by Ερινα Ινα Ελμαζι

This document is the title page of an extremely important book on linguistics in Greece, entitled “Noctes Pelasgicae” (Pelasgian Nights), which was published in Athens in 1855.

Basic Information

Full Title: Noctes Pelasgicae vel Symbolae ad cognoscendas dialectos Graeciae Pelasgicas (Pelasgian Nights or Contributions to the Knowledge of the Pelasgian Dialects of Greece).

Author: Dr. Caroli Henrici Theodori Reinhold (Karl Heinrich Theodor Reinhold), a German physician who served in the Greek Royal Navy.

Publisher: Printing House of Sophocles Garpolas.

Subject: This is one of the first and most systematic studies of the Arvanite dialect in Greece.

Historical Significance

This work is valuable because Reinhold, during his tenure as chief physician in the Greek fleet, came into contact with Arvanite sailors and recorded their language. The book includes:

Folk songs and fairy tales in the Arvanite language.

Proverbs and lexical material.

Analyses that reflect the theory of the time that Arvanite was a survival of the ancient Pelasgian language.

At the bottom of the page, there is a depiction of a sailing ship, which probably refers to the author’s capacity as a naval doctor, as well as the seal of the University of Crete Library, where a copy of this rare work is kept.