History Of Macedonia

Nationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) along with their diaspora cohorts constantly inundate internet forums and blogs with obscure references to “Macedonians” in historical texts with the implication that the authors of the texts were referring to ‘ethnic Macedonians’ akin to those who currently self describe as such.

Prior to the mid to late 19th century the descriptor “Macedonian” had no ethnic significance. It was a geographic descriptor used to describe inhabitants of the region regardless of their ethnicity. Unfortunately, in the minds of nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora, everyone from Alexander the Great to Gotse Delchev was an ‘ethnic Macedonian’!

An example of a nationalist who scours historical texts for any references to “Macedonians” and then posts the reference in multiple internet forums as proof for a continuous and archaic “Macedonian” ethnos is an individual who posts under the pseudonym of “Jordan Piperkata”. The following is taken from Mr. Piperkata’s website where he has taken a quote by Thomas Gordon of out context in order to imply that an “ethnic Macedonian” was spotted during the early 19th century!

To begin with, is it not amusing that the same nationalists who claim that the “Macedonian” ethnicity has existed in continuity for dozen(s) of centuries while dominating the demographics of the region have to resort to posting references to footnotes found in obscure 19th century accounts to support their claim of a constant regional dominance?

A few points regarding this reference:

1. Thomas Gordon goes into great detail describing the races and population groups of European Turkey. Nowhere does he mention a “Macedonian” race or ethnicity. Why would Mr. Gordon, who documented his first hand observations of the region during the early 19th century, not describe what Mr. Piperkata and his compatriots would claim was one of the most significant ethnic groups in the region of European Turkey at the time?

2. Thomas Gordon categorized the revolutionary figures Diamantis, Gazzos and Kara Tassos as “Macedonians”. These people were captains of the Armatoles that fought the Ottoman Turks and it is blatently obvious when one reads the extensive descriptions of the various conflicts they were involved in that these people were not “ethnic Macedonians”. After all, would Mr. Piperkata et al. be so bold as to claim that individuals with names such as Diamantis, Gazzos and Tassos were ‘ethnic Macedonians’?

3. Makedonski, the figure who Mr. Piperkata claims that Thomas Gordon presented as an “ethnic Macedonian”, is referred to in other contemporary texts. Since Thomas Gordon does not elaborate on Makedonski’s background I will now present an excerpt from a 19th century book called the “The Secret Societies of the European Revolution 1776-1876” by Thomas Frost written in 1876. On page 67 Frost makes Makedonski’s background very clear:

From the available evidence taken from the Frost and Gordon books we can safely conclude:

1. Gordon used the term “Macedonian” as a Geographic descriptor. He used it to describe Greek revolutionary leaders such as Diamantis.

2. Makedonski was a Russian of Greek background from Macedonia as Frost tells us.

This is yet another example of a “Loch Ness monster style sighting” of a “Macedonian” in the historical literature that turns out NOT to be an ‘ethnic Macedonian’ once the subject is put into context and the relevant contemporary literature is examined. The likes of Mr. Piperkata will continue to post references to the most obscure passages in order to lend credence to their far fetched mythical historiography which claims that the “Macedonian” ethnos is centuries old and rooted in ancient Macedon of Alexander’s era. If that was the case Mr. Piperkata would certainly not have to resort to posting obscure references to 19th century books’ footnotes in order to substantiate his far fetched claims!

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Stefov vs The Carnegie Commission

Posted April 9, 2008 by
Categories: FYROM Propaganda, Modern Macedonian History, Skopjan Propaganda

In 1914 the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published a report regarding the conduct of the nations that participated in the Balkan Wars. The report was written by an international commission that was dispatched to the region in order to investigate the actions of the Balkan armies as well as to investigate the causes of the various conflicts that took place during the wars.

