#Epirus region

[autumnmylife]

1100-step stairway in Vradeto village,(Greek: Βραδέτο) Greece

This stairway, a winding stone structure with black and white rocks creating three different lanes is a creative solution provided by the builders of this intricate and complicated construction to manage traffic between people and animals in this uneven, rough area, since this was the only way from the village to the surrounding areas, beyond the mountains.

For centuries, the village’s hard-to-reach location has made it impossible to open a road to facilitate the transportation of people and goods any other way. In fact, up until the early 1970s the Skala path was the only way in and out of the village. The new road, that bypasses the gorge, was built in 1974, and, almost instantly, the meandering Skala and the two bridges, Pera and Dothe, that go over the Mezaria ravine fell into disuse.

Vradeto is a village in the Greek Zagori region. It lies at a height of 1,340 m on Mt Tymphe in the Pindus mountain range. It is the highest of the 44 villages of Zagori. It is the middle of the Vikos–Aoös National Park and is about 50 km away from Ioannina.

Sources:Wikipedia and travel.gr

[alisaineurope]

Epirus, Greece

Arta

Ioannina

Preveza 

Thesprotia

[gemsofgreece]

Hello! Do you (and other Greeks) find "Hellenic polytheism" an acceptable term for the religion worshipping the ancient Greek gods? If not, what would you want people to call it instead? I feel strongly that I would not be able to change my belief itself, but I definitely want to be respectful in what I call it and my other actions

Hellenic Polytheism should be fine. You can introduce yourself as a Hellenic Polytheist.

People have a bit of a hard time with this hell of terms (get it? he he), so I am gonna create a mini-lexicon. It's not targeted to you in specific to use all these, it's just for whoever is interested to clear this up in their minds.

A very hellenic lexicon

Hellás = 1) the official term for Greece and the only one ever used by Greeks themselves (there is no equivalent of "Greece" in Greek), 2) a historical ancient region in central mainland Greece where southeast Epirus and southwestern Thessaly meet and where a lot of Achilles' soldiers supposedly originated from, 3) the administrative region of central mainland Greece during the Byzantine Empire

Hellenic = anything Greek (like you may say "this is an american movie", that's why you can use hellenic polytheism, because it means "greek religion of many gods"). And by anything Greek, we mean ANYTHING. Care to know what the "Greek Orthodox Church" is called in Greek?

You guessed it! Hellenic Orthodox Church...! So you see, how when foreigners say some things like "i'm hellenic, hellene, hellenist" like "what hellenic are you? coffee? bank? Christian?" You know?

Hellen = the mythological progenitor of the Greeks according to Hesiod. Not to be confused with Helen.

Héllene = a Greek by descent, nationality and / or ethnicity. And if we are being totally accurate, it's a Greek male. I don't actually know how it is pronounced in English but ideally keep the last e silent. (By the way we do not pronounce that h in the beginning in all these words for the last 1500 years or so.... just saying.)

Héllenes = the Greeks, just men or mixed. The last e is NOT silent.

English does not have gendered nouns but Greek does so technically there is a seperate word for Greek women but I don't know if this is transferable to English. If we could do it in theory and by following the trasliteration style of the Hellene, it should be something like:

*Hellenís / Hellenidae or Hellenides = Greek woman / women*

Hopefully this explains why random foreigners identifying as "Hellenes" is exremely problematic.

Helladic = pertaining to the geography and territory of Hellas and whatever happens strictly within its borders

Hellenisation = spread of Greek influence and culture, it is also used for cases of Greek assimilation in ancient times

Hellenistic = 1) something being characterized by particular Greek influence, 2) referring to the era after the Classical period and before the Roman period

Hellenicá = 1) the Greek language, 2) (infrequent) Greek matters, documented topics about the Greeks

Hellenism = The complete Greek culture, civilization and nationhood, the essence of being Greek.

