Hellene

/ˈhɛliːn/ noun

Definition

A person of ancient Greek origin or ethnicity; a Greek person, especially one from ancient Greece.

Etymology

From Greek Hellén, traditionally descended from the mythological ancestor Hellen. The term was used by ancient Greeks themselves to distinguish their ethnic group and became standard for Classical studies.

Kelly Says

Ancient Greeks called themselves 'Hellenes' and their land 'Hellas,' not 'Greeks' or 'Greece'—those names came from Roman outsiders, so the original Greeks had a completely different name for themselves that we rarely use!

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