Pontic Greek - Greek representativeethnic group, to which people belonged long before the advent of the New Era mastered the Black Sea coast (in Greek - Pont). Initially, their compact settlement was on the northern coast of Turkey, and only then they settled around the entire Black Sea coast.
Pont - the historical name of the area in MalayaAsia Geographically, it stretches from the border between Azerbaijan and Turkey, crosses the entire Turkish coast and ends at the line of the cities of Nikopol - Akdagma-Deni. How did the Greek settlers turn out so far from the sunny islands of their homeland?
Ancient Greeks have proven to be excellentmerchants and colonizers. Their home country was characterized by poor soil and mountainous terrain. This created acceptable conditions for animal husbandry, but farmers had a hard time - poor mountainous soils brought small yields, which were barely enough to feed their own families. As zealous owners, the Greeks did not begin to develop deliberately unprofitable farming, but they discovered the prospects of marine wealth and trade routes.
Понтийский грек – это моряк и торговец.He was a welcome guest on all the banks of the ecumene. The Greeks actively invested in the development of their own fleet, laid new routes for trade with distant tribes. It was in the places where goods were stored that small settlements of seafarers and merchants arose, who on the spot were engaged in trade with the native peoples and resold exotic goods in the cities of Greece, Western Asia and the Middle East at exorbitant prices.
The oldest known settlement of PonticGreeks discovered on the coast of Asia Minor, in the town of Milita. A few decades later, in the VIII-IX centuries BC. er there was a magnificent Sinop, which is now the pearl of the Turkish Black Sea. Then, like mushrooms, the cities of Amissos, Koryor, Kerasund and many others arose after the rain. Ancient Herodotus knowingly said that the Pontic Greeks settled around the Black Sea, like frogs at the edges of a puddle. This metaphor accurately reflects the goals and methods of settlement of the Greeks.
Despite the rather obsessive colonization,no major clashes with local tribes occurred. Pontic Greek was able to talk with the warlike natives not by force, but by means of a specie. Such a policy nullified the claims of the leaders of the local peoples — if anyone was indignant, the settlers preferred to pay off rather than fight. The Pontic Greeks established an excellent commodity exchange - they brought raw materials and grain crops to their homeland, and sent olive oil, wine, pottery and handicrafts, and jewelry to distant cities.
How did he justify living away fromhomeland ordinary representative of the ancient people - Pontic Greek? The religion of these settlers basically replicated the beliefs of a distant native country. They worshiped all the supreme gods of Olympus, but they also had their favorites.
Until now, on the coast of Asia Minor there areremnants of the temples of Poseidon and Hermes - patrons of the sea and commerce. Had Pontic Greeks and their own traditions. For example, many of them preferred to explain their origin by the myths about Jason and the Argonauts. Perhaps the golden fleece in this famous tradition symbolized the wealth of the Black Sea region, besides, sheep skin (fleece) is one of the main trade items.
Pontic Greek zealously kept hisidentity and proclaimed himself the Hellenic, a representative of civilization, in contrast to the barbarians - the surrounding tribes, which at that time were at the stage of decomposition of the tribal system. The population of the colonies has retained its originality and has given the world unique people who have become famous in various fields of activity. The philosopher Diogenes, politicians Difil, Heraklid, Stravon. Already in the first millennium, the names of Vissarion and others appeared in theology, and the New time introduced such names as Karatzas, Ypsilants, Muruzis and others.
In the period of Alexander the Great Greekinfluence spread to the south of Turkey - the era of Hellenization began. In the reign of the Mithridates, this influence was still very strong - their language flourished in Asia Minor, monuments of architecture and art were created.
В период расцвета Римской империи понтийский грек becomes a Christian. Thanks to the apostles Paul and Peter, the eastern representatives of this nation were among the first to create early Christian communities and recognized Jesus Christ as their Savior. The communities grew up in monasteries, where supporters of the new faith found refuge.
In the times of Byzantium, the Pontic Greeks createdown province. At the behest of Justinian, Trabzon (Trabzon) became its capital. It was then that the second self-name of the Pontic Greeks - the Romans, which means "citizens of Rome" - was sometimes called Byzantium in the East.
The metropolitan-provincial relationship tied Pont andConstantinople until 1204, when the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire fell under the onslaught of the Franks. After that, the Nicene state appears on the map, which later becomes part of the empire of Trebizond. For two centuries of its existence, this empire was incessantly at war with the surrounding tribes of non-Christian faith. Particularly aggressively attacked the state of the Romans, the Turks, who in 1461 conquered and plundered Trebizond.
The capture of Trabzon meant the decline of Christianity andthe beginning of the spread of Islam in the ancient land of the Pontic Greeks. Massacre, violence, pogroms and violent Islamization under the fear of deprivation of life - this is what the Turkish rule brought to the Greeks. The survivors left the cities, pastures and churches and moved high into the mountains, fearing religious persecution. But in the future, the Turkish authorities made some concessions and allowed the Greeks to develop certain types of production - metallurgy and ceramics, for example.
For many centuries, the Pontic Greeksremained one of the most isolated peoples of the Turkish Empire. They practically did not overlap with other Christians, although they lived alongside Armenians and Kurds. The modest production, handicrafts and scanty harvests collected from mountainous, barren lands did not attract the attention of greedy warlords and supreme Turkish officials. Perhaps that is why the Greeks managed to preserve their language and culture, expand their area of residence in the regions of the Caucasus and Crimea, and join the world community as an autonomous culture.
This state of affairs lasted until 1922, when the Greeks were expelled from the land, which they considered their relatives for many years.
For years, the Turkish authorities did not recognize the genocide andpersecution of Armenians. But few people know that in the early twentieth century, other ethnic groups of Turkey, including the Pontic Greeks, were also persecuted. The genocide of this ethnos caused the complete eradication of the Greeks from their native lands and their forcible expulsion from the territory of Turkey. More than 350 thousand people were burned in churches and temples, the survivors fled, leaving all their belongings. May 19th was the mournful day of this nation. As a result, the Pontic Greeks settled in the territories of other states. They were forced to leave their homeland.
Pontic Greeks in Russia settled onthe territory of the Kuban and the North Caucasus. Most of them speak Russian, but have preserved some of the ancient traditions of their people. But most of the Pontic Greeks returned to their native shores of Greece.
