Dacian Toponyms

I felt that merely listing the Dacian toponyms isn’t doing anybody any favours. Much like most people didn’t know about the Dacian treasures until they were stolen, I suspect that most Romanians don’t know where the rivers are unless they see them on a map.

Varianta în limba română pe FaṭăCarte Meta Zamolxis.

• I use various AI services to visualize the list of Dacian toponyms.
• Discuss the feasibility of doing a real map through DeepThink R1

I am guessing that everybody knows where the Carpathian mountains are (and that there’s a group of three; Romanian: Carpați), so I won’t bother with that. I’m not a cartographer, I’m not even one of the Map Men (jf-mapmen). So I grabbed the list (Ampoi, Argeș, Bârzava, Buzău, Carpați, Cerna, Criș, Dunăre, Lotru, Motru, Mureș, Nistru, Olt, Prut, Siret, Someș, Timiș, Tisa, Vedea) from Dacian Words and fed it to a few AI chatbos (chatbros?).

They changed it and “massaged” it and in the end the list and translation I liked the most is from Gemini, as it includes links to Google Maps, and guess what?! The rivers have ratings (I marked with a ‘0’ those without)!

Create a map of Dacia (ancient Romania) highlighting only the following Rivers:

• Ampoi River: A tributary of the Mureș River in western Romania.

• Argeș River: A major river in southern Romania, flowing into the Danube.

• Pârâul Bârzava: A river in western Romania, flowing into the Timiș River.

• Buzau: A river in eastern Romania, flowing into the Siret River.

• Cerna River: A river in southwestern Romania, flowing into the Danube near the town of Orșova.

• Crișul Alb River: A river in western Romania, flowing into the Tisa River.

• Crișul Negru (0): A river in western Romania, flowing into the Tisa River.

• Crișul Repede: A river in western Romania, flowing into the Tisa River.

• Danube River: The second-longest river in Europe, forming part of Romania's southern border with Bulgaria and flowing into the Black Sea.

• Lotru: A river in central Romania, a tributary of the Olt River.

• Motru: A river in southwestern Romania, flowing into the Jiu River.

• Mureș: A major river in Transylvania, flowing into the Tisa River in Hungary.

• Dnister River: A river in Eastern Europe, partially forming the border between Moldova and Ukraine.

• Nistru (0): A river in Eastern Europe, partially forming the border between Moldova and Ukraine.

• Olt: A major river in central Romania, flowing into the Danube.

• Prut river: A river forming part of Romania's eastern border with Moldova and Ukraine, flowing into the Danube.

• Siret: A major river in eastern Romania, flowing into the Danube.

• Someșul Mare River: A river in western Romania, flowing into the Tisa River.

• Someșul Mic River: A river in western Romania, flowing into the Tisa River.

• Timiș River: A river in western Romania, flowing into the Danube in Serbia.

• Tisa River (0): A major river in Central Europe, flowing through Romania, Hungary, Serbia, and Ukraine.

• Vedea River: A river in southern Romania, flowing into the Danube.

Geographical Features (I added two lesser known localities):

• Carpați (Carpathian Mountains): A major mountain range in Romania, divided into the Eastern, Southern, and Western Carpathians.

• Moreni, beautiful, with an industrial park nearby

• Fundata, the highest locality in Romania (possibly cleanest air)

Obviously, Copilot / Microsoft Designer hallucinated (one such result is visible in the illustration), but Claude.ai made a “minimalist” vector map (claude-map) which I just love.

DeepThink R1 40 seconds explains its thought process.

Okay, the user wants a map of Romania showing specific rivers and the Carpathian Mountains. Let me start by recalling the previous interactions. The user first asked about creating a map with geographical features, and I provided a breakdown of the steps and key elements. Then they listed a bunch of rivers and the Carpathians, and I explained each one. Now, they want a map created with all those rivers and the mountains.

Since I can't create visual content directly, I need to guide them on how to make it themselves. Let me think about the best approach. They might not be familiar with GIS software, so maybe suggest some user-friendly tools. Google My Maps is free and accessible. QGIS is more powerful but requires some learning. SnazzyMaps could help with styling a Google Map.

I should outline clear steps. First, obtain a base map of Romania. Then, plot each river one by one, using the correct colors and labels. The Carpathians need to be marked as well, probably with a different color. Then add cities near key points for reference. Finally, export and share the map.

Wait, in the user's list, some rivers are tributaries of others. For example, Ampoi is a tributary of Mureș. Should the map show the connections? Probably, but maybe just plotting each river as a line leading to their main river would suffice. Also, the Criș rivers (Alb, Negru, Repede) all flow into Tisa. Need to make sure they're in western Romania.

The user mentioned Nistru (Dniester) which is on the border with Moldova and Ukraine. I should note that part of the river is the border. Also, Tisa flows through multiple countries, so the map should show its path beyond Romania if possible.

I should mention the color coding: blue for rivers, brown for mountains. Maybe suggest using different shades for different river systems. Labeling each river is important. Cities like Orșova (for Cerna), Timișoara (for Timiș), Brașov (near Olt) could be helpful landmarks.

