Dalmatians


Dalmatians

 

an ethnographic group of the Croats; the native inhabitants of Dalmatia. In ancient times Dalmatia was inhabited by the Illyrian tribe of Dalmatae, which was Romanized during the Roman era. After the arrival of the Slavs in the sixth and seventh centuries, the population of Dalmatia began to absorb their culture. Present-day Dalmatians speak the cakavian dialect of Serbo-Croatian. Those who are religious are usually Catholics. Agriculture and fishing are the main industries of the Dalmatians.

REFERENCE

Narodv zarubezhnoi Evropy, vol. I. Moscow. 1964.