People
The inhabitants of Great Moravia were designated Slovene, Sloveni. The historical name Sloveni, Sclavi, Slavi (Slovenes) should not be confused with name Slovani (Slavs), which was artificially invented at the end of 18th century by Slavic scholars around Josef Dobrovsky to introduce common name for all Slavic people, that does not exist before. The names Sloveni, Slovenci, Slovninci, Sclavi, Slavi, (Slovenes, Slovaks), Slovenia, Sclavenia (Slovenia), could be found in chronicles in now days Slovenia, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Slavonia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia. By Venetian sources Croats were strictly named as a Croats, but at the same time on the same land they also write about Sclaveni, Slavi (Slovenes). This is leading to presumption that Bolgars, Croats, Serbs and Hungarians settled among Slovenes and gradually absorb them, except in Slovenia and Slovakia.
The last remains of native name Sloveni could be found in a present-day at Slovenes (for example Sloven(c)i, the Slovene name for Sloven- es/ians, Slovenia) and Slovaks, (for example Slovensko, the Slovak name of Slovakia) are still derived from the root Slovene. The same name was used by the ancestors of Slavonians until 18th century, while name Slavonia remains from the Latin inscription Sclavonia / Slavonia. The Latin name Sclavonia actually derived from aboriginal name Slovenia (land of Slovenes), thus now-days Slovenia in history was also named Sclavonia / Slavonia / Slavia.
Notation Old Church Slavonic language is modern transformation from, original inscription Slovenski jezik (словѣ́ньскъ, Slovene language). As one of the greatest philologist Franc Miklošič with wide knowledge of all Slave languages and other Balkan languages established the Old Church Slavonic as the closest to the language of Carantanian and Pannonian Slovenes.
People of Great Moravia were sometimes referred to as "Moravian peoples" by Slavic texts, and "Sclavi" (i.e. the Slavs), "Winidi" (another name for the Slavs), "Moravian Slavs" or "Moravians" by Latin texts.
As in all medieval states, life in Great Moravia was difficult compared to the modern standards: 40 percent of men and 60 percent of women died before reaching the age of 40. However, Great Moravian cemeteries also document rich nutrition and advanced health care. Inhabitants of Great Moravia even had better teeth than people today: a third of the examined skeletons had no caries or lost teeth.
Muslim geographers, when describing the inhabitants of Great Moravia, mentioned that
They are a numerous people and their dress resembles that of the Arabs, consisting of turban and shirt and overcoat. They have cultivated lands and seeds and vineyards (...).They state that their number is greater than that of the Rum and that they are a separate nation. The greater part of their trade is with Arabia. —Ahmad ibn Rustah
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