Epirotes

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The term Epirotes (Greek Ηπειρώτες) refers to the inhabitants of the Greek region of Epirus. In antiquity, the Epirotes were grouped into fourteen tribes, the most famous of which were the Thesprotians, who occupied the southern part of Epirus immediately north of the Ambracian Gulf, the Molossians, who occupied the center, and the Chaonians, who occupied the northernmost area, up to the Bay of Avlona (modern-day Vlorë) . They spoke a variant of the NW Greek dialect and because they were seen as uncouth by their fellow-Greeks to the south, they are referred to as "barbarians" by some authors . The neighbors of the Epirotes were the Macedonians to the east and the Illyrians to the north. The Molossians were the most powerful of the Epirotes, and under their king Pyrrhus of Epirus they briefly challenged the power of Rome. Following the Pyrrhic victories of Pyrrhus over the Romans, however, the Epirotes fell under Roman rule and 150,000 were sold into slavery.

In the Middle Ages, Epirus was under the rule of the Byzantine Empire, and the region flourished and was settled with numerous Orthodox Christian Greeks. The definition of Epirus came to encompass the entire region from the Ambracian Gulf to Dyrrachion (modern day Durrës). Some of the most important cities in Epirus, such as Argyrokastron, were founded during this period. Following the Ottoman conquest, some of the inhabitants in the northernmost regions converted to Islam, and henceforth identified as Albanians. The Epirotes of the south, however, maintained their Orthodox Christian religion and continued to identify as Greeks.

The Epirotes played a prominent part in the Greek struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire and the typical 18th-19th century costume of Epirot men, the so-called Foustanella, went on to become the national costume of Greece. Epirus was divided between Greece and Albania following the Balkan wars, with members of both ethnic groups present on both sides of the border. After WWII however, the Muslim Cham Albanians were expelled from Greece for collaborating with the Nazi occupation forces, while many Greeks in Northern Epirus experienced forced Albanisation under the Hoxha regime and even before it. Since the end of the Cold War, many Greeks in Northern Epirus are re-discovering their Greek heritage, while the Cham Albanians have called for compensation for their lost lands. The current President of Greece, Karolos Papoulias is a native of Ioannina, Epirus.

Famous Epirotes

• Pyrrhus of Epirus, King of the Molossian tribe and all of Epirus from whom the expression Pyrrhic victory is named after. He challenged the power of Rome and is considered second only to Alexander the Great among ancient Greeks generals.
• Pyrros Dimas (Πύρρος Δήμας), the world-famous Greek weight-lifting athlete, whose nickname is "the Lion of Himarra". He is the only weight-lifter in the world to have won four Olympic medals. Three of his medals are gold (1992 Summer Olympics, 1996 Summer Olympics, 2000 Summer Olympics) and the last one, from the Athens 2004 Olympics, is a bronze. He is considered a national hero in Greece.
• Karolos Papoulias (Κάρολος Παπούλιας), the current President of the Hellenic Republic (Greece).

References

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Last updated on Wednesday March 05, 2008 at 05:33:29 PST (GMT -0800)
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