with opinions placing it during the time of this emperor. Eutropius's account, the main source on which this hypothesis rests, is largely motivated by patriotic pride, as well as a desire not to tarnish Aurelian's image in the eyes of posterity. According to Iordanes, the nature of the withdrawal did not imply a total abandonment of the province by the Romanized population. It was mainly about a withdrawal of the army and the administration, the large mass of the Romanized population remaining in Dacia. The study tends to give credit to Iordanes' information, which has the advantage of temporal detachment from the events and implicitly of more objectivity.

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