The meaning of the word Hellenes. Hellenes World historical significance of the laws of Solon

Hellenes(Ἔλληνες). - For the first time with the name of the Hellenes - a small tribe that lived in southern Thessaly in the valley of the Enipeus, Apidan and other tributaries of the Peneus - we meet in Homer (Il. II, 683, 684): E., along with the Achaeans and Myrmidons, are mentioned here like the subjects of Achilles, who actually inhabit Hellas. In addition, we find the name of Hellas as a southern Thessalian region in several later parts of both Homeric poems (Il. IX, 395, 447, XVI, 595; Od. I, 340, IV, 726, XI, 496). This data from epic poetry about the geographical location of Egypt is used by Herodotus, Thucydides, Parian Marble, and Apollodorus; only Aristotle, based on Il. XVI, 234-235, where the “priests of Dodon Zeus” are mentioned Cells, who do not wash their feet and sleep on the bare ground,” and identifying the names of the Sells (sub. Gells) and the Hellenes, transfers ancient Hellas to Epirus. Based on the fact that Epirus Dodona was the center of the ancient cult of the original Greek gods - Zeus and Dione, Ed. Meyer (“Geschichte des Altertums”, II vol., Stuttgart, 1893) believes that in the prehistoric period the Greeks who occupied Epirus were driven out from there to Thessaly and carried with them to new lands the former tribal and regional names; it is clear that the Hellopia mentioned by Hesiod and the Homeric Sellas (Gellas) are repeated in the Thessalian Hellenes and Hellas. Later, genealogical poetry (starting with Hesiod) created the eponym of the Hellenic tribe Hellene, making him the son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, who survived the great local flood and were considered the ancestors of the Greek people. The same genealogical poetry created in the person of Hellenus' brother, Amphictyon, the eponym of Thermopylae-Delphic amphictyony. From this we can conclude (Holm “History of Greece”, I, 1894 p. 225 next; see also Beloch, “History of Greece”, vol. I, pp. 236-217, M., 1897) that the Greeks recognized a close the connection between the union of the Amphictyons and the name of E., especially since the Phthiotian Achaeans, identical with the ancient Hellenes, were geographically located in the center of the peoples who were originally part of the union. Thus, the members of the Amphictyony, connecting themselves by origin with the Phthiotians, little by little got used to calling themselves Hellenes and spread this name throughout Northern and Central Greece, and the Dorians transferred it to the Peloponnese. In the 7th century BC mainly in the east, the correlative concepts of barbarians and panhellenes arose: this latter name was supplanted by the name Hellenes, which had already come into use, which united all the tribes who spoke Greek. language, with the exception of the Macedonians, who lived an isolated life. As a national name, the name E., according to the information we have, is found for the first time in Archilochus and in the Hesiod Catalog; in addition, it is known that the organizers of the Olympic festival bore the name Hellanodics already before 580 BC. The need to create a national name is already noticed in epic poetry: for example, in Homer, the Greeks bear the common tribal names of Danaans, Argives, Achaeans, as opposed to the Trojans. Aristotle and some representatives of Alexandrian literature mention another, in their opinion, the most ancient common ethnic name of the people - Γραικοί (= graeci = Greeks), under which in historical time the inhabitants of E. were known to the Romans and which then passed through the Romans to everyone to the European peoples. In general, the question of the origin of the ethnic names of the Greek people is one of the controversial and unresolved to this day. Wed. Ed. Meyer, "Forschungen zur alten Geschichte" (Stuttgart, 1892); B. Niese, “Ueber den Volkstamm der Gräker” (“Hermes”, vol. XII, B., 1877; pp. 409 et seq.); Busolt, “Griechische Geschichte bis zur Schlacht bei Chaironeia” (I vol., 2nd ed., Gotha, 1893); Enmann, “From the field of ancient Greek geographical onomatology” (“Journal of Min. Nar. Prosv.”, 1899, April and July).

Reading textbooks and others scientific publications associated with history, you can often see the word “Hellenes”. As you know, the concept refers to the history of Ancient Greece. This era always arouses great interest among people, since it amazes with its cultural monuments, which have survived to this day and are exhibited in many museums around the world. If we turn to the definition of the word, then Hellenes is the name of the Greek people (that’s what they called themselves). They received the name “Greeks” a little later.

