Pontic Greeks
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Traditional rural Pontic house |
The
Pontic Greeks,
Pontians, or
Black Sea Greeks (
Greek Πόντιοι, Ποντιακοί) are
Greeks from the shores of the
Black Sea, the
Pontus. They traditionally speak
Pontic Greek.
In mythology,
Pontos is mentioned as the area were
Jason and the
Argonauts sailed to find the
Golden Fleece. It is also believed it is the area where the
Amazons women lived.
Pontos was first mentioned by
Xenophon (430 - 355 BC)
Anabasis, when his 10,000 soldiers had reached the Pontic
Euxine Sea and cried out 'Thalassa! Thalassa!' - "The sea! The sea!", the local people understood them. They were
Hellens as well and, according to
Xenophon, they had been there for over 300 years .
In time, other
Greeks followed their path and, as numbers grew,
Greek colonies were established along the
Black Sea coastline (currently northern
Turkey). This area came to be known as '
Pontos' meaning 'of the sea' (in
Ancient Greek). Over Thousands of years the
Pontos region flourished, contributing to the development of a rich civilization with a strong
Hellenic basis. Placed under
Byzantine control in the Middle Ages, they remained isolated from the 'modern' Greek-speaking world afterward. This isolation however helped maintain the
Pontic language with its strong roots to the
ancient Greeks.For many years later they lived under Ottoman rule but maintained a strong sense of
Hellenism and
Greek Orthodoxy.
Great wealth and prosperity helped Pontos grow and soon the cities of
Pontos had grown to become almost autonomous city states.
Pontos was also inhabited and invaded by the
Persians,
Romans,
Alexander the Great,
Germany,
Russia and finally, the
Turks. The land also had its share of royal rulers such as
Mithridates family and the
Komnenos family, which made
Trabzond (Trapezounda) the capital of the
Byzantine Empire from 1204 to 1461.
Like other Christians in
Asia Minor as
Armenians or
Assyrians, Pontic Greeks had to face persecution and suffer
ethnic cleansing at the beginning of the 20th century (Hofmann 2004). In 1923, after hundreds of years, those remaining were expelled from
Turkey to
Greece as part of the event known in diplomatic language as the
Exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey defined by the
Treaty of Lausanne.
In his book '
Black Sea', author
Neal Ascherson writes:
"The Turkish guide-books on sale in Turkey today offer this account of the 1923 catastrophe: 'After the proclamation of the Republic (Turkish), the Greeks who lived in the region returned to their own country. Their own country? Returned? Pontians had lived in that area for over 3,000 years. The Pontian dialect was not understandable to 20th century Athenians."
Nowadays, the actual number of Pontic Greeks is unknown. The largest communities of Pontic Greek (or people of Pontic Greek descent) around the world are: According to the
Pontian Diaspora 2000,
more than 1 million in
Greece,
more than 500,000 in Russia and in other countries of the former Soviet Union,
120,000 in the
Ukraine,
50,000 in
Georgia ("Rumka") (a number of whom speak
Urum),
80,000 in the USA,
56,000 in
Australia,
25,000 in
Kazakhstan,
20,000 in
Canada,
11,000 in
Uzbekistan,
5,000 in
Syria,
2,000 in
Armenia.
Some writers estimate that there are 300,000 people of Pontic Greek-speaking descent (
Ömer Asan 1996) in Turkey (in
Trabzon, entirely Muslim and a majority (225,000 - 250,000) speaking
Turkish today). There is also a sizable Pontic community in Germany and a significant growing number in the Republic of
Cyprus. A small portion of
Greek-Americans are Pontic.
