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barbarian
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“Barbarian Archer in Scythian Costume,” Athenian plate by Epictetus, late 6th century bc; in the British Museum Thematic map of Europe and the Mediterranean showing the routes of various barbarian groups during the invasions of the late Roman Empire. Colored arrows trace the migrations of groups such as the Goths, Vandals, Franks, Saxons, and others, with boundaries of the Roman Empire in 395 CE and subsequent political divisions marked. Major kingdoms and cities are labeled, illustrating the movement and settlement patterns of these peoples.
The ancient Greek and Roman origins of the word barbarian
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“Barbarian Archer in Scythian Costume,” Athenian plate by Epictetus, late 6th century bc; in the British Museum
“Barbarian Archer in Scythian Costume,” Athenian plate by Epictetus, late 6th century bc; in the British Museum

barbarian

people
Also known as: barbari, externae gentes
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History
Thematic map of Europe and the Mediterranean showing the routes of various barbarian groups during the invasions of the late Roman Empire. Colored arrows trace the migrations of groups such as the Goths, Vandals, Franks, Saxons, and others, with boundaries of the Roman Empire in 395 CE and subsequent political divisions marked. Major kingdoms and cities are labeled, illustrating the movement and settlement patterns of these peoples.
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routes of barbarian invasions of EuropeMap of routes taken by Germanic peoples across Europe during the so-called barbarian invasions.
The ancient Greek and Roman origins of the word barbarian
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The ancient Greek and Roman origins of the word barbarianLearn how the word barbarian originated.
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barbarian, word derived from the Greek bárbaros, used among the early Greeks to describe all foreigners, including the Romans. The word is probably onomatopoeic in origin, the “bar bar” sound representing the perception by Greeks of languages other than their own. Bárbaros soon assumed a deeply negative meaning, becoming associated with the vices and savage natures which the Greeks attributed to their enemies. The Romans adopted the word for all peoples other than those under Greco-Roman influence and domination. The name Barbary, once used to describe North Africa, is derived from the region’s Berber inhabitants, not from bárbaros.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Robert Lewis.