The Aromanians ( rup, Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are an
ethnic group
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
native to the southern
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
who speak
Aromanian, an
Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, south-western
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
, northern and central
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
and
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
, and can currently be found in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgaria, south-western North Macedonia, northern and central Greece, southern Serbia and south-eastern
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
(
Northern Dobruja
Northern Dobruja ( ro, Dobrogea de Nord or simply ; bg, Северна Добруджа, ''Severna Dobrudzha'') is the part of Dobruja within the borders of Romania. It lies between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, bordered in the south ...
). An
Aromanian diaspora
The Aromanian diaspora ( rup, Diaspora armãneascã) is any ethnically Aromanian living outside its traditional homeland in the Balkans. The Aromanians are a small Balkan ethnic group living scattered throughout Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North ...
living outside these places also exists. The Aromanians are known by several other names, such as "
Vlachs
"Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Easter ...
" or "Macedo-Romanians" (sometimes used to also refer to the
Megleno-Romanians
The Megleno-Romanians, also known as Meglenites ( ruq, Miglinits), Moglenite Vlachs or simply Vlachs ( ruq, Vlaș), are a small Eastern Romance people, originally inhabiting seven villages in the Moglena region spanning the Pella and Kilkis reg ...
).
The term "
Vlachs
"Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Easter ...
" is used in Greece and in other countries to refer to the Aromanians, with this term having been more widespread in the past to refer to all Romance-speaking peoples of the
Balkan Peninsula
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
and
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...
region (
Southeast Europe
Southeast Europe or Southeastern Europe (SEE) is a geographical subregion of Europe, consisting primarily of the Balkans. Sovereign states and territories that are included in the region are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia (al ...
).
Their vernacular,
Aromanian, is an Eastern Romance language very similar to
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
, which has many slightly varying dialects of its own. It descends from the
Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin, also known as Popular or Colloquial Latin, is the range of non-formal Register (sociolinguistics), registers of Latin spoken from the Crisis of the Roman Republic, Late Roman Republic onward. Through time, Vulgar Latin would evolve ...
spoken by the
Paleo-Balkan peoples (
Romanized
Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...
Thracians
The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. ...
and the related
Dacians
The Dacians (; la, Daci ; grc-gre, Δάκοι, Δάοι, Δάκαι) were the ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia, located in the area near the Carpathian Mountains and west of the Black Sea. They are often consid ...
for example) subsequent to their
Romanization
Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...
. The Aromanian language shares many common features with
Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
,
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
and
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
; however, although it has many loanwords from Greek,
Slavic, and
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
, its lexicon remains majority
Romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
in origin.
Names and classification
Ethnonyms
The term ''Aromanian'' derives directly from the Latin ''Romanus'', meaning Roman citizen. The initial ''a-'' is a regular epenthetic vowel, occurring when certain consonant clusters are formed, and it is not, as folk etymology sometimes has it, related to the negative or privative ''a-'' of Greek (also occurring in Latin words of Greek origin). The term was coined by
Gustav Weigand
Gustav Weigand (1 February 1860 – 8 July 1930), was a German linguist and specialist in Balkan languages, especially Romanian and Aromanian. He is known for his seminal contributions to the dialectology of the Romance languages of the Balkans ...
in his 1894 work ''Die Aromunen''. The first book to which many scholars have referred to as the most valuable to translate their ethnic name is a grammar printed in 1813 in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
by
Mihail G. Boiagi. It was titled Γραμματική Ρωμαϊκή ήτοι Μακεδονοβλαχική/''Romanische oder Macedonowlachische Sprachlehre'' ("Romance or Macedono-Vlach Grammar").
The terms ''Vlach'' is an
exonym
An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group, ...
used since medieval times. Aromanians call themselves ''Rrãmãn'' or ''Armãn'', depending on which of the two dialectal groups they belong, and identify as part of the ''Fara Armãneascã'' ("Aromanian tribe") or the ''Populu Armãnescu'' ("Aromanian people"). The endonym is rendered in English as ''Aromanian'', in Romanian as ''Aromâni'', in Greek as ''Armanoi'' (Αρμάνοι), in Albanian as ''Arumunët'', in Bulgarian as ''Arumani'' (Арумъни), in Macedonian as ''Aromanci'' (Ароманци), in Serbo-Croatian as ''Armani'' and ''Aromuni''.
The term "Vlach" was used in medieval Balkans as an exonym for all the Romance-speaking (Romanized) people of the region, as well as a general name for
shepherds
A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...
, but nowadays is commonly used for the Aromanians and
Meglenites,
Daco-Romanians
The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Romanian culture and ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they live primarily in Romania and Moldova. The 2011 Romanian ...
being named Vlachs only in
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
and
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
. The term is noted in the following languages: Greek "Vlachoi" (), Albanian "Vllah", Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian "Vlasi" (Bласи),
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
"Ulahlar",
Hungarian "Oláh". It is noteworthy that the term Vlach also meant "bandit" or "rebel" in Ottoman
historiography
Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline, and by extension is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiography of a specific topic covers how historians ha ...
, and that the term was also used as an exonym for mainly Orthodox Christians in Ottoman-ruled
western Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whol ...
(mainly denoting
Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
), as well as by the
Venetians for the immigrant Slavophone population of the
Dalmatian hinterland
The Dalmatian Hinterland ( hr, Dalmatinska zagora; it, La Morlacca or ) is the southern inland hinterland in the historical Croatian region of Dalmatia. The name ''zagora'' means "beyond (the) hills", which is a reference to the fact that it is t ...
(also mainly denoting Serbs).
Groups
German academic
Thede Kahl
Thede Kahl (born 30 March 1971 in Hamburg) is a German ethnographer and ethnolinguist. He is the head of the Institute of South Slavic Studies in the University of Jena (in which he is a professor), in Germany. His research focuses are the Slav ...
, expert on
Aromanian studies
Aromanian studies ( rup, Studii armãneshti) are an academic discipline centered on the study of the Aromanians. They are included within Balkan and Romance studies. Notable scholars on Aromanian topics include , Thede Kahl and Gustav Weigand. T ...
, divides the Aromanians into two main groups, the "Rrãmãnji" and "Armãnji", which are further divided into sub-groups.
Rrãmãnji
* '' Muzãchiars'', from
Muzachia
The Myzeqe (; sq-definite, Myzeqeja; rup, Muzachia) is a plain in the Western Lowlands of Albania. The Myzeqe is the largest and widest plain, measured by area, in the Lowlands.
Location
The Myzeqe plain is a large alluvial plain traversed by t ...
situated in southwestern-central Albania.
* ''Fãrshãrots'' (or ''Fãrsherots''), concentrated in
Epirus
sq, Epiri rup, Epiru
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Historical region
, image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...
, from the
Frashër
Frashër (; sq-definite, Frashëri; rup, Farshar) is a village and a former municipality in the Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Përmet. The population at the ...
(Aromanian ''Farshar'') area in south-eastern Albania.
* ''Moscopolitans'' or ''Moscopoleans'', from the city of
Moscopole
Moscopole or Voskopoja ( sq, Voskopojë; rup, Moscopole, with several other variants; el, Μοσχόπολις, Moschopolis) is a village in Korçë County in southeastern Albania. During the 18th century, it was the cultural and commercial ...
, once an important urban center of the Balkans, now a village in southeastern Albania.
Armãnji
* ''Pindeans'', concentrated in and around the
Pindus Mountains
The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; el, Πίνδος, Píndos; sq, Pindet; rup, Pindu) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2,637 metr ...
of Northern and Central
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
* ''Gramustians'' (or ''Gramosteans'', gr. ''grammostianoi''), from
Gramos Mountains, an isolated area in south-eastern
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, and north-west of Greece.
Nicknames
The Aromanian communities have several nicknames depending on the country where they are living.
* Gramustians and Pindians are nicknamed ''Koutsovlachs'' (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: Κουτσόβλαχοι). This term is sometimes taken as derogatory, as the first element of this term is from the Greek ''koutso-'' (κουτσό-) meaning "lame". Following a Turkish etymology where ''küçük'' means "little" they are the smaller group of Vlachs as opposed to the more numerous Vlachs (Daco-Romanians).
* Fãrsherots, from Frashër (Albania), Moscopole and Muzachia are nicknamed "Frasariotes" (Greek: Φρασαριώτες Βλάχοι) or ''Arvanitovlachs'' (Greek: Αρβανιτόβλαχοι), meaning "Albanian Vlachs" referring to their place of origin. Most of the Frashariotes are characterized also as "Greek-Vlach Northern Epirotes" because of their frequent historical inhabitancy of ethnic Greek territory.
In the South Slavic countries, such as Serbia,
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
and Bulgaria, the nicknames used to refer to the Aromanians are usually ''Vlasi'' (South Slavic for Vlachs and Wallachians) and ''Tsintsari'' (also spelled ''Tzintzari, Cincari'' or similar), which is derived from the way the Aromanians pronounce the word meaning
five
5 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
5, five or number 5 may also refer to:
* AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era
* 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era
Literature
* ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram
* ''5'' (comics), an awa ...
, ''tsintsi''. In Romania, the demonym ''Macedoni'', ''Machedoni'' or ''Macedoromâni'' is also used. In Albania, the terms ''Vllah'' ("Vlach") and ''Çoban'' or ''Çobenj'' (from Turkish ''çoban'', "shepherd") are used.
Population
Settlements
The
Aromanian community in Albania is estimated up to 200,000 people, including those who no longer speak the language. Tanner estimates that the community constitutes 2% of the population. In
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, Aromanian communities inhabit Moscopole, their most famous settlement, the
Kolonjë District
Kolonjë is a municipality in Korçë County, southeastern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Barmash, Çlirim, Ersekë, Leskovik, Mollas, Novoselë, Qendër Ersekë and Qendër Leskovik. The seat of ...
(where they are concentrated), a quarter of
Fier
Fier (; sq-definite, Fieri) is the seventh most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Fier County and Fier Municipality. It is situated on the bank of Gjanica River in the Myzeqe Plain between the Seman in the north, the Vjos ...
