The decree mentions a
Dacian town named Argedauon (), potentially
Argidava or
Argedava. The stone is damaged and name was read differently by various editors and scholars: • [ἐπορεύθη εἰς] Ἀργέδα[υι]ον by
Wilhelm Dittenberger (1898) • [πέμψας?] Αρ[γ]έδα[ρ]ον by
Ernst Kalinka (1905) • [...εἰ]ς Ἀργέδαυον by Wilhelm Dittenberger and
Friedrich Hiller (1917), noting that the υ is an uncertain reading • Ἀργέδαβον by
Vasile Pârvan (1923) The inscription also refers to the Dacian king
Burebista, and one interpretation is that Akornion was his chief adviser (, literally "first friend") in Dionysopolis. Other sources indicate that Akornion was sent as an ambassador of Burebista to
Pompey, to discuss an alliance against
Julius Caesar. This leads to the assumption that the mentioned
Argedava was Burebista's capital of the Dacian kingdom. This source does not mention the location of Argedava and historians opinions are split in two groups. One school of thought, led by historians
Constantin Daicoviciu and
Hadrian Daicoviciu, assume the inscription talks about Argidava and place the potential capital of Burebista at
Vărădia,
Caraș-Severin County,
Romania. The forms
Argidava and
Arcidava found in other ancient sources like
Ptolemy's
Geographia (c. 150 AD) and
Tabula Peutingeriana (2nd century AD), clearly place a Dacian town with those names at this geographical location. The site is also close to
Sarmizegetusa, a later Dacian capital. Others, led by historian
Vasile Pârvan and professor
Radu Vulpe, place
Argedava at
Popeşti, a district in the town of
Mihăilești,
Giurgiu County, Romania. Arguments include the name connection with the
Argeş River, geographical position on a potential road to Dionysopolis which Akornion followed, and the size of the archaeological discovery at Popeşti that hints to a royal palace. However, no other sources seem to name the
dava discovered at Popeşti, so no exact assumptions can be made about its Dacian name. It is also possible for the two different davae to be just
homonyms. The marble inscription is damaged in many areas, including right before the word "Argedauon", and it is possible the original word could have been "Sargedauon" () or "Zargedauon". This form could potentially be linked to "Zargidaua" mentioned by
Ptolemy at a different geographical location. They could also simply be homonyms. == See also ==