Greek Culture in Anatolia & Egypt

[GurenGaaze]

Greek is greek obvously, but in north Anatolia the greek dialect (in game at least) was Pontic greek, that was largely spoken in the Pontic region. But what I am wondering about is - what other dialects of Greek was used in different parts of the Byzantine (Or even Roman) Empire?

This question is mostly out of my own curousity but
I am thinking of instead of just making everything Greek in my Byzantine - Roman restoration campaign. I want to try an replicate the different dialects aspects. (I could just play with Egyptians being Greeks after a while after accepting their culture, but that is not what I want to do.)

Hopefully there are some who may know this better than me (researching atm)

 

[JSparks101]

Cypriot, Griko (Italy), Pontic, Cappadocian/Anatolian Greeks, Copts in Egypt(not Greek but relativly close)

 

[GurenGaaze]

Cypriot, Griko (Italy), Pontic, Cappadocian/Anatolian Greeks, Copts in Egypt(not Greek but relativly close)

I see, thank you In Egypt, was there parhaps some other? Like latin dialects? if Coptic was not Greek I mean. Also, is that where the Coptic church name comes from?

 

[Count Hasimir Fenring]

There is not a great deal of information or discussion on this particular topic because Byzantine Greek was both the Administrative and Liturgical language of the later Eastern Roman Empire but it seems to have been fairly quickly abandoned by the Copts who were the true Ethnic Egyptians. The Egyptians were a sophisticated and literate civilization unlike the many barbarian cultures assimilated by the Greco-Roman sphere and so never seem to have took fully to the use of Greek or Latin the latter of which was never popular as anything but military jargon in the east. The Copts spoke the closest thing to the old Egyptian language still extant and, while influenced by Greek, was an Afro-Asiatic language.

The short answer is: There is no good way to simulate Coptic culture in-game so you might as well do what you feel is right.

I'm not sure I understand your last question. There is a Coptic Church, it's an Oriential church headed by a Catholicos in Alexandria, similar to the patriarch of the Armenians. The Coptic church rejects some key theological aspects of the Eastern European church and this fact helped further sever ties between the Copts and Greeks.

 

[Kergan]

I see, thank you In Egypt, was there parhaps some other? Like latin dialects? if Coptic was not Greek I mean. Also, is that where the Coptic church name comes from?

Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean never really adopted Latin. And yes, Coptic church comes from (as in has the same etymology as) Copts.

 

[GurenGaaze]

There is not a great deal of information or discussion on this particular topic because Byzantine Greek was both the Administrative and Liturgical language of the later Eastern Roman Empire but it seems to have been fairly quickly abandoned by the Copts who were the true Ethnic Egyptians. The Egyptians were a sophisticated and literate civilization unlike the many barbarian cultures assimilated by the Greco-Roman sphere and so never seem to have took fully to the use of Greek or Latin the latter of which was never popular as anything but military jargon in the east. The Copts spoke the closest thing to the old Egyptian language still extant and, while influenced by Greek, was an Afro-Asiatic language.

The short answer is: There is no good way to simulate Coptic culture in-game so you might as well do what you feel is right.

I'm not sure I understand your last question. There is a Coptic Church, it's an Oriential church headed by a Catholicos in Alexandria, similar to the patriarch of the Armenians. The Coptic church rejects some key theological aspects of the Eastern European church and this fact helped further sever ties between the Copts and Greeks.

That was very informative and a really good learning read Was just wondering if, the Coptic Church name got their name from the inhabitans, in this case by your explanation - the copts.