(Aromanian ''Ferãcã''), while Aromanian was taught, as recorded by Tom Winnifrith, at primary schools in
Andon Poçi near
Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea le ...
(Aromanian ''Ljurocastru''),
Shkallë
Shkallë is a village in the former Municipalities of Albania, municipality of Dajt in Tirana County, Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Tirana.
References
Populated places in Tirana
Villages i ...
(Aromanian ''Scarã'') near
Sarandë
Sarandë (; sq-definite, Saranda; el, Άγιοι Σαράντα, Ágioi Saránta) is a city in the Republic of Albania and seat of Sarandë Municipality. Geographically, the city is located on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea within the Medit ...
, and
Borovë near
Korçë
Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau some ...
(Aromanian ''Curceau'') (1987).
A Romanian research team concluded in the 1960s that Albanian Aromanians migrated to
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
, Stan Karbunarë,
Skrapar
Skrapar ( sq-definite, Skrapari) is a municipality in Berat County, southern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Bogovë, Çepan, Çorovodë, Gjerbës, Leshnjë, Potom, Qendër Skrapar, Vendreshë
and Zhepë. ...
,
Pojan
Pojan is a village and a former municipality in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Maliq. The population at the 2011 census was 10,864. ,
Bilisht
Bilisht ( sq, Bilisht) is a town and a former municipality in Korçë County, south-eastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision and the seat of the municipality Devoll. It was the seat of the former Devoll District ...
and
Korçë
Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau some ...
, and that they inhabited Karaja,
Lushnjë
Lushnjë (; in Lushnje's own dialect: ''Lushnje'' ; sq-definite, Lushnja) is a city and municipality in west-central Albania. It is located in the County of Fier. The total population is 83,659 (2011 census), in a total area of .
History
...
,
Moscopole
Moscopole or Voskopoja ( sq, Voskopojë; rup, Moscopole, with several other variants; el, Μοσχόπολις, Moschopolis) is a village in Korçë County in southeastern Albania. During the 18th century, it was the cultural and commercial ...
,
Drenovë
Drenovë ( rup, Ndãrnova; Bulgarian and mk, Дреново) is a village in the former Drenovë Municipality of the Korçë County in southeastern Albania. After the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Korçë.
Hist ...
(Aromanian ''Dãrnova'') and
Boboshticë
Boboshticë ( rup, Bubushtitsa; bg, Бобощица, ''Boboshtitsa''; mk, Бобоштица, ''Boboštica'') is a village in the former Drenovë Municipality of the Korçë County in southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it ...
(Aromanian ''Bubushtitsa'').
There was an important community of Aromanians in
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
and
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
that was probably assimilated by local dwellers. Initially they were
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
but around year 1000 they adhered to
Bogomil
Bogomilism ( Bulgarian and Macedonian: ; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", bogumilstvo, богумилство) was a Christian neo-Gnostic or dualist sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Pe ...
/
Patarene Christian sect and were
Serbianized. After the Turkish occupation, the Aromanians of Bosnia and Herzegovina converted to
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
faith due to economic and religious motifs. There are many artifacts of Aromanians in Bosnia and Herzegovina, mainly in their necropolises. These necropolises cover all Bosnia and consist of funerary monuments, generally without crosses.
Origins
![Language border (Matzinger)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Language_influence_border_between_Latin_and_Hellenic.png)
The Aromanian language is related to the
Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin, also known as Popular or Colloquial Latin, is the range of non-formal Register (sociolinguistics), registers of Latin spoken from the Crisis of the Roman Republic, Late Roman Republic onward. Through time, Vulgar Latin would evolve ...
spoken in the Balkans during the Roman period. It is hard to establish the history of the Vlachs in the Balkans, with a gap between the barbarian invasions and the first mentions of the Vlachs in the 11th and 12th centuries. Byzantine chronicles are unhelpful, and only in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries the term ''Vlach'' becomes more frequent, although it proves problematic to distinguish sorts of Vlachs as it was used for various subjects, such as the empire of the Asen dynasty, Thessaly, and Romania across the Danube. It has been assumed that Aromanians are descendants of Roman soldiers or Latinized original populations (Greeks, Illyrians, Thracians or Dardanians), due to the historical Roman military presence in the territory inhabited by the community. According to David Binder, the Greek connection is "undoubtedly the strongest". Many Romanian scholars maintain that the Aromanians were part of a Daco-Romanian migration from the north of the Danube between the 6th and 10th centuries, supporting the theory that the 'Great Romanian' population descend from the ancient Dacians and Romans. Greek scholars view the Aromanians as descendants of Roman legionaries that married Greek women. There is no evidence for either theory, and Winnifrith deems them improbable. The little evidence that exists points that the Vlach (Aromanian) homeland was in the Northern Balkans, North of the
Jireček Line
The Jireček Line is a conceptual boundary through the ancient Balkans that divides the influence of the Latin (in the north) and Greek (in the south) languages in the Roman Empire from antiquity until the 4th century. The border has been repeate ...
demarcating the Latin and Greek linguistic influence spheres. With the Slavic breakthrough of the Danube frontier in the 7th century, Latin-speakers were pushed further southwards. Based on linguistic considerations, Olga Tomic concludes that Aromanians moved from Thrace to their present locations after the Slavic invasion of Thrace, though before the
Megleno-Romanians
The Megleno-Romanians, also known as Meglenites ( ruq, Miglinits), Moglenite Vlachs or simply Vlachs ( ruq, Vlaș), are a small Eastern Romance people, originally inhabiting seven villages in the Moglena region spanning the Pella and Kilkis reg ...
.
Genetic studies
In 2006 ''Bosch et al.'' attempted to determine if the Aromanians are descendants of Latinised
Dacians
The Dacians (; la, Daci ; grc-gre, Δάκοι, Δάοι, Δάκαι) were the ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia, located in the area near the Carpathian Mountains and west of the Black Sea. They are often consid ...
,
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
,
Illyrians
The Illyrians ( grc, Ἰλλυριοί, ''Illyrioi''; la, Illyrii) were a group of Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking peoples who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo ...
,
Thracians
The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. ...
or a combination of these, but it was shown that they are genetically indistinguishable from the other Balkan populations. Linguistic and cultural differences between Balkan groups were deemed too weak to prevent
gene flow
In population genetics, gene flow (also known as gene migration or geneflow and allele flow) is the transfer of genetic material from one population to another. If the rate of gene flow is high enough, then two populations will have equivalent a ...
among the groups.
;
Y-DNA haplogroups
Haplogroup R1b
Haplogroup R1b (R-M343), previously known as Hg1 and Eu18, is a human Y-chromosome haplogroup.
It is the most frequently occurring paternal lineage in Western Europe, as well as some parts of Russia (e.g. the Bashkirs) and pockets of Central A ...
is the most common haplogroup among two or three of the five tested Aromanian populations, which is not shown as a leading mark of the Y-DNA locus in other regions or ethnic groups on the
Balkan Peninsula
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
. On the 16 Y-STR markers from the five Aromanian populations, Jim Cullen's predictor speculates that over half of the mean frequency of 22% R1b of the Aromanian populations is more likely to belong to the L11 branch.
L11 subclades form the majority of Haplogroup R1b in Italy and western Europe, while the eastern subclades of R1b are prevailing in populations of the eastern Balkans.
History and self-identification
![Vlach Shepherd](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Vlach_Shepherd.png)
The Aromanians or Vlachs first appear in medieval
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
sources in the 11th century, in the ''
Strategikon of Kekaumenos'' and
Anna Komnene's ''
Alexiad
The ''Alexiad'' ( el, Ἀλεξιάς, Alexias) is a medieval historical and biographical text written around the year 1148, by the Byzantine princess Anna Komnene, daughter of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. It was written in a form of artificial ...
'', in the area of
Thessaly
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...
. In the 12th century, the Jewish traveller
Benjamin of Tudela
Benjamin of Tudela ( he, בִּנְיָמִין מִטּוּדֶלָה, ; ar, بنيامين التطيلي ''Binyamin al-Tutayli''; Tudela, Kingdom of Navarre, 1130 Castile, 1173) was a medieval Jewish traveler who visited Europe, Asia, an ...
records the existence of the district of "Vlachia" near
Halmyros
Almyros or Halmyros ( el, Αλμυρός, , , ) is a town and a municipality of the regional unit of Magnesia, region of Thessaly, Greece. It lies in the center of prosperous fertile plain known as 'Krokio Pedio', which is crossed by torrents. Al ...
in eastern
Thessaly
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...
, while the Byzantine historian
Niketas Choniates
Niketas or Nicetas Choniates ( el, Νικήτας Χωνιάτης; c. 1155 – 1217), whose actual surname was Akominatos (Ἀκομινάτος), was a Byzantine Greek government official and historian – like his brother Michael Akominatos, wh ...
places "
Great Vlachia
Great Vlachia or Great Wallachia ( rup, Vlãhia Mari; el, Μεγάλη Βλαχία, Megálē Vlachía), also simply known as Vlachia ( rup, Vlãhia, link=no; el, link=no, Βλαχία, Vlachía), was a province and region in southeastern Thessa ...
" near
Meteora. Thessalian Vlachia was apparently also known as "Vlachia in
Hellas
Hellas may refer to:
Places in Greece
*Ἑλλάς (''Ellás''), genitive Ἑλλάδος (''Elládos''), an ancient Greek toponym used to refer to:
** Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country i ...
". Later medieval sources also speak of an "Upper Vlachia" in
Epirus
sq, Epiri rup, Epiru
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Historical region
, image_map = Epirus antiquus tabula.jpg
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Map of ancient Epirus by Heinrich ...
, and a "Little Vlachia" in
Aetolia-Acarnania, but "Great Vlachia" is no longer mentioned after the late 13th century.
