Although Roma arrived in Europe in the Byzantine Empire before the turn of the first millennium, around the beginning of the Xth century, the first European writings concerning Roma only appeared around 1100. In a book on the life of Saint George Mtacmindeli, a Georgian monk from the Iveron monastery on Mt. Athos described “excellent fortune tellers” called Athinganoi or Atzinganoi in Constatinople. In many countries, Roma are known as Tzigan, Zigeuner, Zingari etc., names derived from the word Atzinganoi.

One has to stress that there are many documents from the XIII and XIV the centuries which may refer to Roma and their presence in various European countries. It is, unfortunately not easy to decide whether this is the case or not. We have chosen to refer to documents from which one can infer they refer to Gypsies. Many experts do think that when Roma arrived in the Balkan and in nearby countries, many of them found work as blacksmiths as well as in other trades, that the autochthonous population needed the Roma workers and their trades.  For that reason, most Rrma settled in those countries, built their houses, villages and Rroma quarters (mahalades).

This continued even under Turkish rule. The Ottomans granted Roma workers they needed certain privileges and some Roma even worked for the Turkish irregular troops. These privileges are one of the reasons as why so many Roma now live in the Balkan and in nearby regions such as Romania and Hungary.