Slaves
Slavins (from Middle Greek Σκλαβηνοί Sklavenoi , also Σκλαβινοί Sklavinoi ), out of date sometimes referred to as Slavins , was the name given to the early ancestors of the Slavs in Byzantine texts since the 6th century.
The name Sklavenoi first appeared around 550 in the histories of Prokopios of Caesarea . It referred to a population group that settled north of the Danube on the border of the Byzantine Empire . Their origin is uncertain and controversial in modern research. The slavins settled in areas that had largely been abandoned by the Germans in the course of the migration .
An incursion of them into the Byzantine Empire was first mentioned around 550. In the following decades there were repeated incursions well into the empire. From 612 they managed to establish permanent settlements there (see slave lines ).
Since the 7th century the name gave way to the names of individual smaller groups such as Beresites and others. In Latin texts, the term Sclaveni remained a general term for Slavs until the 14th century .
literature
- Florin Curta : The Making of the Slavs. History and Archeology of the Lower Danube Region, c. 500-700. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2001.
- Alexander Sarantis: Justinian's Balkan Wars. Campaigning, Diplomacy and Development in Illyricum, Thace and the Northern World AD 527-65. Francis Cairns, Prenton 2016.
