Page "Bastarnae" Paragraph 30

Once he had established himself as sole ruler of the Roman state in 30 BC, Caesar's grand-nephew and adopted son Augustus inaugurated a strategy of advancing the empire's southeastern European border to the line of the Danube from the Alps, the Dinaric Alps and Macedonia.

The primary objective was to increase strategic depth between the border and Italy and also to provide a major fluvial supply-route between the Roman armies in the region.

On the lower Danube, which was given priority over the upper Danube, this required the annexation of Moesia and Thrace ; the latter, however, was spared annexation as it was in the hands of a friendly king.

The Romans ' target were thus the tribes which inhabited Moesia, namely ( from West to East ) the Triballi, Moesi and those Getae who dwelt South of the Danube.

The Bastarnae were also a target because they had recently subjugated the Triballi, whose territory lay on the southern bank of the Danube between the tributary rivers Utus ( Vit ) and Ciabrus ( Tsibritsa ), with their chief town at Oescus ( Gigen, Bulgaria ).

In addition, Augustus wanted to avenge the defeat of C. Antonius at Histria ( Sinoe ) 32 years before and to recover the lost standards.

These were held in a powerful fortress called Genucla ( Isaccea, near modern Tulcea, Rom., in the Danube delta region ), controlled by Zyraxes, the local Getan petty king.

The man selected for the task was Marcus Licinius Crassus, grandson of Crassus the triumvir and an experienced general at 33 years of age, who was appointed proconsul of Macedonia in 29 BC.