Greek term for Romans

[Zethos]

Hi,
Does anyone know what term the Hellenes used for the Romans in ancient times?
Did they say something like "Romaioi (or Rhomaioi)" or were they just called "Barbaroi"?

[Arjos]

The Byzantines did call themselves Rhomaioi, so it would be a good choice; even though before losing independence, most likely they considered the Romans just Barbaroi...

[Skullheadhq]

Indeed, the Greeks of the Roman Empire after 476 considered themselves Rhomaioi. Infact, when the Greek state took shape in 1830 the idea was to name it 'Basileia ton Romaion' (Roman Empire) and up to 1830 and even later Greeks called themselves Romans. Only to secure help of philhellenes who were more obsessed with Homer and Leonidas they called themselves Greeks and their country Greece. It did help. The Turks still call the Greeks Romans to this day.

And the Greeks of antiquity considered even those as far away and culturally akin as the Makedonians as barbarians, so to think they would have a nicer name for Romans would be naive.

[CBR]

Barbaroi is just a generic term. The Greeks does not seem to have had problems giving more specific names for various people.

[Arjos]

It is generic, because it means "all those who don't speak greek"...
In ethnographic works, they rendered in greek the sound of the locals' name...
When later the Romans took over the greek world, many writers, who were born outside the empire, referred to themselves as barbarians, this time meaning they didn't speak latin or greek...

But in overall any Greek, from the lowest to the most refined orator, called barbaros any foreigner...

[Immortal Wellesley]

look greek was the language all around the med and was the dominated language until 1453 when ottomans conquered
Constantinople. varvaroi or barbarians in english are those whose language is spoken by a minority. greek was spoken in all over the world. the greeks have never called themselves like that. they are called ellines. Ellines were conquered by romans
because of the hostility of the ellinikes polis krati or greek cities and because of the bad luck Pyrros had.

[Jolt]

look greek was the language all around the med and was the dominated language until 1453 when ottomans conquered
Constantinople. varvaroi or barbarians in english are those whose language is spoken by a minority. greek was spoken in all over the world. the greeks have never called themselves like that. they are called ellines. Ellines were conquered by romans
because of the hostility of the ellinikes polis krati or greek cities and because of the bad luck Pyrros had.

I very much doubt Greek was in any way the lingua franca of the whole Mediterranean after the Roman conquest of Greece. With the fall of the Western Roman Empire and its substitution by the Roman Catholic Church, who did a pretty good job maintaining the power of Latin through proselytization of Central and Western Europe.

I'm quite sure that Greek was the lingua franca in parts where the Byzantine Empire dominated. In the Western part of the Mediterranean, nobody spoke Greek to deal with one another. They either spoke Latin or Sabir.

[Skullheadhq]

I very much doubt Greek was in any way the lingua franca of the whole Mediterranean after the Roman conquest of Greece. With the fall of the Western Roman Empire and its substitution by the Roman Catholic Church, who did a pretty good job maintaining the power of Latin through proselytization of Central and Western Europe.

I'm quite sure that Greek was the lingua franca in parts where the Byzantine Empire dominated. In the Western part of the Mediterranean, nobody spoke Greek to deal with one another. They either spoke Latin or Sabir.

True, Greek was the language of schismatics.