The sica is a short sword or large dagger of ancient Illyrians, Thracians, and Dacians, it was also used in Ancient Rome. It was originally depicted as a curved sword and many examples have been found in what are today Croatia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Romania. It is also depicted on Trajan's Column; notably the Dacian king Decebalus is depicted dying by suicide with one.
Outline of a sica
Scabbard for a sica from the Dacian warrior tomb of Cugir, dated 1st century BC. Fragments of the helmet and other inventory pieces are also seen on the right side. In display at the National Museum of the Union, Alba Iulia, Romania
Suicide of Decebalus, from Trajan's Column
The history of Dacian warfare spans from c. 10th century BC up to the 2nd century AD in the region defined by Ancient Greek and Latin historians as Dacia, populated by a collection of Thracian, Ionian, and Dorian tribes. It concerns the armed conflicts of the Dacian tribes and their kingdoms in the Balkans. Apart from conflicts between Dacians and neighboring nations and tribes, numerous wars were recorded among Dacians too.
Tropaeum Traiani depicting a soldier armed with a falx
Tropaeum Traiani depicting a soldier armed with a falx
Dacian scale armour
Sica, a small version of the falx