The medieval Vlachs (Aromanians) of Herzegovina are considered authors of the famous funerary monuments with petroglyphs ( in Serbian) from Herzegovina and surrounding countries. The theory of the Vlach origin was proposed by
Bogumil Hrabak
Bogumil Hrabak (Serbian Cyrillic: Богумил Храбак; Zrenjanin, Serbia, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, 11 January 1927 - Belgrade, Serbia, 12 December 2010) was a Serbian historian, university professor and pedagogue. With a pr ...
(1956) and
Marian Wenzel
Marian Barbara Wenzel (December 18, 1932 – January 6, 2002) was a British artist and art historian. She dedicated most of her active career to research of Bosnian-Herzegovinian art and cultural history.
Education
Wenzel was born in 1932 in P ...
and more recently was supported by the archeological and anthropological researches of skeleton remains from the graves under stećci. The theory is much older and was first proposed by
Arthur Evans in his work ''Antiquarian Researches in Illyricum'' (1883). While doing research with
Felix von Luschan on stećak graves around
Konavle, he found that a large number of skulls were not of Slavic origin but similar to older Illyrian and
Arbanasi Arbanasi may refer to:
* Arbanasi people, an Albanian population group in Croatia
* Arbanasi dialect, spoken by the Arbanasi people
* Arbanasi, older name for Albanians in South Slavic languages
* Arbanasi (Zadar) ( hr), a suburb of Zadar, Croatia ...
tribes, as well as noting that
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...
memorials recorded those parts inhabited by the Vlachs until the 15th century.
Aromanians within the Balkan nationalisms of the 19th and 20th centuries
![Romanian Schools for Aromanians and Meglenoromanians](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Romanian_Schools_for_Aromanians_and_Meglenoromanians.JPG)
A distinct Aromanian consciousness was not developed until the 19th century, and was influenced by the rise of other
national movements in the Balkans
The rise of the Western notion of nationalism in the Ottoman Empire eventually caused the breakdown of the Ottoman ''millet'' concept. An understanding of the concept of nationhood prevalent in the Ottoman Empire, which was different from the cu ...
.
Until then, the Aromanians, as
Eastern Orthodox Christians, were subsumed with other ethnic groups into the wider ethnoreligious group of the "Romans" (in Greek ''
Rhomaioi'', after the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire), which in
Ottoman times formed the distinct ''
Rum millet
Rūm millet (millet-i Rûm), or "''Roman nation''", was the name of the Eastern Orthodox Christian community in the Ottoman Empire. Despite being subordinated within the Ottoman political system, the community maintained a certain internal aut ...
''. The ''Rum millet'' was headed by the Greek-dominated
Patriarchate of Constantinople
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople ( el, Οἰκουμενικὸν Πατριαρχεῖον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, translit=Oikoumenikón Patriarkhíon Konstantinoupóleos, ; la, Patriarchatus Oecumenicus Constanti ...
, and the Greek language was used as a ''
lingua franca
A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...
'' among Balkan Orthodox Christians throughout the 17th–19th centuries. As a result, wealthy, urbanized Aromanians were culturally
Hellenized
Hellenization (other British spelling Hellenisation) or Hellenism is the adoption of Greek culture, religion, language and identity by non-Greeks. In the ancient period, colonization often led to the Hellenization of indigenous peoples; in the ...
and played a major role in the dissemination of Greek language and culture; indeed, the first book written in Aromanian was written in the
Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early 8th century BCE. It is derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, and was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as we ...
and aimed at spreading Greek among Aromanian-speakers.
By the early 19th century, however, the distinct Latin-derived nature of the Aromanian language began to be studied in a series of grammars and language booklets. In 1815, the Aromanians of
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
requested permission to use their language in
liturgy
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
, but it was turned down by the local metropolitan.
The establishment of a distinct Aromanian national consciousness, however, was hampered by the tendency of the Aromanian upper classes to be absorbed in the dominant surrounding ethnicities, and espouse their respective national causes as their own. So much did they become identified with the host nations that Balkan national historiographies portray the Aromanians as the "best Albanians", "best Greeks" and "best Bulgarians", leading to researchers calling them the "
chameleon
Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...
s of the Balkans". Consequently, many
Aromanians played a prominent role in the modern history of the Balkan nations: the revolutionary
Pitu Guli
Pitu Guli (; 1865–1903) was an Aromanian revolutionary in Ottoman Macedonia, a local leader of what is commonly referred to as the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO).Brown, K. (2003) ''The Past in Question: Modern Mace ...
, Greek Prime Minister
Ioannis Kolettis, Greek magnate
Georgios Averoff
George M. Averoff (15 August 1815, Metsovo – 15 July 1899, Alexandria), alternately Jorgos Averof or Georgios Averof (in Greek: Γεώργιος Αβέρωφ), was a businessman and philanthropist. He is one of the great national benefactors ...
, Greek Defence Minister
Evangelos Averoff
Evangelos Averoff-Tositsa (Greek: Ευάγγελος Αβέρωφ Τοσίτσας) (Trikala, 17 April 1910 – Athens, 2 January 1990) was a Greek politician, leader of the right wing party New Democracy (1981–1984), member of parliament, and ...
, Serbian Prime Minister
Vladan Đorđević,
Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople, Romanian metropolitan
Andrei Şaguna, the Wallachian and Moldavian rulers of the
Ghica family, etc.
Following the establishment of independent
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
and the
autocephaly
Autocephaly (; from el, αὐτοκεφαλία, meaning "property of being self-headed") is the status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. The term is primarily used in Eastern O ...
of the
Romanian Orthodox Church in the 1860s, the Aromanians increasingly began to come under the influence of the
Romanian national movement. Although vehemently opposed by the Greek church, the Romanians established an extensive state-sponsored cultural and educative network in the southern Balkans: the first Romanian school was established in 1864 by the Aromanian
Dimitri Atanasescu, and by the early 20th century there were 100 Romanian churches and 106 schools with 4,000 pupils and 300 teachers. As a result, Aromanians divided into two main factions, one pro-Greek, the other pro-Romanian, plus a smaller focusing exclusively on its Aromanian identity.
With the support of the
Great Powers
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...
, and especially
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, the "Aromanian-Romanian movement" culminated in the recognition of the Aromanians as a distinct ''
millet
Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
'' (the
Ullah Millet
The Ullah Millet (or "Vlach Millet") was a separate Millet (Ottoman Empire), millet (that is, a recognized ethno-religious and linguistic community) within the Ottoman Empire. It was established by the Ottoman authorities for the Aromanians (also ...
) by the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
on 22 May 1905, with corresponding freedoms of worship and education in their own language. Nevertheless, due to the advanced assimilation of the Aromanians, this came too late to lead to the creation of a distinct Aromanian national identity; indeed, as
Gustav Weigand
Gustav Weigand (1 February 1860 – 8 July 1930), was a German linguist and specialist in Balkan languages, especially Romanian and Aromanian. He is known for his seminal contributions to the dialectology of the Romance languages of the Balkans ...
noted in 1897, most Aromanians were not only indifferent, but actively hostile to their own national movement.
At the same time, the Greek–Romanian antagonism over Aromanian loyalties intensified with the armed
Macedonian Struggle, leading to the rupture of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1906. During the Macedonian Struggle, most Aromanians participated on the "patriarchist" (pro-Greek) side, but some sided with the "
exarchists" (pro-Bulgarians). However, following the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...
of 1912–13, Romanian interest waned, and when it revived in the 1920s it was designed more towards encouraging the Romanians' "Macedonian brothers" to emigrate to
Southern Dobruja
Southern Dobruja, South Dobruja or Quadrilateral (Bulgarian: Южна Добруджа, ''Yuzhna Dobrudzha'' or simply Добруджа, ''Dobrudzha''; ro, Dobrogea de Sud, or ) is an area of northeastern Bulgaria comprising Dobrich and Silistra ...
, where there were strong non-Romanian minorities.
While Romanian activity declined, from
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
on and with its
involvement in Albania, Italy made some efforts—not very successful—in converting pro-Romanian sympathies into pro-Italian ones. In
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, during the
Axis occupation of Greece, Italy encouraged Aromanian nationalists to form an "Aromanian homeland", the so-called
Principality of the Pindus
The Principality of the Pindus ( rup, Printsipat di la Pind; el, Πριγκιπάτο της Πίνδου; it, Principato del Pindo; ro, Principatul de Pind) is the name used in literature to describe the attempt and proposal to create an auto ...
. The project never gained much traction among the local population, however. On the contrary, many leading figures of the
Greek Resistance against the Axis, like
Andreas Tzimas
Andreas Tzimas ( el, Ανδρέας Τζήμας; Kastoria, 1 September 1909 – Prague, 1 December 1972), known also under his World War II-era ''nom de guerre'' of Vasilis Samariniotis (Βασίλης Σαμαρινιώτης), was a leading Gre ...
,
Stefanos Sarafis
Stefanos Sarafis ( el, Στέφανος Σαράφης, 23 October 1890 – 31 May 1957) was an officer of the Hellenic Army and Major General in EAM-ELAS), who played an important role during the Greek Resistance.
Early life and career
Saraf ...
, and
Alexandros Svolos
Alexandros Svolos ( el, Αλέξανδρος Σβώλος; 1892, Kruševo, Manastir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire – 22 February 1956, Athens, Greece) was a prominent Greek legal expert, who also served as president of the Political Committee of Natio ...
, were Aromanians. The "principality" project collapsed with the
Italian armistice in 1943.
Modern Aromanian identities
The date of the announcement of the Ottoman ''irade'' of 23 May 1905 has been adopted in recent times by Aromanians in Albania,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, Bulgaria and North Macedonia as the "
Aromanian National Day
The Aromanian National Day ( rup, Dzua Natsionalã a Armãnjilor) is the national day of the Aromanians, an ethnic group of the Balkans scattered in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia. It is normally celebrated by A ...
" (), but notably not in Greece or among the Aromanians in the
Greek diaspora. In Romania, every 10 May, the Balkan Romanianness Day is celebrated instead for the same event. This observance is meant for the Aromanians but also for the Megleno-Romanians and the
Istro-Romanians
The Istro-Romanians ( ruo, rumeri or ) are a Romance ethnic group native to or associated with the Istrian Peninsula. Historically, they inhabited vast parts of it, as well as the western side of the island of Krk until 1875. However, due to se ...
