O AŞEZARE MEDIEVALĂ URBANĂ LA VĂRSAREA IALOMIŢEI ÎN DUNĂRE - ORAŞUL DE FLOCI
Oraşul de Floci - a medieval urban settlement at the confluence of Ialomiţa and Dunube rivers

Summary/Abstract: The medieval urban settlement at Oraşul de Floci evolved in the middle sector of the Bărăgan Plain, a subunit of the Romanian Plain, bounded to the south by the Ialomiţa River, to the north by Călmăţui, to the east by the Danube, and to the west by the Sărată Valley. Due to its location and its uniqueness, for three centuries the town played a role in the polarization of economic activities in the area, and also a strategic role in controlling the Wallachia eastern border. Its location on two major trade routes, as well as the point of contact between Wallachia and Dobrogea, favoured the rapid development of the settlement. After 1540, when the Turkish occupied Brăila, the town became the main point of trade in Wallachia, where merchandise from the Orient were easily distributed. Combined, these factors have ensured the borough upon Ialomiţa River is known abroad. During the history of the town there have also been periods of regress or destruction, following the military incursions of the Ottomans allied with the Tatars in the 15th-17th centuries. This is confirmed by archaeological research which have identified two levels of strongly burned habitation attributed to the 15th and 16th-17th centuries. Furthermore, it was observed that many of the clay and wood dwellings destroyed by fire had their floors restored at least 3-4 times, indicating that after an attack the inhabitants returned to the same places and rebuilt them. Although 17th century foreign travellers mention Oraşul de Floci as being flourishing and prosperous, by the end of this century the first signs of decline appear. This was a result of the southward migration of the Ialomiţa River bed and of the changing economic ties between Wallachia and Moldavia, with links maintained via other commercial routes. In the 18th century, against the backdrop of the Russo-Austro-Ottoman wars (1768-1774), Oraşul de Floci started to decline further and its activity entirely ceased. The consequences of the wars, the decline of the old commercial road, as well as of the Danube harbour, plus the loss of the estate and the relocation of the Ialomiţa river bed, gradually led to the abandonment of the city.

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