Risto Stefov, who also publishes books under the name “Chris Stefou”, has used the 1914 Carnegie Commission Report on the Balkan Wars as a primary reference for many of his articles. He has written a whole series titled “Greek attrocities in Macedonia” which can be found on maknews.com

In these articles Stefov engages in a heavy dose of historical revisionism. He implies that the Carnegie Commission report describes atrocities committed against “ethnic Macedonians” when in fact the report makes no mention of any “ethnic Macedonian” population. The fact that the report makes no mention of “ethnic Macedonians” does not phase Stefov who shamelessly converts the Bulgarians the report describes into “ethnic Macedonians”. Stefov retrospectively molds the population descriptions found in the report to adhere to his nationalist historiography. He and his followers imply that the reason the report described “ethnic Macedonians” as Bulgarians was because the authors of the report were categorizing by religious affiliation. Their theory suggests that because ‘ethnic Macedonians’ attended the Bulgarian church (Exarchy) they were described as Bulgarians.

The report demolishes this theory in 2 ways:

1. The report makes it clear that those who attended the Bulgarian church were of Bulgarian nationality. If these people were actually “ethnic Macedonians” why would the authors of the report make the following statement?:

2. The report clearly states that the Serbs were amongst the first to categorize the Slavs of Macedonia as a distinct group from the Bulgarians for political purposes. The authors of the report clearly viewed the Slavic population as Bulgarian despite the claim of Serbian scholars who attempted to distinguish this group from the Bulgarians in order to diminish Bulgaria’s claim to the region:

It should be sobering for Stefov’s readers to actually read the pages of the report and to see for themselves how the “ethnic Macedonians” Stefov describes in his articles were actually recorded as Bulgarians by the international commisison. As an example Stefov goes into length describing attrocities committed in Kukush by the Greek army. This is how the actual report describes Kukush:

Regardless of Stefov’s attempts to focus only on the actions of the Greek army in order to demonize the Greek state as much as possible, the fact is that the 1914 Carnegie Commission report also describes atrocities committed by the other combatants. As an example this is an excerpt from the report which describes the massacre of Greeks in the Greek town of Doxato:

The report was published during an era when the “Macedonian” ethno/national identity was still in it’s infancy stages. The report provides the reader with valuable contemporary insight into how contemporary geopolitical dynamics fostered the notion that the Slavs of the region were a distinct ethnic group. Up to the period of the Balkan Wars the Slavic population of the region was largely regarded as Bulgarian. The 1914 Carnegie Commisison report was authored by an international commission that spent time in the region. Their observations of the Slavic population of the region concurs with a vast number of other contemporary first hand accounts . Stefov and his nationalist cronies engage in a dishonest practice when they misrepresent the commission’s first hand observations and reconstruct the Bulgarians described in the report as “ethnic Macedonians”.

Implying that the Carnegie Commission failed to record what Stefov et al allege was the largest ethnic group in the region is akin to a modern international commission going into Palestine and not recording any Palestinians!

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Maps and Politics

Posted April 1, 2008 by
Categories: Modern Historians, Skopjan Propaganda

A fascinating book regarding the demographics of late Ottoman era Macedonia is “Maps and Politics: A Review of the Ethnographic Cartography of Macedonia” by Henry Robert Wilkinson. In his book, which was published in 1951, Wilkinson exhaustively summarized dozens of ethnographic maps put forth by European scholars, ethnographers and cartographers which depicted the demographics of the southern Balkans.

From the dozens of ethnographic maps included in Wilkinson’s book it is appearent that up until the late 19th century the Slavs of Macedonia were regarded as Bulgarians. The following is how Wilkinson described the process in which the Slavs of Macedonia came to be regarded as an ethno/political group distinct from the Bulgarians in the region. Wilkinson’s position surely does not concur with the mythical historiography being promoted by nationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) which asserts that ‘ethnic Macedonians’ have continuously resided in the region since antiquity.

