Equivocal Ancient Foreigners and Modern National Identities: The Case Study of the Greeks of Histria in the Black Sea Region
Equivocal Ancient Foreigners and Modern National Identities: The Case Study of the Greeks of Histria in the Black Sea Region

Summary/Abstract: The paper explores the general issue of how ancient and medieval peoples considered not to be ‘ancestors’ of modern nations are dealt with in academic and popular narratives created in different ideological environments in the 20th century. The case of the modern Romanian conceptual approaches to the ancient Greek inhabitants of the western shore of the Black Sea, particularly to those living in the city of Histria, is examined. These approaches are identified both in the academic works of the archaeologists who have directed excavations at the site since 1914, and in works for larger audiences, such as touristic guidebooks and school textbooks. The picture that emerges from this preliminary research of a rather limited amount of sources is that the West Pontic Greeks were generally perceived as foreigners in contact with the autochthonous Getae, ‘ancestors’ of the Romanians, according to the core of national ideology. Their status was ambiguous because, apart their foreignness, they were bearers of the highly appreciated Classical culture. Consequently, ideological approaches ranged from negative views that portrayed them as perilous exploiters of the locals to positive views that either emphasized their benign influence over the Getae or nationalistically appropriated their cultural achievements. Neutral academic approaches and quasi-complete popular ignorance in favor of the Getae and the Romans are also documented.

• Details
• Contents