Inhabitants (Ancient Greece).—Of the earliest inhabitants of ancient Greece we have no definite knowledge. The term autochthones (sprung from the soil itself—earth-born), which the Greeks applied to themselves, means no more than this, that the people had been there from time immemorial, and that future generations had not the means or the inclination to trace their origin any further back. At a very early period the pop ulation of Greece was largely, if not entirely, composed of Pelasgians (q.v.). It is most probable that the Hellenes were only a branch of this great Pelasgian stock, but possessing more energy of character, they gradually spread themselves over the greater part of Greece, and supplanted the language and institutions of the Pelasgi by their own. Thus they became the ruling race, and gave their name to the country. —Modern G recce. —The population of modern Greece is of a very mixed kind. In /Emile, Acar nania, Thessaly, the greater part of Peloponnesus, and most of the islands, the descend ants of the old Greeks are still predominant; but a very large admixture of Albanians (see ALBANIA) prevails in Attica, Bccotia, Phocis, and Argolis, with the islands of Spez ala, Salamis, Hydra, and Andro. The true Greek is easily recognized by his tall stature, slim body, aquiline nose, oval face, and mustache. Whiskers are not considered staid and respectable; the beard is worn only in mourning. The Greeks are uncommonly temperate both in eating and drinking, and in the indulgence of the passions generally; flesh is seldom eaten; the diet is vegetable. The Greeks are devotedly attached to their fatherland, and their love of liberty and independence is not less strong than it was in the days of Miltiades and Themistoeles. Aristocracy is, in consequence, at a discount; and though they love and are loyal to a good ruler, yet they are easily roused into resistance by the infringment of their rights. Commercial bargains are the delight of the Greeks, and they often manage, it is said, to part with their wares at twice their value. This deceit they practice against the Turks especially. The Greek women are very plain. Early marriages are common in Greece. Greek matrons take great pride, like Niobc of old, in a numerous and beautiful offspring. But many of the children are cut off in infancy by the fevers which prevail so commonly. Two peculiar branches of the Greek race are—the 3fainotes (from a district called Maine) of the Pelo ponnesus, and the Palikars of the north highlands. The former, who boast to be the descendants of the ancient Spartans, inhabit principally the mountain fastnesses of Tay getns, where for centuries they defied the power of the Turks. They resemble in their sturdy independence, feudal relations, robbing propensities, and other characteristics, the liighlanders of Scotland 150 years ago; hut in recent times, education, intermixture with other races, and commerce, have to a great extent removed their distinctive pecu liarities. The Thinkers. that is, Braces, originally belonged to the northern parts of Greece, but WWII [Ilessaly and other portions were by hands of the Turks, these hardy mountaineers chose to leave their ancient homes and settle in the new kingdom, to establish which they had shed their blood. The red cap, the white shirt, and the golden jacket, mark them out even to the casual observer as a separate class. They go about armed, and attended by armed followers; their houses are for tresses, and their servants form a little army. The islanders are almost all seamen or traders; they wear the red cap. a short jacket, and wide Turkish trousers. The Alba nians form about a fourth of the population; they are a strong, hardy race, and engage in agricultural or other severe labor. They are the hewers of wood and drawers of water to the more wealthy classes. They speak a language which is little allied to either Slavonic or Greek. The Wallachs are a nomad and pastoral race; they sleep on the hillsides with their flocks, which are guarded by ferocious dogs. There are large numbers of Maltese at Athens, and the Pirams especially. There are few settlers from western Europe. The Bavarians who swarmed into Greece on the accession of king Otho have almost all disappeared.
the articles GREEK RELIGION (ancient), and GREEK CHURCH.
Education education of the ancient Greeks was more of a physical than of a mental kind. The gymnasium was that of the athlete, not that of the dtdaskalot or preceptor. Young children were, till about their sixth year, trained at home tinder females, but were then sent to the didaekaleia, or schools under the charge of private tutors or ptedagogi. The duty of the pmdagogus was rather to keep his wards from
outward injury and bad companions, than to teach them the accomplishments of gram mar (including reading, writing, and arithmetic), music, and gymastics, the favorite subjects of study in those clays. In later times, the more intelligent slaves were specially trained for the duties of the ptedagogus.—Modern.—Education of all kinds, from the humblest school to the university, is free to all. Hence, an unusual number of Greeks press into the learned professions, and a large educational machinery is necessary to supply the demand for knowledge. There are about 370 communal or elementary schools, and 180 Hellenic schools, in which, among other branches, ancient Greek is taught. Besides these, there are eight gymnasia, four medical schools, one theological, one military, one agricultural school, one school of arts; and finally, there is the univer sity of Athens, which possesses the four faculties of theology, philosophy, law, and medicine. All these institutions are well attended, and the youth of all ages are most zealous in prosecuting their studies.
Language Greek language is a branch of that widespread family of tongues, usually called Indo-Germanic or Aryan. It prevailed not only in the different parts of Greece, but also in the numerous Greek colonies which fringed the shores of the Euxine and the Mediterranean. But it must not be supposed that it was of the same type at all periods of Greek history, or in all parts of Greece, even at the same time. The three great branches of' the Greek tongue were: 1. The 1Eolic, the oldest form, and that which presents the greatest affinity to the Latin and other members of the Indo Germanic stock. 2. The Doric, a highland dialect, delighting in broad and rough sounds; it was spoken in the mountains of Thessaly, whence it traveled southward, and on the migration of the Dorians. took possession of the Peloponuesus. 3. The Ionic, a soft and vocal language, delighting in vowel sounds, and avoiding the harsh combina tion of consonants; it was spoken principally by the people of Attica and the Ionian colonies in Asia Minor. From it was made, by a series of contractions and modifica tions, that most perfect form of the Greek language, the Attic, which was neither so harsh and broad as the Doric, nor so soft and vocal as the Ionic. It was brought to the height of perfection by the poets, the philosophers, and the historians of Greece, whose writings still teach the world, and command its admiration. By the conquests of Alex ander the Great, the Greek language soon spread over a large part of the then known world, hut corruption at once set in—words of other languages were adopted into the Greek, foreign idioms were introduced, and the rigid syntax of the great Athenian wri ters was neglected, so that, in process of time, there arose a depraved form of speech. called the Hellenistic, varying in many essential points from its great parent. In this last form, the books of the New Testament were written. The process of deterioration still went on till about the middle of the last century; when at length the spirit of the Greek nation again arose, and amidst other endeavors to revive the ancient glory of their race, an attempt was made, and is still being made, and that too with great success, to restore the purity of the language. This leads us to the Language of Modern Greece. — In different parts of Greece, different languages are spoken according to the element which predominates in the population. Thus Turkish prevails in some districts, Alba nian in others, Wallachian in others, and Bulgarian in others; but in the greater part of Greece proper, the language is Ronutic Greek, or as it is now more usually and more properly called, Neo-Hellenic. This language bears a very close resemblance to the Hellenic, or classical Greek; and in fact does not differ more, if so much, from the Attic, as the Attic differed from the Dorie. Information on this subject must be sought hi a grammar of the language. Great efforts have been made in recent years to purge the Neo-Hellenic of barbarisms and foreign terms, and it is now written with such purity, that good scholars in ancient Greek will have little difficulty in understanding Tricorpi's history or an Athenian newspaper.