Septem castra - Siebenbürgen
Septem castra - Transylvania

Summary/Abstract: Septem castra=Transylvania – is a naming which is to be found neither into the Romanian nor in the Hungarian language. Therefore, there can be supposed that the German variation is the original one which was translated into Latin as “septem castrensis”. From the etymological point of view Thomas Nägler notes that scientists had found no suitable explanation for the name Transylvania. The historian Richard Huss found out that the name “septem castrensis” appeared before the settlement of the Transylvanian Saxons, so that the Latin form of this name has been original. After Richard Huss the seven castles represented the seven Roman fortresses, because in roman times “castra” means the fortified garrisons. The author examines several maps of East Europe, which appeared between 1300 and 1507 and which were not analysed by the Historiography of the Transylvanian Saxons up to now. The author also suggests three hypotheses linked to the appearance of the naming “septem castrensis”.

• Details
• Contents