Stella Myller-Collet "Greek culture dominant in Macedonia prior to 7th ca"

[Ptolemy]

On February 11th 1993, Stella Myller-Collet (Ph.D-Bryn Mawr), visited the Pennsylvania State University, invited by the Central Pennsylvania Society of the Archaeological Institute of America.


Her topic was: "Tombs and Treasures: New Discoveries in Macedonia". The president of the Society Dr.Eugene Borza introduced the speaker to the audience praising the 20-years-contribution of "the acknowledged authority on Macedonian tombs."

Stella Myller-Collet has also participated in the excavations carried in Corinth, Athens, Nemea, Troy, Grasshopper Arizona, etc. Her University appointments include: the Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, the American School of Classical studies in Athens, the University of Cincinnati.


The new archaeological findings from Macedonia, according to this archaeologist prove once again something that Stella Myller-Collet always maintains: "Archaeology is the Laboratory of History".

The most recent evidence that she and her colleagues brought to light show very clearly that certain Athenian sources were either wrong or simply trying to present the Macedonians as a backward people - merely for
political propaganda.

The life in Macedonia does not seem to justify the well-known derogatory Athenian characterizations. Thus, these 4th-century testimonies originating in Athens,the rival of Macedonia, should be discounted a great deal (particularly the descriptions of the culture and people in ancient Macedonia made by the orator Demosthenes).


These resent archaeological findings indicate that there is an unbroken continuation of the Mycenaean tradition in Pieria, Imathia and Bottiaia, with mild influences from the south (Greece Proper and islands) and
the east (Ionia and probably Thrace). The latter could also be faciliated by the Greek colonies of Chalkidiki (after the 8th century B.C.E.) or the available Macedonian ports on the Thermaic golf (and Dr.Borza indicated Thermai). All this is clearly much earlier than the reigns of Alexander I or Archelaos I

These two kings, according to a theory and tradition, attempted "to Hellenize their kingdom". The archaeological evidence though clearly disprove this theory, according to the speaker. The Hellenic culture did not need to be introduced in there, for it was already dominant in the ancient kingdom certainly before the 7th ce B.C.E.

The discussion continued with even more photographs and a report from the excavations in the sites of Sindos and Dion, which brought us down to the Hellenistic and Roman era.

by Andronikos Romanos, 1993

[Spartan]

Awesome find Ptolemy! I want to look deeper into her studies.

[Flipper]

Were did you uncover this Ptolemy?

[Ptolemy]

From the guy in the signature who was an eye-witness.

[Andrew]

Great Find Ptolemy !!! It answers my question " Greek speakers in thermaic gulf before the Macedonian expansion (before 700 BC)?? " !!
Great work !!