by Marios Dimopoulos, Linguist-Ethnologist.
The ancient writers Tacitus and Strabo write that the Albanians of the Caucasus were an ancient tribe of Greece who, under the leadership of Jason (Iasonas), migrated from Thessalia to the Caucasus. A complete reversal of the Caucasian theory. The Albanians did not come from the Caucasus to the Balkans in the Middle Ages, but, according to these ancient traditions, moved from Greece to the Caucasus in antiquity.
Shock for the Google pseudo-historians who claim that Albanians came from the Caucasus in the Middle Ages. The problem lies in selectively showing a map of the Caucasus with the ‘Albanians’ based on Strabo, while conveniently ignoring ancient sources that say the Caucasian Albanians descend from the Albanians of Thessaly under Jason, and other ancient sources that implicate Hercules. Both Jason and Hercules are heroes of “Greek” (Pelasgian?) prehistory and mythology. So who are these ancient Albanians of Thessaly?
These ancient passages regarding the Thessalian origin of the Caucasian Albanians were first collected and presented by the distinguished Arvanite philologist Panagiotis Koupitoris from Hydra in his book “Albanian Studies” (Αλβανικαί Μελέται) in 1879. Before I present the excerpts from Panagiotis Koupitoris’ book, let me ask the Greeks who say that Arvanites are not Albanian in origin:
Why would an Arvanite write a study about the origin of the Albanians? Maybe because he wanted to write something about the people from whom he originated? I should also point out to the Albanians that the Arvanite Koupitoris writes his book not simply in Katharevousa Greek, but in a heavily archaizing Greek, close to Ancient Greek, which shows that the Arvanites had fully integrated into Greek society.
Let us proceed with the excerpts from Koupitoris’ book.
Πρωτότυπο
«Ἐπιρρωνύει δὲ τὴν συγγένειαν τῶν ἐν Εὐρώπῃ καὶ ἐν Καυκάσῳ Ἀλβανῶν καὶ ἡ τούτων ἐξ Ἑλλήνων καταγωγή. Κατ’ ἀρχαίας παραδόσεις καὶ ὑπομνήματα οἱ συγγραφεῖς παραδιδόασιν ὅτι οἱ ἐν Καυκάσῳ πάλαι Ἀλβανοὶ κατήγοντο ἐκ Θεσσαλῶν τῶν μετὰ Ἰάσονος στρατευσάντων ἐπὶ τοὺς Κόλχους, καὶ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν καὶ Ἀλβανίαν ἐπελθόντων μέχρι Κασπίας. Ὅτι δὲ αἱ παραδόσεις αὗται ἦσαν πάνυ ἀρχαῖαι, καὶ τοῦ Μεγάλου Ἀλεξάνδρου, εἰ πιστευτός ἐστιν Ἰουστίνος, βεβαίως ἀρχαιότεραι, μαρτυροῦσι τὰ ὑπὸ Στράβωνος ἀναφερόμενα ὑπομνήματα.»
Modern Greek:
Ενισχύει δε τη συγγένεια των Αλβανών της Ευρώπης και του Καυκάσου και η καταγωγή τους από Έλληνες. Σύμφωνα με αρχαίες παραδόσεις και υπομνήματα, οι συγγραφείς παραδίδουν ότι οι παλαιοί Αλβανοί του Καυκάσου κατάγονταν από Θεσσαλούς που είχαν εκστρατεύσει με τον Ιάσονα εναντίον των Κόλχων και έφθασαν έως την Ιβηρία και την Αλβανία κοντά στην Κασπία. Ότι οι παραδόσεις αυτές ήταν πολύ αρχαίες, ακόμη και πριν από τον Μέγα Αλέξανδρο, το μαρτυρούν όσα αναφέρει ο Στράβων.
