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greek-ethnicity-of-ancient-macedonians/

Evidence on the Greek ethnicity of Ancient Macedonians

Fact #1 “Alexander the Great was Greek”

Alexander’s Greek descent, and in general Argead Greek lineage went unquestioned
by ancient Greek and Roman writers, revealing a widely belief in ancient Greek and
Roman world (including of course Macedonians themselves), the Argead royal house
were Greeks descended from Argos of Peloponnese. The founder of their house
belonged to the royal house of Argos, the “Temenidae”, descendants of Temenus,
whose ancestor was Heracles, son of Zeus. (Diod. 17.1.5, 17.4.1; Plut, Alex 2.1-2,
Fortuna 1.10 = Moratia 332a; Justin 11.4.5, 7.6.10-12, Theop. (FGTH US F3SS -
Tzetzes, ad Lycophr 1439); Paus. ‘Description of Greece’ 1.9.8, 7.8; Velleius
Paterculus: “The Roman History” Book I.5; Isocrates: ‘To Philip’ 32; Herod. 5.22.1-
2, 8.43; Thuc. 2, 99, 3; Curt. 4.6.29)

Fact #2 ‘Earliest accounts verify the earliest Macedonians as Greeks”

The earliest literary accounts like Hesiodus (700 BCE) identified the earliest
Macedonians as part of the greek world thus greek-speakers. Obviously if
Macedonians werent Greeks but foreign people to Greeks, they wouldnt be part at all
in Hesiodus’ account as Greek. After all its really irrational to have a supposedly
‘non-greek’ people while migrating to rename existing foreign toponymies into
Greek, like the renaming from the earliest Macedonians of the original Phrygian
place-name ‘Edessa‘ to the Greek ‘Aigae‘.

Fact #3 “Ancient Macedonians considered themselves as Greeks”

The surviving literary and archaeological evidence during Classical and Hellenistic
Ages shows clearly that Macedonians considered themselves to be Greek, carriers to
spread the Greek language and civilization to Asia while revenging Persians for their
“crimes against Macedonia and the rest of Greece”.(Herod. 9.45; Diod. 16.93.1;
Arrian 2.14.4, 3.18.11-12, I.16.10, “Indica” XXXIII; Plut- Alex. XXXIII, Moralia
332A; Curt. 5.6.1, 5.8.1; Joseph 11.8.5; Polyvius 7.9.4, 18.4.8; Liv. XXXI,29, 15; IG
X,2 1 1031)

Fact #4 “Ancient Greeks viewed Macedonians as Greeks”

Ancient Greeks considered Macedonians as Greeks and specifically of Dorian stock.

In fact ancient Greek accounts attributed some of the most patriotic Greek sentiments
ever expressed to Macedonian rulers (Herodotos), described memories of the
Greekness of the Makedones (Hesiodos, Hellanikos, Herodotos), mentioned their
participations among Greek troops and folk, membership of Macedonia in the
associations of the Greeks, namely the Delphic Amphictyony which had long been an
important Panhellenic (Herodotos, Thucydides, Aichines). Hence they all verify the
same conclusion. Greeks viewed Macedonians as Greeks. (Polyb., IX.35.2 (Loeb,
W.R. Paton), IX.37, 38.8; Isocr, “To Philip”, 5.139, 5.140, 5.8; Callisth. ‘Oration of
Demosthenes’ 2.3.4.-5, 2.4.5, 2.4.7-8 ; Curtius 3.3; Arrian ‘Anab. Alex’ 2.14. 4,
3.27.4-5; Pausanias, ‘Phocis’ VIII.4, Eleia VIII, 11 [Loeb]) ; Strab. VII.Frg. 9 [Loeb,
H.L. Jones]), VII. Fr 7.1, 10.2.23; Herod. VIII.137. 1 [Loeb]), I.56.3 [Loeb, A.D.
Godley]); Hesiod, Catalogues of Women and Eoiae 3 [Loeb, H.G. Evelyn-White])

