Romania

Romania lies at the crossroads of Europe, with many of the geographical features of central, eastern, and southern Europe. Throughout its history, its situation and the nature of its terrain have opened it to a succession of different tribes and peoples — especially from the south, the Aegean, Anatolia, and the Near East — all of whom contributed to the development of local cultures. In spite of the distinctive geographical conditions of the various historical provinces of Romania, recent archaeological research has revealed the continuity of the country's historical development, showing the essential part played by the local parent stock. The real history of Romania begins with the Neolithic Age, when the people became settled, gained control over the soil and certain of the natural resources, and became numerous enough to form a stable permanent population. Through the ages numerous infiltrations and invasions modified this population. The splendid Bronze Age in Romania owes its inception to exchanges between the proto-Thracian tribes of the Carpathians and the Danube, the communities of central and eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean cultures. In the Iron Age, when the interplay of Hellenic, Scythian, Celtic, and Roman influence intensified, the Dacians — one of the most original peoples of antiquity — created their vigorous, unified civilization. Romania surveys the flux of peoples, from the early prehistoric pebble cultures to the emergence of the Dacian civilization in the first centuries of our era. Written by an archaeologist of international repute, it will be particularly welcome since it is the first book published on the subject in English since 1928. 73 photographs, 54 line drawings, 10 maps, 5 tables.