How the Goths and Alans of the Mountainous Crimea Assimilated Greek Language

The Goths and Alans settled in the Mountainous Crimea about mid-third century. Eastern Roman Empire pursued policy of integrating barbarians on frontier order to strengthen its northern borders. In mountainous Crimea, assimilated Greek language result political ideological interaction trading with Cherson other cities towns Empire. earliest this area inscriptions were dipinti drawn light-clay narrow-neck amphorae D. B. Shelov’s type F, which produced Herakleia Pontike. According life St. John Gothia who led a revolt against Khazar domination Gothia, correspondence Theodore Stoudios archimandrite official church documents, was only worship churches monasteries from establishment Gothic bishopric on. priests monks contributed spread among Alans. From eighth thirteenth centuries, there appeared numerous epitaphs burials cemeteries located around these starting typical Byzantine phrase: Φῶς ζωή (“Light – life”), Κύριε, βοήθει... (“Lord, help...”), Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς νηκᾷ (“Jesus Christ conquers”), Ἐκοιμήθη (“Deceased” or “passed away”), so materials examined are reasons state that, by ninth century, language, centuries predominated Gothia. There several written sources documenting preservation Alan languages first half mid-sixteenth spoke mostly Greek. sources, functioning Crimean dialect restricted started disappearing sixteenth century