Theodore Anastasios Kavalliotis (Greek: Θεόδωρος Αναστασίου Καβαλλιώτης; Aromanian: Teodor Anastasie Cavalioti;^[1] Albanian: Theodor Kavalioti,^[2] 1718 – 11 August 1789^[3]) was a Greek Orthodox priest, teacher and a figure of the Greek Enlightenment.^[4] He is also known for having drafted an Aromanian–Greek–Albanian dictionary.^[5]

Early life

Theodoros Anastasiou Kavalliotis was born in Kavala or Moscopole, where he spent most of his life. He has been described variously as either Aromanian or Albanian^[6] or Greek.^[7] Regardless, Kavalliotis had a Greek identity.^[8] He studied in Moscopole and later pursued higher studies in mathematical and philosophical sciences at the Maroutseios college in Ioannina (in 1732-1734), directed by Eugenios Voulgaris.^[9]

Working period

He returned to Moscopole and was appointed teacher at the New Academy (Greek: Νέα Ακαδημία Nea Akadimia) in 1743.^[10] In 1750 he succeeded his former teacher Sevastos Leontiadis and became director of the New Academy for more than 20 years (1748–1769).^[11] His works, written in Greek, are Logic (1749, unpublished), Physics (1752, unpublished), Grammar of modern Greek (1760), Metaphysics (1767), Protopeiria (1770). They were used extensively and hand-made copies were found even as far as Iaşi, Romania. After the destruction of Moscopole at 1769, he probably went to Tokaj, Hungary, but returned at 1773.^[11]

In 1770, he published in Venice, at Antonio Bortoli's printing press, a school textbook, called Protopeiria.^[12] Protopeiria is a 104 pages textbook which in pages 15–59 included a trilingual lexicon of 1,170 Greek, Aromanian, and Albanian words.^[13] This work aimed at the Hellenization of the non-Greek-speaking Christian communities in the Balkans.^[14][15] The lexicon was re-published in 1774 by the Swedish^[16] professor Johann Thunmann, who taught at the University of Halle-Wittenberg. Thunmann added a Latin translation to the words in Greek, Aromanian, and Albanian.^[17]

Besides Eugenios Voulgaris, he was also influenced by the work of Vikentios Damodos, Methodios Anthrakites, René Descartes, and medieval scholastics.^{[citation needed]}

Kavalliotis couldn't manage to reestablish the destroyed New Academy.^[18] During his last months he witnessed another wave of destruction of his home place, in June 1789 by local Muslim lords. Kavalliotis died at August 11, 1789, aged 71.^[19]

Sample from the first page of the Lexicon

Works

• Εἰσαγωγὴ εἰς τὰ ὀκτω μέρη τοῦ λόγου. Ἐν Μοσχοπόλει 1760 καὶ Ἑνετίῃσι 1774.
• Ἔπη πρὸς τὸν ἐξαρχικῶν ἐν Μοσχοπόλει ἐπιδημήσαντα Ἰωαννίκιον Χαλκηδόνος ἐν ἔτει 1750 Μαΐου 2.
• Πρωτοπειρία. (Starting out) Ἑνετίῃσιν, 1770. Παρὰ Ἀντωνίῳ τῷ Βόρτολι. Superiorum permissu. Ac privilegio.