Wilkinson’s exhaustive study and detailed analysis of the ethnographic studies pertaining to Ottoman era Macedonia resulted in his assertion that no authority depicted the Slavs of Macedonia as a distinct ethnic group from the Bulgarians until certain European ethnographers and cartographers were influenced by the politically motivated works of the Serbian scholar J. Cvijic. If “ethnic Macedonians” dominated the demographics of the regions for dozen(s) of centuries, as nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M constantly claim, why did dozens of studies and publications pertaining to the ethnography of the region fail to record what was supposed to be obvious: a significant ‘ethnic Macedonian’ population? Of course, the answer to this question is obvious to any objective historian: the “Macedonian” ethno-national identity was a late 19th century construct and no significant population affiliated with the “Macedonian” identity until the 20th century. The dozens of ethnographic maps depicted in Wilkinson’s book also destroy the theory currently being promoted on many F.Y.R.O.M nationalists websites (see maknews.com) which asserts that no Greeks existed in the pre 1912 region of Macedonia.

These are a few examples of the ethnographic maps found in Wilkinson’s book. The demographics depicted in the maps may differ from one another but what is important to note is that no “ethnic Macedonian” population was recorded.

Nationalists from F.Y.R.OM attempt to explain away these vast number of maps and surveys (including the 1914 Carnegie Report) by claiming that the authors were ignorant of the truth, and/or blinded by bias, and/or uneducated. This would be akin to a vast number of studies being published pertaining to modern Palestine and not mentioning any Palestinians!

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Makedonikos FC, Greek team founded in 1928

Posted February 8, 2008 by
Categories: FYROM Propaganda, Modern Macedonian History, Skopjan Propaganda

Currently playing Group Two in the Greek Fourth Division

By Mygdonia

http://history-of-macedonia.com/wordpress/2008/02/06/makedonikos-fc-greek-team-founded-in-1928/

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20th International Fair Of Thessalonike, 4-25 of September 1955

Posted January 15, 2008 by
Categories: FYROM Propaganda, Skopjan Propaganda

The greatest International event of Thessalonike taking place as back as 1926, is at the same time the smack in the face of FYROM propagandists. Their claim “the word Macedonia was forbiden in Greece prior to 1988″ is unfortunately for them shattered as the evidence shows.

20th International Fair Of Thessalonike, 4-25 of September 1955

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Plutarch and Greekness of Macedonians

Posted December 28, 2007 by
Categories: Ancient Historians, Ancient Macedonian History
Tags: barbarians, greekness, macedonians, plutarch

Plutarch in Alexander’s ‘Bios’ signifies the Greekness of Alexander and Macedonians. In reality even the few references to the gradual consolidation of Macedonian hegemony in Greek worl where Macedonians are distinguished from the rest of Greeks for clearly practical reasons since they were warring, but wthout an ethnological difference (see Alex 9.2, 13, ch 11, 12.5). Similarly Plutarch in his ‘lives’ uses the same method distinguishing the warring Spartans from the rest of Greeks.

Quote:

Agesilaos was accused… that he exposed the city <Sparta>

as an accomplice in the crimes against the Hellenes.

<Plutarchos, Agesilaos 26>

Quote:

Thus, the Hellenes were wondering what the state of the

Lakedaimonian army would be had it been commanded by Age

silaos or… the old Leonidas.

<Plutarchos, Agis 14>

Quote:

Since the Lakedaimonians made peace with all the Hellenes,

they were in war only with the Thebans…

<Plutarchos, Pelopidas 20>

and the Atheneans from the rest of Greeks.

Quote:

He soothed the Athenians’ pride by promising them… that the Hellenes would accept their leadership…

<Plutarchos, Themistokles 7>

In reality Plutarch reveals the Greekness of the expeditionary force of Alexander eventhough the main army consists of Macedonians.

- From the side of his father, Alexander is shown clearly as descendant of Heracles and from his mother side a descendant of Aeacos. (Alex 2.1).

- He is educated by Aristotle, uses as his permanent favourite book the Iliad of Homer (see 8,2, 26.2-3) but wishes also other Greek books to be sent to him.

- The inscription of Alexander with the first booty is clear and Macedonians are included as Greeks.

Quote:

Alexander, son of Philip and the Greeks, except Lakedaimonians - from the barbarians living in Asia

Plutarchos, ‘Alexander’ 16.18

- After conquering Egypt Alexander wishes to found “a great Greek city with many people” (26.4 and Moralia 328B). The Priest of Ammon adresses Alexander in Greek (27.9).

