Greeks

Greeks
Allice Hunter · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Group	Greeks
Native name	Hellēnes
Regions	Peloponnese, Central Greece, Attica, Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia (Greece), Thrace (region), Crete, Cyclades, Ionian Islands
Population	c. 10–12 million (global)
Languages	Greek language (Modern Greek), historical varieties: Ancient Greek, Koine Greek, Medieval Greek
Religions	Eastern Orthodox Church (predominant), Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam (minorities), secular
Related	Armenians, Albanians, Italians, Macedonians, Cypriots

Greeks are an ethnolinguistic group primarily associated with the Hellenic world and speakers of the Greek language. Originating in the eastern Mediterranean, they established city-states such as Athens, Sparta, and Corinth and left enduring legacies in politics, philosophy, and the arts exemplified by figures like Pericles, Plato, and Sophocles. Over millennia Greeks have experienced empire-building, colonization, conquest by the Roman Empire, transformation under the Byzantine Empire, domination by the Ottoman Empire, and the emergence of the Kingdom of Greece in the 19th century.

Etymology and Name

The English name derives via Latin from medieval Greek terms such as Hellenes, while external appellations like Graeci trace to contacts with Ancient Rome and earlier encounters with other Mediterranean peoples including Illyrians and Romans. Classical authors such as Herodotus and Homer use ethnonyms that intersect with tribal names like Aeolians, Ionians, and Dorians. Byzantine-era writers such as Procopius and Anna Komnene employ forms evolving into medieval Greek names documented in texts of Michael Psellos. Modern self-identification often uses terms revived during the Greek War of Independence and the philhellenic movements associated with figures like Lord Byron.

History

Prehistoric populations in regions such as Thessaly and Crete gave rise to civilizations like Minoan civilization and the Mycenaean palatial states attested by Linear B tablets discovered at Pylos and Knossos. The Archaic and Classical eras witnessed the rise of poleis such as Athens and Sparta, conflicts like the Peloponnesian War, and expansions during the campaigns of Alexander the Great of Macedon. Incorporation into the Roman Empire led to Hellenistic cultural diffusion across the eastern Mediterranean and Near East, while the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire preserved Greek language and liturgy centered on Constantinople. The conquest by the Ottoman Empire reshaped demographic and administrative patterns until the 19th-century revolts culminating in the Greek War of Independence and establishment of the First Hellenic Republic and later the Kingdom of Greece. In the 20th century, events such as the Balkan Wars, Asia Minor Catastrophe, and Greek Civil War profoundly affected population distribution and politics, leading to postwar reconstruction and accession to the European Union.

Culture and Society

Societal norms developed in urban centers like Athens influenced intellectual institutions such as the Academy and the Lyceum. Civic life included festivals tied to sanctuaries such as the Parthenon and theatrical competitions at the Theater of Dionysus. Byzantine-era monastic centers like Mount Athos and post-Byzantine patronage shaped iconography associated with the Eastern Orthodox Church, while folk traditions persisted in regions like Pelion and Epirus. Modern institutions include universities such as the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and cultural organizations that preserve music from instruments like the bouzouki and dances such as the syrtos.

Language and Literature

The Greek language comprises a documented continuum from Ancient Greek through Koine Greek to Modern Greek, with dialects including Tsakonian and the now-extinct Pontic Greek. Classical literature features poets and playwrights like Homer, Aeschylus, Euripides, and historians such as Thucydides and Herodotus. Hellenistic and Byzantine literature produced commentators like Plutarch and theologians such as John Chrysostom, while modern authors include Dionysios Solomos, Nikos Kazantzakis, and George Seferis—the latter a Nobel laureate. Manuscript traditions preserved works in scriptoria and libraries such as the Library of Alexandria and later collections in Constantinople.

Religion and Mythology

Ancient polytheistic practices centered on deities like Zeus, Athena, Apollo, and cult centers such as Olympia and Delphi. Mythographers compiled epics and genealogies that influenced classical drama and art; literary cycles include the Iliad and Odyssey attributed to Homer. With Christianization under figures such as Constantine the Great and councils like First Council of Nicaea, Eastern Orthodox Christianity became dominant, with patriarchal leadership in Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Jewish communities in Thessaloniki and Muslim minorities in regions affected by the Treaty of Lausanne represent historical religious diversity.

Demographics and Diaspora

Population movements include ancient colonization of areas like Magna Graecia in southern Italy and later diasporas to Ottoman ports and beyond, forming communities in cities such as Alexandria, Constantinople, New York City, Melbourne, and London. 20th-century exchanges like the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey reshaped regional demographics. Contemporary Greek populations reside in Cyprus and sizable diasporic concentrations in the United States, Australia, Canada, and Germany, sustaining transnational ties through organizations like the Hellenic diaspora networks and cultural associations.

Genetics and Anthropology

Population genetics studies using ancient DNA from sites in Crete, Thessaly, and mainland Greece indicate continuity with Neolithic farming populations of the Balkans and admixture events associated with migrations from the Pontic-Caspian steppe and Anatolian sources. Anthropological research compares skeletal remains from Mycenae and Knossos with later medieval and modern samples, while studies published in journals referencing comparative datasets examine haplogroups common in southern Europe such as subclades of Y-chromosome haplogroup J2 and mitochondrial lineages linking to Mediterranean peopling patterns. Findings show regional microstructure reflecting historical processes including colonization, imperial rule, and population exchanges.

Category:Ethnic groups in Europe