new mineral (which he named “lotrit ¸”, from the name of the Lotru Mountain, and
which was rediscovered afterwards by two American mineralogists in 1925 who
called it “pumpellyt”). The regional research begun in Lotru and Par^ ang Mountains
was continued in different parts of Oltenia region in Romania, especially in the
Mehedint ¸i Plateau and Cerna Valley, in Godeanu and Banat Mountains and then in
Timok Valley and in North West Bulgaria, and he was the first specialist to raise in
the Romanian Carpathians the problem of physical strata overthrust and he was the
first geologist who called the attention on the importance of the mass movements
(“mezocreatice”) in the formation of the whole Alpine range. He was the founder of
the Romanian soil science school (see also the publications Zonele naturale de
soluri din Rom^ ania; La carthographie des sols en Roumanie; E ´ tudes sur les sols
arables de la Roumanie). Professor Munteanu-Murgoci initiated the elaboration of
the first soil general map, at a scale of 1/2,500,000, followed by correlative maps of
flora and climate, on which basis were to be delimited the natural regions of
Romania and his research included preoccupation for the economic aspects correlated with the geological research and contributed greately to the knowledge of the
subsoil of the country, to the discovery and capitalization upon its riches. He was
the first to research in detail geomorphology, stratigraphy, the tectonics of the
hillside areas of Oltenia; he documented for the first time the conditions of oil ore
in Oltenia (Tert ¸iarul din Oltenia cu privire la sare, petrol s ¸i ape minerale, 1907).
Researching the geological matters regarding the oil and gas resources in Romania,
he investigated the regions with salt geological structures in Muntenia and he
elaborated studies of the succin ores, insisting on the specificity of the amber ores
in Buza ˘u region (Za ˘ca ˘mintele succinului ı
ˆn Rom^ ania (Chihlimbar romanit).
Monografia unui mineral din t
¸ara ˘, 1902). He completed a geomorphological
study of Northern Dobruja (Cerceta ˘ri geologice ı
ˆn Dobrogea nordica ˘, cu privire
speciala ˘ la rocile paleozoice s ¸i eruptive, 1911), which consecrated him as a
forerunner of a science which methods he applied before the genuine establishing
of this scientific domain – Speleology or Spelaeology – investigating caves and
karst features in the calcareous rocks in Romania and prepared descriptions of
caves. He presented his research in over 200 works and together with N. Iorga and
V. P^ arvan he was a founder of the Institute of South-European Studies in Bucharest;
in 1908, he founded Revue du Pe ´trole. (Rusu 2016, 168–9)
OREST TAFRALI (1876, Tulcea – 1937, Ias ¸i) was a historian and a writer who
became a Correspondent Member of the Romanian Academy since 1936. (Rusu
2016, 695) After his PhD at Sorbonne in 1912 he was a Secretary of the National
Museum of Antiquities (1904–1905) and Profesor of classical languages at “St.
Sava” College in Bucharest (1905–1906); teaching assistant of Romanian language
at E ´ cole des Langues Orientales in Paris (1912–1913), and since 1913 Professor at
the Department of Archeology and Antiquities of Ias ¸i University; as a substitute
Professor at the Department of ancient History he gave a new impulse to the studies
in the field (The Historical Sources of the Greeks and the Romans, Lectures, 1927).
(Rusu 2016, 695) In 1916 he sustained the opening of a Museum of Antiquities at
Ias ¸i University, the first of this kind in Moldavia. (Rusu 2016, 695) In 1927 he
founded the journal Arta s ¸i arheologia. Specialist in ancient history, archeology and
56
E. Laza ˘r and H.A. S ¸ erban
which was rediscovered afterwards by two American mineralogists in 1925 who
called it “pumpellyt”). The regional research begun in Lotru and Par^ ang Mountains
was continued in different parts of Oltenia region in Romania, especially in the
Mehedint ¸i Plateau and Cerna Valley, in Godeanu and Banat Mountains and then in
Timok Valley and in North West Bulgaria, and he was the first specialist to raise in
the Romanian Carpathians the problem of physical strata overthrust and he was the
first geologist who called the attention on the importance of the mass movements
(“mezocreatice”) in the formation of the whole Alpine range. He was the founder of
the Romanian soil science school (see also the publications Zonele naturale de
soluri din Rom^ ania; La carthographie des sols en Roumanie; E ´ tudes sur les sols
arables de la Roumanie). Professor Munteanu-Murgoci initiated the elaboration of
the first soil general map, at a scale of 1/2,500,000, followed by correlative maps of
flora and climate, on which basis were to be delimited the natural regions of
Romania and his research included preoccupation for the economic aspects correlated with the geological research and contributed greately to the knowledge of the
subsoil of the country, to the discovery and capitalization upon its riches. He was
the first to research in detail geomorphology, stratigraphy, the tectonics of the
hillside areas of Oltenia; he documented for the first time the conditions of oil ore
in Oltenia (Tert ¸iarul din Oltenia cu privire la sare, petrol s ¸i ape minerale, 1907).
Researching the geological matters regarding the oil and gas resources in Romania,
he investigated the regions with salt geological structures in Muntenia and he
elaborated studies of the succin ores, insisting on the specificity of the amber ores
in Buza ˘u region (Za ˘ca ˘mintele succinului ı
ˆn Rom^ ania (Chihlimbar romanit).
Monografia unui mineral din t
¸ara ˘, 1902). He completed a geomorphological
study of Northern Dobruja (Cerceta ˘ri geologice ı
ˆn Dobrogea nordica ˘, cu privire
speciala ˘ la rocile paleozoice s ¸i eruptive, 1911), which consecrated him as a
forerunner of a science which methods he applied before the genuine establishing
of this scientific domain – Speleology or Spelaeology – investigating caves and
karst features in the calcareous rocks in Romania and prepared descriptions of
caves. He presented his research in over 200 works and together with N. Iorga and
V. P^ arvan he was a founder of the Institute of South-European Studies in Bucharest;
in 1908, he founded Revue du Pe ´trole. (Rusu 2016, 168–9)
OREST TAFRALI (1876, Tulcea – 1937, Ias ¸i) was a historian and a writer who
became a Correspondent Member of the Romanian Academy since 1936. (Rusu
2016, 695) After his PhD at Sorbonne in 1912 he was a Secretary of the National
Museum of Antiquities (1904–1905) and Profesor of classical languages at “St.
Sava” College in Bucharest (1905–1906); teaching assistant of Romanian language
at E ´ cole des Langues Orientales in Paris (1912–1913), and since 1913 Professor at
the Department of Archeology and Antiquities of Ias ¸i University; as a substitute
Professor at the Department of ancient History he gave a new impulse to the studies
in the field (The Historical Sources of the Greeks and the Romans, Lectures, 1927).
(Rusu 2016, 695) In 1916 he sustained the opening of a Museum of Antiquities at
Ias ¸i University, the first of this kind in Moldavia. (Rusu 2016, 695) In 1927 he
founded the journal Arta s ¸i arheologia. Specialist in ancient history, archeology and
56
E. Laza ˘r and H.A. S ¸ erban