Barbarian



A (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either  or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a based on a popular ; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less civilized or orderly (such as a ) but may also be part of a certain “primitive”  (such as ) or  (such as ) both within and outside one's own nation. Alternatively, they may instead be admired and romanticised as. In idiomatic or figurative usage, a "barbarian" may also be an individual reference to a brutal, cruel, warlike, and insensitive person.

The term originates from the βάρβαρος (barbaros pl. βάρβαροι barbaroi). In, the Greeks used the term not only towards those who did not speak Greek and follow classical Greek customs, but also towards Greek populations on the fringe of the Greek world with peculiar dialects. In, the Romans adapted and used the term towards tribal non-Romans such as the , , , , , , and. In the and sometimes later, the  used it for the  in a clearly  manner. In, references to barbarians go back as far as the and the. “Lands beyond moral influence” or areas outside of range of the  were generally labeled as "Barbarians" or uncivilized through the lens of.

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