Fact #5 “Foreign nations considered Macedonians as Greeks”

The ancient Roman, Persian, Indian, Jewish, Babylonian and Carthagenian

testimonies are listing Macedonians among the other Hellenes, speaking the same
language and in general Macedonians are portrayed as Hellenes fighting the
Barbarians. (Curt. 3.3.6, 3.7.3, 3.12.27, 4.1.10, 4.5.11, 4.5.14, 4.6.29, 4.8. 13-14,
4.10.1, 5.6.1, 5.7.3, 5.7.11, 6.9.35, 7.5.36, 7.6.1, 7.6.35; Liv. XXXI.29.15, XLV,
32.22; Cicero Orations; Ceasar ‘Civ. Wars’ 111.103.3; Vel. Patercul. ‘Roman history’
I.5; Justinus Un. History 7.1, 11.3.6; Aelian ‘Var Historia’ VII.8, 12.37(39); Pliny
‘Natural history’; Tacitus ‘Annals of Imperial Rome’ Chap. 8 pg 221; Persian inscr.
of ca 513, Persian story of Zulqarneen, Bahram Yasht 3.34; Edicts of Ashoka V &
XIII; Maccabees 1:10, 8:18, Megillah 11a, Dan 11:2, 10:20, Isiaiah chap. 19.20,
19.23, Joel Cahp 3.v6, Habacoum cap. 2.v5; Josephus ‘Antiquities of the jews’ Book
11 par 337, 109, 148, 184, 286, Book 8 para. 61, 95, 100, 154, 213, Book 10 para.
273, Book 12 para. 322, 414, Philo of Alexandria, Maimonides; Babylonian Diaries
Diary No -168. A14-15)

Fact #6 “Macedonian names are Greek”

In contrast with all their non-greek neighbours (Illyrians, Thracians, etc) ancient
Macedonian names are either Greek or derive from Greek roots in a percentage of
over 95%. According to the encyclopaedia Bolsaya Sovetskaya “In 200 names born
from Macedonians born before the ascent of Philip II (359b.C.), hardly 5% are of
non-greek origin. Non Greek names in small numbers can also be found in other
Greek tribes.
We know some names of Gods and Heroes worshiped by the Macedonians. Among
them, 39 are either pan-hellenic or worshiped by other Greek tribes, either purely
macedonian, but with a Greek etymology [root]. 2 come from names of cities with a
non-hellenic root but with a greek termination syllabe 3 are Thracian 1 is Egyptian All
of the names of Macedonian Feasts that we know are Greek. Regarding the names of
the months, 6 are common with other Greek calendars, and at least two more are also
purely Greek. The idea that the Macedonians took the names of the months during
their ‘hellenisation’ is out of the question, as in that case they would have taken an
integral Greek calendar instead of creating an amalgam of different greek calendars
and, more important, they would never invent themselves two Greek names of
months. ” All these of course are taking place at a time where the Illyrian and
Thracian names have in their vast majority non-greek etymologies.

Fact #7 “Ancient Macedonian was a Greek dialect”