- In Alexanders Live Macedonians are included in the general Greek race and those who are opposed to Persians and the rest of Barbarian tribes of Asia are called greeks and not Macedonians (33.1-4)

- Alexander campaigns in Asia in the name of Greeks in order to revenge the campaign of Xerxes against Greece (see 37.5, 38.4)

- Before Gaugamela, Alexander encourages mainly Greks and from Greeks he is being encouraged too (see 33.1)

- After the final defeat of Darius he chooses 30,00 young Persians and orders those to be educated in Greek (see 47.6)

- In the meantime he wishes to please all the Greeks by abolishing tyrranies, giving autonomy, urging Plateans to rebuild their city, sending booty even to Krotoniates in order to honour the participation of their ancestor Faylos in Medika (34.2-3)

-Finally Alexander’s behaviour to Greeks is entirel different from his behaviour to Barbarians. (see Alex 28.1)

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Ancient Toponymies renamed by Slavs

Posted November 20, 2007 by
Categories: Skopjan Propaganda

Occasionally one of the FYROM propagandists’ habbits is to bring the claim that Greeks renamed cities of Macedonia from their original names. So lets examine the opposite claim. Toponymies of FYROM’s regions/cities/villages/rivers and find out as many renamed ancient toponymies from Slavs we can get.

1. Skopje

Even skopje its a changed name since it was originally founded by Dardanians as Skupi.

2. Debar

Another changed name. The first recorded document mentioning Debar is the map of Ptolemy, dating around the middle of the 2nd century, in which it is called Deborus.

3. Delcevo

Wikipedia says during Ottoman times it was called “Sultania” or “Sultaniye” and later Carevo Selo. The town was renamed its present name Delčevo in 1950.

4. Kavadarci

The name Kavadarci is derived from the Greek word, “Kavadion” which means “cape made from a valuable material”. The citizens of Kavadarci being manufacturers of this material, the first recorded use of this name was during the first half of the 19th Century.

5. Kicevo

The original ancient Macedonian name was Uskana and was mentioned for first time in the reign of Perseas, king of Macedon during the Third Macedonian War (171-169 BC). Another ancient Macedonian name changed by Skops.

6. Negotino

Negotino was known under the name of Antigoneia. It was founded by the Macedonian king Antigonus II Gonatas, in the period between 278–242 BC.

7. Gostivar

From wikipedia: “Possibly the first mention of the town was made by the Roman historian Livy. He records how during the Third Macedonian War the King of Macedon Perseus at the head of 10000 men, after taking Uskana (Kicevo), attacked Drau-Dak, today Gostivar.

8. Ochrid

Wiki: Historical names include Dyassarites which is of Illyrian origin , and the Greek names Lychnidos (Λύχνιδος), Ochrida (Οχρίδα) and Achrida (Αχρίδα), the latter two of which are still in modern usage.

9. Valandovo

Wiki: Evidence of life can be found beginning in the 10th-7th centuries B.C. There is a settlement known as Mal Konstantinopol (Small Constantinople) dating from Roman times, and the life in the Middle Ages is marked by Marco’s Tower. In the vicinity of the town there are also two very important archeological sites – The Isar Marvinci and the knowledge experts have on the existence of the ancient city Idomene.

10. Prilep

I have read once its ancient name was Parembole and certainly it was a Greek name.

11. Demi Hisar

It was known as SideroKastron when Greeks lived there. Later in Ottomantimes, the name was changed in to ”Demir Hisar” which in their language means ‘’ Iron Mountain’’. Another original greek toponymy renamed.

12. Demir-Kapija

Demir-Kapija is a place already mentioned in Classical times under the name of Stenae (Greek for gorge). In the Middle Ages it was known as a Slav settlement, under the name of Prosek, while today’s name originates from the Turkish reign, meaning “The Iron Gate”.

13. Štip

Originally an ancient Macedonian city called astibo which was renamed later to Štip.

14. Stroumica

Wiki: The town is first mentioned in II century B.C. with the name Astrayon. Later it is known by the name Tiveriopol. It got it’s present name from the slovan settlers.

