Re: Greece vs Ellada


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Greek Connection Message Board ] [ Greek Connection ]

Posted by Riegel on February 17, 2001 at 06:31:59:

In Reply to: Greece vs Ellada posted by Xristina on February 01, 2001 at 00:53:36:

The name Graecos (Greek) that the West uses to identify the Hellenes is not a latin word, as many
mistakenly believe, but a Greek one, because it was used for the first time to identify the members
of the first Hellenic Amphictionia (that was composed by the Thesprotians - Molossoi -
Chaones that lived in Epirus, Western Greece).The use of the name Graecos is mentioned by
Aristotelis:

"...and she was not there forever, but after the cataclysm of Defkalion, which occurred
in the Hellenic area, in fact, in the ancient Hellas, which was around Dodoni, and it
changed many times the flow of Acheloos river. In that area live the Selloi and the ones
that were once called Graecoi and are now called Hellenes..."
Aristotelis Meteorologika, I, 14
Philosopher, 384-323BC

The first Hellenes with whom the Latins came in touch were the Hellenes of Epirus and so by the
common amphictionic name Graecos they named the rest of the Hellenes as Graecous (Grekos),
too. The name Graecos was used during the christianic years by the Hellenes for self-identification
neglecting the name Hellinas that was considered as non-christianic and was avoided. The
previous analysis is logical because for the same reason the Arabs call the Hellenes Younan which
means Ionas, since the Iones (Asia Minor) were the first Hellenes that came in touch with the
Arabs.


Follow Ups:



Post a Followup

Name:

E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:

Optional Link URL:

Link Title:

Optional Image URL:


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Greek Connection Message Board ] [ Greek Connection ]