The name of Macedonia

[akritas]

The systematic counterfeiting of the history of Macedonia by the Skopjans since 1944 and their attempt to monopolize the “Macedonia” name were considered by the Hellenic people as absurd and unworthy of their attention.


It’s generally accepted at he present that the ethnic name (at the ancient times) derives from the ancient Greek adjective makednos (μακεδνός). The latter was formed by the stem of the noun makos (length) , with the suffix –d-(delta,δ) and the ending –nos. This term mentioned for first time in Homer (Oduseea 106), oia te phyla makdnes aigeirio (οιατεφύλλαμακεδνήςαιγείρειο).

The name Makedon, plural Makedones belongs to the ethnic names denoting physical characteristic like the ancient Pygmies=first sizes, Langobardi=long-beards e.t.c.


The Macedonians (Makedones) were a part of the Doric Tribe, characterized by Herodotus (Book I,56,VIII,43) as “Makednon ethnos” and had some common dialectic forms with the Aeolians of Thessaly. According Professor Borza in order to understanding the Macedonians' emergence into history is confounded by two events: the establishment of the Macedonians as an identifiable ethnic group, and the foundation of their ruling house. The "highlanders" or "Makedones" of the mountainous regions of western Macedonia are derived from northwest Greek stock; they were akin both to those who at an earlier time may have migrated south to become the historical "Dorians", and to other Pindus tribes who were the ancestors of the Epirotes or Molossians. That is, we may suggest that northwest Greece provided a pool of Indo- European speakers of proto-Greek from which were drawn the tribes who later were known by different names as they established their regional identities in separate parts of the country.



Like all other Hellenic tribes, the Macedonians (Makedones) early created a myhthical ancestor, Macedon (Makedon), son of Zeus to accont for their ethnic name whose connxion with the adjective makednos was forgotten.


The pre-historic name of their country, Emathia, sounds pre-Hellenic. The Macedonians called it Makedonia and Makettia. The medieval lexicon Suda gives the following explanation for the name Macedonia (Makedonia) :


“Macedonia (Makedonia) the country, from Macedon (Makedon), son of Zeus and Thyia, daughter of Deucalion, according to the poet Hesiod and Eustathius (Per. Dion 427). Macedonia was previously called Emathia from Emathion, son of Zeus and Elektra. Then called Macedonia (Makedonia) from Macedon (Makedon), son of Aeacus”


'Macedonia' according N.G.L. Hammond was the name of the homeland between the lowest reach of the Haliacmon and the southern foothills of Lower Olympus both before and after the pre-Temenid era. When conquests followed, 'Macedonia' became the name of the whole area ruled by the king. That area naturally varied from time to time. But within it some distinctions continued in use: 'Macedonia' as the homeland, and 'low Macedonia' or 'Macedonia by the sea', and 'inland Macedonia' (usually called 'Upper Macedonia' by modern historians), which were units of their own and did not include for instance Chalcidice and Paeonia.


M.A.Templar states:

An abundance of information regarding the ancient Greek past comes to us from the Greek Mythology. Unfortunately, Mythology cannot be a dependable source since it cannot furnish trustworthy information which would help us reconstruct the Hellenic past. However, it does not mean it is completely useless either. It elucidates through symbolism truths leading us to the right path while searching for historical facts through written or unwritten monuments. Such monuments are the only ones accepted by historians in their attempt to unlock hidden elements that hold the key to the reconstruction of the past of all Hellenic group of nations.

Countries are products of historical events, which is why they are born and die. Nations do not. Nations are entities that take a very arduous time to evolve. The same thing is true for their appellation. Nations cannot be given birth and receive names whenever politicians wish by legislation, as it is the case of the FYROM.


The present-day Hellenic nation is the result of social, civic and linguistic amalgamation of more than 230 tribes speaking more than 200 dialects that claimed descent from Hellen, son of Deukalion. The Hellenic nation is blessed to espouse in its lengthy life great personalities such as politicians, educators, soldiers, philosophers and authors. They have all contributed in their own way to the molding of their nation. They are the result of natural maturity and a consequence of historical, social, civic, linguistic and political developments that have taken place in the last 4,000 years.


The Macedonian name as Greek origin name is basically so different, morphologically and phonetically from the Thracian, Illyria and generally non-Greek linquistic root. Whoever does not considers the Macedonia (or Macedonians) as Greek(s) must also conclude that already by the 6th and 5th B.C. the Macedonians had completely given up the original names of their nation (without any need to do so) and taken Greek names (Makedonia, Amyntas, Alexandros,Phillipos) in order to demonstrate their admiration for Hellenic civilization. C. Hoffmann said that is not worth the trouble to demolish such a notion; for any hypothesia of historical linguistics which is put without taking into account the actual life of a people, is condemned, as it were , out of its own mouth.. The Greek inscriptions that fond in the Macedonia show us clearly that the Macedonians were a Greek tribe with big linguistic influence of their neighbours. The term Macedonia (Makedonia) as I already explain is a Greek name. Not a Slavic, Illyrian or Thracian.



1-History of the Macedonian Name, N.P. Adriotes
2-The Macedonian State, N.G.L. Hammond
3-History of the Macedonia, Vol I, N.G.L. Hammond
3-Fallacies and Facts on the Macedonian Issue
4- Athenians, Macedonians, and the Origins of the Macedonian Royal House, E. Borza
5-Macedonia,Past and Present, Insitute FOR Balkan Studies

[admin]

:thumbs:

we will put this up as soon as we have time on the main pages...

sorry I have been very busy and will keep my promises!

[akritas]

Originally Posted by admin

:thumbs:

we will put this up as soon as we have time on the main pages...

sorry I have been very busy and will keep my promises!

No problem my friend

[akritas]