Name research Crete
For historical research on Crete , in particular for the question of the settlement of the island in the early days, research on names, especially research on place names ( toponomics ), can be expected to be of great help. So far, however, this branch of research is still largely a desideratum .
The Greek island of Crete can look back on more than 5000 years of history . The Minoan culture and history is unique and has not yet been adequately researched. Homer mentions ninety cities in Crete during his time. In its eventful history, the island was part of both the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire . For a long time Crete belonged to the Republic of Venice as a colony . The Arabs had also temporarily settled on the island. Traces of all these cultures can also be found in name research.
history
The regions from which the first settlers came to Crete in the pre-Minoan period has not yet been clearly established. Presumably it was groups of immigrants from Asia Minor who joined the Cretan indigenous people (Eteocrete and other tribes) and established a new culture on the island. Eastern Crete played a special role in this.
The first Greek conquerors and colonists after the Minoan era were Mycenaean Greeks from the mainland (from around 1450 BC). Mycenaean castles were built in the Messara plain as "upper centers" and in the coastal regions. Their settlements were built as fortifications (castles) on the mountains, later the Dorians followed (from 1100 BC). They took over settlements of the Mycenaeans and built their new settlements preferably between mountain saddles (e.g. Lato ). In the lower settlements in Doric times, predominantly peasant classes (serfs, clarots ) lived. In Kydonia , later Chania , settled in 519 BC. Aiginetic seafarers. The bondage was in the period 400-300 BC. Largely abolished.
The formation of towns (poleis) took place in this early period and led to small states, of which there are said to have been several dozen in Homer's time in Crete. Castle settlements in the interior of the country are later abandoned, while the cities on the coast are expanded. One of the essential foundations of the growing wealth on the coasts was piracy .
New orientations arose after Crete came under Roman rule (from 69 BC) and lost its independence. Gortyn in the west of the Messara becomes the capital of the island.
After the Romans came the Arabs. Crete was Arabic from 826 to 961, followed by the first Byzantine period. The city of Armeni was founded by the Arabs around 860 and got its name because of the settlement of Armenians.
A renewed feudalization took place in Byzantine times and continued into the Venetian era (from 1204–1645 / 1699). This determined the living conditions in village and urban settlements over a long period of time and gave rise to a Cretan landed gentry. The Venetians built numerous fortresses on Crete , which still define the cityscape of the big cities today. From 1211 there were six provinces (Sexteria) in the Venetian Crete (Regno di candia = Kingdom of Crete). The current division into administrative districts (nomoi) and eparchies (districts) goes back to the Venetian era. The official language of the Venetians was Latin for a long time , later Italian. An independent Crete was called for as early as 1361 on the basis of Greek, the Greek language and the Greek Orthodox religion.
Only more than 500 years later, after the withdrawal of the Turks (1898), Crete achieved its independence for a short time. During this time, for example, the city of Georgioupolis ("Georgsstadt") got its name. By this time, modern Greek had long since become the language of the people. In 1913 Crete was annexed to Greece.
Place names of ancient origin
Place names from pre-Greek, Greek and Roman times:
Acharna ( Archanes ), Eros, Albe, Anopolis (plateau in Sfakia , = Upper Town), Apesokari, Aptera , Apoudoulu, Appollania, Araden, Arbis, Arkades (b.Aphrati), Asos, Astale, Bene, Biannos , Chamaizi, Chersonesos , Dragmos, Dreros, Einatos, Elyros, Glenos, Gortyn , Istron, Itanos , Kantanos, Knosos , Kommos, Kydonia , Lappa , Lato , Lissos , Lykatos, Milatos, Oleros, Olous , Phaistos , Phalas (s) arna , Polyrrhenia, Prianos , Pronos, Rhaukos, Setaia, Strenos, Tanos, Tylissos, Vathypetro , Zominthos
Other place names
- Agii Deka = The Holy Ten [Bishops]
- Agia Galini = calm wind / sea
- Ammoudara = sandy beach
- Anemospilia = wind caves
- Arkalohori = village of badgers
- Armeni (Armenoi) indicates settlement by Armenians (around 961)
- Georgioupolis (Georgsstadt), named after the German-born Prince Georg, who was High Commissioner (Governor) of Crete from 1898 to 1906
Other names
Names of mountains, caves , necropolises etc .:
literature
- Helbig, Hugo: De dialecto Cretica. Plauen 1873
- Hey Gustavus: De dialecto Cretica. Leipzig 1908 (Diss.)
- Ernst Kieckers : The local differences in the dialect of Crete. Marburg 1908 (Diss.)
- Matz, Friedrich (Hg): Research on Crete (1942). Berlin 1951