Parts of Moesia belonged to the polity of Burebista, a Getae king who established his rule over a large part of the Northern Balkans between 82 BCE and 44 BCE.

He led plunder and conquest raids across Central and Southeastern Europe, subjugating most of the neighboring tribes.

After his assassination in an inside plot, the empire was divided into several smaller states.In 75 BCE, C. Scribonius Curio, proconsul of Macedonia, took an army as far as the Danube and gained a victory over the inhabitants, who were finally subdued by M. Licinius Crassus, grandson of the triumvir and later also proconsul of Macedonia during the reign of Augustus c. 29 BCE.

The region, however, is not organized as a province until the last years of Augustus' reign; in CE 6, mention is made of its governor, Caecina Severus (Cassius Dio lv.

29).

As a province, Moesia is under an imperial consular legate (who probably also has control of Achaea and Macedonia).In 86, the Dacian king Duras orders his troops to attack Roman Moesia.

After this attack, the Roman emperor Domitian personally arrives in Moesia and reorganizesit in 87 into two provinces, divided by the river Cebrus (Ciabrus): to the west Moesia Superior - Upper Moesia, (meaning up river) and to the east Moesia Inferior - Lower Moesia (also called Ripa Thracia), (from the Danube river's mouth and then upstream).

Each is governed by an imperial consular legate and a procurator.