Hellenist = 1) a specialist in the study of Greek language, literature, culture, or history, or an admirer of the Greek culture and civilization, 2) a person who adopted the Greek customs, language and culture during the Hellenistic period, 3) now, the English Wiktionary also adds the "a follower and practitioner of Hellenic religion" <- which one of the two??? XD, clearly following the trend of western classicist circles. In the Greek Wiktionary for the same exact term (Ελληνιστής) that last interpretation does not exist and I can guarantee you it is officially rejected. Here's why: the suffixes -ist and -ism (as well as all suffixes here) are suffixes of Greek origin and they signify that someone is something or is passionate and dedicated to something on the superlative or very very earnestly, essentially. So when someone says they are a hellenist, they are supposed to be dedicated or charmed by anything that makes something hellenic, not to be professional cherry pickers. Of course, everyone is allowed their preferences, however you can't be interested in a super specific / niche thing like a religion mostly practiced 2000-3500 years ago and simultaneously show complete disregard and ignorance on literally everything else about this civilization, history and its living people and call yourself a hellenist. It tears the word apart. By the way this is not targeted at you. You are here asking about it, wanting to do the right thing. I am referring to this thing happening in this forum that @alatismeni-theitsa 's Anon was complaining about; they obsess over the ancient religion and they hate everything Greek post the AD mark. That's not being a Hellenist. That's not a Hellenism forum. That's the exact opposite in fact. Very few people can correctly claim the term "hellenist".

BONUS: Philhellene is kind of synonym to "hellenist" and it means "friend / lover of the Hellenes and all things hellenic". But again it can surely be misused. Not all self-proclaimed Philhellenes were ones indeed. Some, like Lord Byron, were Philhellenes through and through, on the other hand.

Of course, one definitely does not have to go through what Lord Byron and other great Philhellenes of the 19th century went through to prove they are a Hellenist or a Philhellene! My point is that very very few people can correctly claim the identity of a Philhellene or a Hellenist.

Therefore, "Hellenic polytheist" is just fine.

[mapsontheweb]

The Turks in the Balkans: The Battle of Kosovo, 1389.

« Atlas des guerres au Moyen Âge », Loïc Cazaux, Autrement, 2024

by cartesdhistoire

The Turkish advance in the Balkans represents a fundamental step for the stabilization of the Ottoman Sultanate.

In Europe, besides their fragile control of the Bosphorus, the Byzantines only retain a few small, scattered territories threatened by Turkish expansion.

In Pontus, the Greek Empire of Trebizond, founded in 1204, stands as a separate entity alongside Constantinople, despite late medieval agreements between the two Byzantine states. It will collapse in 1461 in the face of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II.

In Albania and the Peloponnese, the Byzantines are no longer able to impose regional order. During the 14th century, the former Greek despotate of Epirus is divided among the Byzantines, Latins (Italians), Albanians, and Serbs. It will also be conquered by the Ottomans in the 15th century.

Finally, thanks to Stephen Dushan, a short-lived Serbian empire was established between the 1340s and 1370s. It came together by exploiting regional dissensions. However, it did not constitute a counterweight to the decline of Byzantine strength and the continuation of Ottoman expansion. The empire collapsed too quickly, failing to consolidate its unity and establish solid foundations. In this sense, it gave way to the western offensive of the Turks toward Serbia, which led to the Battle of Kosovo, or the "Field of Blackbirds" (June 15, 1389), on a plain north of Skopje, delivering the final blow to Serbian resistance.

The Serbs now formed a submissive people who had to fight for the Turks. From their Balkan positions, the Ottomans set up a double objective: to the south, towards the Peloponnese, in order to reach the Byzantine despotate of Morea and strengthen their control of the passages to the Aegean Sea, and to the north, to consolidate their control of the Danube valley, an essential axis toward the Black Sea. For this, Wallachia was attacked, conquered, and put under tribute in 1394-1395.

[whencyclopedia]

Thessaly and the Duchy of Neopatras

Thessaly was an independent state in medieval Greece from 1267 or 1268 to 1394 CE, first as the Greek-ruled Thessaly and later as the Catalan and Latin-ruled Duchy of Neopatras. Under its sebastokrators, Thessaly was a thorn in the side of the Byzantine Empire and an ally of the Latin states in Greece and southern Italy. Following the death of the last Thessalian sebastokrator in 1318 CE, the Duchy of Neopatras was established by the Catalans and combined with the Duchy of Athens, with the two states mostly sharing the same rulers and fortunes until Thessaly was finally conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1423 CE.

