THE MYTH OF THE "ETHNIC ALBANIANS" OF ATTICA

The propagandists, in yet another attempt to falsify modern Greek history, claim that Athens and Attica were entirely populated by ethnic Albanians. As proof, they cite the records of foreign travelers where, among other things, they state that the Greek language is not spoken anywhere in Attica and that the inhabitants are all Albanians. 

However, they are completely refuted by the testimony of a native Athenian and revolutionary of 1821, Dionysios Sourmelis, who in his book "Summary situation of the city of Athens" gives the following information:

• «𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀, 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀» (p.82)

• «Because Muslim Albanians were privileged [by the Ottomans] , 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀, being all farmers in order to have relations and to be accustomed to them for their benefit, 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀 […] And the last of the Albanized were the inhabitants of Acharnae and Maroussi, who had accepted Albanianism in the middle of the 18th century» (p.83)

Sourmelis predicted that the propagandists would find the opportunity to back up their lies and he wrote:

«𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀» (p. 86) 

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EMPEROR JULIAN: OUR RACE AND STATE IS GREEK

«I myself recognise that our city is Greek, both in descent and as to its construction»

                 — Roman Emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus

Emperor Flavius Claudius Julianus was the Caesar of the West from 355 to 360 and Roman emperor from 361 to 363. In his work "Hymn to king Helios" he firmly supports the Greekness of his empire, that is, the Roman Empire. This testimony is of the utmost importance for the understanding of the cultural character of the Roman Empire, especially when promoters of Anti-Greek propaganda support that the continuity of the Hellenic race was interrupted by the Romans and that Greeks are not heirs of the Roman empire.

PLUTARCH - EPIRUS - BARBARISM

The question of whether the ancient Epirotes were barbarians, meaning non-Greek in origin, is addressed clearly and concisely by Plutarch in the introduction to his "Life of Pyrrhus." The author, recounting the history of Epirus, initially provides a significant linguistic detail, specifically a word from the native language of the Epirotes: the word "Aspetos," which translates to "unspeakably great" and has a clear Greek etymology [1]. This indicates that the native language of the Epirotes was Greek.

Furthermore, Plutarch addresses the question of why ancient writers such as Thucydides and Strabo referred to the Epirotes as barbarians. He explains that Epirus became "barbarized" at a certain point, which implies that Epirus was originally non-barbarian, i.e. Greek (after all, Plutarch had already implied thr Greekness of the Epirotes' speech). Epirus underwent cultural re-Hellenization after King Tharrhypas reorganized the region both culturally and politically.

This explanation by Plutarch provides a nuanced understanding of the cultural and linguistic identity of the Epirotes, showing that despite periods of cultural transformation, their roots and language were fundamentally Greek. Modern experts confirm that there is not any evidence clearly doubting Epirotes' Hellenic ethnological profile [2].

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References:

[1] The word occurs in Iliad 8.558, Iliad 18.403, Odyssey 4.75, see:A Greek-English lexicon

by Liddell, Henry George, 1811-1898; Scott, Robert, 1811-1887, p.233

[2] J. Engels in: A companion to Ancient Macedonia p.83-84; Sasel Kos, Portolano Andriatico, p.14

KEKAUMENOS' DISPROVEN MEDIEVAL ACCOUNT: THE VLACH MIGRATION MYTH

While medieval sources support the existence of Latin-speaking Greeks [1] and in other cases the Hellenicity of the Vlachs (Aromanians) [2], Kekaumenos, a Byzantine Armenian author of the 11th century, writes that Vlachs were Dacians and Bessi who migrated to Macedonia, Epirus and Thessaly. This could perfectly fit the claims of Romanian propaganda, however modern experts reject the passage of Kekaumenos as unreliable and biased for the following reasons:

• Kekaumenos has misinterpreted ancient sources that he employed in his narrative [3]

• Kekaumenos purposely discredits the Vlachs by representing them as foreign migrants in order to blame them entirely about the revolt of 1066 and exculpate his father-in-law Nikulitzas Delphinas who lead the revolt [3]

• Kekaumenos' narrative comes from the epitome of Xiphilinus by Cassius Dio and does not represent a genuine oral tradition among the Vlachs about their origins and ancestors [4]

However, Kekaumenos accidentally implies that he considered the Vlachs to be Greeks, when he indirectly presents his Vlach grandfather Nikoulitzas as Greek and ruler of the Vlachs of Greece [5].

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Sources/References:

[1] John Lydus, Περί των Αρχών, 261, 68

[2] Georgios Pachymeris, De Michaele et Andronico palaeologis libri tredecim, vol.1, p.83

[3] Florin Curta, Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages (500-1300), p.672

[4] T.J. Winnifrith, The Vlachs, p.107

[5] T.J. Winnifrith, The Vlachs, p.108