Kogaion
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Current revision
- See Kogaionon for the mammal genus from the Upper Cretaceous.
Kogaion was the semi-mythical holy mountain of the Dacians, the place where Zalmoxis stayed in an underground cave for three years. Strabo claims that a river with the same name flowed in the vicinity.
One modern translation of Kogaion is the "sacred (mountain)", which would be connected to a probable Dacian word kaga, which probably meant "sacred", a Daco-Getic word which may be attested in two early 2nd century inscriptions from Tomis.
Kogaion's localization is still under debate, but thought to be either in the area around the Dacian capital Sarmizegetusa (there is a summit there called Gugu (approx. 2200m height) and there are speculations that it could be the holy mountain; it may also have been Dealul Grădiştei where the ruins of the sanctuaries of Sarmizegetusa are located) or even the Ceahlău mountain.
References
- Dicţionar de istorie veche a României ("Dictionary of ancient Romanian history") (1976) Editura Ştiinţifică şi Enciclopedică, pp. 363
- Olteanu, Sorin. Καγα: an important Dacian word in Tomitian inscriptions.ru:Когайонон