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Arvanites (Αρbε̰ρόρε̰ Arbërórë in Arvanitic, Αρβανίτες Arvanítes in Greek) are the descendants of settlers from the Despotate of Epirus (today's southern Albania and NW Greece) that settled in various Greek lands during the Middle Ages, principally between the 13th century and 15th century.

Arvanites played a prominent role during the Greek Revolution of 1821.

Demographics and language

Arvanites are predominantly Greek Orthodox in religious adherence. Their language, Arvanitika, shares a common origin with standard Albanian and has been heavily influenced by the Greek language with which it has come into contact. The language is in decline, partly due to emigration from Arvanitic-speaking villages to the Greek-speaking cities and partly due to its non-recognition by the Greek state: it has no legal status and is not taught in public schools.

Like the rest of the Greek population, Arvanites have been emigrating from their villages to the cities and especially to the capital Athens, which, incidentally, was populated by many Arvanites in the early 19th century, before becoming the Greek state's capital.

According to Biris (1960), from 1350 A.D. to 1418 A.D., 81,200 Arvanites, mercenary soldiers and their families, settled Greek lands after invitations from Byzantine emperors (Palaeologus Dynasty), the Catalans and the Venetians. The current population of Greeks who have (or might have partially) Arvanitic ancestry, is estimated around 1,600,000 (1994), but only 30,000-150,000 Arvanites speak Arvanitika.

Arvanitic culture and history

The Arvanites, like the Vlachs in Greece, have gradually developed a Greek national consciousness and identify themselves as Greeks. Some have argued that Arvanites are descended from early inhabitants of Greece (Pelasgians). Although they are related to Albanians, there have been reports in recent years of clashes between Arvanitic communities and Albanian immigrants.

Origin and history of the name

We first learn of the ancestors of the modern Albanians, as the Arbanites of Arbanon, in Anna Comnena's account (Alexiad, IV). The account discusses about the troubles in the region of Arbanon caused by the Normans during the reign of her father, Emperor Alexius I Comnenus (1081-1118). In the History, written in 1079/1080 A.D., Byzantine historian Michael Attaliates was the first to refer to the Albanoi as having taken part in a revolt against Constantinople in 1043 A.D. and to the Arbanitai as subjects of the Duke of Dyrrachium.

The terms Arvanitika and Arvanitic derive from the word Arvanitai (Αρβανίται); the etymology according to Yannis Koulakis' dictionary (ISBN 960-239-135-9) of the Greek adjective Arvanitika is from the root Arvanit- of the term Arvanitis.

According to one theory, the word "Arvanitis" is cognate with the word "Albanian"; the Greek consonant β has changed in pronunciation from to . For the "l/r" conversion (rhotacism). See also the history of the toponym Albania.

Most Arvanites strongly dislike being called Albanians. During the 1990s, Albanian president Sali Berisha described the Arvanites as an Albanian minority in Greece, provoking a furious reaction among the Arvanitic community in the Greek mass media.

According to Kollias, some Arvanites of the northwestern Greek region of Epirus traditionally also use the word Shqiptár (Σ̈κ̇ιπτάρ) to identify themselves, without claiming an Albanian national consciousness. The word Shqiptár is used as well in a few villages of Thrace, where Arvanites migrated from the mountains of Pindos during the 19th century. On the other hand, this word is totally unknown among the main body of the Arvanites in southern Greece.

Trivia

• Arvanitissa is the feminine of Arvanitis in Greek.
  • A church in Chios is dedicated to "Panagia Arvanitissa".
• Arvanites refer to their place of origin as Arvanitia (today southern Albania and NW Greece). Sometimes they apply this term to the whole of Albania and/or Epirus.
  • Arvanitia is also an alternate name for Akronafplia, Nafplion's Acropolis.
• Arvanites of Epirus named the north wind Arvanitis.
• Ouzo Plomari, Isidoros Arvanitis, 1894 (Ούζο Πλωμαρίου, Ισιδώρου Αρβανίτου, 1894) (note: Plomari is a town of Lesvos).

Phara

Phara (φάρα) is a descent model, similar to Scottish clans. Arvanites were organised in phares (φάρες) mostly during the reign of the Ottoman Empire. The apex was a warlord and the phara was named after him (i.e. Botsaris' phara). In an Arvanitic village each phara was responsible to keep genealogical records (see also registry offices), that are preserved until today as historical documents in local libraries. Usually there were more than one phares in an Arvanitic village and sometimes they were organised in phratries that had conflict of interests. Those phratries didn't last long, because each leader of a phara desired to be the leader of the phratry and would not be lead by another.

