Greater Pelasgia

From: Rex H. McTyeire
Message: 1508
Date: 2000-02-15

Gentlemen (and ladies)..It seems the list is slowing a bit. Some
stimulation is suggested. Recently concluding a review of the Greek classic
literature, and seeing
disputes on many scholarly lists re; Dananu/Danaans..Plst/Prst..Philistines:
I
offer the following "thoughts" for debate, dissection, emotional torment,
and possibly even serious consideration:

A "Greater Pelasgia" existed and dominated the north eastern Med Rim as
a pre-Hittite intrusive culture, composed of IE speaking Northerners. The
intrusion brought IE, bronze age technology, new agriculture and warfare
techniques, the domesticated horse and the javelin into a broad area
initially defined as Anatolia below the Black sea and east (sporadically) to
the T/E valley, the Aegean islands below Thrace, and the Greek mainland
below Macedonia. Dominating in most areas, but often superimposed on
existing autochthons of many different but pre-IE cultures. Not a state, but
a region of influence that began to be locally defined and named under
powerful cities and leaders, and over time developing into many states with
a recognized Pelasgi origin . Then developing and dominating a sea trade
tradition, expanding first into Crete with an influence that would develop
the Minoan culture and directly yield the Achaeaen (which we reverently
call the Myceanean) Expanding influence through this clockwise rotation of
eminence, Anatolia to Crete to Pelopponese..and the very nature of sea
trade. These identifiable Pelasgi began at some point to project influence
into the rest of the Med islands as contributing but not defining elements,
Including Rhodes, Sicily, Cyprus, and Sardinia. Then penetrating via
colonies the Italian mainland and many other colonial sites to include N.
Africa and the Levant. The Danaans (being a later mainland "redefinition"
under one leader, of basically the same Pelasgi Stock), pre and post Troy
expand back over this defined "Greater Pelasgia" now reduced (in Anatolia)to
low Central, Aegean Coastal and South Coastal Anatolia. The reduction of
influence in Anatolia driven by new sea trade emphasis over agricultural;
and by later IE penetration and dominance of the North of Anatolia by new
intrusive IE elements that would define Mysians and Phyrgians/Hittite. The
"Greater Pelasgia" also losing ground to the east by powers developing
there. The Danaan's consolidation dislodging enough "Sea Peoples" in Crete
and elsewhere to define the eastern "Peleste"; "plst/prst" and
"Philistim/Palestinian" (all derived from "Pelasgi" I assert in the face of
constant argument against) influences felt by Egypt and the Levant c1200
BCE..a sudden intrusion of new folks over laying a scant previous "market
presence"...before all was redefined c1100 BCE forward via the Dorian
dominance (via yet another northern IE intrusion) of mainland Greece,
cutting the core from the Danaan restructure of the Eastern Med and Aegean.
Comments? Degrees of Impossibility? Corrections? Modifications? Arguments?

La Revedere;
Rex H. McTyeire
Bucharest, Romania
<rexbo@...>