Because the land always belonged to us. Each piece of this country is stained of Dacian words and people, of height warlike and mystery, of legends, so deep, that pales before the true extent of their imagination.
Yet why Cotiso? The Dacian king took the power after the assassination of the greatest leader of the Dacians, Burebista. Cotiso saved the prestige gained in years of blood for a people never said as one of shepherds. By his policy and guerrilla actions, it can be said that the king Cotiso hindered, as far as possible, the penetrating and destroying values of the Roman Dacia as a nation.
Cotiso stood out as a worthy successor of the expansionist policy of Burebista, but adapting it to the historical moment that he lived. His political purpose was to maintain the sovereignty of the Dacian nation by any means and to regain the burebistane old privileges. Therefore, first, he initiates a treaty of alliance with the Romans, first with Augustus, and Marcus Antonius, but without the expected result.
He also avoids an alliance with the neighboring kings, most customers of Rome. His ideal policy means is twofold: to ensure the perpetuation of the Geto-Dacian nation’s territory, goal of his foreign policy, a politico-military ideology, founded on the principle of “I attack, therefore I am!”
Cotiso decided that Roman terror must be answered by terror. This explains his military incursions across the Danube and the obstinacy with which he fights against the Romans. Cotiso guessed very well that the preservation of sovereignty and survival of Getae people hung heavily by the annihilation trends of Rome’s hegemony. So, for his clairvoyance and his firm attitude of his Dacian leadership responsibilities and with the Roman power, Cotiso has the merit to be among the very illustrious historical figures from our troubled past.
Yet Villa Cotiso hides not only a rich history of a nation of warriors. There are open gates to the mysteries of these places less visible by the eye of the ordinary people. Beyond words, in the mountains full of mysteries around the Sarmizegetusa fortresses, wolves live in large numbers, which gave rise to numerous stories about men-wolves. There is actually an old tradition regarding the wolf, an animal treated with fear and admiration. In some areas, it is still retained the link with the Dacian wolf traditions.
Those who take care of wolves are under the protection of St. Andrew and even if in old age their body is full of scars from the bites of some little dogs or wolves, we do not know any case that one has been torn or eaten by these animals. These people were one of the two sources of the legends about the man-wolf or lycanthropes.
Another legend, preserved by word of mouth is about the noise of battle heard in some nights in the eyes of the woods, who watches the fortification Blidaru for centuries … and this is just the beginning.
The land over which this settlement lives, courted by timelessness, is only an input into other realms, far deeper and perhaps more frightening. But that’s a different story people from here will tell you during the full moon nights.
This is Villa Cotiso and the history that lies hidden under its slabs.
