Im Ethnic Bulgarian, but i found out that my great-Grandfather was Sarakatsani. Please someone explain to me what these people are, or show me a Source where i can Read about my Peoples history.
nagamura_
Sarakatsani are very similar to another ethnic group in northwest spain, "vaqueiros de alzada", they practiced transhumance too and because they relative isolationism, they developed a unique culture. Unfortunely, they don't practice they traditional lifestyle anymore.
JP-zzen
The Sarakatsani are probably ancestors of Dorians and Pelagonians and their ancenstry ultimately leads to aboriginal Pelasgomycenians. During the three Macedonian wars Rome waged trying to conquer Macedonia, the country folk were split: pro- and anti- Rome factions. The pro-Rome faction quickly accepted elements of Roman culture and first and foremost the vulgar Latin dialect spoke by Roman troops. They were probably the ancestors of the modern Armanians otherwise known as Vlachs. The very name Vlach indicates a probable Keltic ancestry. There was a Keltic incursion into Greece (and Asia Minor where Kelts settled). The other part of Macedonia's country folk resisted Rome and took to the mountains where they remained eversince. The Armani/Vlachs are also highlanders.
jimretz
Тhose are Vlachs. You forgot to mention Serbia . There are more than 30 000 Serbian Vlachs.
danielatomic
I am a aromanian and if someone call me saracatsan, I will consider that like an insult!
canadian
Scattered across the Balkans, the Aromanians are currently going through an identity crisis with no way out. The academies of each state in which they live support their own theory about the origin of the Aromanians: Romanians, Romanized Macedonians or Latin-speaking Greeks. Even specialists of Aromanian origin have integrated into the academic currents of the country where they live, which causes an even bigger question mark among Aromanians from Romania, Albania, Macedonia and Greece. Sources and historiography mention them under various names: Vlachs, Vlachs, Aromanians, Macedonian-Romanians, Fârşeroti, Saracaceni, Armenians, Rrămani, etc. They are the same race as the Romanians, the ancient Dacians and the Getae, as they were in antiquity . But they don't know who they are anymore.
mariadespina
There is a really sensibly logical theory which in fact constructively explains that Sarakatsani actually descends either from early assimilated Thracians or Armãnj and it most definitely makes perfect sense the comments here of some really hyperemotionally illogical individuals are in fact very wrongly concludinf things by most poorly arguing of Sarakatsani speaking Greek which really doesn't take account the manic assimilation of Armãnj. Armanj of Agrafa mountains literally have no recollection of being in fact ethnically Armãnj in the past, kind of very saddening ethnic amnesia but still the fãntãnã spring and the metallic tablet on the rock-build spring from 17th century in fact still scientifically testifies otherwise.
So, the assimilation definitely DOES maniacally occur to such degree that someone can actually lose its language completely.. It happened with the assimilated Thracians, the Getae who are actually in fact the progenitor of Armãnj and the assimilated Celts of England (although in this case the Celtic loanwords in English and ths Celtic presence remained strong) and it is in fact still scientifically confirmed that Armãnj in fact GENETICALLY descend from Getae/East Paleobalkanites predominantly with some West Balkanite blood in from Dardanians and the rest is Slavic and (Greco-)Anatolian. Some genetic plotting definitely show Iron_Age_Roman but still I think those are obsolete, Armãnj descend from Paleobalkan Romans of LATE PERIOD Roman Empire, even the attire is in fact literally THE SAME.
Rhomioi (Modern "Greeks") literally aimed to actually DESTROY this fundamental culture and throw it under the rug. It is literally a propagandistically delusional schizophrenic "throw everything under the rug" civilization, no one discovered America by finding out those undisputably proven facts about Greekistan and Rhomioi are in fact still delusionally propagandize here by in fact still literally PROJECTING the fact they most delusionally and neurotically propagandize to Romanians..At least Romanians didn't burn villages and dragged Matoussis body through the villages of Pindus.. gross neurotic temper tantrum of Rhomioi.
The Westerncvcks classsically still bootlick the Rhomioi and are still animals "of the surface". Shallow. "Muh Mykonos"
greekmacedonianwegreeksare
You need to explain what do you mean by genetic differences and also what do you understand by Vlach and Saracatsani DNA. Saracatsan, Siracatsan means poor, in Vlach languages, equating with nomads. Saracatsani in Bulgaria are most R1b L23 - Z2103 and that is a strong signal of Thracian and Vlach DNA, as is found at more than 36% of Vlachs from south Balkans, the highest in the world and at over 30% of Transylvanian Romanians of mountainous regions, former Dacians in the past. Also I2a1 Saracatsani are clearly NOT Slavs but former Cucuteni culture and Get0 Thracians since Bronze age, as since 2100 BC Thraican cultures overlaped the Proto European Cucuteni cultire of east Carpathians, up to Dnieper river.
So is no doubt that they have been assimilated into Greeks during the Byzantine times.
Sofia-
Lies and more lies....
The term "Vlach" (German: "Walach") has a complex history, and its usage varied across different regions and time periods. While it is true that Germanic peoples (including medieval Germans) used variations of the term, its origins are much older and broader.
Origins of the Term "Vlach":
Etymology:
The word "Vlach" (and related forms like "Wallach, " "Walach, " "Voloch, " "Włoch, " "Oláh, " etc.) derives from a Proto-Germanic root *walhaz, meaning "foreigner" or "speaker of a Romance language."
It was originally used by early Germanic tribes to refer to Celtic and later Romanized populations (e.g., the Walh in Old High German for Romans or Romance-speaking people).
Medieval Usage:
In the Middle Ages, Germans (and other Germanic groups like the Goths and Anglo-Saxons) applied the term to Romance-speaking peoples, including:
The Welsh (Wales comes from the same root).
The Walloons of Belgium.
The Italians (Welsch in Swiss German for Italian-speakers).
The Vlachs of the Balkans and Carpathians.
Application to Non-Romance Speakers:
While "Vlach" primarily referred to Romance-speaking populations (such as Romanians, Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, and Istro-Romanians), it was sometimes extended to other groups due to:
Geographical Association: In the Balkans, some Slavic-speaking pastoralists living near Vlachs were called "Vlachs" due to similar lifestyles.
Cultural Perception: German and Slavic chroniclers sometimes labeled semi-nomadic or mountain-dwelling groups as "Vlachs" regardless of language.
Political Context: In medieval Hungary, "Oláh" referred to Romanian-speakers, but the term could be stretched to include assimilated groups.
Misapplications and Confusions:
Slavic-Speaking "Vlachs": In some cases, South Slavs (especially in Bosnia, Dalmatia, and Serbia) with pastoral traditions were called "Vlachs" even if they spoke Slavic languages.
German Sources: Some medieval German texts (e.g., about Transylvania or the Balkans) might have used "Walach" imprecisely, mixing ethnic and social classifications.
Conclusion:
The Germans did not invent the term "Vlach" but inherited and adapted it from earlier Germanic usage. While it primarily denoted Romance-speaking populations, its application to non-Romance speakers happened due to cultural, geographic, or political factors—not because of linguistic confusion alone.
ApostoleNitsotolis
This is so dumb. So care to explain how saracatsan who were shepards learned Latin if they were greek? Like while doing transhumance with their sheeps they just learned Latin? 🤣 Obviously this is BS. U do realise that all dialects of proto-roman (same Latin vulgaris) are Latin? Aromanian like Romanian are both dialects of the same original Latin vulgaris. So how did ur Greek shepards while living with their sheeps in the mountains learned Latin?
