O meaning of barbarians: Barbarians – a word that today often refers to uncivilized people or evil people and their evil deeds. The term originated in ancient Greece, and initially referred only to people who were from outside the city-states or did not speak Greek.
Today, the meaning of the word is far from its original Greek roots. in fact, the meaning of the word barbarian it has changed dramatically over time, and indeed the word has not always had a negative meaning for everyone.
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The word “barbarian” is derived from the ancient Greek word βάρβάρος, which was used 3,200 years ago. At this time a civilization that modern scholars have called "Mycenaean" ruled much of Greece.
The word was written on clay tablets found at Pylos, a large Mycenaean city on the Greek mainland. In the collection of Pylos clay tablets, the word simply applied to out-of-towners.
Several scholars argue that the "barbar" in the word "barbarian" may be an attempt to imitate a stuttering voice that presumably some non-Greek speakers might sound when trying to speak Greek.
Non-Greek speakers could be friendly or hostile. The Persians who invaded Greece were called "barbarians" in Herodotus' description of their battle against a Spartan-led force at Thermopylae.
The ancient Greeks sometimes used the word in a confusing and contradictory way. One problem they had was that there was no agreement among the ancient Greeks about who spoke Greek and who did not, at least until the time of Alexander, the Great.
There were a variety of local and regional dialects, which were mutually understandable to a greater or lesser extent.
The meaning of the word "barbarian" would change slightly when the Romans (many of whom did not speak Greek) used the word "barbarian". word to refer to all foreigners, especially the wide variety of people who invaded their borders.
These barbarians were never united. Some plundered the Roman Empire while others became its allies. There were numerous groups and their allegiances changed over time.
Rome actively dealt with, Goths, Vandals, Heroes, Suezes, Saxons and Gepids. As well as Sarmatians, Alans, Huns, Avars, Picts, Carpi and Isaurians are included in this period.
The most famous “barbarian” of this period was undoubtedly Attila the Hun. He ruled over a vast empire that controlled other barbarian groups. Early in his rule, he allied with the Romans against the Burgundians (another “barbarian” group).
Then later he turned against the Romans and marched against them in France. The Romans then allied with the Visigoths (also “barbarians”) and defeated Attila.
Among modern scholars and the general public, the definition of barbarian becomes even more tangled and confused.
For example, the Chinese used terms that are sometimes translated into English as “barbarian” to describe people they fought against, such as the Yi.
Some people consider the Vikings to be “barbarians”, even though they had advanced navigational techniques that allowed them to colonize Iceland and sail to the New World.
Today, some people consider even medical treatments that were used in ancient times to be “barbaric”, even though they are still used today .
To the ancient Greeks, a barbarian was someone from out of town or who didn't speak Greek, regardless of whether that person had good or bad intentions. The term has changed over time to a point where the ancient Greeks probably wouldn't have recognized it.
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