Department of
Romanian History

I know ... I know ... history can be really boring! Lots of names and dates and all. Plus the history of a small East European country like Romania might seem like a strange choice of subject matter. So, you might ask, why am I taking the time to put this information out on the web? Maybe I can answer that question.

Let me begin by saying that I am not a historian ... nor am I a Romanian. I'm just someone with an interest in Romania and her history. For me, it's a fascinating story, if I do say so myself.

History is not a judge. It does not answer the moral question of what is right and what is wrong. History simply exists. Sometimes it tells of events that make the descendants proud; other times, it makes them hang their heads in shame as they remember the errors committed by their ancestors.

Whether or not you are a Romanian, some of Romania's history will make your heart sing with joy; some of it will make you weep. No matter which, it is what once was. It will not change.

We can appreciate the historically good times ... and we can learn from the mistakes of the past. But first, we must be ready to accept both the good side and the bad side found in the past.

Sometimes in her history, you have to travel far afield from events taking place in Romania to talk about what is happening in some far-flung country. That's because whatever happens there has a domino effect on their successive neighbors until the rippling effects finally reach Romania. Thus pressures from afar often result in dramatic changes within Romania's borders.

However, we're getting ahead of our story.

Let's just sit back for a moment and let events unfold as they happened and see where it takes us. There are a number of versions of Romania's history. This is just one of them ... mine. My personal excursion into the history of a fascinating country.

Go Elsewhere

Please feel free to stroll around the History Department, where you'll find several Sections, each containing shelves and boxes filled with documents depicting a particular timeframe within Romania's past. Many of the documents are, of necessity, longer than documents in other Burrows.

You can either read through the documents sequentially, beginning with the introduction and ending with current events, or you can pick and choose whichever Section strikes your fancy. You will need to return here whenever you want to bounce around in time. Don't worry, each document has a link at the bottom that you can click to come back here.

Each Section presents an overview of its particular timeframe and includes links to other Section documents, where you can find additional information.

If you'd like to learn more about anything you find interesting within this Department, be sure to visit the Romania Bookstore.

Table of Contents

There's a lot of fascinating information in the History Department. So take your time and browse through this Department in any order you choose. It's arranged by Sections (timeframes). Unlike other Burrows, you'll probably find that it's best to read through the documents in sequence.

Many historians begin their lineage of the people of Romania as descendants of the Dacians, an ancient people who fell under Rome's dominance in the first century AD. However, people inhabited the land that is now Romania at a much earlier date. Before we get into the "historic" periods, we need to spend a little time looking at the characteristics of the very earliest inhabitants.

Here's a Table of Contents for your convenience. See the individual Sections for a brief description of the documents found within that Section.

Note: I'll be releasing these documents of Romanian history as I write them, so you might find that there's an abrupt "end" to the pages available. I'm starting with the earliest time periods and moving through to the present. Eventually, I hope to have Romania's history up through the present day. Please forgive me if I release the documents too slowly for your taste.

• Section 1. Introduction. Find out why I'm writing a history of Romania as well as some of the roadblocks that I've encountered.
• Section 2. Pre-History. Take a giant step backward in time, to the dawn of Romania's history and, in some cases, to the very beginnings of the histories of other countries as well. During most of this time period, only small, widely dispersed groups of humans inhabited the vast European landscape.
• Section 3. Greek Colonization. Romania's recorded history begins when the Greeks established colonies along the Black Sea.

Have a pleasant day!