Prehistory

Skull from the "Cave with Bones" (the oldest known remain of Homo sapiens in Europe).[30]

Human remains found in Peștera cu Oase ("Cave with Bones"), radiocarbon dated as being from
circa 40,000 years ago, represent the oldest known Homo sapiens in Europe.
[30]
 Neolithic techniques and agriculture spread after the arrival of a mixed group of people
from Thessaly in the 6th millennium BC.[31][32] Excavations near a salt spring at Lunca yielded the
earliest evidence for salt exploitation in Europe; here salt production began between 5th
millennium BC and 4th BC.[33] The first permanent settlements also appeared in the Neolithic.
[34]
 Some of them developed into "proto-cities",[34] which were larger than 320 hectares (800 acres).
[35][36]
 The Cucuteni–Trypillia culture—the best known archaeological culture of Old Europe—
flourished in Muntenia, southeastern Transylvania and northeastern Moldavia in the
3rd millennium BC.[36] The first fortified settlements appeared around 1800 BC, showing the
militant character of Bronze Age societies.[36]

Antiquity
Main article: Romania in Antiquity

Maximum territorial extent of the Kingdom of Dacia during Burebista's reign (early 40s BC.)

Greek colonies established on the Black Sea coast in the 7th century BC became important

centres of commerce with the local tribes.[37][38] Among the native peoples, Herodotus listed
the Getae of the Lower Danube region, the Agathyrsi of Transylvania and the Syginnae of the
plains along the river Tisza at the beginning of the 5th century BC.[39] Centuries
later, Strabo associated the Getae with the Dacians who dominated the lands along the
southern Carpathian Mountains in the 1st century BC.[40] Burebista was the first Dacian ruler to
unite the local tribes.[40][41] He also conquered the Greek colonies in Dobruja and the neighbouring
peoples as far as the Middle Danube and the Balkan Mountains between around 55 and 44 BC.[40]
[42]
 After Burebista was murdered in 44 BC, his empire collapsed.[40][43]