Also, the Carpathians are divided into Eastern, Southern, Western. Maybe suggest shading each section slightly differently or labeling them separately. But not overcomplicating the map. Maybe outline the mountain ranges with dashed lines and labels.

Check if all the listed rivers are covered. Let me go through the list again: Ampoi, Argeș, Bârzava, Buzău, Cerna, the three Criș rivers, Danube, Lotru, Motru, Mureș, Nistru, Olt, Prut, Siret, Someșul Mare and Mic, Timiș, Tisa, Vedea. Plus Carpathians. All accounted for.

Possible issues: Some rivers might be small and hard to see on a general map. The user might need to zoom in or use a detailed base map. Also, the Jiu River is mentioned as the recipient of Motru, but Jiu isn't in the user's list. Should I include it? The user didn't ask for it, but since Motru flows into Jiu, maybe note that in the description without adding Jiu to the map unless necessary.

Make sure to mention that the tools allow adjusting the zoom level and detail. Maybe suggest using OpenStreetMap as a base for more accuracy.

In the step-by-step guide, start with selecting the tool, then adding layers for rivers and mountains. Use different layers to keep things organized. Label each feature clearly. Maybe include an example of how to color-code.

Also, remind the user to check the flow directions and connections, especially for tributaries. For example, Lotru flows into Olt, so the map should show that junction.

Finally, offer further assistance if they need more details or run into issues. Maybe ask if they need help with a specific tool or more detailed instructions.

…and then gives a nicely-formatted output.

I’m only including this output for the sake of completion.

Steps to Create the Map

1. Use a Mapping Tool

• Google My Maps (free, browser-based): Create a Custom Map Here

• QGIS (free, advanced GIS software): Download QGIS

• SnazzyMaps (for styling): SnazzyMaps

2. Add Base Layers

• Start with a base map of Romania and neighboring countries (Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria).

3. Plot the Rivers

• Color: Use blue lines for rivers.

• Labels: Add names for each river.

• Key Rivers:

  • Danube (Dunăre): Southern border with Bulgaria, flowing into the Black Sea.

  • Tisa (Tisza): Northern Romania, flowing into Hungary/Serbia.

  • Mureș: Crosses Transylvania, flowing into the Tisa.

  • Prut: Eastern border with Moldova/Ukraine.

  • Siret: Eastern Romania, flowing into the Danube.

  • Olt: Central Romania, flowing into the Danube.

  • Crișul Alb, Crișul Negru, Crișul Repede: Western Romania, merging into the Tisa.

  • Someșul Mare & Someșul Mic: Northwestern Romania, merging into the Tisa.

  • Argeș, Vedea, Cerna, Timiș, Motru, Buzău, Lotru, Ampoi, Bârzava: Smaller tributaries (see descriptions below).

4. Highlight the Carpathian Mountains

• Color: Use brown shading or contour lines.

• Label: Split into:

  • Eastern Carpathians (northeast Romania).

  • Southern Carpathians (central Romania, including the Făgăraș and Retezat ranges).

  • Western Carpathians (northwest Romania).

5. Add Key Cities (for Reference)

• Orșova (Cerna River meets the Danube).

• Timișoara (near the Timiș River).

• Brașov (near the Olt River).

• Galați (Danube-Prut-Siret confluence).

6. Export & Share

• Save the map as an image or PDF, or share the link if using Google My Maps.

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Map Legend Example

Feature
Color/Symbol
Example

Major Rivers (Danube, Tisa)
Thick Blue Line
Danube (Dunăre)

Tributaries
Thin Blue Line
Argeș, Olt, Mureș

Carpathian Mountains
Brown Shading
Eastern/Southern/Western

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Screenshot of Key Features (Conceptual)

While I can’t generate the map here, below is a textual "snapshot" of how these features are positioned:

• West: Criș rivers (Alb, Negru, Repede), Timiș, Bârzava, and Mureș flow toward Hungary/Serbia.

• Center: Olt, Lotru, and Argeș cut through the Southern Carpathians into the Danube.

• East: Siret, Prut, and Buzău flow parallel to the Eastern Carpathians into the Danube.

• South: Danube forms the border with Bulgaria, with tributaries like Cerna and Vedea.

• Mountains: Carpathians arc through central Romania, splitting into three branches.

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Tools for Reference

• Google Earth: Search for river names (e.g., "Mureș River Romania") to see their paths.

• Wikipedia: Check river/mountain coordinates

I did use Google Maps above, but Gemini created a better one then I did manually (gmn-map).

If you want to see more similar comparisons of AI responses, Nate has asked major models on a 15 pages report on how AI will impact the job market and published it for free on his substack (nbj-deepai). And if you want fun maps, wait for me to use Snazzy Maps (‘til the end of time, more likely), or just check out a YouTube playlist (jf-mapmen).

Sources / More info: jf-mapmen, gmn-map, ib-map, claude-map, nbj-deepai

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