this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2026
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What were some slurs against other races, sexes etc like we do today in Roman times up until now? Like for ex what would be the equivelant of a Spartan calling a Athenian slur. Why type? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by Patnou@lemmy.world to c/askhistorians@lemmy.world
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[โ€“] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

iirc 'barbarian' comes from a slur. "Those foreigners sound like sheep when they talk. Baa baa baa."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbarian

[โ€“] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

By Roman times it was a neutral word for all non-Romans (including respected allies), and not a slur per se.