The Wallachian Gold-Washers

Unlocking the Golden Past of the Rudari Woodworkers

By (author) Julieta Rotaru By (author) David Gaunt

Book cover: The Wallachian Gold-Washers

Extent: 307 pages

Publisher: Brill | Schöningh

Subjects: Anthropology

Series: Roma History and Culture

Series volume number: 2

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(June 2023)

ISBN: 9783506790385

6.1 x 9.25 inches

Price: $90.00

In stock

This is the first monograph on the history of the Rudari people of Romania and the first mapping of their settlements. The Rudari are a population which has traditionally inhabited the Balkan area and much of Central Europe. Many of them do not know the Romani language but speak Romanian dialects and today make a living out of carving wooden household items, although their Slavic name alludes to mining. Indeed, the Rudari were for centuries gold-prospectors and gold-washers working for the Crown of Wallachia and were administrated as slaves by a monastery situated on the auriferous Olt river. The authors have reconstructed the fascinating history of this ethnic group for a period of 500 years until the 19th century when gold-panning went in decline due to the exhaustion of the reserves of alluvial gold.

  • By (author) Julieta Rotaru
  • By (author) David Gaunt