Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-29

707ITH the nations and the races OF
NAV Europe and much of the rest OF
w the eastern hemisphere at war
and with the, newspapers sprinkled with
the names of rivers and cities, swamps,
forests and districts that only one out of a
million Americans ever heard of before. 1t
is interesting to glance back at the geo.
graphical divisions of Europe nearly 1000
years ago. When the Roman empire was
at its greatest extent, which was in the
second century after the opening of the
Christian era, there was a great stretch
of Europe eastward from the River Rhe-
nus now called the Rhine. and northward
of line drawn across the south end OF
the Carpathians. the north shore of the
Black sea and the Caucasus mountain
range, over which the eagles of the Gaze
sars do not seem to have spread their
wings
There were three grand divisions of
this area, the western being Germania, the
middle Sarmatia and the eastern Scytha.
On the very old maps Germania appears
to have extended eastward to the Vistua
river. VIII CHI entered the Baltic sea. then
called the Mare Suevicum. between the
lands OF the Burgundiones, or Burgun-
dams. and the Gothones, or the Goths.
mania and their territories are roughly
drawn In the peninsula now occupied
by Denmark and Germany lived the Clm-
bri, and the Albis river. now the Elbe,
for about 800 miles southeast from its
mouth divided the lands of the Saxones
(Saxons) from the country of the Tango
bardi or the early Lombards. Between
the Albis river and the Viadus river. now
called the Oder, and to the south of the
lands of the Saxons dwelt the Semnones.
In the country between the Oder and the
Vistula and south Of the lands of the Bur-
gundians lived the Lygii In the western
part of Germania. east of the Rhine or
the Rhenus and across the valley OF the
WeSen, dWelt tribes called by the Romans
the Chauc Bructeri, SiSambri, Hermun-
duri and NariSci.
Gallia, or Gaul, was Roman province
and the northeastern division of Gallia.
and, of course. subject to Rome's
dominion. was another stretch of terri
tory also called Germania. To the west
of this Germania was a subdivision of
Gallia called Belgica and northwestern
Gaul was Lusdunen, while southwest
ern Gaul was Aquitania and southern
Gaul. bordering on the Mediterranean,
or the Mare Internun, was called
Narbonenss.
Italy. or Italia. extended from the
Ionian sea to the Alps. and what is
called now by the Italians their
ancient frontier may be very clearly
traced. Where Switzerland is was
Rhetia and north of Rhetia was a
country bordering on the southern
Rhine where WertemberG is today
which was called Vindilicia- East of
Rhetia, covering part of what is now
Bavaria, was a. country called Nori-
cum. The Danube, then called the lister
river, flowing now through Austria,
then flowed through Pannonia, and in
it's eastward course to the Pontus
Eurinus. or the Black sea, flowed be-
tween Dacia on the north and Moesia
on the south, Moesia being north of
Macedonia and Thrace. Moesia covering
lands that are now Serbian. Rumanian
and perhaps Bulgarian
In those days no city appeared on the
map where Berlin now stands, but Paris
was city. There was no Vienna where
Vienna stands today, but perhaps on
it's site stood one of two cities called
by the names of Vindobona and Car
nuntum. There was in Gaul on the
River Saone, a hundred miles from its
mouth and about twenty-five miles
south Of the present city 81 Lyons, a