Beginnings in Epirus

Following the Fourth Crusade's sacking of Constantinople in 1204 CE, the Byzantine Empire splintered into a series of successor states. Thessaly was originally held by the regional Greek leader Leo Sgouros, but when the Latin crusaders arrived, the territory was quickly taken over by Latin lords under the nominal leadership of Boniface of Montferrat, the new King of Thessalonica (r. 1205-1207 CE). Latin rule in Thessaly was short-lived, however, and in 1212 CE, Michael I Komnenos Doukas of Epirus (r. 1205-1215 CE) occupied central Thessaly, including the key city of Larissa, and the rest of Thessaly was conquered by his half-brother and successor, Theodore Komnenos Doukas (r. 1215-1230 CE). Epirus was one of the three long-lasting Greek (or rather Roman) successor states to the Byzantine Empire, and it was initially quite successful, conquering Thessalonica, restyling itself the Empire of Thessalonica, and advancing almost to the gates of Constantinople itself before Theodore suffered a horrific defeat at the Battle of Klokotnitsa in 1230 CE.

In the aftermath of Klokotnitsa, Manuel Komnenos Doukas (r. 1230-1241 CE) took up power in Thessalonica while his relative Michael II Komnenos Doukas (r. 1230-1267/1268 CE) became the ruler of Epirus. Thessaly was ruled by the Empire of Thessalonica during this decade of contraction, but when Manuel was ousted from Thessalonica in 1237 CE by the returned Theodore, he went to Thessaly, where he ruled the region as an independent state from 1239 to 1241 CE. Upon his death, Thessaly fell to Michael II of Epirus, being reincorporated into the Despotate of Epirus. The region was briefly occupied by the Empire of Nicaea in 1259 but was reoccupied by Epirote forces the following year.

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[art-portraits]

Lord Byron In Albanian Dress

Artist: Thomas Phillips (British, 1770–1845)

Genre: Portrait

Date: 1813

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Collection: Government Art Collection, London, England

George Gordon Byron (1788–1824), 6th Baron Byron, Poet

This portrait of Lord Byron by Thomas Phillips depicts the renowned poet and society figure dressed in traditional Albanian costume. He wears an oriental-style, red velvet jacket and headdress, with a velvet cloak draped across his left arm. Byron bought the costume in the region of Epirus (part of modern Greece and Albania) in 1809, while on a Grand Tour across southern Europe with his great friend, the politician John Cam Hobhouse (1786–1869). Byron sat for this painting in 1813, at the age of 25, and evidently had some influence over its appearance. He was particularly sensitive to full-length representations of himself as he had suffered from a lame foot since childhood and had a noticeable limp. He also asked Phillips to repaint his nose in a more flattering fashion.

In the portrait, the translucent paleness of his skin contrasts with the dark velvet of his costume, inspiring Sir Walter Scott to liken the portrait to a beautiful alabaster lamp, lit from within. The portrait was exhibited to great acclaim at the Royal Academy in 1814. It was later bought by Lady Judith Noel, Byron’s mother-in-law, and hung at Kirkby Hall, her residence in Kirkby Mallory, Leicestershire.

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Theitsa its so incredibly sad to me that many Greeks feel embarrassed of our more balkan or "eastern" music and folklore. That is literally some of the best we have, like the really good stuff! Just how distinct and varied the music is across the different regions. You can instantly tell if a song is from Epirus or Thrakia, from Macedonia, from the islands or from Crete, for example. I used to think my Vlach/Thessalian ancestry was boring and kind of "hillbilly", because it isn´t like a Mamma Mia film or recognizable as Greek to foreigners who mainly see adverts about Santorini and the like. But now I really appreciate the uniqueness and beauty of it, even if foreigners don´t "get" it. I wish we could get out of the mindset that our culture after antiquity is somehow tainted or less than. But I guess those who get it, get it 🫤

I fully agree! As I said in another post many Greeks learn from a young age to only recognise and appreciate the elements of our culture that are palatable to Westerners. It is part of the "job" we have to do to be consider "civilised Europeans" by the European powers. How we look is our "saving grace" and affects our tourist marketability, so we adopted this behaviour as a survival mechanism.

Some Greeks are just not exposed to music from other Greek regions and rush to call it "eastern", as you said. I'm not talking about actual Greek Eastern music (from Asia Minor), or am I denying any influences in our music from Eastern nations ofc. I'm talking about the Greek instruments and rhythm that have been here since antiquity. Archaeological studies show that this "eastern-sounding" music is actually also Greek. Farya Faraji has an excellent YouTube video on ancient Greek music! (And you can find it in my #farya faraji tag)

I'm happy that through artists like Marina Satti people from all around Greece and around the world discover more Greek traditional (and ancient) instruments and tunes.

