A history of Romania

Bibliography

Here are the sources I’ve used to craft the story. For each season, you’ll find primary sources as well as secondary ones. There’s also a “General reading” section at the bottom of the page that relates not to a specific season, but to the show as a whole.

If you have any questions about the sources, feel free to reach out!

Season 1 —  Beginnings

Primary sources:

  • Agathias Scholasticus, Histories.
  • Ammianus Marcellinus, Rerum Gestarum Libri.
  • Appian, Historia Romana.
  • Aurelius Victor, Historia Romana.
  • Cassius Dio, Historia.
  • Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica.
  • Dion Chrysostomos, Discourses.
  • Disputed authorship, Historia Augusta.
  • Eutropius, Breviarium Historiae Romanae.
  • Festus, Breviarium rerum gestarum populi Romani.
  • Flavius Claudius Julianus, The Caesars.
  • Herodotus, Histories.
  • John of Ephesus, Ecclesiastical History.
  • John Malalas, Chronographia.
  • Jordanes, Getica.
  • Jordanes, Romana.
  • Livy, Ab Urbe Condita.
  • Mauricius, Strategikon.
  • Olympiodorus of Thebes, History.
  • Ovid, Tristia.
  • Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia.
  • Pliny the Younger, Epistulae.
  • Plutarch, Parallel Lives.
  • Priscus, History.
  • Procopius Caesariensis, De Bellis.
  • Procopius Caesariensis, Anectoda.
  • Strabo, Geographica.
  • Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars.
  • Tacitus, Annales.
  • Tacitus, Germania.
  • Tacitus, Histories.
  • Unknown author, The Passion of Saint Sabbas the Goth.
  • Zosimus, Historia Nova.


Secondary sources:

  • Beckmann, Martin. The battle scenes on the Column of Marcus Aurelius [Dissertation]. Hamilton: McMaster University, 2003.
  • Burns, Thomas. A History of the Ostrogoths. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1991.
  • Cătăniciu, Ioana Bogdan. Evolution of the system of defence works in Roman Dacia. Oxford: B.A.R., 1981.
  • Crișan, Ion Horațiu. Burebista and his time. București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, 1978.
  • Curta, Florin. Neglected barbarians. Turnhout, Belgium : Brepols, 2010.​
  • ​Daicoviciu, Hadrian. Portraits daciques : Dromichaitès, Burébista, Décénée, Décébale. București: Editions Militaires, 1987.
  • Goetz, Hans-Werner; Jörg, Jarnut; Pohl, Walter. Regna and gentes: the relationship between late antique and early medieval peoples and kingdoms in the transformation of the Roman world. Boston: Brill, 2003.
  • Grumeza, Ion. Dacia: land of Transylvania, cornerstone of ancient eastern Europe. Lanham: Hamilton Books, 2009.
  • Haraszti, Endre. Origin of the Rumanians: Vlach origin, migration and infiltration to Transylvania. Astor, Florida: Danubian Press, 1977.
  • Iorga, Nicolae; Buzatu, Gheorghe; Spinei, Victor. Istoria românilor, volumul I. București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, 2011.
  • Iorga, Nicolae; Buzatu, Gheorghe; Spinei, Victor. Istoria românilor, volumul II. București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, 2011.
  • Kazanski, Michel. Les Slaves: Les origines, Ier-VIIe siècle après J.-C. Paris: Editions Errance, 1999.
  • Lipták, Pál. Avars and ancient Hungarians. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1983.
  • Macrea, Mihail. Viața în Dacia romană. București: Editura Științifică, 1969.
  • MacKendrick, Paul Lachlan. The Dacian stones speak. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1975.
  • Mommsen, Theodor. The provinces of the Roman Empire: the European provinces. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1968.
  • Protase, Dumitru. Autohtonii în Dacia. București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, 1980.
  • Rossi, Lino. Trajan’s Column and the Dacian wars. London: Thames and Hudson, 1971.
  • Ștefănescu-Drăgănești, Virgiliu. Romanian continuity in Roman Dacia: linguistic evidence. Miami Beach, Florida: Romanian Historical Studies, 1986.
  • Tudor, Dumitru. Istoria sclavajului in Dacia romană. București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, 1957.
  • Tudor, Dumitru. Orașe tîrguri și sate în Dacia Romană. București: Editura Științifică, 1968.
  • Vékony, Gábor. Dacians, Romans, Romanians. [Place of publication not identified]: Matthias Corvinus, 2000.
  • Whatley, Conor. The movement and emplacement of the legions and auxiliary units of the Roman army in Moesia from 29 BC to AD 235 [Master’s thesis]. Hamilton: McMaster University, 2005.

Season 2 — Foundations

Note that the bibliography for Season 2 is as of yet incomplete; I’ll add more books, articles, and sources as I continue researching the period from 602 to 1396.

