History of Curtea de Arges

The name, literally The Court upon Argeș refers to the former status of the town as the capital of Wallachia. Some historians identify the river with ancient "Ordessos", however the name is unlikely to be derived from this name. The oldest Slavonic documents use an "Arghiș" form, which might suggest a Cuman or Pecheneg etymology, from the root arghiš ("higher ground", "heights"). The original name was Argeș, which was then used for the name of the river as well.