Hellenes are… Read more about the term

So, representatives of the ancient Greek people gave themselves this name. Many people hear this term and wonder: who did the Greeks call Hellenes? It turns out, themselves. The word "Greeks" was applied to this people by the Romans when they conquered it. If we turn to the modern Russian language, the concept “Hellenes” is most often used to refer to the inhabitants of Ancient Greece, but the Greeks still call themselves Hellenes. Thus, Hellenes is not an outdated term, but a completely modern one. It is especially interesting that in the history of Ancient Greece there is a period called “Hellenistic”

History of the concept

Thus, the main question of who the Greeks called Hellenes was considered. Now it’s worth talking a little about the history of this word, since it plays a big role in the development of the term. The name “Hellenes” first appears in the works of Homer. A small tribe of Hellenes is mentioned that lived in southern Thessaly. Several other authors, for example, Herodotus, Thucydides and some others, placed them in the same area in their works.

In the 7th century BC. e. the concept of “Hellenes” is already found as the name of an entire nation. This description is found in the ancient Greek author Archilochus and is characterized as “ greatest people of all times."

Of particular interest is the history of Hellenism. Many magnificent works arts such as sculptures, architectural objects, objects of decorative and applied art were created by the Hellenes. Photos of these wonderful objects cultural heritage can be seen in various materials, published by museums and their catalogues.

So, we can move on to consider the Hellenistic era itself.

Hellenistic culture

Now it is worth considering the question of what Hellenism and its culture are. Hellenism is a certain period of life in the Mediterranean. It lasted quite a while for a long time, its beginning dates back to 323 BC. e. The Hellenistic period ended with the establishment of Roman rule in the Greek territories. It is believed that this happened in 30 BC. e.

The main characteristic feature of this period is the widespread spread of Greek culture and language in all territories that were conquered by Alexander the Great. Also at this time, the interpenetration of Eastern culture (mainly Persian) and Greek began. In addition to the listed features, this time is characterized by the emergence of classical slavery.

With the beginning of the Hellenistic era there was a gradual transition to a new political system: there used to be a polis organization, and it was replaced by a monarchy. The main centers of cultural and economic life from Greece moved somewhat to Asia Minor and Egypt.

Timeline of the Hellenistic period

Of course, having outlined the Hellenistic era, it is necessary to say about its development and what stages it was divided into. In total, this period covered 3 centuries. It would seem that by the standards of history this is not so much, but during this time the state has changed noticeably. According to some sources, the beginning of the era is considered to be 334 BC. e., that is, the year in which the campaign of Alexander the Great began. The entire era can be roughly divided into 3 periods:

Early Hellenism: during this period, the great empire of Alexander the Great was created, then it collapsed, and
Classical Hellenism: This time is characterized by political balance.
Late Hellenism: During this time, the Hellenistic world was taken over by the Romans.

Famous monuments of Hellenistic culture

So, questions were considered about what the term “Hellenes” means, who were called Hellenes, and also what Hellenistic culture is. After the Hellenistic period, a countless number of cultural monuments remained, many of which are known throughout the world. The Hellenes are a truly unique people who created real masterpieces in the field of sculpture, architecture, literature and in many other areas.

The architecture of that period is especially characterized by monumentality. Famous Hellenism - the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, and others. As for sculpture, the most famous example- this is a statue

Hellenes

oov, units -in, -a, m. Self-name of the Greeks (usually of the classical era). K. Hellenic, -i. and adj. Hellenic, -aya, -oe. Hellenic culture. E. theater.

New explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, T. F. Efremova.

Hellenes

pl. Ancient Greeks.

Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1998

Hellenes

HELLENES (Greek: Hellenes) self-name of the Greeks.

Hellenes

Hellenes- self-name of the Greeks. The Hellenes received the name “Greeks” from the Romans who conquered them. In modern Russian, the word “Hellenes” is usually used to refer to the inhabitants of Ancient Greece, although modern Greeks also call themselves this way.

For the first time, a small tribe of Hellenes in southern Thessaly is mentioned in Homer. They were also placed there by Herodotus, Thucydides, the Parian Chronicle, and Apollodorus. However, Aristotle transfers ancient Hellas to Epirus. According to Eduard Meyer, expressed in his work “Geschichte des Altertums” (II vol., Stuttgart, 1893), in the prehistoric period the Greeks who occupied Epirus were driven out from there to Thessaly and took with them the previous tribal and regional names to new lands.

Later, genealogical poetry (starting with Hesiod) created the eponym of the Hellenic tribe Hellene, making him the son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, who survived the great local flood and were considered the ancestors of the Greek people. The same genealogical poetry created in the person of Hellenus' brother, Amphictyon, the eponym of Thermopylae-Delphic amphictyony. Members of the Amphictyony, connecting themselves by origin with the Phthiotians, got used to calling themselves Hellenes and spread this name throughout Northern and Central Greece, and the Dorians transferred it to the Peloponnese.

In the 7th century BC, mainly in the east, the correlative concepts of barbarians and panhellenes arose, but this latter name was supplanted by the name Hellenes, which had already come into use, which united all the tribes that spoke Greek, with the exception of the Macedonians, who lived an isolated life.

