Kicking Roman Butt

[hoplite14gr]

Thank you for your enlightening reply.
I was thinking of Gothic mercenaries in the same manner like the later Varangians.
Your are right the church has been accused some times with good reason of meddling with the facts or with holding info. (Just try to read an authentic byzantine codex from a monastery!!!)

On language and national origin you have strong points and I will add some info not directrly relating to ancient times:
In north Greece in the late 19th early 20th century was a population speaking a dialekt mixing greek-slavic even albanian words. The were used to aid the teritorial claims by both Bulgaria and Serbia against the Ottoman empire.
No one asked these folks though, who claimed to be Greek. They came in the history books as Grekomani For those who enter in the bountaries of the Greek state it seemed to be OK. For those who stayed in the other side of the border well it was just another unmentioned Balkan tragedy.
I mentioned that to show that some time ethincity and language do not coinside. I can mention Austrians and Germans - Spaniards and Latinamericans.
The problem with some ancient people is that we cannot meet them and ask them waht they thought of themselves!!!!
OK hope this is not too far fetched!

Kind regards