The Ancient Greek name βάρβαρος (bárbaros), "barbarian", was an antonym for πολίτης (politēs), "citizen" (from πόλις – polis, "city").The earliest attested form of the word is the Mycenaean Greek ????????????, pa-pa-ro, written in Linear B syllabic script.. The Greeks used the term barbarian for all non-Greek-speaking peoples, including the Egyptians, Persians, Medes ...