Etimologjia e emrit maniot.
dhe ata jane arvanite te pakten qe ne kohen e Dimitris Mavromihalit.
Greket dhe "shkencetaret" e tjere evropiane jane lodhur shume te nxjerrin kuptimin e fjales Mani dhe Maniote:
The Maniots or Maniates (Greek: Μανιάτες) are the Greek inhabitants of the Mani Peninsula (the middle leg of the Peloponnese) located in the southern Peloponnese in the Greek prefecture of Laconia and prefecture of Messinia. They were also formerly known as Mainotes and the peninsula as Maina. The terrain is mountainous and inaccessible (until recently many Mani villages could be accessed only by sea), and the regional name "Mani" is thought to have meant originally "dry" or "barren." Etymologically, the name "Maniot" is a diminutive implying "of Mani"
Nga ana jone megjithese jemi ne forumin e linguistekes nuk do te bejme asnje percapje te shpjegojme etimologjine e kesaj fjale, sepse ajo eshte e kuptueshme per cdo shqiptar, por megjithate do te japim nje fakt interesant per perdorimin e ketij emri. Ky emer bartej sipas deshmise se PseudoSkylaksit prej nje fisi ilir qe pertej shek. te 6 para Krishtit:22. ILLYRIOI. And after Libyrnians are the Illyrian nation, and the Illyrians live along beside the sea as far as Chaonia by Kerkyra, the island of Alkinoös. And there is a Hellenic city here, which has the name
Herakleia, with a harbour. The barbarians called Lotus-eaters are the following: Hierastamnai, Boulinoi (Hyllinoi), coterminous with Boulinoi the Hylloi. And these say Hyllos son of Herakles settled them: and they are barbarians. And they occupy a peninsula a little lesser than the Peloponnese. And from peninsula parastonion* is upright: Boulinoi live
beside this. And Boulinoi are an Illyric nation. And the coastal voyage is of the territory of Boulinoi of a long day up to Nestos river.
23. NESTIANS. And from Nestou the voyage is gulf-shaped. And all this gulf is called Manios. And the coastal voyage is of one day. And there are
in this gulf islands, Proteras, Krateiai, Olynta. And these from one another are distant 2 stades or a little more, by Pharos and Issa. For here is
New Pharos, a Hellenic island, and Issa island, and these are Hellenic cities. Before sailing along-the-coast up to the Naron river, much territory
extends very much into the sea. And there is an island near the coastal territory, which has the name Melite [Malta], and another island near this, which has the name Kerkyra the Black: and this island runs out very much with one of the promontories from the coastal territory, and with the other promontory it comes down to the Naron river. And from Melite it is distant 20 stades, and from the coastal territory it is distant 8 stades.
24. MANIANS. And from Nestians is the Naron river: and the voyage into the Narona is not narrow: and even a trireme voyages into it, and boats into the upper trading-town, being distant from the sea 80 stades. And these are Illyrian by nation, the Manians. And there is a lake inland from the trading-town, a great one, and the lake extends to Autariatai, an Illyric nation. And there is an island in the lake of 120 stades: and this island is very much well farmed. And from this lake the Naron river flows. And from the Naron up to the Arion river is a day’s voyage: and from the Arion river a voyage of a day’s half: and Kadmos’s and Harmonia’s stones are here, and a sanctuary [not] far from the Rhizous river. And from the Rhizous river to Bouthoë the voyage ** and the trading-town.
25. ENCHELEIS. A nation of Illyrians are the Encheleis, adjoining the
Rhizous. And out of Bouthoë to Epidamnos, Hellenic city, voyage of a day and a night, and a road of three days.
26. TAULANTIOI. And of the Taulantians is the Illyric nation, in which Epidamnos is, and a river flows beside the city which has the name Palamnos. And out of Epidamnos to Apollonia, a Hellenic city, is a road of two days. And Apollonia is distant from the sea 50 stades, and the river Aias flows beside the city. And from Apollonia into Amantia is 320 stades. And the Aias river from the Pindos Mountain flows beside Apollonia. [And] towards Amantia inland, somewhat into the Ionian gulf is Orikos. It comes down from Orikia to the sea 90 stades, and from Amantia 60 stades. Sharing a border with all these in the interior are Atintanes above Orikia and ****a* as far as Dodonia. And in the Kestris territory is said to be a pedion, name Erytheia. Here Geryones is said to come and pasture his oxen. By these places are the Keraunian mountains in Epeiros, and there is an island
beside these places, a small one, which has the name Sason. From here to Orikos city is a coastal voyage of a day’s third part.
27. [O RIKOI. And the Orikoi occupy [. . .] of the Amanian territory.]
And the [Amantians], from Boulinoi as far as here, are Illyrians. And the mouth of the Ionian gulf is from Keraunian mountains as far as cape Iapygia. And up to Hydroëis city in Iapygia from the Keraunian mountains, the stades of the voyage across are about 500, [which] is the mouth of the gulf: and the places inside are the Ionian gulf. There are many harbours in the Adriatic: and the same thing is the Adriatic and the Ionian.
Sipas ketij pershkrimi maniotet iliras, duhet te kene banuar me ne veri se cjane maniotet moreas sot, por kjo nuk e ndryshon faktin qe ky emer i njejte bartej nga nje popull vendin e te cilit e kane zene shqiptaret , dhe sot nga nje fis shqiptar ne skajin me jugor te "Greqise" te sajuar.