.
In modern times, Aromanians generally have adopted the dominant national culture, often with a dual identity as both Aromanian and Greek/Albanian/Bulgarian/Macedonian/Serbian/etc. Aromanians are also found outside the borders of Greece. There are many Aromanians in southern Albania and in towns all over the Balkans, while Aromanians identifying as Romanians are still to be found in areas where Romanian schools were active. There are also many Aromanians who identify themselves as solely Aromanian (even, as in the case of the "Cincars", when they no longer speak the language). Such groups are to be found in southwestern Albania, the eastern parts of North Macedonia, the Aromanians who immigrated to Romania in 1940, and in Greece in the
Veria (Aromanian ''Veryia'') and
Grevena (Aromanian ''Grebini'') areas and in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
.
Culture
Religion
![Voskopoja (3)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Voskopoja_%283%29.jpg)
The Aromanians are predominantly
Orthodox Christians
Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion.
Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churc ...
, and follow the
Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar.
Cuisine
Aromanian cuisine
Aromanian cuisine ( rup, Cujina armãneascã) is the traditional cuisine of the Aromanians. The Aromanians are a small Balkan ethnic group scattered throughout the region, living in the countries of Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Ro ...
is strongly influenced by
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
and
Middle Eastern cuisine
Middle Eastern cuisine or West Asian cuisine includes Arab, Armenian, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Cypriot, Egyptian, Georgian, Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli, Kurdish, Lebanese, Palestinian and Turkish cuisines. Common ingredients include olives and ol ...
.
Music
Polyphonic music is common among the Aromanians, and follows a common set of rules.
Clothing
![ArrumanosMacedonios--balkancockpitpol00pric 0021](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/ArrumanosMacedonios--balkancockpitpol00pric_0021.png)
In Aromanian rural areas, clothes differed from the dress of the city dwellers. The shape and the colour of a garment, the volume of the headgear, the shape of a jewel could indicate cultural affiliation and also could show the village people came from.
Fustanella usage among Aromanians can be traced to at least the 15th century, with notable examples being seen in the Aromanian stećak of the
Radimlja necropolis.
Additionally Aromanians claim the fustanella as their ethnic costume.
Aromanians today
In Greece
![Samarina (24075745696)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Samarina_%2824075745696%29.jpg)
In Greece, Aromanians are not recognised as an ethnic but as a linguistic minority and, like the
Arvanites, have been indistinguishable in many respects from other
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
since the 19th century. Although Greek Aromanians would differentiate themselves from native
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
(''Grets'') when speaking in Aromanian, most still consider themselves part of the broader Greek nation (''Elini'',
Hellenes
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, other ...
), which also encompasses other linguistic minorities such as the
Arvanites or the
Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia. Greek Aromanians have long been associated with the Greek national state, actively participated in the Greek Struggle for Independence, and have obtained very important positions in government, although there was an attempt to create an autonomous Aromanian canton under the protection of Italy at the end of World War I, called
Principality of the Pindus
The Principality of the Pindus ( rup, Printsipat di la Pind; el, Πριγκιπάτο της Πίνδου; it, Principato del Pindo; ro, Principatul de Pind) is the name used in literature to describe the attempt and proposal to create an auto ...
. Aromanians have been very influential in Greek politics, business and the army. Revolutionaries
Rigas Feraios and
Giorgakis Olympios, Prime Minister
Ioannis Kolettis, billionaires and benefactors
Evangelos Zappas
Evangelos or Evangelis Zappas ( el, Ευάγγελος or ; ro, Evanghelie Zappa; 23 August 1800 – 19 June 1865) was a Greek patriot, philanthropist and businessman who spent most of his life in Romania. He is recognized today as one of the ...
and
Konstantinos Zappas
Konstantinos Zappas ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Ζάππας; 1814–1892) was a Greek entrepreneur and national benefactor who together with his cousin, Evangelos Zappas, played an essential role in the revival of the Olympic Games.
Biography ...
, businessman and philanthropist
George Averoff, Field Marshal and later Prime Minister
Alexandros Papagos, and conservative politician
Evangelos Averoff
Evangelos Averoff-Tositsa (Greek: Ευάγγελος Αβέρωφ Τοσίτσας) (Trikala, 17 April 1910 – Athens, 2 January 1990) was a Greek politician, leader of the right wing party New Democracy (1981–1984), member of parliament, and ...
were all either Aromanians or of partial Aromanian heritage. It is difficult to estimate the exact number of Aromanians in Greece today. The
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne (french: Traité de Lausanne) was a peace treaty negotiated during the Lausanne Conference of 1922–23 and signed in the Palais de Rumine, Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 July 1923. The treaty officially settled the conflic ...
of 1923 estimated their number between 150,000 and 200,000, but the last two censuses to differentiate between Christian minority groups, in 1940 and 1951, showed 26,750 and 22,736 Vlachs respectively. Estimates on the number of Aromanians in Greece range between 40,000
and 300,000. Kahl estimates the total number of people with Aromanian origin who still understand the language as no more than 300,000, with the number of fluent speakers under 100,000.
The majority of the Aromanian population lives in northern and central Greece;
Epirus,
Macedonia
Macedonia most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...
and
Thessaly
Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...
. The main areas inhabited by these populations are the
Pindus Mountains
The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; el, Πίνδος, Píndos; sq, Pindet; rup, Pindu) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2,637 metres ...
, around the mountains of
Olympus
Olympus or Olympos ( grc, Ὄλυμπος, link=no) may refer to:
Mountains
In antiquity
Greece
* Mount Olympus in Thessaly, northern Greece, the home of the twelve gods of Olympus in Greek mythology
* Mount Olympus (Lesvos), located in Les ...
and
Vermion
The Vermio Mountains ( el, Βέρμιο), known in antiquity as the Bermion ( el, Βέρμιον), is a mountain range in northern Greece. It lies between the Imathia Regional Unit of the Central Macedonia Region and the Kozani Regional Unit of ...
, and around the
Prespa Lakes
The Lake Prespa is located on the tripoint of North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece. It is a system of two lakes separated by an isthmus: the Great Prespa Lake, divided between the three countries, and the Little Prespa Lake, mostly within Greece ...
near the border with Albania and the Republic of North Macedonia. Some Aromanians can still be found in isolated rural settlements such as
Samarina (Aromanian '' Samarina'', ''Xamarina'' or ''San Marina''),
Perivoli (Aromanian ''Pirivoli'') and
Smixi
Smixi ( el, Σμίξη, rup, Zmixi) is an Aromanian village and a former community in Grevena regional unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Grevena, of which it is a municipal unit. ...
(Aromanian ''Zmixi''). There are also Aromanians (Vlachs) in towns and cities such as
Ioannina
Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...
(Aromanian ''Ianina'', ''Enina'' or ''Enãna''),
Metsovo
Metsovo ( el, Μέτσοβο; rup, Aminciu) is a town in Epirus, in the mountains of Pindus in northern Greece, between Ioannina to the west and Meteora to the east.
The largest centre of Aromanian (Vlach) life in Greece, Metsovo is a large re ...
(Aromanian ''Aminciu''),
Veria
(Aromanian ''Veryia'')
Katerini
Katerini ( el, Κατερίνη, ''Kateríni'', ) is a city and municipality in northern Greece, the capital city of Pieria regional unit in Central Macedonia, Greece. It lies on the Pierian plain, between Mt. Olympus and the Thermaikos Gulf, ...
,
Trikala (Aromanian ''Trikolj''),
Grevena (Aromanian '' Grebini'') and
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
(Aromanian ''Sãruna'')
Generally, the use of the minority languages has been discouraged in Greece,
[Greek Monitor of Human and Minority Rights vol I. No 3 December 1995] although recently there have been efforts to preserve the endangered languages (including Aromanian) of Greece.
Since 1994, the
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki offers beginner and advanced courses in "Koutsovlach", and cultural festivals with over 40,000 participants—the largest Aromanian cultural gatherings in the world—regularly take place in Metsovo. Nevertheless, there are no exclusively Aromanian newspapers, and the Aromanian language is almost totally absent from television. Indeed, although as of 2002 there were over 200 Vlach cultural associations in Greece, many did not even feature the term "Vlach" in their titles, and only a few are active in preserving the Aromanian language.
In 1997, the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
The Assembly is made up o ...
passed a resolution encouraging the Balkan states to take steps to rectify the "critical situation" of Aromanian culture and language. This was after pressure from the
Union for Aromanian Language and Culture
The Union for Aromanian Language and Culture ( rup, Uniunea trã Limba shi Cultura Armãnã, ; german: Union für Aromunische Sprache und Kultur, ) is an organization of Aromanians in Germany headquartered at Freiburg im Breisgau. It was founded ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. In response, the then
President of Greece
The president of Greece, officially the President of the Hellenic Republic ( el, Πρόεδρος της Ελληνικής Δημοκρατίας, Próedros tis Ellinikís Dimokratías), commonly referred to in Greek as the President of the Rep ...
,
Konstantinos Stefanopoulos
Konstantinos "Kostis" Stephanopoulos ( el, Κωνσταντίνος (Κωστής) Στεφανόπουλος, 15 August 1926 – 20 November 2016) was a Greek conservative politician who served two consecutive terms as the president of Gree ...
, publicly urged Greek Aromanians to teach the language to their children.
In 2001, 31 Aromanian mayors and heads of villages signed a protest resolution against the
U.S. State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
report on the human rights situation in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. They complained "against the direct or indirect characterisation of the Vlach-speaking Greeks as an ethnic, linguistic or other minority, stating that the Vlach-speaking Greeks never requested to be recognised by the Greek state as a minority, stressing that historically and culturally they were and still are an integral part of Hellenism, they would be bilingual and Aromanian would be secondary".
