Croatian Slavic Identity

The first primary source to mention the Croatian-Hrvat identity in the Balkans was Dux Cruatorum Branimero or Prince Branimir (Latin: dux Croatorum). It appeared on a stone inscription, c. 880 AD. Prince Branimir was a Slav from the town of Nin (Dalmatia). Hrvat or Horoúathos are names of Sarmatian origins. In 1853 a Russian archaeologist Pavel Mikhailovich Leontjev discovered the Tanais Tablets. The Tanais Tablets mention three men: Horoúathos, Horoáthos, and Horóathos (Χορούαθ[ος], Χοροάθος, Χορόαθος). They are written in Greek and are from the 3rd century AD from the city of Tanais, today's Azov, Russia. At that time the region had a mixed Greek - Sarmatian (Iranian) population.

The term Slav was first used by the Byzantines (i.e. Procopius-Byzantine scholar, Jordanes- 6th century Roman bureaucrat) and was recorded in the 6th century (cia. 550) in Greek (Σκλαβῖνοι-Sklabenoi). Later in Latin it was written Sclaveni.

Croatian Slavic tribes invaded the region of Roman Dalmatia in the early Middle Ages. Prior to the arrival of the Slavs, Roman Dalmatia was mainly inhabited by a Roman Latin-Illyrian population. Sections of the old Roman Dalmatian province became part of the Kingdom of Croatia (925–1102). Some historians have placed the arrival of Slavs (in larger groups) to be in the region of the 8th century or even the 9th century.

Contemporary historian Danijel Dzino states that the 19 century theories of mass movements of people into the old Roman Province of Dalmatia are questionable. Modern Archaeological and Scholarly research seems to be saying that we are looking at much smaller groups of Slavs and Avars invading the region. According to Florin Curta and Danijel Dzino the term Slavs was first used by outside observers of the day to describe the newcomers. The Slavs used the term to describe themselves at a later stage. Thus began the construct identity of the new arrivals. Later the Slavic peoples started to identify themselves and separated (or were separated by others) into different groups.

The issue of dates is an interesting one. Historians from the 18th and 19th century place the arrival of the Slavs into the Western Balkans in the 7th century but the more modern research undertaken by scholars and archaeologists cannot confirm this. The arrival and settlement of the Slavs by some has now been thought to be more in the region of the 8th century or even early 9th century.