Also, indeed, the Vlach Greek communities aren't known to foreigners at all. My Macedonian Vlach ancestry is the most influential part of my family hands down! 😂 Resilient, witty, and great relatives throughout! For this reason, I never gave a shit about how foreigners would perceive it, and I was happy to explain some history to them.

Now, about Thessalians (with Vlach ancestry or not), they're also pretty cool! First of all, you got Centaurs and freaking Achilles in your history! Pelion, Phthia, Spercheios = Achilles, and too much ancient folklore! Nowadays things are a bit grim with the economy and natural disasters. Still, the Thessalians worked the land to the best of their ability and - rightfully - earned respectable money from it in the past. I think Thessaly has all the tools to thrive, and the people will, once again, work things to their advantage! It's clear to me how much Thessalians love their topos (be it their town or their village) and there are Thessalians distinguished personalities who pour an insane amount of work into creating great things!

And since we're at it, I know why "Vlach" became a synonym with "hillbilly" but I've observed (in North and Central Greece) that the Vlach mindset for security and growth is very much on par with the urban/capitalist approach. Like, I know its drawbacks, but it keeps you sharp and ensures that you make the necessary sacrifices or take the required risks to survive in The Economy and even thrive. Every Greek "tribe" was in villages at some point, so basically most Greeks descend from "hillbillies", but imho the Vlachs are the most "urban" of all. 😉

(Because of where I lived, such that "hillbilly" or "villager" are not even insults. Hopefully howI used them here doesn't sound condescending on my side.)

[paolo-streito-1264]

Costas Balafas. Market day, Ioannina, Epirus Region, Greece, 1957.

[captain-price-unofficially]

Greek Army soldiers use a rangefinder to target Italian positions in the Pindus mountain range during the Greco-Italian War. Epirus Region, Greece, November 1940.

[justforbooks]

📷 Photo above: Zagori, within the Pindus mountain range in Epirus, is a region with 46 traditionally built and beautifully maintained villages, known as Zagorochoria, which are scattered gracefully across the foothills and slopes of the Pindus range. The area attracts hikers, rafters and nature lovers, as well as travellers seeking a cosy spring-winter escape staying in lovely boutique hotels and B&Bs.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[demeteraltar]

Learning Epithets 2 - Demeter Amphictyonis

Hello all! I’m back again with another epithet. This time, we are learning Demeter Amphictyonis. As always, feel free to skip the first part and go straight to the epithet meaning if you don’t want to read how I studied and found the answers!

As listed on Theoi.com, Demeter Amphictyonis is described as:

derived from Anthela, where she was worshipped under this name, because it was the place of meeting for the amphictyons of Thermopylae, and because sacrifices were offered to her at the opening of every meeting

The Research:

As usual, I did not know any of the names, so I did some digging. I knew Thermopylae and Anthela were places, so I started there.

Anthela was a city state located in Thessaly (Thessalia). Thessaly is a region of Greece, located below Macedonia, next to Epirus, and above Central Greece, with the Aegean Sea to the east. Mount Olympus is actually located in Thessaly! The hero Jason is also from Thessaly, and him and the Argonauts started their search for the Golden Fleece by leaving off the Magnesia Peninsula. And if you know any history, you’ll know the Persians invaded Greece, and they invaded Thessaly in 480 BC.

Thermopylae is another city that is very important to history. This is, of course, where the Battle of Thermopylae took place between the Greeks (namely Spartans, Thebans, and Thesbians) and the Persians. Thermopylae is also known for their hot springs, of which it was named, and the hot gates are considered an entrance into Hades.

Okay, so we familiarized ourselves with some of the places, but what are amphictyons? An amphictyony is a group of tribes that formed a religious, cultural, and political center. There were several leagues, but the one we will be discussing is the Great Amphictyonic League or the Delphic Amphictyony.

The Delphic Amphictyony were made up of the Aenianes/Oetaeans, the Boeotians, the Dolopes, the Dorians, the Ionians, the Phthian Achaeans, the Locrians, the Magnesians, the Malians, the Perrhaebians, the Phocians, the Pythians of Delphi, and the Thessalians. Formed after the Trojan war by Amphictyon, the League was tasked with protecting the Temple of Apollo in Delphi and the Temple of Demeter in Anthela. This league was the military defender of the cult of Delphi.

