The Getae, a people of Thracian origin first appearing in the late sixth century BCE, inhabit the banks of the lower Danube region and nearby plains.

Subjected to Scythian influence, the Getae are known as expert mounted archers and devotees of the deity Zalmoxis, a healing thunder god who is master of the cloudy sky; however, they do not depict Zalmoxis in any plastic form.

Originally polytheistic nature-worshipers, the Thraco-Getae develop a sun cult and decorate their artwork with sun symbols.

The people offer agricultural products and animals as sacrifices and also cremate their dead, seal the ashes in urns, and bury them.

Darius, turning westward in 513, crosses the Bosporus over a bridge of boats to subdue the Scythians in eastern Thrace and the eastern Getae territory, marking the first Persian offensive in European territory.

He crosses the Danube River into European Scythia, but the Scythian nomads devastate the country as they retreat from him, using feints and retreating technique eastward while wasting the countryside, by blocking wells, intercepting convoys, destroying pastures and continuous skirmishes against Darius' army.

Seeking to fight with the Scythians, Darius' army chases the Scythian army deep into Scythian lands, where there are no cities to conquer and no supplies to forage.

In frustration, Darius sends a letter to the Scythian ruler Idanthyrsus to fight or surrender.

The ruler replies that he will not stand and fight with Darius until the Persians find the graves of their fathers and try to destroy them—until then, they will continue their current technique as they have no cities or cultivated lands to lose.

Darius orders a halt at the banks of Oarus, where he builds eight frontier fortresses spaced at intervals of eight miles.

After chasing the Scythians for a month, Darius' army is suffering losses due to fatigue, privation and sickness.

In fear of losing more troops, he halts the march at the banks of the Volga River and heads towards Thrace.

He has conquered enough territory of Scythia to force the Scythians to respect the Persian forces.

After abandoning his campaign against the Scythians, Darius orders his satraps to force the submission (but not the surrender) of Macedonia, and to capture Lesbos and Imbroz, in preparation for a campaign against the merchant cities of mainland Greece.