According to the eminent linquist, Olivier Masson, writing in 1996 for the “Oxford
Classical Dictionary: ‘Macedonian Language”. “For a long while Macedonian
onomastics, which we know relatively well thanks to history, literary authors, and
epigraphy, has played a considerable role in the discussion. In our view the Greek
character of most names is obvious and it is difficult to think of a Hellenization
due to wholesale borrowing. ‘Ptolemaios’ is attested as early as Homer,
‘Ale3avdros’ occurs next to Mycenaean feminine a-re-ka-sa-da-ra- (’Alexandra’),
‘Laagos’, then ‘Lagos’, matches the Cyprian ‘Lawagos’, etc. The small minority of
names which do not look Greek, like ‘Arridaios’ or ‘Sabattaras’, may be due to a
substratum or adstatum influences (as elsewhere in Greece). Macedonian may then be
seen as a Greek dialect, characterised by its marginal position and by local
pronunciations (like ‘Berenika’ for ‘Ferenika’, etc.). Yet in contrast with earlier views
which made of it an Aeolic dialect (O.Hoffmann compared Thessalian) we must by
now think of a link with North-West Greek (Locrian, Aetolian, Phocidian, Epirote).
This view is supported by the recent discovery at Pella of a curse tablet (4th cent. BC)
which may well be the first ‘Macedonian’ text attested (provisional publication by
E.Voutyras; cf. the Bulletin Epigraphique in Rev.Et.Grec.1994, no.413); the text
includes an adverb ‘opoka’ which is not Thessalian. We must wait for new
discoveries, but we may tentatively conclude that Macedonian is a dialect related
to North-West Greek.”
(Pausanias Messeniaka XXIX.3; Strabo 7.7.8; Plutarch Pyrrhus II.1, XI.4; . Livius
XXXI.29.15, XLV; Curtius VII.5.29, VII 9.25 - 11.7)

Fact #8 “Alexander’s campaign Pan-Hellenic character”

Alexander the Great launched a Pan-hellenic campaign against Persia and through his
conquests spread Hellenism in a vast colonizing wave throughout the Near East and
created economically and culturally, a single world stretching from Greece to the
Punjab in India with Greek (koine) as lingua franca. He built a network of almost
thirty Greek cities throughout the empire, a building program that was expanded by
later Hellenistic rulers. These became enclaves of Greek culture. Here gymnasia,
baths, and theaters were built. The upper classes spoke koine Greek, wore Greek
dress, absorbed Greek learning, adopted Greek customs, and took part in Greek
athletics. Ancient sources reports as such and the pan-hellenic character of his
campaign were the definitive statements of the Macedonian royalty and nobility.
(Aelian ‘Varia Historia’ 13.11; Arrian I.16.7, I12.1-2, Plutarch Ages. 15.4, Moralia I,
328D, 329A, Alex. 15, 33, 37.6-7; Diod. 16.95.1-2, 17.67.1; Callisthenes 2.3.4-5,
2.4.5, 2.4.7-8, 3.1.2-4; Arrian “Indica” XXXIII, XXXVIII, XXIX, ‘Anab.’ Arrian
I.16.7, II, 14, 4, 3.18.11-12 ; Polybius IX.35.2, IX.34.3, 17.4.9; Curtius 3.3.6, 4.1.10-
11, 4.5.11, 4.14.21, 5.6.1, 5.7.3, 5.7.11, 8.1.29)

Fact #9 “Macedonians shared the same religion as the rest of Greeks”

Nowadays historians agree that Macedonians had the religious and cultural features of
the rest Hellenic world. Like other Greek regions, regional characteristics have also to
be noted especially near the borders.
Its quite interesting the fact that Macedonians also gave these deities the familiar
Greek epithets, such as Agoraios, Basileus, Olympios, Hypsistos of Zeus, Basileia of
Hera, Soter of Apollo, Hagemona and Soteira of Artemis, Boulaia of Hestia, etc.
The worship of the twelve Olympian gods in Macedonia is undoubted
and it is shown explicitely in the treaty between Philip V and Hannibal of Carthage
“`In the presence of ZEUS, HERA and APOLLO…and in the presence of ALL
THE GODS who possess Macedonia AND THE REST OF HELLAS“. (Arrian I
11.1-2, I.11.6; Diod. 16.95.2, 16.91.5-6; Pausanias 6.18.3, 9.39.3; Ath. Deipnos.
XII.537d-540a, XIII 572d-e; Diogenes Laert. 1.8; Curtius 3.7.3, 3.12.27, 4.13.15,
6.10.14, 8.2.32, 8.11.24, Plutarch ‘Alexander’ 33; Polybius 7.9.1-7)

By Ptolemy

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