The league became super politically important. They had the power to protect its temples through punishment, including fines and even banishment, to actually starting wars. There were a set of rules about war, including not cutting off water or completely abolishing any member. Fighting over dominance of the temples was allowed though. They also organized religious festivals and the Pythian Games, celebrated in honor of Apollo at Delphi.

The league participated in a series of wars called the Sacred Wars. The First Sacred War last from 595 to 585, and was fought between the Amphictyonic League and the city of Kirrha. Kirrha was the harbor of Delphi that had been mistreating people going to and coming from Delphi. The city was defeated by the Amphictyonic League and the plains were dedicated to Apollo, Leto, and Artemis. This also marked the start of the first Pythian Games.

The Second Sacred War was between the Spartans and Athenian-backed Phocians around 440 BC. The Spartans defeated the Phocians and restored self-government at Delphi.

The Third Sacred War started in 356 BC, when the Phocians seized the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. In 346 BC, the Phocians lost the war and were cast out of the League, their votes being given to Macedonia, and resulting in the domination of Macedonia over Greece after the Fourth Sacred War.

Myth proclaims the founder of the league to be Amphictyon, who was King of Thermopylae and later ruled over Athens. He is stated to be the brother or son of Hellen, the common ancestor of all Greeks.

Well-known members include Plutarch, who worked as a manager and oversaw the Pythian Games from 107 to 127 and also served as a priest for Apollo at the Temple of Delphi. Another is Aeschines, which I encourage you all to research because his story is INSANE, but he served as an Athenian deputy.

Though the league has no official end date, it is considered over around the 2nd century, under Roman rule. It was replaced by the Panhellenion, a religious league of city states set up by Emperor Hadrian to recreate Ancient Greece when it was fighting the Persians. Hadrian was a philhellene, which meant he was fond of Greek culture and history.

The Epithet:

The Temple of Demeter Amphictyonis was an extra-urban (located far away from big city populations) sanctuary in Anthela, Thessaly and served as the center for the Amphictynoic League, where they met each spring. As Herodotus says:

“Further to the south, another river, called the Phoenix, which has no great body of water, flows from the same hills, and falls into the Asopus. Here is the narrowest place of all; for in this part there is only a causeway wide enough for a single carriage. From the river Phoenix to Thermopylae is a distance of fifteen furlongs; and in this space is situate the village called Anthela, which the river Asopus passes ere it reaches the sea. The space about Anthela is of some width, and contains a temple of Amphictyonian Demeter, as well as the seats of the Amphictyonic deputies, and a temple of Amphictyon himself.” Herodotus, Histories 7. 200

As we can see, this was an extremely important cult center to the Greeks! The Amphictyonic League had a lot of political and religious power. The league made sacrifices to Lady Demeter at the start of meetings, although I have not yet been able to find what kind (even trying to research on the databases allowed to me through college has not found any sources). If anybody could point me in the direction of more information, I will be so glad to update this and credit you!

That being said, what we do know is that Demeter Amphictyonis is a goddess of wine and friendship between nations. She had her likeness printed on a silver stater with a veil and wreath of grain, and Apollo was depicted on the reverse side, inscribed with the word AMΦΙΚΤΥΩΝΩΝ (of the Amphictyons).

Unfortunately, the temple has since been destroyed. It is believed to have no longer been in use around 4th century AD because of the persecution of pagans by Christians. What remains is being studied by archaeologists.

How to Worship:

How you can worship this epithet is similar to the first one in this series - if you’re in the region, want to pay homage to the region/history, or however you want to use the epithet in your practice. Personally, seeing as it is a very important epithet relating to a very politically powerful temple, I think it is an epithet that isn’t to be used lightly. On the other hand, Demeter Amphictyonis is a goddess of wine and merriment, so if you’re having an important event or really need to rock a dinner interview, you could ask her for help.

I think a great take away from this epithet lesson is that there is so much we just don’t really know about ancient history. So much information here is not available either because a) it is not available for free or b) it’s just not researched enough. I would make assumptions, but it is dangerous to do that when I’m not a qualified historian, and I don’t want to spread misinformation like that, so I only reported on what I do know from multiple sources.

