Why Isn't Italy Named Romania After The Romans?
Name Explain
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1,146,264 views - January 19, 2018
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Roman provinces and place names
It's interesting how Roman provincial or place names have become either the chief name or secondary name for a lot of countries, regions, or cities, such as Britannia. Even regions which were never conquered--such as Germania (German-speaking tribal regions), Lusitania (Portugal), Hibernia (Ireland), or Caledonia (Scotland)--the old Roman name is used today to some capacity or for some type of reference. As far as Italia rather than Romania, historically, names of nations are often quite imperfect. For example, Belgium is properly named for a powerful Celto-Gaulish tribe that lived there, while France is named after the Franks who had conquered that territory. Actually, the cultural link there is much more powerfully tied to ancient Gaulish tribes or later the Romanized Gauls.
Another example of a poor job at naming is "Austria," which is the English-language word for the country of Österreich. Actually, the original "Austria" was the name of a duchy within the Kingdom of Lombards or Langbard, which was where Lombardy, Veneto, Trentino, and Friuli are today. Since Österreich conquered and occupied that land prior to the Risorgimento, and the old Austria-Australia confusion, giving Österreich the nickname "Austria" seems like a dumb idea. Italia, or at least the reference to the old home province of the Roman Empire, should probably have been named Romania. Also, this land was known in the ancient world as Saturnia. At any rate, since the old Roman names are stylish and catchy, they have been a fun way to reference cultures or regions. For example, San Francisco's Caledonia Club is a Scottish cultural club.
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When Did the Romans Become Italians? (Short Animated Documentary)
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