The Macedonians according to Ancient Greek Sources (original) (raw)

Ancient Macedonians were just what they said they were – Macedonians

Ancient biographers left no doubt as to who the Ancient Macedonians were. Here, the field is explicitly clean; there is an abundance of clear, precise, unambiguous statements from the ancient authors and common men alike, that these two neighbors Macedonia and Greece, besides sharing a common border, they shared very little else. Macedon was a Balkan power whose borders ebbed in and out with the fortunes of her kings. Alexander the Great was neither Greek nor he spread any Hellenism in Asia. There was no policy of Hellenization to speak of, for Alexander was a Macedonian king and remained so until his death. Consequently, any other conclusion must rest on sources other than those available in today’s literature

Who are the Macedonians

Who are the Macedonians, 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written consent from the author, except for the inclusion of brief and documented quotations in a review.

History of the Macedonian People From Ancient times to the Present

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written consent from the author, except for the inclusion of brief and documented quotations in a review. e-book edition Copyright  2005 by Risto Stefov PREFACE Ever since their beginning the Greek, Bulgarian and Serbian States and to a lesser extent the Albanian State have systematically used every means possible, including waging propaganda campaigns, to negate the existence of the Macedonian nation. They have done this not because Macedonians do not exist but purely to usurp Macedonian territories and the rich Macedonian heritage. Until recently there were no organized Macedonian voices to speak for the Macedonian people and their rights as citizens of this world, so Macedonia's adversaries, the Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbians and more recently the Albanians, spoke for them. The time has now come when Macedonians are taking matters into their own hands and challenging old beliefs and the illegitimacy of those who have been speaking for them. Only Macedonians are the rightful heirs of the Macedonian heritage and the composers of Macedonia's history. The Macedonians are not Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbians or Albanians. Neither can they simultaneously be Greeks, Bulgarians, Serbians and Albanians as their adversaries claim. The Greeks claim that "Macedonia is Greek" and has been for four thousand years. Contrary to ancient and modern evidence, they continue to insist that the ancient Macedonians were Greek. Again contrary to evidence and without proof, the modern Greeks claim that they are the direct descendants of the ancient Greeks and as such are the rightful owners of the ancient heritage. Furthermore, and without a shred of evidence, they claim that "all" the ancient Macedonians were killed off during the so called "Slav invasions" of the fifth and sixth centuries AD and there is no one left but the Greeks to claim Macedonia's heritage. The Greeks, again without any evidence, claim that the modern Macedonians are Slavs who invaded Macedonia during the fifth and sixth centuries AD and have nothing in common with the ancient Macedonians and therefore have no rights to the Macedonian heritage. This book challenges all Greek claims and without any doubt will prove that they are no more than a "Greek myth". Firstly, it is well known that a "Greek State" never existed before 1829. The ancient City States were conquered by Philip II, king of Macedonia in 338 BC and were never united into a single nation until the creation of the Greek Kingdom in 1832. Was it not the Macedonians who conquered the ancient City States? How then can ancient Macedonia be Greek? The Great Powers created the modern Greek Kingdom for the first time in 1832 as an attempt to partition the Ottoman Empire and prevent the formation of a single Slavic State in the Balkans. The Great Powers, Britain and France, created modern Greece purely for the purpose of blocking Russian access to the Mediterranean Sea. As for the purity of the modern Greek nation there is ample evidence, both historical and scientific, that contradicts modern Greek claims. For example

Ancient Macedonians Were Not Greeks!

THE ANCIENT MACEDONIANS WERE NOT GREEKS! (IN DEFENCE OF MACEDONIA) A REJOINDER TO A RECENT LETTER, BY AUTHORS SYMPATHETIC TO THE GREEK POSITION, ADDRESSED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, BARACK OBAMA

Ethnicity of the Ancient Macedonians

In this paper we will make a two fold attempt to shed some light, not on today’s perception of Alexander’s ethnicity (this is largely a 19th and 20th century politically motivated phenomenon rooted in the expansionist policies of modern-day Balkan countries), [1] but what Alexander’s ethnicity was perceived to have been during his reign as king of Macedon and immediately thereafter. In other words (a) was Alexander and his Macedonians viewed as Greek by their contemporaries or as Macedonian? And, (b) did the ancient people distinguish between Greece itself and the land called Macedonia?

Macedonia & the Macedonians via the Sources

Historical events in order to be attested and examined by scholars have to derive from some kind of evidence. Such evidence is provided by primordial sources of any kind. It might be a papyrus, an inscription, a votive relief or an archaeological find that may attest to a historical event. Thus, it is like watching an event through the eyes of those who really experienced it. Objectivity is such a subjective issue that it is formed not only by the author who composes a historical document but also by the reader who pores over the document. So, there is no an existing frame of truth but only a common perception of it. Therefore, in order to provide an academic paper on history, one has to consider what was commonly accepted during the specific period examined. Certainly, it is not always easy to come down with such evidence deriving from different sources, but in many cases, such paradigms do exist. Typically, historians, orators or even the tragic poets may provide us with such evidence and today's scholars are challenged to accumulate, compare them and come to a safe conclusion (when examining a historical event or even history itself). The main subject of this dissertation paper shall cover the following subject: What was the image of the Macedonian Kingdom by the southern Greeks during the Classical period. How this image is depicted to us nowadays when studying the primordial sources. How did the Macedonians perceived themselves, living on the fringe of the Helladic space? Furthermore, it shall cover all the later and the updated historical data through the primordial sources available. I am most thankful to Mr. Xydopoulos for all his support, perfect communication and feedback that he very willingly provided to me from the very beginning. This work was established in his previous work “Civil and Social Relations amongst the Macedonians and the Rest of the Greeks”, published in 1998. Furthermore, I included the updated historical and archaeological data available, offering at the same time another perspective. Having the continuous assistance and supervision of the Professor, I am certain that the result will excel my expectations. Lastly, I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Miroslav Vasilev, Dr. Maria Girtzi, Dr. Paschalis Paschidis, my friends and family. The first two for providing me with their valuable articles and suggestions and the last ones, for having to put up and support me while I was working on the project. Vasileios Chrimatopoulos 10.01.2018 Direct Link of the Thesis: https://repository.ihu.edu.gr/xmlui/handle/11544/29119

Introduction to Ancient Macedonians in the Greek and Roman Sources

Ancient Macedonians in the Greek and Roman Sources

This introductory chapter introduces the essays of the collection by outlining the ways in which the Greek and Roman sources excerpt, format, reinterpret and even sometimes misinterpret the historical information on ancient Macedonians in order to serve their own literary and political aims and agendas.

MACEDONIA - A BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF HISTORICAL EVENTS

Iron age -Macedonians, formed during the Iron Age from a Brygian substratum and Indo-European super stratum, settled here at the end of the II millennium; The Macedonians, according to the legend, got their name from the mythological ancestor Makedon. Maketa, the oldest name of Macedonia (Makedonis), was originally the name of the mythological female ancestor Maketa.