GoKawiilThe last Romans are still around
For some of us, our Roman Empire actually is the Roman Empire. As far as pre-modern states go, the Roman Empire was incredibly powerful, culturally influential, and well documented. Rome’s expansion shaped Europe, and Europe’s shaped the world.
So when did the Romans stop being a thing? Definitions are as always tough, but they kind of never did. Even though the Roman state stopped functioning over 1500 years ago (or 500 years for all you Constantinople fans), the Roman identity never entirely disappeared; it just evolved. In fact, there are still pockets of people who call themselves “Roman” or some variant thereof, even today. Let’s take a look at who they are.
Romanians
Romanians in traditional dress
Credit Mihai Maxim, CC BY
Romania is a country in Eastern Europe with a name that sounds suspiciously Roman. This is no coincidence. The Romanian language, spoken in Romania and neighboring Moldova, is the Easternmost branch of the Romance Languages – the modern descendants of Latin. Romanians have been calling themselves some variation of “Roman” all the way back to the time of the actual Roman Empire, mostly to distinguish themselves from their non-Roman neighbors. The Romanians’ Roman ancestors may have lived in the same area as modern Romania (the Roman province of Dacia) or in neighboring parts of the empire south of the Danube; the specifics are a topic of contentious (and often politicized) debate.
Orange: Romania; Green: Moldova
During the Medieval era, outsiders often called Romanians “Walachs” or some variation, as can be seen with the Principality of Wallachia, a Romanian-speaking state from the 14th century. “Walach” came from *Walhaz, the Germanic and Slavic word for the Romans and Romanized people (originally just meaning “foreigner”). This root word also survives in the names of other Roman border regions across Europe, like Wales, Cornwall, and Wallonia.
Romansh
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