Another take away is that there is so much to learn about Ancient Greece. Even just researching this, I learned so much more about history that I want to continue to explore! The betrayal of the Phocians? The Battle of Thermopylae? Even just researching this epithet has really shown me how little I actually know and how much is still waiting for me to see and understand.

If you guys would like me to do a series on Greek history, let me know! There is a TON of related history of the amphictyonic league, so I am more than happy to explore that with you! For now, please look forward to the next epithet for Lady Demeter!

SOURCES

The Histories - Herodotus

The Phocian Betrayal at Thermopylae

Wikipedia: Aeschines

Wikipedia: Amphictyonic league

Wikipedia: Amphictyonis

Wikipedia: Ancient Thessaly

Wikipedia: Anthela (Thessaly)

Wikipedia: Mount Olympus

Wikipedia: Plutarch

Wikipedia: Temple of Demeter Amphictyonis

Wikipedia: Thessaly

Wikipedia: Thermopylae

Wikipedia: Third Sacred War

[transgenderer]

The Megali Idea (Greek: Μεγάλη Ιδέα, romanized: Megáli Idéa, lit. 'Great Idea')[1] is a nationalist[2][3] and irredentist concept that expresses the goal of reviving the Byzantine Empire,[4] by establishing a Greek state, which would include the large Greek populations that were still under Ottoman rule after the end of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1828) and all the regions that had large Greek populations (parts of the Southern Balkans, Anatolia and Cyprus).[5]

The Megali Idea implies establishing a Greek state, which would be a territory encompassing mostly the former Byzantine lands from the Ionian Sea in the west to Anatolia and the Black Sea to the east and from Thrace, Macedonia and Epirus in the north to Crete and Cyprus to the south. This new state would have Constantinople as its capital: it would be the "Greece of Two Continents and Five Seas" (Europe and Asia, the Ionian, Aegean, Marmara, Black and Libyan Seas). If realized, this would expand modern Greece to roughly the same size and extent of the later Byzantine Empire, after its restoration in 1261 AD. The Megali Idea dominated foreign policy and domestic politics of Greece from the War of Independence in the 1820s through the Balkan wars in the beginning of the 20th century. It started to fade after the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922), followed by the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923

can you imagine. magna graeceae

[magpiefngrl]

For the top 5 ask: holiday destinations!?!?!?!

I love travel! Awesome question, anon x

Koh Phangan, Thailand. I've spent almost 7-8 months on a particular beach and about a year in total in the country. This is a place I hold dear in my heart. Thailand has excellent food, lovely people, fascinating culture and beautiful locations: what more could one want?

London, UK. I know London well and used to live there for some months, so I normally wouldn't think of it as a holiday destination. It feels very familiar, you know? I often work in the UK in the summers and pop in and out of London for a day. But I went there in July to see my sis and I spent 8 days just exploring and meeting people and having fun and I realised how much I love the city.

Andalucia, Spain. Beautiful cities and architecture, great food, a wonderful vibe.

Zagorohoria, Greece. A mountainous region in West Greece with picturesque stone villages and stone bridges arcing over clear rivers. It's like a fairytale place. The whole of Epirus is beautiful really.

Portugal. Have only spent a few days there and only a couple of hours in Lisbon but it's (so far) the prettiest European capital I've seen and I'm dying to go back and get to know the country more.

ask me "top five" anything

[gemsofgreece]

The Heptanese page is now complete!

Hehe I am making some progress lately! On my blog’s menu you can find the option “The Regions” which features basic information about all the regions of Greece.

The Heptanese is the latest region page that I have completed.

Other complete Region Pages:

Macedonia

Epirus

Thessaly

Sterea Hellas

Peloponnese

Crete 

Cyclades

Incomplete Region Pages:

Thrace

Dodecanese

Not-started yet -_- :

Islands of the Northeastern Aegean (getting there!)

Just like I mentioned in the last update, I go back and edit occasionally even the complete ones because sometimes I find out about new sights or I decorate these pages with Creative Commons pictures which often don’t make the places justice so I am always on the lookout for better options. Now I intent to edit them for better image positioning within the page.

[readyforevolution]

THE GREEKS AND ROMANS ON EGYPTIANS

“To the Greek and Latin writers contemporary with the ancient Egyptians the latter’s physical classification posed no problems: the Egyptians were negroes, thick-lipped, kinky-haired and thin-legged” (Diop, 1980, p. 37).

