From: Rex H. McTyeire
Message: 3532
Date: 2000-09-03
Close, but a bit out of date. Geographically accurate, but also ending in the east at the Danube as it turns north..Dobrodgea, across the river, was Ottoman occupied. Wallachia however ceased to exist whenit reunited politically with Moldavia in 1859. Trust me, I'm here in beautiful downtown Bucharest, It has no current application or meaning, ethnically or politically. Nat Geo gets a bad mark, unless it is a dotted historical reference or the like.There is also Dobruja, the area east of the Danube facing the Black Sea. I assume this is what Rex means by "Dobrodgea". It includes a smidgeon of Bulgaria.Yes..the names and borders fluctuated a bit through the history..but remained generally recognizable.As for Oltenia, I'm assuming this is 'West Wallachia', the area west of the Olt River.A Nat Geo compromise I think on the name. There was never a political designation as such, but for part of Wallachia's existence (14th, 15th centiries) it was incorporated into the western border. It is still referred to as Oltenia, with Craiova as the provincial capital.The Mures river is interesting, almost a making a complete circle as it goes up the swirl of valley that makes up Transylvania.I see there is a Moldova River, a tributary of the Siret. Yes, I finally found the Siret. The name 'Moldavia/Moldova' is confusing, almost wantonly applied. This is just as confusing as 'Morava', which shows up as the name of two distinct Danube tributaries.Moldova is the Romaneste name for the whole region: everything North of the Danube delta, east of Transyvania and Bucovina, to the Dneister (and south of Poland) was Moldova (historical province). Moldavia became applied to a part of it as a westernized name for a political "principality", separated from Russian occupied Bessarabia, but this Moldavia also politically dissappeared in 1859. Now the former Russian occupied Bessarabia is the country of Moldova, but the region still in Romania is either Moldova (local) or Moldavia (international). Confusing? You betcha.Note for Piotr on Bastarns: I have a map of the political situation after Roman consolidation of Dacia and Moesia..showing tribal groups between the Roman border (extending a bit north of the delta) and theDneister. Reflected: Bastarns (Did they move north to avoid Romans? Or by Island do we mean land between two rivers?), Free Dacians, Roxolani, Tyragetae (Dneister Getae?) Carps (Carpi-Daci), Costobocs.