Furthermore, the largest Aromanian group in Greece (and across the world), the
in Greece, has repeatedly rejected the classification of Aromanian as a minority language or the Vlachs as a distinct ethnic group separate from the Greeks, considering the Aromanians as an "integral part of Hellenism". The Aromanian (Vlach) Cultural Society, which is associated with
Sotiris Bletsas
Sotiris Bletsas ( el, Σωτήρης Μπλέτσας) is an architect and Aromanian language activist from Greece.
In 1995, at an Aromanians, Aromanian festival in Greece, he distributed some European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages (EBLUL) mat ...
, is represented on the Member State Committee of the European Bureau for Lesser Spoken Languages in Greece.
In Albania
![Aromanians in Albania](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Aromanians_in_Albania.png)
There is a large Aromanian community in Albania, which is officially called ''Vlach Minority'' ( sq, Minoriteti Vllah), specifically in the southern and central regions of the country. It is estimated that the number of Aromanians in Albania go up to 200,000, including those not speaking the language any more. There are currently timid attempts to establish education in their native language in the town of
Divjakë.
For the last years there seems to be a renewal of the former policies of supporting and sponsoring of Romanian schools for Aromanians of Albania. As a recen
articlein the Romanian media points out, the kindergarten, primary and secondary schools in the Albanian town of Divjakë where the local Albanian Aromanians pupils are taught classes both in Aromanian and Romanian were granted substantial help directly from the Romanian government. The only
Aromanian language
The Aromanian language (, , , or ), also known as Macedo-Romanian or Vlach, is an Eastern Romance languages, Eastern Romance language, similar to Megleno-Romanian language, Megleno-Romanian, Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian and Romania ...
church in Albania is the
Transfiguration of Jesus
In the New Testament, the Transfiguration of Jesus is an event where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) describe it, and the Second Epistle of Peter also refers to it ().
In these a ...
(Aromanian ''Ayiu Sutir'') of Korçë, which was given 2 billion
lei help from the Romanian government. They also have a political party named
Alliance for Equality and European Justice
The Alliance for Equality and European Justice (ABDE; sq, Aleanca për Barazi dhe Drejtësi Europiane; rup, Ligãturea ti Egaliteati sh-Ndrept European) is a political party of Albania representing the Aromanian minority of the country. The A ...
(ABDE; ), which is the only in the world along with two in North Macedonia, and two social organisations named ''Shoqata Arumunët/Vllehtë e Shqiperisë'' (The Society of the Aromanians/Vlachs of Albania) and ''Unioni Kombëtar Arumun Shqiptar'' (The Aromanian Albanian National Union). Many of the Albanian Aromanians (Arvanito Vlachs) have immigrated to Greece, since they are considered in Greece part of the
Greek minority in Albania
The Greeks of Albania are ethnic Greeks who live in or originate from areas within modern Albania. After ethnic Albanians, they form the second largest ethnic group in the country. They are mostly concentrated in the south of the country, in the ...
.
Notable Aromanians whose family background hailed from today's Albania include Bishop Andrei Şaguna, and Reverend
Llambro Ballamaçi, whereas notable Albanians with an Aromanian family background are actors
Aleksandër (Sandër) Prosi,
Margarita Xhepa
Margarita Xhepa (born 2 April 1932; rup, Margarita Gepa) is an Albanian actress, best known as one of the great ladies of Albanian cinema and theater. She continues to play in recent films such as Firdus in Bolero ne vilen e pleqve, based on ...
,
Albert Vërria
Albert Vërria (Fier, 3 September 1936 – Vlorë, 17 August 2015) was an Albanian actor. He was a Merited Artist of Albania.
He completed his primary and secondary school in his hometown. In 1963 he completed the high school for actor "Alexande ...
, and
Prokop Mima
Prokop may mean either of two Hussite generals, both of whom died in the 1434 battle of Lipan:
* Prokop the Great
* Prokop the Lesser
Other people who bore the name Prokop:
* Procopius, 6c historian
* Saint Prokop, or Procopius of Sázava (died 1 ...
, as well as composer
Nikolla Zoraqi
Nikolla Zoraqi (19281991; rup, Nicolla Zorachi) was a composer from Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is loca ...
and singers
Eli Fara
Eli Fara (; born 21 May 1967) is an Albanian singer. Prior to 2000, she was awarded the Merited Artist of Albania by the Government of Albania.
Life and career
Fara was born on 21 May 1968 into an Albanian family of Aromanian descent in t ...
and
Parashqevi Simaku
Parashqevi Simaku (born 1 September 1966, in Kavajë) is an Albanian singer noted for her work in the 1980s. She has won numerous awards and worked with some of the best composers and musicians in Albania. Simaku participated in Festivali i Këng ...
.
On 13 October 2017, Aromanians received the official status of
ethnic minority
The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...
, through voting of a bill by
Albanian Parliament
The Parliament of Albania ( sq, Kuvendi i Shqipërisë) or Kuvendi is the unicameral representative body of the citizens of the Republic of Albania; it is Albania's legislature. The Parliament is composed of no less than 140 members elected to a ...
.
In North Macedonia
![AromaniansinMacedonia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/AromaniansinMacedonia.png)
According to official government figures (census 2002), there are 9,695 Aromanians or Vlachs, as they are officially called in North Macedonia. According to the census of 1953 there were 8,669 Vlachs, 6,392 in 1981 and 8,467 in 1994. Aromanians are recognized as an ethnic minority, and are hence represented in Parliament and enjoy ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious rights and the right to education in their language.
There are Aromanian cultural societies and associations such as the Union for Aromanian Culture from North Macedonia, The Aromanian League of North Macedonia, The International League of Aromanians and ''Comuna Armãneascã "Frats Manachi"'', (The Aromanian Community Manaki Brothers) in
Bitola
Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...
(Aromanian ''Bituli'' or ''Bitule''). There also are two political parties representing the Aromanian minority of the country. These are the
Democratic Union of the Vlachs of Macedonia
The Democratic Union of the Vlachs of Macedonia (DSVM; mk, Демократски сојуз на Власите од Македонија, ; rup, Unia Democratã a Armãnjlor dit Machidunii, ) is one of the two political parties of North Mace ...
(DSVM; , ) and the
Party of the Vlachs of Macedonia (PVM; , ). They are the only Aromanian parties in the world along with ABDE in Albania.
Many forms of Aromanian-language media have been established since the 1990s. North Macedonia's Government provides financial assistance to Aromanian-language newspapers and radio stations. Aromanian-language newspapers such as
Phoenix ( rup, Fenix) service the Aromanian community. The Aromanian television program Spark ( rup, Scanteao; Macedonian ''Искра'' (Iskra)) broadcasts on
the second channel of the
Macedonian Radio-Television
Macedonian Radio Television (MRT; mk, Македонска радио-телевизија (МРТ), Makedonska radio-televizija (MRT)), officially National Radio-Television ( mk, Национална Радиотелевизија, Nacionalna ...
.
There are Aromanian classes provided in primary schools and the state funds some Aromanian published works (magazines and books) as well as works that cover Aromanian culture, language and history. The latter is mostly done by the first Aromanian Scientific Society, "Constantin Belemace" in
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
(Aromanian ''Scopia''), which has organized symposiums on Aromanian history and has published papers from them. According to the last census, there were 9,596 Aromanians (0.48% of the total population). There are concentrations in
Kruševo
Kruševo ( mk, Крушево ; rup, Crushuva "Crușuva") is a town in North Macedonia. In Macedonian the name means the 'place of pear trees'. It is the highest town in North Macedonia and one of the highest in the Balkans, situated at an alti ...
(Aromanian ''Crushuva'') 1,020 (20%),
Štip
Štip ( mk, Штип ) is the largest urban agglomeration in the eastern part of North Macedonia, serving as the economic, industrial, entertainment and educational focal point for the surrounding municipalities.
As of the 2002 census, the city ...
(Aromanian ''Shtip'') 2,074 (4.3%), Bitola 1,270 (1.3%),
Struga
Struga ( mk, Струга , sq, Strugë) is a town and popular tourist destination situated in the south-western region of North Macedonia, lying on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The town of Struga is the seat of Struga Municipality.
Name
The nam ...
656 (1%),
Sveti Nikole (Aromanian ''San Nicole'') 238 (1.4%),
Kisela Voda
Kisela Voda ( mk, Кисела Вода) is a suburb of the City of Skopje in the municipality of Kisela Voda, North Macedonia.
Demographics
According to the 2002 census, the suburb had a total of 84,625 inhabitants. Ethnic groups in the suburb i ...
647 (1.1%) and Skopje 2,557 (0.5%).
In Romania
Since the Middle Ages, due to the Turkish occupation and the destruction of their cities, such as
Moscopole
Moscopole or Voskopoja ( sq, Voskopojë; rup, Moscopole, with several other variants; el, Μοσχόπολις, Moschopolis) is a village in Korçë County in southeastern Albania. During the 18th century, it was the cultural and commercial ...
,
Gramoshtea, Linotopi and later on
Kruševo
Kruševo ( mk, Крушево ; rup, Crushuva "Crușuva") is a town in North Macedonia. In Macedonian the name means the 'place of pear trees'. It is the highest town in North Macedonia and one of the highest in the Balkans, situated at an alti ...
, many Aromanians fled their native homelands in the Balkans to settle the Romanian principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, which had a similar language and a certain degree of autonomy from the
Turks. These immigrant Aromanians were assimilated into the Romanian population.
In 1925, 47 years after
Dobruja
Dobruja or Dobrudja (; bg, Добруджа, Dobrudzha or ''Dobrudža''; ro, Dobrogea, or ; tr, Dobruca) is a historical region in the Balkans that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. I ...
was incorporated into Romania,
King Ferdinand gave the Aromanians land and privileges to settle in this region, which resulted in a significant migration of Aromanians into Romania. Today, 25% of the population of the region are descendants of Aromanian immigrants.