“Herodotus, ‘the father of history,’ — 480 (?) to — 425 [BCE]. With regard to the origins of the Colchians he writes: ‘It is in fact manifest that the Colchidians are Egyptian by race . . . several Egyptians told me that in their opinion the Colchidians were descended from soldiers of Sesostris I. I had conjectured as much myself from two pointers, firstly because they have black skins and kinky hair (to tell the truth this proves nothing for other peoples have them too) and secondly and more reliably for the reason that alone among mankind the Egyptians and the Ethiopians have practiced circumcision since time immemorial. The Phoenicians and Syrians of Palestine themselves admit that they learnt the practice from the Egyptians while the Syrians in the river Thermodon and Pathenios region and their neighbors the Macrons say they learnt it recently from the Colchidians’” (Diop, 1980, p. 36-37).

“Herodotus reverts several times to the negroid character of the Egyptians and each time uses it as a fact of observation to argue more or less complex theses. Thus to prove that the Greek oracle at Dodona in Epirus was of Egyptian origin, one of his arguments is the following: ‘ . . . and when they add that the dove was black they give us to understand that the woman was Egyptian’” (Diop, 1980, p. 37).

Aristotle (389 BCE - 332 BCE) says, “‘Those who are too black are cowards, like for instance, the Egyptians and Ethiopians. But those who are excessively white are also cowards as we can see from the example of women, the complexion of courage is between the two’” (Diop, 1980, p. 37).

Lucian (Greek writer, 125 - 190 BCE) describing a young Egyptian states, “‘This boy is not merely black; he has thick lips’” (Diop, 1980, p. 38).

Quote from Aeschylus (when describing the Egyptians): "I can see the crew with their black limbs and white tunics."

“According to Diodorous [of Sicily, 63 BCE to 14 BCE, Greek historian], it was probably Ethiopia which colonized Egypt (in the Athenian sense of the term, signifying that, with overpopulation, a proportion of the people emigrate to new territory)” (Diop, 1980, p. 38).

Diodorus states, “‘The Ethiopians say that the Egyptians are one of their colonies, which led into Egypt by Osiris. They claim that at the beginning of the world Egypt was simply a sea but that the Nile, carrying down vast quantities of loam from Ethiopia in its flood waters, finally filled it in and made it in part of the continent . . . They are that the Egyptians have received from them, as from authors and their ancestors, the greater part of their laws” (Diop, 1980, p. 38 - 39).

“There are about nine centuries between the birth of Aeschylus and Herodotus and the death of Ammianus Marcellinus, nine centuries during which the Egyptians, amid a sea of white races, steadily crossbred” (Diop, 1980, p. 39).

“It is remarkable that, despite its intensity, all this crossbreeding should not have succeeded in upsetting the racial constants. Indeed Ammianus Marcellinus [Latin historian, 330 - 395 CE] writes “‘ . . . the men of Egypt are mostly brown or black with a skinny and desiccated look’” (Diop, 1980, p. 39).

The great French philosopher Constantine de Volney on a visit to Egypt in 1787 would put it beautifully "Just think," de Volney declared incredulously, "that this race of Black men, today our slave and the object of our scorn, is the very race to which we owe our arts, sciences, and even the use of speech! Just imagine, finally, that it is in the midst of people who call themselves the greatest friends of liberty and humanity that one has approved the most barbarous slavery, and questioned whether Black men have the same kind of intelligence as whites!

Many contributions ounce thought to be attributed to a fairer skinned Egyptian peoples have been proven to be black African in origin.The oldest form of advanced mathematics showing the earliest use of egyptian multiplication is the 25,000 year old Ishango bone. The earliest form of advanced astronomy is the megalithic structures of Nabta Playa located in the Nubian desert.The oldest mummy ever found was Lucy dating back some 4 million years ago.

Luckily we live in a world free of the awful racism that infected 18th and 19th century historians looking to distort ,destroy and utterly deny any evidence of African peoples intelligence and competence. It is now commonly thought ,as the greeks knew long ago that ancient Egypt began essentially as a northern extension of Nubian culture and people.

[paganplaces]

Dodona

The Dodona oracle was an ancient Greek oracle located in the region of Epirus in northwestern Greece.

Read more at: https://paganplaces.com/places/dodona/