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The Sermesianoi or, alternatively, Keramisians were a group of 70,000
The Sermesianoi were a mixed population, which included the descendants of Roman ( Byzantine) Christians, whom the Avars had captured in the
Kuber and the Sermesianoi went as far as south as the plain of Thessaloniki, where they settled, asking for the permission of the Byzantine emperor. The emperor gave his consent and ordered the nearby Slavic tribe of the Dragovites to supply Kuber and his people with food. Kuber and his associate Mauros subsequently attempted to seize Thessaloniki, taking advantage of a civil war in the city but were unsuccessful.
Kuber and those Sermesianoi who had not returned to their ancestral homes ultimately settled in the ''Keramisian field'', most likely the
Bulgars
The Bulgars (also Bulghars, Bulgari, Bolgars, Bolghars, Bolgari, Proto-Bulgarians) were Turkic semi-nomadic warrior tribes that flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and the Volga region during the 7th century. They became known as nomad ...
, Pannonian Avars and Byzantine Christians from Syrmia
Syrmia ( sh, Srem/Срем or sh, Srijem/Сријем, label=none) is a region of the southern Pannonian Plain, which lies between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia and Croatia. Most of the region is flat, with the exce ...
. They fled in Byzantine region of Macedonia, following a successful revolt against the Avar Khaganate
The Pannonian Avars () were an alliance of several groups of Eurasian nomads of various origins. The peoples were also known as the Obri in chronicles of Rus, the Abaroi or Varchonitai ( el, Βαρχονίτες, Varchonítes), or Pseudo-Avars ...
led by the Bulgar noble Kuber, around the year 680.
In Avar Pannonia
The Sermesianoi were a mixed population, which included the descendants of Roman ( Byzantine) Christians, whom the Avars had captured in 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 settled in the region of Sirmium. Kuber had been made governor of the region by the Avar Khagan
Khagan or Qaghan (Mongolian:; or ''Khagan''; otk, 𐰴𐰍𐰣 ), or , tr, Kağan or ; ug, قاغان, Qaghan, Mongolian Script: ; or ; fa, خاقان ''Khāqān'', alternatively spelled Kağan, Kagan, Khaghan, Kaghan, Khakan, Khakhan ...
. Kuber's subjects called themselves ''Sermesianoi'', but the Byzantines referred to them as "Bulgars". They had preserved their Roman and Christian traditions, even though their ancestors had been taken to the Avar Khaganate some 60 years prior to Kuber's appointment.
As the Sermesianoi never stopped dreaming of returning to their ancestors' homes, Kuber rose up in open rebellion against the Khagan. According to modern historians, Kuber's rebellion occurred in the 670s or early 680s. Around 70,000 Sermesianoi joined him and departed for the Byzantine Empire. The Khagan attempted to hinder their migration, but they routed the Avars in five or six battles and crossed the Danube.
In Byzantine Macedonia
Kuber and the Sermesianoi went as far as south as the plain of Thessaloniki, where they settled, asking for the permission of the Byzantine emperor. The emperor gave his consent and ordered the nearby Slavic tribe of the Dragovites to supply Kuber and his people with food. Kuber and his associate Mauros subsequently attempted to seize Thessaloniki, taking advantage of a civil war in the city but were unsuccessful.
Kuber and those Sermesianoi who had not returned to their ancestral homes ultimately settled in the ''Keramisian field'', most likely the Pelagonia
Pelagonia ( mk, Пелагонија, Pelagonija; el, Πελαγονíα, Pelagonía) is a geographical region of Macedonia named after the ancient kingdom. Ancient Pelagonia roughly corresponded to the present-day municipalities of Bitola, Pri ...
plain in North Macedonia, hence their other name, "Keramisians" (most likely a corruption of Sermesianoi). Macedonian archaeologist Ivan Mikulčić localizes the settlement of the Sermesianoi to Western North Macedonia and Eastern Albania and attributes the treasures found at Vrap and Ersekë (the Avar Treasure
The Avar Treasure, called sometimes Vrap Treasure, is an ensemble currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The various vessel making up the ensemble were found in Vrap, Albania, and have been attributed to the Avars. On th ...
) to Kuber's people. German archeologist Joachim Werner has also linked the Vrap Treasure to Kuber and the Sermesianoi. According to Werner, the treasure may have been part of the Khagan's treasury, which was robbed by Kuber and then carried south of the Danube.
See also
* Kuber * Mauros *Avar Treasure
The Avar Treasure, called sometimes Vrap Treasure, is an ensemble currently in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The various vessel making up the ensemble were found in Vrap, Albania, and have been attributed to the Avars. On th ...
References
Sources
* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bulgar Pannonian Avars Migration Period Turkic peoples Turkic nomadic tribes Medieval Thessalonica Medieval history of Bulgaria Kutmichevitsa History of Syrmia Medieval history of Vojvodina History of Macedonia (region)