There are currently between 50,000 and 100,000 Aromanians in Romania, most of which are concentrated in Dobruja. According to some Aromanian cultural organizations in Romania, there are some 100,000 Aromanians in Romania, and they are often called ''macedoni'' ("Macedonians"). Some Aromanian associations even place the total number of people of Aromanian descent in Romania as high as 250,000.
Recently, there has been a growing movement in Romania, both by Aromanians and by Romanian lawmakers, to recognize the Aromanians either as a separate cultural group or as a separate ethnic group, and extend to them the rights of other minorities in Romania, such as mother-tongue education and representatives in parliament.
In Bulgaria
Most of the Aromanians in the
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
region are descendants of emigrants from the region of Macedonia and northern Greece who arrived between 1850 and 1914.
In Bulgaria, most Aromanians were concentrated in the region south-west of Sofia, in the region called
Pirin, formerly part of the Ottoman Empire until 1913. Due to this reason, a large number of these Aromanians moved to
Southern Dobruja
Southern Dobruja, South Dobruja or Quadrilateral (Bulgarian: Южна Добруджа, ''Yuzhna Dobrudzha'' or simply Добруджа, ''Dobrudzha''; ro, Dobrogea de Sud, or ) is an area of northeastern Bulgaria comprising Dobrich and Silistra ...
, part of the
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania ( ro, Regatul României) was a constitutional monarchy that existed in Romania from 13 March ( O.S.) / 25 March 1881 with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian ...
after the
Treaty of Bucharest of 1913. After the reinclusion of Southern Dobruja in Bulgaria with the
Treaty of Craiova of 1940, most were moved to
Northern Dobruja
Northern Dobruja ( ro, Dobrogea de Nord or simply ; bg, Северна Добруджа, ''Severna Dobrudzha'') is the part of Dobruja within the borders of Romania. It lies between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, bordered in the south ...
in a
population exchange. Another group moved to northern Greece. Nowadays, the largest group of Aromanians in Bulgaria is found in the southern mountainous area, around
Peshtera
Peshtera ( bg, Пещера , sometimes transliterated as ''Peštera''; rup, Peshtera) is a town in the Rhodope Mountains, southern Bulgaria. It is located in Pazardzhik Province near the towns of Batak and Bratsigovo. The town is the third ...
. Most Aromanians in Bulgaria originate from the
Gramos Mountains, with some from
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
, the
Pindus Mountains
The Pindus (also Pindos or Pindhos; el, Πίνδος, Píndos; sq, Pindet; rup, Pindu) is a mountain range located in Northern Greece and Southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km (100 miles) long, with a maximum elevation of 2,637 metr ...
in Greece and
Moscopole
Moscopole or Voskopoja ( sq, Voskopojë; rup, Moscopole, with several other variants; el, Μοσχόπολις, Moschopolis) is a village in Korçë County in southeastern Albania. During the 18th century, it was the cultural and commercial ...
in Albania.
After the fall of communism in 1989, Aromanians and Romanians (known as "Vlachs" in Bulgaria) have started initiatives to organize themselves under one common association.
According to the 1926 official census, there were 69,080 Romanians, 5,324 Aromanians, 3,777 ''Cutzovlachs'', and 1,551 ''Tsintsars''.
In Serbia
In medieval times, the Aromanians populated Herzegovina and elevated famous necropolises with petroglyphs (Radimlja, Blidinje, etc.).
[Marian Wenzel, Bosnian and Herzegovinian Tombstobes-Who Made Them and Why?" Sudost-Forschungen 21(1962): 102–143.] The Aromanians, known as ''Cincari'' (Цинцари), migrated to Serbia in the 18th and early 19th centuries. They most often were bilingual in Greek, and were often called "Greeks" (''Grci''). They were influential in the forming of Serbian statehood, having contributed with rebel fighters, merchants and intellectuals. Many Greek Aromanians (Грко Цинцари) came to Serbia with
Alija Gušanac Alija Gušanac ("Alija from Gusinje"; 1804–05), known in epic poetry as Gušanac-Alija, was an Albanian Ottoman brigand (''krdžalija'') that served the ''Dahije'', the renegade Janissaries that had taken the rule of the Sanjak of Smederevo fol ...
as ''krdžalije'' (mercenaries) and later joined the
Serbian Revolution (1804–1817). Some of the notable rebels include
Konda Bimbaša Konda Bimbaša ( sr-cyr, Конда Бимбаша, March 1804–d. May/June 1807) was a mercenary in Alija Gušanac's Dahije detachment in the Sanjak of Smederevo who switched sides to the Serb rebels during the First Serbian Uprising, proclaimed ...
and Papazogli. Among the notable people of Aromanian descent are playwright
Jovan Sterija Popović (1806–1856), novelist
Branislav Nušić
Branislav Nušić ( sr-cyr, Бранислав Нушић, ; – 19 January 1938) was a Serbian playwright, satirist, essayist, novelist and founder of modern rhetoric in Serbia. He also worked as a journalist and a civil servant.
Life
Bra ...
(1864–1938), and politician
Vladan Đorđević (1844–1930).
The majority of Serbian people of Aromanian descent do not speak Aromanian and espouse a
Serb identity. They live in
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
,
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
and some smaller communities in Southern Serbia, such as
Knjaževac
Knjaževac ( sr-cyr, Књажевац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zaječar District of the eastern Serbia. As of 2011, the municipality has a population of 31,491 inhabitants, while the town has 18,404 inhabitants.
The town is si ...
. The
Lunjina Serbian–Aromanian Association
The Lunjina Serbian–Aromanian Association ( rup, Sutsata sãrbeascã-armãneascã Lunjina; sr, Српско-цинцарско друштво Луњина / , / ) is an organization of Aromanians in Serbia with its headquarters at Belgrade, ...
was founded in Belgrade in 1991. According to the
2011 census, there were 243 Serbian citizens that identified as ethnic ''Cincari''.
However, unofficial estimates number the Aromanian population of Serbia at 5,000–15,000.
Diaspora
Aside from the Balkan countries, there are also communities of Aromanian emigrants living in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Although the largest diaspora community is in select major Canadian cities,
Freiburg, Germany has one of the most important Aromanian organisations, the
Union for Aromanian Language and Culture
The Union for Aromanian Language and Culture ( rup, Uniunea trã Limba shi Cultura Armãnã, ; german: Union für Aromunische Sprache und Kultur, ) is an organization of Aromanians in Germany headquartered at Freiburg im Breisgau. It was founded ...
. In the United States, the
Society Farsharotu
The Society Farsharotu ( rup, Sutsata Fãrshãrotu; ro, Societatea Fărșârotul), officially the Aromanian Cultural Society Farsharotu, is an organization of Aromanians in the United States, with its headquarters at Trumbull, Connecticut. The ...
is the oldest and most well-known association of Aromanians, founded in 1903 by Nicolae Cican, an Aromanian native of Albania. In France, the Aromanians are grouped in the
Trã Armãnami Association of the Aromanians of France.
Notable Aromanians
![SSinas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/SSinas.jpg)
The following is a list of notable people of full or partial Aromanian descent. Note that these claims are in many cases disputed or shared with ancestry from other ethnicties.
Art and literature
*
Alexandru Arsinel
Alexandru is the Romanian form of the name Alexander. Common diminutives are Alecu, Alex, and Sandu.
Origin
Etymologically, the name is derived from the Greek "Αλέξανδρος" (Aléxandros), meaning "defending men" or "protector of men", ...
—comedian and actor
*
Constantin Belimace Constantin Belimace (July 1848 – 1932) was an Aromanian poet.
He was born into an Aromanian family in Malovišta (), a village that formed part of the Ottoman Empire's Rumelia Eyalet and is now in North Macedonia. His father was Tașcu Belimace ...
—poet
*
Ion Luca Caragiale—playwright, short story writer, poet, theater manager, political commentator and journalist
*
Toma Caragiu
Toma Caragiu (; (21 August 1925 – 4 March 1977) was a prolific Greek-born Romanian theatre, television and film actor.
He was born in an Aromanian family from the village of Chroupista (since 1926 renamed Argos Orestiko) in the region of Mace ...
—theatre, television and film actor
*
Konstantin Čomu
Konstantin Čomu (1865–1952), often credited as Kosta Chomu (Macedonian Cyrillic: Константин Чому) or Konstantin Comu, was an Aromanian cinema operator, the first one in Bitola (present North Macedonia).
Work
The appearance of th ...
—cinema operator
*
Elena Gheorghe
Elena Gheorghe (born 30 July 1985; ) is a Romanian singer. In the first half of the 2000s, she joined the Romanian pop group Mandinga, with whom she released two albums. In 2006, she separated from the group and pursued her solo career. She has ...
—singer
*
Jovan Četirević Grabovan Jovan may refer to:
*Jovan (given name), a list of people with this given name
*Jovan, Mawal, a village on the western coastal region of Maharashtra, India
* Jōvan Musk, a cologne
*Deli Jovan, a mountain in eastern Serbia
*Róbert Jován (born 196 ...
—icon painter
*
Stere Gulea
Stere Gulea (born 2 August 1943) is a Romanian film director and screenwriter.
He was born in Mihail Kogălniceanu commune, Constanța County, in an Aromanian family that had fled from the Kaliakra region of Southern Dobruja during the 1940 popu ...
—film director and screenwriter
*
Kira Hagi
Kira Hagi (born 31 March 1996) is a Romanian actress. She was born in Barcelona, Spain. Her first theatre actuation was ''Fetița cu chibrituri'' ("The girl with matches"). She subsequently also acted on the and the Very Small Theatre of Buchar ...
—actress
*
Dimitrios Lalas
Dimitrios Stergios Lalas or Lallas ( el, Δημήτριος Στέργιος Λάλας ή Λάλλας) was a significant Greek composer and musician.
Biography
Lalas was born in 1844 or 1848 in Magarevo, then Ottoman Empire (now North Macedon ...
—composer and musician
*
Taško Načić
Taško Načić ( sr-Cyrl, Ташко Начић; 7 April 1934 – 27 March 1993) was a Serbian actor.