English Translation
He further reinforces the kinship between the Albanians of Europe and those of the Caucasus by asserting their descent from Greeks. According to ancient traditions and memoranda, writers report that the ancient Albanians of the Caucasus descended from Thessalians who campaigned with Jason against the Colchians and reached Iberia and Albania as far as the Caspian. That these traditions were very ancient — even predating Alexander the Great, if Justin is to be trusted — is testified by the memoranda cited by Strabo.
Let’s look at the ancient sources presented by Panagiotis Koupitoris:
Tacitus – Annales 6.34
Original (Latin)
Nam Iberi Albanique saltuosos locos incolentes duritiae patientiaeque magis insuevere, feruntque se Thessalis ortos, qua tempestate Iason Colchos repetivit.
Greek Translation
Διότι οι Ίβηρες και οι Αλβανοί, κατοικώντας σε ορεινούς τόπους, είχαν συνηθίσει περισσότερο στη σκληρότητα και την αντοχή, και λένε ότι κατάγονται από Θεσσαλούς, από την εποχή που ο Ιάσονας επέστρεψε από τους Κόλχους.
English Translation
For the Iberians and the Albanians, dwelling in mountainous regions, had grown accustomed to hardship and endurance, and they claim to be descended from Thessalians from the time when Jason returned from Colchis.
Strabo 1.45
Πρωτότυπο
«Καὶ ἔστιν ὑπομνήματα τῆς ἀμφοῖν στρατείας, τό τε Φρίξειον τὸ ἐν τοῖς μεθορίοις τῆς τε Κολχίδος καὶ τῆς Ἰβηρίας, καὶ τὰ Ἰασόνεια, ἃ πολλαχοῦ τῆς Ἀρμενίας καὶ τῆς Μηδίας καὶ τῶν πλησιοχώρων τόπων δείκνυται.»
Modern Greek translation
Και υπάρχουν μνημεία και αναφορές και για τις δύο εκστρατείες, τόσο το Φρίξειο στα σύνορα της Κολχίδας και της Ιβηρίας όσο και τα Ιασόνεια, τα οποία δείχνονται σε πολλά μέρη της Αρμενίας, της Μηδίας και των γύρω περιοχών.
English Translation
And there are memorials of both expeditions — that of Phrixus at the borders of Colchis and Iberia, and the monuments of Jason — which are shown in many places of Armenia, Media, and the neighboring regions.
Continuation of what Panagiotis Koupitoris writes in his book:
Πρωτότυπο
«Διὰ ταῦτα καθ’ ὅλην σχεδὸν τὴν ἀνατολὴν ἐλατρεύετο ὁ Ἰάσων ὡς κτίτωρ καὶ θείας εἶχε τιμὰς καὶ ναοὺς ἐπωνύμους, καὶ μαντεῖον ὁ Φρίξος ἐν ᾧ κριὸς οὐκ ἐθύετο, ἅπερ ἐπιμαρτυρεῖ καὶ Στράβων… Ἐπωφελούμενοι δὲ οἱ ἐν Καυκάσῳ οὗτοι Ἀλβανοὶ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς Ἀλβανοὺς τοὺς τῶν Ῥωμαίων προγόνους ὁμωνυμίας, ὅτε ἡττήθησαν ἐν τῷ Μιθριδατικῷ πολέμῳ, τὴν εὔνοιαν θηρεύοντες τοῦ νικητοῦ Πομπηίου μετὰ τὴν συνθήκην ἀδελφοὺς προσηγόρευον τὸν στρατὸν αὐτοῦ, τοὺς Ῥωμαίους στρατιώτας, ὡς μεμνημένοι δήθεν τῆς ἰταλικῆς αὐτῶν καταγωγῆς. Διότι οἱ πρόγονοι αὐτῶν, ὡς ἐλέγετο, ἠκολούθησαν ἐξ Ἰταλίας τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀλβανοῦ ὄρους ἀπάγοντι διὰ τῆς Ἰταλίας τὰς βοῦς τοῦ τοξευθέντος Γηρυόνου.»