Arvanitic songs

Although they are almost fully assimilated into Greek society, some distinct Arvanitic cultural characteristics are still identifiable.

There are 4 music CDs featuring Arvanitic songs although the lyrics are often in Greek. There are no mass media in Arvanitic, although some local radio stations have occasionally broadcast Arvanitic songs. During the last decades there have been made some attempts to document Arvanitic songs, the most recent by Thanasis Moraitis.

Arvanitic songs share similarities with Arbëresh, Albanian and Greek Epirote music.

Ancient Greek inscriptions

Two archaeological discoveries, and in particular a Corinthian chrism from the 7th century BC and a clay wine-pitcher dating back to 725 BC, have been interpreted by the author Nikos Stylos as Arvanitic inscriptions.

Studies and books for Arvanites

Kostas Biris

Biris was a folklorist and an architect. His book "Arvanites, the Dorians of modern Hellenism, history of Arvanites Greeks" (1960) is a thorough study on Arvanites and it is the most referenced work by other scholars who studied Arvanites.

Maria Michael-Dede

Maria Michael-Dede is an author of literature and an ethnologist. She has written two books about Arvanitic songs (1978) and the book The Greeks Arvanites (1997).

Aristeides Kollias

Kollias, a lawyer by profession, performed ethnologist studies on Arvanites. In his book "Arvanites and the origin of the Greeks" (1983), Kollias promotes the Pelasgian theory that identifies the Pelasgians with the Arvanites. Kollias states that Greek people and Albanian people were closer in the past than they are during the last two centuries and that they both descend from the Pelasgians. His rejection of the Indo-European theory and his theory that Arvanitika is very close (if not identical) to the Homeric Greek have been criticized, however his work on Arvanitic culture is generally accepted.

Thanasis Moraitis

Moraitis had worked with Kollias for some time, and he did an extensive search on Arvanitic music. In his book "Arvanitika Songs", he documents about 150 songs, analyzes their musical structure, and also has texts by linguists and historians about Arvanitic history, culture and the Arvanitic language.

Famous Arvanites

• Greek War of Independence
  • Andreas Miaoulis, admiral and later politician
  • Markos Botsaris, leader of Souliotes, defender of Messolonghi
  • Laskarina Bouboulina, the only female member of Filiki Etaireia
  • Nikolaos Krieziotis, leader of the Greek Revolution in Evoia

• Presidents of Greece
  • Pavlos Kountouriotis, admiral and later politician
  • Theodoros Pangalos, general and briefly military dictator

• Prime Ministers of Greece
  • Kitsos Tzavelas
  • Georgios Kountouriotis
  • Antonios Kriezis, served in Greek navy during the revolution, later politician
  • Dimitrios Voulgaris
  • Athanasios Miaoulis
  • Diomidis Kiriakos
  • Theodoros Pangalos, general and later politician
  • Alexandros Korizis
  • Petros Voulgaris
  • Alexandros Diomidis

• Greek politicians
  • Theodoros Pangalos, former minister of Foreign Affairs, member of PASOK

• Artists
  • Nikos Engonopoulos, painter and poet

See also

• Arvanitic language
  • Arvanitic alphabet
• Balkan peninsula
  • Greece
  • Albania

References

External links

• Arvanitic League of Greece (in Greek only)
  • "Greek Arvanitic Lexicon". arvasynel.gr. December 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

• Report on the Arvanites by the HHRW

Bibliography

• "Arvanites, the Dorians of modern Hellenism, history of Arvanites Greeks" ("Αρβανίτες, οι Δωριείς του νεότερου Ελληνισμού, η ιστορία των Ελλήνων Αρβανιτών"), Konstantinos Biris, 1st edition, 1960
  • (3rd edition, 1998: ISBN 9602040319 )
• "Arvanites and arvanitic song in Greece", Yannis Gkikas
• "Arvanites and the origins of the Greeks", Aristeides Kollias, 1983
• "The Greeks Arvanites", Maria Michael-Dede, 1997
• "Anthology of Arvanitika songs of Greece", Thanasis Moraitis, 2002, ISBN 9608597676

• Ethnic groups of Europe
• Ethnic groups of Greece