Vasmer’s classic “The Suavs in Greece” (Die Slawen in Griechenland) has an interesting section on the island of Crete. He lists the different Suavic settlements on Crete including the following:
- Βάλτος
- Βούργαρο
- Γαβρανοῦ
- Γαράζο
- Ζαγουριάνοι
- Λαγκές
- Μοῦντρος
- Πλεμενιανά
- οδοβάνι
- Σκλαβοδοχώρι
- Σκλαβοδιάκου
- Σκλάβοι
- Σκλαβοπούλα
- Σφινάρι
- Τοπόλια
- Χαρβάτα
- Χουδέται
There follows an interesting statement by Vasmer that it’s worth quoting in full:
“Not all of the the Suavic names found on this island, am I able to explain through a late and random settlement of the Suavs [on Crete]. Some of these names must have an older date. With respect to the area around Herakleion already Rangavis (III 573) while discussing the name Σκλαβεροχώρι could not suppress making the remark that here we must be dealing with an older group of settlers that came over from the main land. Later Šišmanov (Bálgarski Prěgled IV Number. 3 p. 89 ff.) sought to support this view further by referring to a wider number of names. Whether these names originated with the Suavic pirates whose attack on Crete was described in the above mentioned historical testimony, cannot be established with certainty…”
The reference here is to the attack on Crete in 623 described in the Syrian Miscellaneous Chronicle which Vasmer attributes to Thomas Presbyter of Emesa (Homs). The 623 reference could certainly have been of Thomas’ authorship.
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