Modern Greek translation:
Γι’ αυτό σχεδόν σε όλη την Ανατολή λατρευόταν ο Ιάσονας ως κτίστης και είχε θεϊκές τιμές και ναούς που έφεραν το όνομά του, ενώ και ο Φρίξος είχε μαντείο όπου δεν θυσιαζόταν κριός, όπως μαρτυρεί και ο Στράβων.
Οι Αλβανοί του Καυκάσου εκμεταλλεύτηκαν την ομωνυμία τους με τους Αλβανούς, προγόνους των Ρωμαίων. Όταν ηττήθηκαν στον Μιθριδατικό πόλεμο, επιδιώκοντας την εύνοια του νικητή Πομπηίου, μετά τη συνθήκη αποκαλούσαν αδελφούς τους στρατιώτες του, δηλαδή τους Ρωμαίους, ισχυριζόμενοι ότι θυμούνταν την ιταλική τους καταγωγή. Διότι, όπως λεγόταν, οι πρόγονοί τους είχαν ακολουθήσει τον Ηρακλή από την Ιταλία, από το Αλβανό όρος, όταν αυτός μετέφερε διαμέσου της Ιταλίας τα βόδια του Γηρυόνη που είχε σκοτώσει.
English Translation
For this reason, throughout almost the entire East, Jason was worshipped as a founder and received divine honors and temples bearing his name; and Phrixus had an oracle where a ram was not sacrificed, as Strabo also testifies.
The Albanians of the Caucasus took advantage of their homonymy with the Albanians, the ancestors of the Romans. When they were defeated in the Mithridatic War and, after the treaty, sought the favor of the victorious Pompey, they addressed his army — the Roman soldiers — as brothers, claiming to remember their supposed Italian origin. For it was said that their ancestors had followed Hercules from Italy, from the Alban Mount, when he drove through Italy the cattle of Geryon whom he had slain.
Source Cited by Koupitoris (Justin via Roman tradition about Hercules)
As a source for the migration from the Alban Mount of the Mediterranean under the leadership of Hercules, he cites the following ancient testimony:
Cum Albanis foedus percussit qui Herculem ex Italia ab Albano monte, cum Geryone exstincto armenta eius per Italiam duceret, secuti dicuntur; quique memores Italicae originis exercitum Cn. Pompeii bello Mithridatico fratres salutavere.
Greek Translation
Συνήψε δε συμμαχία με τους Αλβανούς, οι οποίοι λέγεται ότι ακολούθησαν τον Ηρακλή από την Ιταλία, από το Αλβανό όρος, όταν, αφού σκότωσε τον Γηρυόνη, οδηγούσε τα κοπάδια του μέσα από την Ιταλία· και αυτοί, θυμούμενοι την ιταλική τους καταγωγή, χαιρέτησαν τον στρατό του Γναίου Πομπηίου στον Μιθριδατικό πόλεμο ως αδελφούς.
English Translation
He made an alliance with the Albanians, who are said to have followed Hercules from Italy, from the Alban Mount, when, after killing Geryon, he drove his herds through Italy; and remembering their Italian origin, they greeted the army of Gnaeus Pompey during the Mithridatic War as brothers.
Spread, my Albanian friends, this post everywhere so that we can expose the lies that the internet pseudo-historians tell about the ancient Albanian Pelasgian tribe to say that supposedly the Albanians are newcomers to the Balkans.
As for the modern Greek nationalists who reproduce the propaganda about the Caucasian origin of the Albanians, do they not understand that they are harming their own origin, since in the veins of the Greeks of Epirus, Central Greece, Euboea, Attica and the surrounding islands (Hydra, Spetses) and the Peloponnese, flow myriads of tons of genuine, unadulterated Albanian blood? Such undermining against our Greek-Albanian (Arvanite) race?
Source
Koubitores, Panagiotes D. Albanikai Meletai: Pragmateia Historikē kai Philologikē peri tēs glōssēs kai tou ethnous tōn Albanōn. Athens: Typographeion tou Mellontos, 1879.