Primary sources:

  • Akropolites, Georgios. Annales.
  • Anonymous. Chronicon Paschale.
  • Anonymous. Gesta Hungarorum.
  • Anonymous. Historia belli sacri.
  • Anonymous. Miracula Sancti Demetrii.
  • Anonymous. Oghuznameh.
  • Anonymous, Suda Lexicon.
  • Anonymous. Vita Cyrilli.
  • Attaleiates, Michael. Istoria.
  • Choniatis, Nikitas. Historia.
  • Cyril. Vita sancti Methodii.
  • Diaconus, Paulus. Historia Langobardorum.
  • Einhard. Annales regni Francorum.
  • Genesios, Ioannes. Historia.
  • Glykas, Michail. Biblos Chronike.
  • Gregoras, Nikephoros. Romaniki Istoria.
  • Hartvik. Legenda Hartviciana.
  • Hess, András. Budai krónika.
  • Kálti Márk. Chronicon Pictum.
  • Kedrenos, George. Synopsis historion.
  • Kekaumenos. Scripta.
  • Kézai Simon. Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum.
  • Kinnamos, Ioannes. Epitomi.
  • Komnene, Anna. Alexias.
  • Konstantinos Porfyrogennitos. De Administrando Imperio.
  • Manasses, Konstantinos. Synopsis Chronike.
  • Maurikios. Strategikon.
  • Nestor. Primary Chronicle.
  • Nikephoros. Breviarium.
  • Pachymeris, Georgios. Istoria.
  • Pisides, Georgios. De expeditione Heraclii.
  • Procopius of Caesarea. De Aedificiis.
  • Procopius of Caesarea. De Bellis.
  • Psellos, Michael. Chronographia.
  • Ruggero di Puglia. Carmen miserabile.
  • Rudolf of Fulda. Annales Fuldenses.
  • Scylitzes, Ioannes. Synopsis Istorion.
  • Simokattes, Theophylaktos. Historia.
  • Skoutariotis, Theodoros. Synopsis Chronike.
  • Theophanes the Confessor. Chronographia.
  • Zonaras, Ioannes. Epitome Historiarum.

Secondary sources:

  • Berend, Nora; Urbańczyk, Przemysław; Wiszewski, Przemysław. Central Europe in the high Middle Ages: Bohemia, Hungary and Poland c.900-c.1300. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
  • Berger, Albrecht. Accounts of medieval Constantinople: the Patria. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2013.
  • Comrie, Bernard. The World’s Major Languages. London: Routledge, 2018.
  • Curta, Florin. The Other Europe in the Middle Ages: Avars, Bulgars, Khazars, and Cumans. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2008.
  • Curta, Florin. The Routledge handbook of East Central and Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages, 500-1300. Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2022.
  • Engel, Pál. The realm of St. Stephen: A History of Medieval Hungary, 895-1526. London; New York: I.B. Tauris, 2001.
  • Ilarion Metropolitan of Volokolamsk. Orthodox Christianity, Volume I: The history and canonical structure of the Orthodox Church. Yonkers, NY: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2011.
  • Kaldellis, Anthony. The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium. New York: Oxford University Press, 2024.
  • Lipták, Pál. Avars and Ancient Hungarians. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1983.
  • Maiden, Martin; Dragomirescu, Adina; Dindelegan, Gabriela Pană; Bărbulescu, Oana Uţă; Zafiu, Rodica. The Oxford History of Romanian Morphology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021.
  • Maiden, Martin; Smith, John Charles; Ledgeway, Adam. The Cambridge History of the Romance Languages. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
  • Niculescu, Alexandru. Outline History of the Romanian Language. București: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, 1981.
  • Pascu, Ștefan; Theodorescu, Răzvan. Istoria Românilor, volumul III: Genezele Românești. București: Academia Română, 2001.
  • P.M., Barford. The Early Slavs: Culture and Society in Early Medieval Eastern Europe. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2001.
  • Pohl, Walter. The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567-822. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2018.
  • Pop, Ioan Aurel; Bolovan, Ioan. Istoria Transilvaniei. Cluj-Napoca: Editura Școala Ardeleană, 2016.
  • Róna-Tas, András. Hungarians and Europe in the Early Middle Ages: An Introduction to Early Hungarian History. Budapest; New York: Central European University Press, 1999.
  • Rosetti, Alexandru. Istoria limbii române III limbile slave meridionale (sec. VI-XII). Bucureşti: Editura Ştiinţifică, 1964.
  • Runciman, Steven. A History of the First Bulgarian Empire. London: G. Bell & Sons Ltd., 1930.
  • Sala, Marius. “Limba româna, limba romanica.” In Romance philology 63, no. 2, (January 01, 2009): 1. Turnhout, Belgium. Brepols Publishers.
  • Sala, Marius. “Romanian.” In: Revue belge de philologie et d’histoire, tome 88, fasc. 3, 2010. Langues et littératures modernes. pp. 841-872.
  • Smil, Vaclav. Energy and Civilization: A History. The MIT Press, 2018.


General reading:

  • Boia, Lucian. Istorie și mit în conștiința românească. București: Humanitas, 2022.
  • Frankopan, Peter. The Silk Roads: A New History of the World. New York: Vintage, 2017.
  • Graeber, David; Wengrow, David. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021.
  • Hitchins, Keith. A Concise History of Romania. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.