15. Cepigovo

The ancient Styberra was renamed by Slavs as Cepigovo.

16. Bučin

The ancient Alkomena. Alkomena used to be one of the urban centres of Derriopos.

17. Gevgelija
The ancient Gortynia renamed into Gevgelija.

18. Titov Veles

It was known in antiquity as Bylazora.

19. Isar-Marvinci

There stood during antiquity according to archaeologists the ancient Idomenai.

20 Vardar

The ancient Bardarios was renamed in Slavic as Vardar.

21. Crna

The ancient Erigon renamed into the Slavic Crna.

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FYROM propaganda “The use of the term Macedonia was forbidden in Greece until 1988″

Posted November 9, 2007 by
Categories: FYROM Propaganda, Skopjan Propaganda

FACTS:
F.Y.R.O.M.-Slavs claim that the use of the term “MAKEDONIA” in Greece was forbidden until 1988 and that no province with the name “MAKEDONIA” (Macedonia) existed in Northern-Greece before 1988.

There are many examples for state institutions or private organizations which use the term “MAKEDONIA” in Greece since the end of 19th century and still use it:

Faros Of Macedonia - paper of 29th November 1887.

Ermis of Thessaloniki - paper of 24th Octomber of 1875.

The Greek government had given the title “Governor General of Macedonia” to the Greek minister of the Macedonia region in Greece.

Examples:

In early 1923 the Governor-General of Macedonia, Achilleas Lambros, conducted an ethnological survey of this region.(30) According to Lambros, the statistical data came (a) from the official Greek census of 1920, (b) from another census conducted at about the same time on behalf of the Foreign Ministry and (c) from information derived from various local officials.

This figure is also supported by an 1912 unofficial and unpublished census found in the papers of the first Greek Governor-General of Macedonia, Stefanos Dragoumis.(25)
(25.) Archeio Stefanou Dragoumi [Stefanos Dragoumis Papers], F.116.4., Governor-General of Thessaloniki to the Prime Minister, Thessaloniki, 4 November 1913, ref. 17210

1923: “In the course of conversation, Mr. Lambros [Governor General of Macedonia], actually said that the present was a good opportunity to get rid of the Bulgars [sic] who remained in this area and who had always been a source of trouble for Greece

The building of the Society of Macedonian Studies founded in 1934. You do not need to know Greek to read the word in the middle: Makedonikwn=Macedonian

Newspaper “MAKEDONIA” March 1940

MACEDONIA und THESSALONIKI Newspaper logo
Macedonia (Greek:Μακεδονία) is a Greek daily newspaper first published in 1911 by Vellidis.
NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Macedonia (newspaper)The Society for Macedonian Studies
In the spring of 1939, a number of distinguished citizens of Thessaloniki founded the Society for Macedonian Studies as a legal entity of private law.
[...]
The Society for Macedonian Studies founded the Institute for Balkan Studies, initially as one of its own departments. The latter is now an independent body in its own right, with the Society for Macedonian Studies represented by three of the seven members of the Administrative Board. Another foundation is the Historical Archive of Macedonia, and the Society was also co-founder of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle.
The Society for Macedonian StudiesArt Gallery of the Society for Macedonian Studies
Founded in 1975, this was the first organised visual art institution in the city, its purpose being to promote and disseminate modern Greek art, mainly that of northern Greece. [...] The collection comprises more than 400 works, mainly paintings, sculptures, and engravings, mostly by artists from Thessaloniki and Macedonia in general, though there are also works by major artists from the rest of Greece and other countries too.
Art Gallery of the Society for Macedonian Studies by Greece Museums Guide - #1 Travel Guide to Greek Culture

Thessaloniki Museum of the Macedonian Struggle

The Society which is responsible for the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle is that of the “Frieds of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle”, a private association founded in Thessaloniki in 1979.
Greece uses the term“MAKEDONIA” even before Macedonia was liberated. FYROM’s propagandistic claim that the greek Term “MAKEDONIA” was forbidden in Greece is totally clumsy and another lie used by FYROM’s propagandists.