As a national name Hellenes found for the first time in the 8th century BC by Archilochus and in the Hesiod catalogue, as “the greatest people of all times.”

Examples of the use of the word Hellenes in literature.

What surprised Thais most was the bestiality of the gods among the people, before whose wisdom and secret sciences Hellenes bowed down!

According to Nearchus, Hellenes they slandered the Cretans themselves - there was no more faithful and reliable person in all of Pella than Nearchus.

If there are many truly brave people around you and strong men, you can consider yourself completely safe,” the hetaera answered, laughing, “they are Hellenes and especially the Spartans.

Grateful Hellenes They placed her portrait statue of gold-plated bronze on the stairs leading to the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi.

How long have we been Hellenes, worshiped the rivers, so important in our low-water country?

We, Hellenes, are still very immature - we do not have morality and understanding of human feelings, like in the far East.

To find out the roots of our faith, the origin of our gods, to understand why we still Hellenes live without understanding the responsibilities and goals of man among other people and in the surrounding Ecumene.

Then Thais heard the bearded poet ask the Delian philosopher: “Should we understand what you said, that we, Hellenes, despite enormous knowledge and great art, we do not deliberately strive to create new tools and machines, so as not to part with the feelings of Eros, beauty and poetry?

We, Hellenes, not so long ago they began on this wild and evil path, earlier the Egyptians and the inhabitants of Syria came to it, and now an even worse domination of Rome is ripening in the west.

All - heavenly, earthly and underground, she who is called Ashtoreth, Cybele or Rhea, and Hellenes They are also considered Artemis or Hecate.

Leoforos was his name Hellenes a convenient road, adapted for heavy carts, led to the treasured Persepolis, the largest gaziphylakia, the treasury of Persia, the sacred place of coronations and throne receptions of the Achaemenid dynasty.

These were Hellenes, captured or deceived to work in the capital of Persia.

Persepolis was not a city in the sense that the word meant Hellenes, Macedonians, Phoenicians.

For this, the crippled worked here Hellenes, Ionians, Macedonians and Thracians, a crowd of whom we met?

We are above all else in life, Hellenes, we consider the perfection of man, the harmony of his development, physical and spiritual, callocathia, as we say.

Continuing the topic of ancient civilizations, I offer you a small compilation of data on racial genetic and ethnic history Hellenic world - from the Minoan era to the Macedonian expansion. It's obvious that this topic is more extensive than the previous ones. Here we will dwell on the materials of K. Kuhn, Angel, Poulianos, Sergi and Ripley, as well as some other authors...

To begin with, it is worth noting several points related to the pre-Indo-European population of the basin Aegean Sea.

Herodotus on the Pelasgians:

“The Athenians are of Pelasgian origin, and the Lacedomonians are of Hellenic origin.”

“When the Pelasgians occupied the land that is now called Greece, the Athenians were Pelasgians and were called Cranai; when the Cecrops ruled, they were called Cecropides; under Eret they turned into Athenians and, eventually, into Ionians, from Ionus, son of Xuthus"

“...The Pelasgians spoke a barbarian dialect. And if all the Pelasgians were such, then the Athenians, being Pelasgians, changed their language at the same time as all Greece.”

“The Greeks, already isolated from the Pelasgians, were few in number, and their number grew due to mixing with other barbarian tribes”

“...The Pelasgians, who had already become Hellenes, united with the Athenians when they also began to call themselves Hellenes”

In the “Pelasgians” of Herodotus, it is worth considering a conglomerate of various tribes having both autochthonous Neolithic origin, and Asia Minor, and Northern Balkan origin, which has passed throughout Bronze Age, homogenization process. Later, Indo-European tribes who came from the north of the Balkans, as well as Minoan colonists from Crete, were also involved in this process.

Middle Bronze Age Skulls:

207, 213, 208 – female skulls; 217 – male.

207, 217 – Atlantic-Mediterranean type (“basic white”); 213 – European alpine type; 208 – East Alpine type.

It is also necessary to touch upon Mycenae and Tiryns, the civilizational centers of the Middle Bronze Age.

Reconstruction of the appearance of the ancient Mycenaeans:

Paul Faure, "Daily life Greece during the Trojan War"

“Everything that can be extracted from the study of skeletons of the early Hellenic type (XVI-XIII centuries BC) with the modern level of anthropological information only confirms and slightly complements the data of Mycenaean iconography. The men buried in Circle B of the royal tombs at Mycenae averaged 1,675 meters in height, with seven exceeding 1.7 metres. Women are mostly 4-8 centimeters lower. In circle A, two skeletons are more or less well preserved: the first reaches 1.664 meters, the second (the bearer of the so-called mask of Agamemnon) - 1.825 meters. Lawrence Angil, who studied them, noticed that both had extremely dense bones, massive bodies and heads. These people clearly belonged to a different ethnic type from their subjects and were on average 5 centimeters taller than them.”

