Yes, that's right, or "dark-coloured" - that's the second part of its etymology, explaning its later use as a synonym for things such as treacle in other languages. From what I can work out, its etymology passes through two stages, with a development from a mention in myth, possibly through the unidentified attribution of a particular mythological role to that quality, to its use as a descriptive synonym. By the time "melancholia" is coined, it's already a synonym for dark.
Pavlos Melas - Letters, 1904.
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Originally posted by AJ 2000 View PostMy post wasn't about his fight in Macedonia, which I have no opinion about, but the origin of families of the byzantine bureaucracy.
A whole quote linking this apparent sentence together is impossible to access - and even it if is a complete sentence rather than a composite search result of separate paragraphs, it's likely not correct. If the Melas family were indeed descended from the Stratigopoulos family of Byzantine officials, its very unlikely they would have been Vlach.Slayer Of The Modern "greek" Myth!!!
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Vlachs were regarded as outsiders by the church hierarchy, simply by virtue of the date of their arrival. As far as ethnicity goes, that's much more difficult. I would think you certainly couldn't completely rule out some kind of link to greek ethnicity, just as you probably couldn't definitively establish it either. That's partly because of particular names and etymologies, and partly because the measure of links between epirus and figures described by non-epirotes as greek, maybe up to epirus vetus, seems less controversial than the areas further east you're interested in on this forum.Last edited by AJ 2000; 09-21-2012, 11:13 AM.
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Originally posted by AJ 2000 View PostVlachs were regarded as outsiders by the church hierarchy, simply by virtue of the date of their arrival. As far as ethnicity goes, that's much more difficult. I would think you certainly couldn't completely rule out some kind of link to greek ethnicity, just as you probably couldn't definitively establish it either. That's partly because of particular names and etymologies, and partly because the measure of links between epirus and figures described by non-epirotes as greek, maybe up to epirus vetus, seems less controversial than the areas further east you're interested in on this forum.
Alexander Ypsilantis claimed descent from the East Roman Comnenus family. Historian Steven Runciman says that the Comnenus family were probably Vlach. And we know the Ypsilantis married into Romanian aristocratic families.
And even those "familial" claims are challenged by scholars today and with good reason.
Maybe you should investigate the name Melas with the merchant class of orthodox christians.Slayer Of The Modern "greek" Myth!!!
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I think you are spot on there TM.I used to know a family who had the surname melas they were italian.The Chances of there being pure greek are pretty slim.There are more chances of him being a vlach.Also mentioned before he wrote in his letters that he learned macedonian.If he was a pure greek why would he bother unless he had a kind of an interest in the matter.TM as usual your reasoning wins the day."Ido not want an uprising of people that would leave me at the first failure, I want revolution with citizens able to bear all the temptations to a prolonged struggle, what, because of the fierce political conditions, will be our guide or cattle to the slaughterhouse"
GOTSE DELCEV
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Originally posted by Soldier of Macedon View PostI don't think he was of Macedonian origin because he would not need to learn the simple words he did.
Probably an Albanian, Vlach or a bit of both.
Does Melas mean anything in Albanian or Latin?IF OUR CHRONICLES DO NOT LIE, WE CALL OURSELVES AS EPIROTES!
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Originally posted by TrueMacedonian View PostVlachs were considered rebels and troublemakers. BUT you are trying to push off "some kind of link to greek ethnicity" and yet again you do not provide the source I have been asking for.
No, I was simply saying you can't *exclude* a iink to greek ethnicity with that etymology, in that region at that time . I appreciate this is a sensitive issue on this board, and that's not the main topic of my research ; so I don't want to carry you all off topic for any longer than necessary.Last edited by AJ 2000; 09-22-2012, 05:03 AM.
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My friend who is italian said in italy it is a common name.He said it's from italy not greek name or albanian or even macedonian name."Ido not want an uprising of people that would leave me at the first failure, I want revolution with citizens able to bear all the temptations to a prolonged struggle, what, because of the fierce political conditions, will be our guide or cattle to the slaughterhouse"
GOTSE DELCEV
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Originally posted by AJ 2000 View PostNo, I was simply saying you can't *exclude* a iink to greek ethnicity with that etymology, in that region at that time . I appreciate this is a sensitive issue on this board, and that's not the main topic of my research ; so I don't want to carry you all off topic for any longer than necessary.Slayer Of The Modern "greek" Myth!!!
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