Early life
Načić's paternal family was of Aromanian descent from Zaječar. He studied acting at The Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, whe ...
—actor
*
Sergiu Nicolaescu—film director, actor and politician
*
Constantin Noica—philosopher, essayist and poet
*
Branislav Nušić
Branislav Nušić ( sr-cyr, Бранислав Нушић, ; – 19 January 1938) was a Serbian playwright, satirist, essayist, novelist and founder of modern rhetoric in Serbia. He also worked as a journalist and a civil servant.
Life
Bra ...
—playwright, satirist, essayist, novelist
*
Ştefan Octavian Iosif—poet and translator
*
Dan Piţa
Dan or DAN may refer to:
People
* Dan (name), including a list of people with the name
** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark
* Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa
**Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoir ...
—film director and screenwriter
*
Aurel Plasari
Aurel Plasari (born 16 September 1955) is an Albanian, lecturer, scholar, writer, translator and professor.
Early life and education
Plasari was born in Tirana, where he completed all levels of his education. At the age of seventeen, while still ...
—writer
*
Jovan Sterija Popović—playwright, poet, lawyer, philosopher and pedagogue
*
Florica Prevenda
Florica Prevenda (born April 5, 1959) is a Romanian artist, who lives and works in Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is lo ...
—painter
*
Toše Proeski—singer
*
Sandër Prosi
Aleksander "Sandër" Prosi (6 January 1920 – 24 March 1985; rup, Sandãr Prosi) was an Albanian film and theater actor and violin player. He was given the People's Artist of Albania award by the Albanian government. He is considered one of the ...
—actor
*
Camil Ressu—painter and academic
*
Konstantinos Tzechanis
Konstantinos Tzechanis ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Τζεχάνης, la, Constantinus Tzechani, sq, Kostë Xhehani, 1740–1800) was a philosopher, mathematician and poet from the 18th century Aromanian center of Moscopole.
Life
Tzechanis ...
—philosopher, mathematician and poet
*
Nushi Tulliu Nushi Tulliu (April 23, 1872–April 8, 1941; ro, Nuși Tulliu) was an Aromanian poet and prose writer.
He was born into an Aromanian family in Avdella, a village that formed part of the Ottoman Empire's Manastir Vilayet and is now in Greece ...
—poet and prose writer
*
Albert Vërria
Albert Vërria (Fier, 3 September 1936 – Vlorë, 17 August 2015) was an Albanian actor. He was a Merited Artist of Albania.
He completed his primary and secondary school in his hometown. In 1963 he completed the high school for actor "Alexande ...
—actor
*
Lika Yanko
Lika Yanko ( bg, Лика Янко; March 19, 1928 – June 22, 2001) was a Bulgarian artist born in Sofia. Her paintings are renowned for their abstract nature and their use of found materials.
Biography
Lika Yanko was born in Bulgaria's capita ...
—painter
*
Jovan Jovanović Zmaj—poet
*
Manaki brothers
The Manaki brothers ( rup, Frats Manachia), Yanaki and Milton ( and ), were Greek photography and cinema pioneers of the Balkan Peninsula and the Ottoman Empire. They were the first to bring a film camera and create a motion picture in the city ...
—film makers
Law, philanthropy and commerce
*
George Averoff—businessman and philanthropist
*
Gigi Becali—businessman and politician
*
Emanoil Gojdu
Emanuil Gojdu ( Hungarian: ''Gozsdu Emánuel'', mostly referred as ''Gozsdu Manó''; 9 February 1802, Nagyvárad, Hungary (now Oradea, Romania)—3 February 1870, Pest-Buda, Hungary) was a Romanian lawyer in the Kingdom of Hungary and patrio ...
—lawyer
*
Petar Ičko
Petar Ičko ( sr-cyr, Петар Ичко, 1755–1808) was an Ottoman and later Serbian diplomat, a merchant by profession from Ottoman Macedonia. He is remembered for instituting Ičko's Peace, though of short duration.
Biography
He was of ...
—merchant
*
Mocioni family
The Mocioni family ( hu, Mocsonyi de Foen), also spelled as Mocsony, was an Austro-Hungarian family that produced barons, philanthropists and bankers. It had branches in Romania, Serbia (Belgrade) and Hungary (Pest). The family was of Aromanian or ...
—barons, philanthropists and bankers
*
Theodoros Modis
Theodoros Modis (Greek: Θεόδωρος Μόδης) was a Greek lumber merchant and scholar from Monastiri (today's Bitola, in North Macedonia).
He was among those who helped the founders of the Revolutionary Internal Organization in its for ...
—lumber merchant and scholar
*
Sterjo Nakov—businessman
*
Simon Sinas—banker, aristocrat, benefactor and diplomat
*
Georgios Sinas
Georgios Sinas ( el, Γεώργιος Σίνας, german: Georg Sina; 20 November 1783 – 18 May 1856) was a Greek-Austrian entrepreneur and banker. He became a national benefactor of Greece and was the father of another Greek national benefactor ...
—entrepreneur, banker and national benefactor
*
Michael Tositsas
Michael Tositsas ( el, Μιχαήλ Τόσιτσας) was a national benefactor from modern-day Greece. He was an Aromanian. He was born in Metsovo in 1787, and in 1806 he took over his father's fur shop in Thessaloniki, together with his brother ...
—benefactor
*
Evangelis Zappas
Evangelos or Evangelis Zappas ( el, Ευάγγελος or ; ro, Evanghelie Zappa; 23 August 1800 – 19 June 1865) was a Greek patriot, philanthropist and businessman who spent most of his life in Romania. He is recognized today as one of the ...
—philanthropist and businessman
*
Konstantinos Zappas
Konstantinos Zappas ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Ζάππας; 1814–1892) was a Greek entrepreneur and national benefactor who together with his cousin, Evangelos Zappas, played an essential role in the revival of the Olympic Games.
Biography ...
—entrepreneur and national benefactor
*
Toma Fila—lawyer and politician
Military
*
Konda Bimbaša Konda Bimbaša ( sr-cyr, Конда Бимбаша, March 1804–d. May/June 1807) was a mercenary in Alija Gušanac's Dahije detachment in the Sanjak of Smederevo who switched sides to the Serb rebels during the First Serbian Uprising, proclaimed ...
—fighter
*
Pitu Guli
Pitu Guli (; 1865–1903) was an Aromanian revolutionary in Ottoman Macedonia, a local leader of what is commonly referred to as the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO).Brown, K. (2003) ''The Past in Question: Modern Mace ...
—revolutionary
*
Christodoulos Hatzipetros—military leader
*
Anastasios Manakis
Anastasios Manakis or Michaloglou ( el, Αναστάσιος Μανάκης-Μιχάλογλου; - 27 July 1864) was a Greek revolutionary of the Greek War of Independence.
Biography
Manakis was an Aromanian. He born in about 1790 in Epir ...
—revolutionary
*
Giorgakis Olympios—military commander
*
Alexandros Papagos—army officer
*
Anastasios Pichion
Anastasios Pichion ( el, Αναστάσιος Πηχιών) or Picheon (Πηχεών) (1836 – 24 March 1913) was a Greek of Aromanian descent who was an educator and revolutionary of the Macedonian Struggle.
Biography
He was born in Ohrid dur ...
—educator and fighter
*
Stefanos Sarafis
Stefanos Sarafis ( el, Στέφανος Σαράφης, 23 October 1890 – 31 May 1957) was an officer of the Hellenic Army and Major General in EAM-ELAS), who played an important role during the Greek Resistance.
Early life and career
Saraf ...
—army officer
*
Konstantinos Smolenskis
Konstantinos Smolenskis or Smolents ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Σμολένσκης/Σμόλεντς, 1843–1915) was a Hellenic Army officer. Descendant of a family that had settled in the Habsburg monarchy and returned to Greece after the ...
—army officer
*
Leonidas Smolents Leonidas Smolents, Smolenits or Smolenskis ( el, Λεωνίδας Σμόλεντς/Σμόλενιτς/Σμολένσκης; 1806–1882) was an Austrian army officer of Greek origin, who after 1830 settled in the newly independent Kingdom of Greece ...
—army officer
*
Mitre the Vlach—revolutionary
Politics
*
Apostol Arsache
Apostol Arsache (in Romanian) or Apostolos Arsakis ( el, Απόστολος Αρσάκης; 1789 – 1869) was a Greek-Romanian politician and philanthropist. He was one of the major benefactors of 19th-century Greece, while at the same time he ...
—politician and philanthropist
*
Evangelos Averoff
Evangelos Averoff-Tositsa (Greek: Ευάγγελος Αβέρωφ Τοσίτσας) (Trikala, 17 April 1910 – Athens, 2 January 1990) was a Greek politician, leader of the right wing party New Democracy (1981–1984), member of parliament, and ...
—politician and writer
*
Nicolae Constantin Batzaria
Nicolae Constantin Batzaria (; last name also Besaria, Basarya, Bațaria or Bazaria; also known under the pen names Moș Nae, Moș Ene and Ali Baba; November 20, 1874 – January 28, 1952), was an Aromanian cultural activist, Ottoman states ...
—politician, activist and writer
*
Marko Bello
Marko may refer to:
* Marko (given name)
* Marko (surname)
* Márkó, a village in Hungary
See also
*Marco (disambiguation)
*Markko (disambiguation)
*Marka (disambiguation)
*Markov
*Marku
Marku is an Albanian surname. Notable people with the ...
—politician, diplomat and lecturer
*
Yannis Boutaris
Yiannis Boutaris ( el, Γιάννης Μπουτάρης; born 13 June 1942) is a Greek businessman and politician, former mayor of Thessaloniki.
Biography
Yiannis Boutaris was born in Thessaloniki in 1942, the son of winemaker Stelios Boutaris ...
—politician and businessman
*
Costică Canacheu—politician and businessman
*
Ion Caramitru
Ion Horia Leonida Caramitru, OBE (; 9 March 1942 – 5 September 2021) was a Romanian stage and film actor, stage director, and political figure. He was Minister of Culture between 1996 and 2000, in the Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR) cabi ...