If we talk about the “god-born” sailors who came from overseas and usurped power in the old Mycenaean policies, then here, most likely, we are dealing with the ancient Eastern Mediterranean tribes of seafarers. The “God-born” were reflected in myths and legends; the dynasties of Hellenic kings who lived already in the Classical era began with their names.

Paul Faure about the type depicted on the death masks of kings from the “God-born” dynasties:

“Some deviations from the common type on gold masks from burial grounds make it possible to see other faces; one is especially interesting - almost round, with a fleshier nose and eyebrows fused at the bridge of the nose. Such persons are often found in Anatolia, and even more often in Armenia, as if deliberately wanting to give substantiation to the legends according to which many kings, queens, concubines, craftsmen, slaves and soldiers moved from Asia Minor to Greece.”

Traces of their presence can be found among the populations of the Cyclades, Lesbos and Rhodes.

A. Poulianos about the Aegean anthropological complex:

“He stands out for his dark pigmentation, wavy (or straight) hair, medium-sized chest hair, and above-average beard growth. The influence of Western Asian elements is undoubtedly evident here. By the color and shape of the hair, by the growth of the beard and chest hair in relation to the anthropological types of Greece and Western Asia, Aegean type occupies an intermediate position"

Also, confirmation of the expansion of seafarers “from across the sea” can be found in the data dermatology:

“There are eight types of prints, which can easily be reduced to three main ones: arcuate, looped, whorled, that is, those whose lines diverge in concentric circles. The first attempt at comparative analysis, made in 1971 by professors Rol Astrom and Sven Erikeson on material from two hundred Mycenaean specimens, turned out to be discouraging. She showed that for Cyprus and Crete the percentage of arc prints (5 and 4%, respectively) is the same as for the peoples of Western Europe, for example Italy and Sweden; the percentage of looped (51%) and whorled (44.5%) is very close to what we see among the peoples of modern Anatolia and Lebanon (55% and 44%). The truth remains open question about what percentage of the artisans in Greece were Asian emigrants. And yet the fact remains: the study of fingerprints revealed two ethnic components of the Greek people - European and Middle Eastern."

Approaching more detailed description population Ancient Hellas – K. Kuhn about the ancient Hellenes(from the work "Races of Europe")

“...In 2000 B.C. there were present here, from a cultural point of view, three main elements of the Greek population: local Neolithic Mediterraneans; newcomers from the north, from the Danube; Cycladic tribes from Asia Minor.

Between 2000 BC and the Age of Homer, Greece experienced three invasions: (a) the Corded Ware tribes who came from the north later than 1900 BC, and who, according to Myres, brought the Indo-European basis Greek language; (b) the Minoans from Crete, who gave the “ancient pedigree” to the dynasties of rulers of Thebes, Athens, Mycenae. Most of them invaded Greece later than 1400 BC. © “God-born” conquerors such as Atreus, Pelops, etc., who came from across the Aegean Sea on ships, adopted the Greek language and usurped the throne by marrying the daughters of the Minoan kings ... "

“The Greeks of the great period of Athenian civilization were the result of a mixture of various ethnic elements, and the search for the origins of the Greek language continues...”

“The skeletal remains should be useful in the process of reconstructing history. The six skulls from Ayas Kosmas, near Athens, represent the entire period of mixing of Neolithic, "Danubian" and "Cycladic" elements, between 2500 and 2000. BC. Three skulls are dolichocephalic, one is mesocephalic, and two are brachycephalic. All faces are narrow, noses are leptorrhine, high orbits..."

“The Middle Helladic period is represented by 25 skulls, which represent the era of the invasion of the alien Corded Ware culture from the North, and the process of increasing the power of the Minoan conquerors from Crete. 23 skulls are from Asin, and 2 are from Mycenae. It should be noted that the populations of this period are very mixed. Only two skulls are brachycephalic, they are both male and both are associated with short stature. One skull has medium size, high skull, narrow nose and narrow face; others are extremely broad-faced and hamarrin. They are two different broadhead types, both of which can be found in modern Greece.

Long skulls do not represent a homogeneous type; some have large skulls and massive brows, with deep nasal cavities, reminding me of one of the variants of the Neolithic dolichocephals from Long Barrow and the Corded Ware culture ... "

“The rest of the dolichocephalic skulls represent the Middle Helladic population, which had smoothed eyebrows and long noses similar to the inhabitants of Crete and Asia Minor in the same era..."