Some of the cities settled by the ancient Pontic Greeks include:
In
Crimea and the northern
Azov Sea:
*
Chersones*
Kerkinitida*
Panticapaeum*
Soughdaia*
Tanais*
TheodosiaOn the
Taman peninsula,
Krasnodar Krai and the
Colchian coast:
*
Batis*
Dioscurias*
Germonassa*
Gorgippa*
Heraclea Pontica*
Phanagoria*
Phasis*
Pitsunda*
SebastopolisOn the northern (
Black Sea) coast of
Anatolia ("
Pontos" - "Romania" - "
Karadeniz"):
*
Amasia*
Aphene*
Kerasounta*
Kissa*
Kromna*
Amisos*
Sinope*
Themiscyra*
Trapezounta (Trebizond)
*
Bafra*
Argyroupolis (Gumuşhane)*
Kars*
Xeroiana (pr: Sheroina)
*
Ak-Dag Maten*
Kioumush Maten*
Ofis (Of)*
Santa*
Tonya*
Matsouka (Maçka)*
Galiana*
Baibourt*
Ata Pazar*
Sourmena (Surmene)*
Imera*
Rizounta (Rize)*
Mouzena*
Kotoiora*
Livera*
Platana (Akçabaat)*
Sevasteia*
Kel Kit*
Nikopolis (Kara-Hisar)*
Kakatsis*
Merzifounta*
Tokat*
Oini*
Neokaisareia*
Fatsa*
Tripoli (Tirebolu)*
Thermi (Terme)*
Hatzi-koi*
Komana*
Hopa*
Athina (Atina)*
Koloneia (Kiolou-Hisar)*
Tsoroum (Corum)*
GemouraOn the southwestern coast of
Ukraine and the Eastern
Balkans:
*
Antiphilos*
Apollonia*
Germonakris*
Mesembria (now
Nesebar)
*
Nikonis*
Odessos*
Olbia *
TiraKingdoms either established or ruled by Pontic Greeks, or heavily influenced by Pontic Greek culture, include
Pontus,
Bithynia, and the
Bosporan kingdom.
*
Ömer Asan*
Trabzon*
Ancomah*
Cheveneburi*
Ajarians*
Greek-speaking Muslims*
Pomaks*
Hamshenis*
Gagauz*
Torbesh*
List of ethnic slurs*
Pontian Greek Genocide*
PontusIn his 1998 movie
From the Edge of the City, with dialogues in Greek, Pontic Greek and Russian, the film director
Constantinos Giannaris, describes the life of a young "Russian Pontic" (Ρωσσοπόντιοι) from
Kazakhstan in the
Athens prostitution underworld. Some film critics compared this movie to
My Own Private Idaho.
*Asan, Ömer.
Pontos kültürü. İstanbul: Belge Yayınları, 1996.
*Hofmann, Tessa, ed.
Verfolgung, Vertreibung und Vernichtung der Christen im Osmanischen Reich 1912-1922. Münster: LIT, 2004. ISBN 3-8258-7823-6
*
Michel Bruneau (ed.), Grecs pontiques : Diaspora, identité, territoires, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Cnrs) Éditions, Paris, 1998 (
recension and presentation)
*
Omer Asan: Greek-speaking writer from Turkey and a guide to the Pontian culture, Tuesday April 25 2000 International Herald Tribune*
Nikos Doukas, The Pontian muslims at the target of Turkey*
About Pontic Culture of Anatolia*
The official web site of the Pontian Federation of Greece*
Web site of everything Pontian*
World wide Pontian Forum*
Pontian Federation of Australia*
Pontian Association in Stuttgart, Germany*
Pontian Association in South Russia*
Pontian web site catalogue*
Pontian Association in Frankfurt, Germany / Verein der Griechen aus Pontos in Frankfurt*
Pontian International site*
The Pontian-Greek Genocide*
Hellenic Genocide*
Hellenic Genocide:Horton's "Blight of Asia"*
Internet Radio "Akrites tou Pontou"*
Pontian folk music*
Trebizond Greek: A language without a tongue*
All about Pontic culture*
Website with map showing colonization of the Black Sea by Greek*
The Incredible Odyssey of the Black Sea Greeks*
Greek Penetration of the Black Sea