—politician and actor
*
Alcibiades Diamandi—politician
*
Michael Dukakis
Michael Stanley Dukakis (; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history a ...
—politician
*
Vladan Đorđević—politician, diplomat, physician, prolific writer, organizer of the State Sanitary Service
*
Rigas Feraios—writer, political thinker and revolutionary
*
Taki Fiti
Taki Fiti ( mk, Таки Фити) is an economist and former Minister of Finance of North Macedonia.
Taki Fiti was born on 7 November 1950 in Kruševo, North Macedonia. He is an ethnic Aromanian. He received his MA in 1980, and his Ph.D. in 19 ...
—politician
*
Ioannis Kolettis—politician
*
Helena Angelina Komnene Helena Angelina Komnene ( el, Ἑλένη Ἀγγελίνα Κομνηνή) was a daughter of the Greek ''sebastokrator'' John I Doukas, ruler of Thessaly in ca. 1268–1289, and a Greek princess of Aromanian origin, known only by her monastic name ...
*
Spyridon Lambros—politician and professor
*
Apostol Mărgărit Apostol Mărgărit or Apostolos Margaritis (5 August 1832 in Avdella – 19 October 1903 in Bitola) was an Aromanian school teacher and writer. One of the most important voices of Aromanian emancipation in the 19th century, he conditioned Romania's ...
—writer
*
Nicolaos Matussis—politician
*
Georgios Modis
Georgios Modis ( el, Γεώργιος Μόδης; 14 May 1887 – 18 June 1975) was a Greek jurist, politician, writer and participant in the Macedonian Struggle.
Biography
Georgios Modis was born in 1887 in Monastir (modern Bitola). He graduat ...
—jurist, politician and writer
*
Alexandros Papagos— politician and army officer
*
Pilo Peristeri—politician
*
Alexandros Svolos
Alexandros Svolos ( el, Αλέξανδρος Σβώλος; 1892, Kruševo, Manastir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire – 22 February 1956, Athens, Greece) was a prominent Greek legal expert, who also served as president of the Political Committee of Natio ...
—politician
*
Andreas Tzimas
Andreas Tzimas ( el, Ανδρέας Τζήμας; Kastoria, 1 September 1909 – Prague, 1 December 1972), known also under his World War II-era ''nom de guerre'' of Vasilis Samariniotis (Βασίλης Σαμαρινιώτης), was a leading Gre ...
—politician
*
Petros Zappas Petros Zappas ( el, Πέτρος Ζάππας) was a Greek entrepreneur and politician and a member of the Zappas family of national benefactors originally from Labovë of Aromanian descent. This village would later form part of the short-lived Au ...
—entrepreneur and politician
Religion
*
—patriarch
*
Joachim III of Constantinople—ecumenical patriarch
*
Theodore Kavalliotis
Theodore Anastasios Kavalliotis ( el, Θεόδωρος Αναστασίου Καβαλλιώτης; rup, Teodor Anastasie Cavalioti; sq, Theodor Kavalioti, 1718 – 11 August 1789) was a Greek Orthodox priest, teacher and a figure of the Greek E ...
—priest and teacher
*
Andrei Șaguna—metropolitan bishop
*
Nektarios Terpos
Nektarios Terpos ( rup, Nectar Tãrpo; el, Νεκτάριος Τέρπος; late 17th century–18th century) was an Orthodox Christian scholar and monk from Moscopole (today in modern Albania) of Aromanian ethnicity. He was the author of an impo ...
—scholar and monk
Sciences, academia and engineering
*
Sotiris Bletsas
Sotiris Bletsas ( el, Σωτήρης Μπλέτσας) is an architect and Aromanian language activist from Greece.
In 1995, at an Aromanians, Aromanian festival in Greece, he distributed some European Bureau for Lesser-Used Languages (EBLUL) mat ...
*
Elie Carafoli
Elie Carafoli (September 15, 1901, Veria, Salonica Vilayet, Ottoman Empire–October 24, 1983, Bucharest, Romania) was an accomplished Romanian engineer and aircraft designer. He is considered a pioneering contributor to the field of Aerodynam ...
*
Ioannis Chalkeus
Ioannis Chalkeus ( rup, Joan Chalkeus; el, Ιωάννης Χαλκεύς; 1667–between 1730 and 1740) or Chalkias, was an Aromanian scholar, philosopher and figure of the modern Greek Enlightenment.Sterie Diamandi Sterie Diamandi (August 22, 1897 – June 11, 1981) was an Ottoman-born Romanian biographer and essayist.
He was born into an Aromanian family in Metsovo, a town that formed part of the Ottoman Empire's Manastir Vilayet and is now in Greece. ...
*
Neagu Djuvara
Neagu Bunea Djuvara (; 18 August 1916 – 25 January 2018) was a Romanian historian, essayist, philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat.
Biography
Early life
A native of Bucharest, he was descended from an aristocratic Aromanian family ...
*
Jovan Karamata
Jovan Karamata ( sr-cyr, Јован Карамата; February 1, 1902 – August 14, 1967) was a Serbian mathematician. He is remembered for contributions to analysis, in particular, the Tauberian theory and the theory of slowly varying function ...
*
Mina Minovici
*
Theodore Modis
Theodore Modis (born August 11, 1943) is a strategic business analyst, futurist, physicist, and international consultant. He specializes in applying fundamental scientific concepts to predicting social phenomena. In particular, he uses the law of ...
*
Yorgo Modis
Yorgo E. Modis (born 1974) is Professor in Virology and Immunology, and a Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge. He is head o''The Modis Lab''in th''Molecular Immunity Unit''at the MRC Laborat ...
*
Daniel Moscopolites
Daniel of Moscopole or Daniil of Moscopole (1754–1825; rup, Daniil Moscopoleanu or ; el, Δανιήλ Μοσχοπολίτης, Daniil Moschopolitis), also known as Mihali Adami Hagi ( rup, Mihali Adami Hagi), was an Aromanian scholar from Mo ...
*
George Murnu
*
Pericle Papahagi Pericle Papahagi (1872 – January 20, 1943) was an Aromanian literary historian and folklorist.
He was born into an Aromanian family in Avdella (), a village that formed part of the Ottoman Empire's Manastir Vilayet and is now in Greece. Aft ...
*
Gheorghe Peltecu
*
Nicolae Malaxa
Sports
*
Gheorghe Hagi—football coach and former player
*
Ianis Hagi
Ianis Hagi (; born 22 October 1998) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a forward for Scottish Premiership club Rangers and the Romania national team.
He made his professional debut for Viitorul Cons ...
—football player
*
Simona Halep
Simona Halep (; born 27 September 1991) is a Romanian professional tennis player. She has been ranked world No. 1 in singles twice between 2017 and 2019, for a total of 64 weeks, which ranks eleventh in the history of the Women's Tennis Assoc ...
—tennis player
*
Cristian Gaţu
Cristian is the Romanian and Spanish form of the male given name Christian. In Romanian, it is also a surname.
Cristian may refer to:
People
* Cristian (footballer, born 1994), Brazilian footballer
* Cristian Adomniței (born 1975), Romanian engi ...
—handball player
*
Rafail Dishnica Gërnjoti—boxer
*
Theodhor Gërnjoti—boxer
*
Dominique Moceanu—gymnast
Gallery
File:Vlachsche_Hirten_-_Schweiger_Lerchenfeld_Amand_(freiherr_Von)_-_1887.jpg, Vlach (Aromanian) herdsmen in Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
(Amand Schweiger from Lerchenfeld, 1887)
File:ValacosDeMacedonia--bulgariaherpeopl00monr.png, Aromanian men of Macedonia
Macedonia most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...
, circa 1914
File:Cutovlahi (1915).jpg, Kutsovlachs in 1915
See also
*
Romanians
The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...
*
Megleno-Romanians
The Megleno-Romanians, also known as Meglenites ( ruq, Miglinits), Moglenite Vlachs or simply Vlachs ( ruq, Vlaș), are a small Eastern Romance people, originally inhabiting seven villages in the Moglena region spanning the Pella and Kilkis reg ...
*
Istro-Romanians
The Istro-Romanians ( ruo, rumeri or ) are a Romance ethnic group native to or associated with the Istrian Peninsula. Historically, they inhabited vast parts of it, as well as the western side of the island of Krk until 1875. However, due to se ...
*
Vlachs
"Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Easter ...
*
Thraco-Roman
Citations
General sources
*
* Cozaru, G. C., A. C. Papari, and M. L. Sandu. "Considerations Regarding the Ethno-Cultural Identity of the Aromanians in Dobrogea". ''Tradition and Reform Social Reconstruction of Europe'' (2013): 121.
*
*
*
*
* Kocój E., Heritage without Heirs? Tangible and religious cultural heritage of the Vlachs minority in Europe in the context of interdisciplinary research project (contribution to the subject), Balcanica Posnaniensia", Poznań 2015, s. 137–147.
* Kocój E., The Story of an Invisible City. The Cultural Heritage of Moscopole in Albania. Urban Regeneration, Cultural Memory and Space Management
n:Intangible heritage of the city. Musealisation, preservation, education, ed. By M. Kwiecińska, Kraków 2016, s. 267–280.
* Kocój E., Artifacts of the past as traces of memory. The Aromanian cultural heritage in the Balkans, Res Historica, 2016, p. 175–195.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
* Gica, Alexandru. ''The recent history of the Aromanians in Southeast Europe''. Scr/bd. Rome, 2010
The Recent History of the Aromanians in Southeast Europe-Alexandru Gica , Republic Of Macedonia , Greece
External links
*
{{Aromanians
Eastern Romance people
Ethnic groups in Albania
Ethnic groups in Bulgaria
Ethnic groups in Greece
Ethnic groups in North Macedonia
Ethnic groups in Romania
Ethnic groups in Serbia
Ethnic groups in the Balkans
Romance peoples
Ethnic groups divided by international borders