“...41 skulls from the Late Helladic period, dated between 1500 and 1200 BC. BC, and having their origin, for example, from Argolid, must include a certain element of “God-born” conquerors. Among these skulls, 1/5 are brachycephalic, mainly of the Cypriot Dinaric type. Among the dolichocephalic ones, a significant part are difficult-to-classify variants, and a smaller number are low-growing Mediterranean variants. The similarity with the northern types, with the Corded Ware culture type in particular, seems more noticeable in this era than before. This change of non-Minoan origin must be associated with the heroes of Homer"

“...The racial history of Greece in the classical period is not described in such detail as in those periods that have been studied previously. There may have been slight population changes here until the beginning of the slave era. In Argolid the Mediterranean element is represented in its pure form in only one of the six skulls. According to Kumaris, mesocephaly dominated Greece throughout the Classical period, both in the Hellenistic and Roman eras. The average cephalic index in Athens, represented by 30 skulls, during this period is 75.6. Mesocephaly reflects a mixture of various elements, the Mediterranean being dominant among them. Greek colonies in Asia Minor display the same combination of types as in Greece. The mixture with the Asia Minors must have been masked by the noticeable similarity between the populations of both shores of the Aegean Sea."

“The Minoan nose with a high bridge and a flexible body came to classical Greece as an artistic ideal, but portraits of people show that this could not be an ordinary phenomenon in life. Villains, funny characters, satyrs, centaurs, giants and all undesirable people are shown both in sculpture and in vase paintings as broad-faced, snub-nosed and bearded. Socrates belonged to this type, similar to a satyr. This alpine type can also be found in modern Greece. And in early skeletal materials it is represented by some brachycephalic series.

In general, it is surprising to contemplate portraits of Athenians and death masks of Spartans, so similar to modern inhabitants of Western Europe. This similarity is less noticeable in Byzantine art, where one often finds images similar to those of contemporary Middle Easterners; but the Byzantines mostly lived outside of Greece.
As will be shown below(Chapter XI) , modern inhabitants of Greece, oddly enough, are practically no different from their classical ancestors»

Greek skull from Megara:

The following data is given Lauren Angel:

“All the evidence and assumptions contradict Nilsson's hypothesis that the Greco-Roman decline is associated with an increase in the reproduction of passive individuals, the bastardization of the originally racially pure nobility, and the low level of their birth rate. Since it was this mixed group that appeared during the Geometric period that gave rise to the Classical Greek civilization."

Analysis of the remains of representatives of different periods Greek history, reproduced by Angel:

Based on the above data, the dominant elements in the Classical era are: Mediterranean and Iranian-Nordic.

Greeks of the Iranian-Nordic type(from the works of L. Angel)

“Representatives of the Iranian-Nordic type have long, high craniums with strongly protruding occiputs, which smooth out the contour of the ovoid ellipsoid, developed eyebrows, inclined and wide foreheads. Significant facial height and narrow cheekbones, combined with a wide jaw and forehead, create the impression of a rectangular “horse” face. Large but compressed cheekbones are combined with high orbits, an aquiline protruding nose, a long concave palate, massive wide jaws, chins with a depression, although not protruding. Initially, representatives of this type were both blue-eyed and green-eyed blonds and brown-haired people, as well as burning brunettes.”

Greeks of the Mediterranean type(from the works of L. Angel)

“Classical Mediterraneans have a fine-boned physique and are graceful. They have small dolichocephalic heads, pentagonal in vertical and occipital projection; compressed neck muscles, low rounded foreheads. They have fine, beautiful facial features; square orbits, thin noses with a low bridge; triangular lower jaws with a slight protruding chin, subtle prognathism and malocclusion, which is associated with the degree of wear of the teeth. Initially, they were only below average height, with a thin neck, brunettes with black or dark hair."

Having studied the comparative data of ancient and modern Greeks, Angel draws conclusions:

"The racial continuity in Greece is astonishing"

“Poulianos is correct in his judgment that there is a genetic continuity of the Greeks from antiquity to modern times”

For a long time, the question of the influence of northern Indo-European elements on the genesis of Greek civilization remained controversial, so it is worth dwelling on several points related to this particular topic:

The following writes Paul Faure:

“Classical poets, from Homer to Euripides, persistently portray heroes as tall and fair-haired. Every sculpture from the Minoan era to the Hellenistic era endows goddesses and gods (except perhaps Zeus) with golden locks and superhuman stature. It is rather an expression of an ideal of beauty, a physical type not found among mere mortals. And when the geographer Dicaearchus from Messene in the 4th century BC. e. is surprised by the blond Thebans (dyed? red?) and praises the courage of the blond Spartiates, he only thus emphasizes the exceptional rarity of blonds in the Mycenaean world. And in fact, in the few images of warriors that have come down to us - be it ceramics, inlay, wall paintings of Mycenae or Pylos. we see men with black, slightly curly hair, and their beards - in those cases, if they have any - are black as agate. The wavy or curly hair of the priestesses and goddesses in Mycenae and Tiryns is no less dark. Wide open dark eyes, a long thin nose with a clearly defined, or even fleshy tip, thin lips, very fair skin, relatively short stature and slender figure - we invariably find all these features on Egyptian monuments where the artist sought to capture “the peoples who live on the islands of the Great (Great) Green.” In the XIII, as in the XV century BC. e., most of the population of the Mycenaean world belonged to the ancient Mediterranean type, the same one that has been preserved in many regions to this day."

