Thermidava is a toponym used by

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

in relation to a settlement in the route of the Roman army during the Dacian campaign (101-106 CE) of Emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...

. In the context of Ptolemy's narrative the settlement was located along the Lissus- Naissus route (from present-day northern Albania to present-day eastern Serbia). The only other information about the settlement provided is that when Trajan passed through he was "greeted by friendly

Dacians The Dacians (; la, Daci ; grc-gre, Δάκοι, Δάοι, Δάκαι) were the ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia, located in the area near the Carpathian Mountains and west of the Black Sea. They are often consi ...

". Many locations have been proposed and rejected since the 19th century. A reading of the toponym hinted at a compound of Greek ''thermos'' and the Thracian suffix -dava or a toponym derived from Dacian. This led to theories that this was a settlement close to thermal springs and

Banja of Peja Banja of Peja ( Albanian: ''Banja e Pejës'', Serbian Cyrillic: ''Пећка Бања'') is a township located in the municipality of Istok, Kosovo. To many people it is known by the name Ilixhe. It is a tourist health center with services in Isto ...

was proposed as a location, but it has been rejected in modern research. The reference to a -dava settlement within a definitely Illyrian district made its localization within Illyria more unlikely. In contemporary analysis, Ptolemy's account is considered to refer to two different aspects of Trajan's route. ''Thermidava'' is most probably a misreading of ''Theranda'' (located in

Suhareka Suhareka (also known as Suharekë and Therandë in Albanian) оr Suva Reka ( sr-Cyrl, Сува Река) is a town and municipality located in the Prizren district of central-southern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town has 10,422 inh ...

Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...

, both in Kosovo). No pro-Roman Dacians have been recorded in the region, nor is their presence considered likely. Most scholars consider Ptolemy's account to refer to a settlement north of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

, near the

Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of ...

area where the interests of the locals aligned with those of the Romans in the Dacian campaign.

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