by Eneo Xhepa. Translation Petrit Latifi.

According to a fragment from the Greek magazine “Savatiea Epitheorisis” from the 19th century, we can read:

“The Albanians are descendants of the Pelasgians, the most ancient people who inhabited the lands of Epirus and Troy before the Greeks appeared. Those same Pelasgians built Troy, worshiped deities much more ancient than those of Olympus and spread their faith throughout the Mediterranean. The Albanians, preserving their customs, rites and language, are the living continuation of that ancient people.

The Albanian language carries within it traces of the Pelasgian language and of the first European tribes. Through the Albanians, the memory of the pre-Hellenic era and the heroes of the Trojan War still lives.”

This rare Greek testimony from the 19th century that directly connects the Albanian people with the Pelasgians and Trojans, as heirs of a civilization that existed before Olympus and before Greece.

Source: “Σαββατιάτικαι Επιθεωρήσεις”, p. 560 — rubric “ΟΙ ΑΛΒΑΝΟΙ ΑΠΟΓΟΝΟΙ ΤΩΝ ΠΕΛΑΣΓΩΝ”.