L. Angel

“there is no reason to assume that the Iranian-Nordic type in Greece was as lightly pigmented as the Nordic type in northern latitudes”

J. Gregor

“...Both the Latin “flavi” and the Greek “xanthos” and “hari” are generalized terms with many additional meanings. “Xanthos,” which we boldly translate as “blonde,” was used by the ancient Greeks to define “any hair color other than jet black, which color was probably no lighter than dark chestnut.” ((Wace, Keiter ) Sergi)..."

K. Kuhn

“...we cannot be sure that all prehistoric skeletal material that appears to be North Caucasian in an osteological sense was associated with light pigmentation.”

Buxton

“With regard to the Achaeans, we can say that there seems to be no basis for suspecting the presence of a northern European component.”

Debets

“In the Bronze Age population we generally find the same anthropological types as in the modern population, only with a different percentage of representatives of certain types. We cannot talk about mixing with the northern race."

K. Kuhn, L. Angel, Baker and, later, Aris Poulianos were of the opinion that the Indo-European language was brought to Greece along with ancient tribes Central Europe, which became part of the Dorian and Ionian tribes that assimilated the local Pelasgian population.

We can also find indications of this fact in the ancient author Polemona(who lived during the era of Hadrian):

“Those who managed to preserve the Hellenic and Ionian race in all its purity (!) are quite tall, broad-shouldered, stately, well-cut and fairly fair-skinned men. Their hair is not completely blond (that is, light brown or blond), relatively soft and slightly wavy. The faces are wide, high cheekbones, thin lips, straight noses and shiny eyes full of fire. Yes, the eyes of the Greeks are the most beautiful in the world."

These features: strong build, medium to tall height, mixed hair pigmentation, wide cheekbones indicate a Central European element. Similar data can be found by Poulianos, according to the results of whose research the Central European Alpine type in some regions of Greece has a specific gravity of 25-30%. Poulianos studied 3,000 people from various regions of Greece, among which Macedonia is the lightest pigmented, but at the same time, the cephalic index there is 83.3, i.e. an order of magnitude higher than in all other regions of Greece. In Northern Greece, Poulianos distinguishes the Western Macedonian (North Indian) type, it is the most lightly pigmented, is sub-brachycephalic, but, at the same time, is similar to the Hellenic anthropological group (Central Greek and Southern Greek type).

As a more or less clear example Western Macedonian complex devil - Bulgarian-speaking Macedonian:

An interesting example is the example of fair-haired characters from Pells(Macedonia)

In this case, the heroes are depicted as golden-haired, pale (as opposed to mere mortals working under the scorching sun?), very tall, with a straight profile line.

In comparison with them - image detachment of hypaspists from Macedonia:

In the depiction of the heroes, we see the emphasized sacredness of their image and features that are as different as possible from “mere mortals,” embodied by the hypaspist warriors.

If we talk about works of painting, then the relevance of their comparison with living people is doubtful, since the creation of realistic portraits begins only in the 5th-4th centuries. BC – before this period, the image of features that are relatively rare among people dominates (an absolutely straight profile line, a heavy chin with a soft contour, etc.).

However, the combination of these features is not fantasy, but an ideal, the models for the creation of which were few. Some parallels for comparison:

In the 4th-3rd centuries. realistic images people are beginning to become widespread - some examples:

Alexander the Great(+ supposed reconstruction of appearance)

Alcibiades / Thucydides / Herodotus

On the sculptures of the era of Philip Argead, the conquests of Alexander and in the Hellenistic period, which are distinguished by higher realism than in earlier periods, dominates Atlantic-Mediterranean(“basic white” in Angel’s terminology) type. Perhaps this is an anthropological pattern, or perhaps a coincidence, or a new ideal under which the features of the depicted personalities were subsumed.

Atlanto-Mediterranean variant, characteristic of the Balkan Peninsula:

Modern Greeks of the Atlanto-Mediterranean type:

Based on the data of K. Kuhn, the Atlanto-Mediterranean substrate is largely present throughout Greece, and is also the basic element for the populations of Bulgaria and Crete. Angel also positions this anthropological element as one of the most prevalent in the Greek population, both throughout history (see table) and in the modern era.

