Serbia says Macedonia is part of Serbia, Greece says it is part of Greece, Bulgaria says it is part of Bulgaria. Like VD, none of them bother to ask the Macedonians.

VD, I guess you don't read the posts very well. I don't have a Papu. I never did.

You also are in error regarding the islands of Greece. If you look at a map, you would see that by far, the largest part of Greece is not an island or on an island, but most definitely connected to the European land mass.

That was rather snide of you, DG.

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Originally posted by DorianGreyed:
Serbia says Macedonia is part of Serbia, Greece says it is part of Greece, Bulgaria says it is part of Bulgaria. Like VD, none of them bother to ask the Macedonians.

Hadn't heard about the Serbian or the Bulgarian claims, but I am well aware of Yugoslavia's and Turkey's. Although I can't say I'm surprised.

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VD, I guess you don't read the posts very well. I don't have a Papu. I never did.

I read just fine, thank-you:

quote:

It is worth noting that the name "Macedonia" is the oldest surviving name of a country on the continent of Europe. My grandfather fought in the Ilinden Uprising of August 1903. He was captured after eliminating two Turkish soliders, and was scheduled for execution. He escaped and came to America, changing his name.

"Papu" simply means "Grandfather" in Greek, DG. Here you are speaking of him on Page 1.

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You also are in error regarding the islands of Greece. If you look at a map, you would see that by far, the largest part of Greece is not an island or on an island, but most definitely connected to the European land mass.

Yes, there is indeed a mainland. I've been there. So, I guess I misspoke. Although Greece is best well known for its islands, for sure. Just like New York City is a series of islands, as well as a part of the mainland. But, best known for its islands.

Wikipedia is very enlightening on the subject.

"The Republic of Macedonia is only part of the wider region of Macedonia, 51% of which is part of Greece, and it is inhabited by an ethnic group of Slavic origin, unrelated to the Ancient Macedonians."

I could go into Wikipedia and enter that Bozo the Clown won the first 10 Olympics. That wouldn't make it true, would it?

I thought I was done with this thread a few posts ago, but I came back. Now I am done. Say what you wish, VD; you get the last words.

They may have been Macedonians when they were fighting, but the "culture" that conquered the world was Greek, and Greek influences were very strong for centuries after.

(It should be mentioned that Herodotus was educated in Egypt.)

"They may have been Macedonians when they were fighting, but the "culture" that conquered the world was Greek, and Greek influences were very strong for centuries after."

You are right in what you say. They were Macedonians, and the culture they spread was Greek, called Hellenistic, to distinguish it from the Hellenic culture, which ws solely Greek. The Greeks themselves had not been able to do much in that direction. Even Alexander said he was Greek, in the same paragraph that he said he was descended from a God. It was, of course, a wise political move to say that, since he had just conquered Greece, with a much larger population that Macedonia, and Greece thought of Macedonians as "barbarians." By saying that he was not only Greek but descended from some of their Gods (Herakles, thus from Zeus, and Achilles), he made it much easier for the Greeks to accept him, and to follow him.

But to state that today's Macedonians are unrelated to Ancient Macedonians* is akin to saying that today's English are unrelated to the original inhabitants of the Isle. Surely, we don't call today's Englishmen Saxons or Danes, do we? We don't call them Vikings, either, yet the land had two waves of Viking influx, the second being the Normans, who were just a few generations removed from their Viking roots. Do we call the inhabitants of Mexico Spanish? The demographics of Mexico show about 75% of the country is Mestizo, or mixed Amerind and Spanish. The DNA of the Ancient Macedonians didn't just disappear, did it? Assimilation is not extinction. The question of who was assimilated by whom is certainly open, but for these purposes, it really doesn't matter. The original Macedonians changed**, as did the Slavic newcomers. Remnants of both cultures survive today.



*I am aware that you didn't make that statement. This is a response to some others who don't seem to understand genetics, demographics, or human interaction.

**A new study [11] studied several Slavic populations with the aim of localizing the Proto-Slavic homeland. The significant findings of this study are that:

2 However, some southern Slavic populations such as Serbians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, and Bosnians are clearly separated from the tight DNA cluster of the rest of Slavic populations. According to the authors this phenomenon is explained by "...contribution to the Y chromosomes of peoples who settled in the Balkan region before the Slavic expansion to the genetic heritage of Southern Slavs..."[13] - Wikipedia (Emphasis mine - DG)