The Sword of Prince Ipsilanti / The History of Romania in One Object

The artifact presented in the newest episode of The History of Romania in One Object series points out to the special geopolitical position Moldavia and Wallachia had at the meeting point of three bellicose empires: The Ottoman, The Austrian, and The Russian. Situated at the intersection of strategic, political and economic interests, the Romanian Principalities bore witness to, and indeed were directly involved in, major historical events such as the Greek Revolution of 1821, led by Alexandru Ipsilanti, who started his march to the South in Moldavia's capital, Iași. Text by Moldavia's History Museum in Iași historian and curator Sorin Iftimi. Video presentation by Moldavia's History Museum in Iași historian and researcher Cătălin Hriban. Film by Mihai Neagu.

Watch and read on our FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE and WEBSITE from Monday, September 28, 2 p.m. EDT (or anytime later).

Sorin Iftimi graduated from the Faculty of History of the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iași in 1993 and since 1995 he has been working at the History Museum, part of the "Moldova" National Museum Complex in Iași. He has a PhD in history (since 2006) and is an expert in movable cultural heritage (since 2015). He has published 25 books and exhibition catalogues, as well as over 150 studies and articles. He is also a specialist in urban history, military uniforms and decorations, knives, genealogy and heraldry. He gave a course on mobile cultural heritage within the master's program Mobile Heritage and Cultural Tourism, organized by the Faculty of History at the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iași.

Cătălin Hriban is a historian with a special interest in the Central and Eastern European Middle Ages, particularly in urban history and historical topography, fields in which he published several papers in both English and Romanian. He has a PhD in medieval archaeology. Cătălin Hriban is currently a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Archaeology in Iași, affiliated with the Romanian Academy, and coordinates several archaeological excavations in the old city centers of Iași and Botoșani. One of the focuses of his latest researches are the medieval weaponry and its role as bearer of cultural meaning, as well as the cultural image of the sword and saber in both daily life and formal rituals during the Renaissance and Baroque Central and Eastern Europe.

Our online series THE HISTORY OF ROMANIA IN ONE OBJECT, developed in partnership with some of the most important history museums in the country, evokes decisive epochs in Romania's past starting from artifacts or vestiges with powerful symbolic, representative value.