Antique sculptural images, displaying features of the above type:

These same features are clearly visible in the sculptural images of Alcibiades, Seleucus, Herodotus, Thucydides, Antiochus and other representatives of the Classical era.

As mentioned above, this element dominates among Bulgarian population:

2) Tomb in Kazanlak(Bulgaria)

The same features are noticeable here as in the previous paintings.

Thracian type according to Aris Poulianos:

"Of all the types of the southeastern branch of the Caucasian race Thracian type most mesocephalic and narrow-faced. The profile of the nasal bridge is straight or convex (in women it is often concave). The position of the tip of the nose is horizontal or raised. The slope of the forehead is almost straight. The protrusion of the wings of the nose and the thickness of the lips are average. In addition to Thrace and eastern Macedonia, the Thracian type is common in Turkish Thrace, in the west of Asia Minor, partly among the population of the Aegean Islands and, apparently, in the north, in Bulgaria (in the southern and eastern regions). This type is closest to the central one, especially to its Thessalian variant. It can be contrasted with both the Epirus and Western Asian types, and is called southwestern..."

Both Greece (with the exception of Epirus and the Aegean archipelago), as the zone of localization of the civilizational center of the Classical Hellenic civilization, and Bulgaria, with the exception of the northwestern regions, as the ethnic core of the ancient Thracian community), are relatively tall, dark-pigmented, mesocephalic, high-headed populations, whose the specificity fits within the framework of the Western Mediterranean race (see Alekseeva).

Map of peaceful Greek colonization 7th-6th centuries. BC

During the expansion of the 7th-6th centuries. BC Greek colonists, having left the overpopulated poleis of Hellas, brought the grain of classical Greek civilization to almost all parts of the Mediterranean: Asia Minor, Cyprus, Southern Italy, Sicily, the Black Sea coast of the Balkans and Crimea, as well as the emergence of a few poleis in the Western Mediterranean (Massilia, Emporia, etc. .d.).

In addition to the cultural element, the Hellenes brought there the “grain” of their race - genetic component, highlighted Cavalli Sforza and associated with the zones of the most intense colonization:

This element is also noticeable when Clustering of the population of South-Eastern Europe by Y-DNA markers:

Concentration of various Y-DNA markers in the population of modern Greece:

Greeks N=91

15/91 16.5% V13 E1b1b1a2
1/91 1.1% V22 E1b1b1a3
2/91 2.2% M521 E1b1b1a5
2/91 2.2% M123 E1b1b1c

2/91 2.2% P15(xM406) G2a*
1/91 1.1% M406 G2a3c

2/91 2.2% M253(xM21,M227,M507) I1*
1/91 1.1% M438(xP37.2,M223) I2*
6/91 6.6% M423(xM359) I2a1*

2/91 2.2% M267(xM365,M367,M368,M369) J1*

3/91 3.2% M410(xM47,M67,M68,DYS445=6) J2a*
4/91 4.4% M67(xM92) J2a1b*
3/91 3.2% M92 J2a1b1
1/91 1.1% DYS445=6 J2a1k
2/91 2.2% M102(xM241) J2b*
4/91 4.4% M241(xM280) J2b2
2/91 2.2% M280 J2b2b

1/91 1.1% M317 L2

15/91 16.5% M17 R1a1*

2/91 2.2% P25(xM269) R1b1*
16/91 17.6% M269 R1b1b2

4/91 4.4% M70 T

The following writes Paul Faure:

“For several years, a group of scientists from Athens - V. Baloaras, N. Konstantoulis, M. Paidousis, X. Sbarounis and Aris Poulianos - studying the blood types of young conscripts of the Greek army and the composition of bones burned at the end of the Mycenaean era, came to a double conclusion about that the Aegean basin shows a striking uniformity in the relationship of blood groups, and the few exceptions recorded, say, in the White Mountains of Crete and Macedonia, are matched by the Ingush and other peoples of the Caucasus (while throughout Greece the blood group is “B” "approaches 18%, and group "O" with slight fluctuations - to 63%, here they are noted much less frequently, and the latter sometimes drops to 23%). This is a consequence of ancient migrations within the stable and still predominant Mediterranean type in Greece."

Y-DNA markers in the population of modern Greece:

mt-DNA markers in the population of modern Greece:

Autosomal markers in the population of modern Greece:

AS A CONCLUSION

It is worth drawing several conclusions:

Firstly, Classical Greek civilization, formed in the 8th-7th centuries. BC included various ethno-civilizational elements: Minoan, Mycenaean, Anatolian, as well as the influence of North Balkan (Achaean and Ionian) elements. The genesis of the civilizational core of Classical civilization is a set of processes of consolidation of the above elements, as well as their further evolution.

Secondly, the racial genetic and ethnic core of the Classical civilization was formed as a result of the consolidation and homogenization of various elements: Aegean, Minoan, North Balkan and Anatolian. Among which the autochthonous East Mediterranean element was dominant. The Hellenic "core" was formed as a result complex processes interactions between the above elements.

Thirdly, unlike the “Romans,” which were essentially a polytonym (“Roman = citizen of Rome”), the Hellenes formed a unique ethnic group, which has preserved family connection with the ancient Thracian and Asia Minor population, but which became the racial genetic basis for completely new civilization. Based on the data of K. Kuhn, L. Angel and A. Poulianos, between modern and ancient Hellenes there is a line of anthropological continuity and “racial continuity”, which manifests itself both in comparisons between populations as a whole, as well as in comparisons between specific micro-elements.

Fourth, despite the fact that many people have an oppositional opinion, Classical Greek civilization became one of the bases for Roman civilization (along with the Etruscan component), thereby partly predetermining the further genesis of the Western world.

Fifthly, in addition to the influence on Western Europe, the era of Alexander’s campaigns and the Diadochi wars was able to give rise to a new Hellenistic world, in which various Greek and Oriental elements were closely intertwined. It was the Hellenistic world that became fertile soil for the emergence of Christianity, its further spread, as well as the emergence of the Eastern Roman Christian civilization.

Hellene

The name Hellen or Hellin itself dates back to the 8th century BC. And it takes its name from Hellas or, in other words, ancient Greece. Thus, Hellene is a “Greek”, or a resident of Greece, a representative of the Greek people, ethnic group.

It must be said that over time, in the 1st century AD, the word “Hellenic” began to designate not only Greeks by nationality, but also representatives of the entire Mediterranean. It came to mean speakers of Greek culture, language, and even people of other nationalities who were born in Greece or neighboring countries and assimilated there.

Since the conquests of Alexander the Great, Greek culture spread throughout the then world. Greek morals, customs, the Greek language, penetrated into all countries bordering Greece, and became, in their own way, international cultural values. That's why the whole world spoke Greek back then. And even the Romans, who replaced the Greeks, adopted much of what was rightfully Greek culture.

From all of the above, one can see that the Jews, by the word Hellenic, meant “pagan,” no matter what nation he was a representative of. If he is not a Jew, then that means he is a Hellenic (pagan).

Hellenists from Acts 6:1

1 In these days, when the disciples multiplied, there arose among the Hellenists a murmur against the Jews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution of needs.
(Acts 6:1).

As a consequence, the Apostles instructed the brothers to appoint several persons responsible for meeting the needs of Hellenistic widows.

« Murmur"in this text this is a translation Greek word goggumos, which means “grumbling; muttering"; "muffled conversation"; “an expression of hidden dissatisfaction”; "complaint".

« Hellenists"this is a transliteration of the word helleniston, forms plural genitive from hellenistes. Hellas means Hellas, Greece. In the New Testament, Hellas is used to refer to the southern part of Greece as opposed to Macedonia in the north.

The word "Greek", otherwise Greek, meant a person who did not belong to the Jewish people, as in Acts 14:1; 16:1, 16:3; 18:17; Romans 1:14.

1 At Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great multitude of Jews and Greeks believed.
(Acts 14:1).

1 He reached Derbe and Lystra. And behold, there was a certain disciple named Timothy, whose mother was a Jew who believed, and whose father was a Greek.
(Acts 16:1).

3 Paul wished to take him with him; and he took it and circumcised it for the sake of the Jews who were in those places; for everyone knew about his father that he was a Greek.
(Acts 16:3).

17 And all the Greeks seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat; and Gallio was not at all worried about that.
(Acts 18:17).

14 I am indebted to Greeks and barbarians, to the wise and to the ignorant.
(Rom 1:14).

In the New Testament the word hellenistes is used only three times [Acts 6:1; 9:29; 11:20], and means the Jews who spoke Greek. "Hellenists" in Acts 6:1 were Greek-speaking Jews who followed Greek customs and came from Greek-speaking countries.

29 He also spoke and competed with the Hellenists; and they tried to kill him.
(Acts 9:29).

20 Now there were some of them Cypriots and Cyreneites, who came to Antioch and spoke to the Greeks, preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus.
(Acts 11:20).

They probably represented those nations [Acts 2:8-11] who were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and, following the resurrection of Jesus, were converted to the Lord Jesus Christ.

8 How can we each hear our own dialect in which we were born?
9 The Parthians, and the Medes, and the Elamites, and the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjacent to Cyrene, and those who came from Rome, Jews and proselytes,
11 Cretans and Arabians, do we hear them speaking in our tongues about the great [deeds] of God?
(Acts 2:8-11).