The religion of ancient Macedonians

in ancient macedonian ethnicity, Ancient Macedonian History, Ancient Macedonian Religion, General News / by Admin / on June 5, 2006 at 5:56 am /

Ancient Macedonians worshipped the same gods as the rest of Hellenes. Despite of the claims of the pseudo-historians of FYROM that ancient Macedonians didnt shared the same gods as the other Hellenes, the evidences from ancient and modern writers are obvious.

- According to Ulrich Wilcken:

“yet if we take into account the political conditions, religion and morals of the Macedonians, our conviction is strengthened that they were a Greek race and akin to the Dorians“
(Wilcken, U., “Alexander the Great)

- Secondly, the Skopian propagandists seem to forget about the temple of Dion, (literally the city of Zeus), found in Mt Olympus, of course inside Macedonia.

- Furthermore, Pausanias makes perfectly clear that contrary to Skopian claims, Macedonians had got the same gods and religion with the rest of Greeks and puts an end to the Skopian lies.

(Pausanias [6.18.3])

“The people of Lampsacus favoured the cause of the Persian king, or were suspected of doing so, and Alexander, boiling over with rage against them, threatened to treat them with utmost rigor. As their wives, their children, and their country itself were in great danger, they sent Anaximenes to intercede for them, because he was known to Alexander himself and had been known to Philip before him. Anaximenes approached, and when Alexander learned for what cause he had come, they say that HE SWORE BY THE GODS OF GREECE, WHOM HE NAMED that he would verily do the opposite of what Anaximenes asked“

- Moreover we have several ancient sources making clear that Macedonians had the same religion as the rest of the Greeks and they worshiped the twelve Olympian Gods.

- Two quotes from Plutarch’s “Alexander” make it clear.

“Philip, after this vision, sent Chaeron of Megalopolis to consult the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, by which he was commanded to perform sacrifice, and henceforth pay particular honour, above all other gods, to Zeus;”
“He [Alexander he Great] erected altars, also, to the gods, which the kings of the Praesians even in our time do honour to when they pass the river, and offer sacrifice upon them after the Greek manner.”

Diodoros of Sicily also makes clear that the Macedonians worshiped the twelve Greek Gods and exposes skopian lies :

“Along with lavish display of every sort, Philip included in the procession statues of the twelve Gods brought with great artistry and adorned with a dazzling show of wealth to strike awe to the beholder, and along with these was conducted a thirteenth statue, suitable for a god, that of Philip himself, so that the king exhibited himself enthroned among the twelve Gods.”
(Histories, Chapter 16, 95.2)

“He (King Philip) wanted as many Greeks as possible to take part in the festivities in honour of the gods, and so planned brilliant musical contests and lavish banquets for his friends and guests. Out of all Greece he summoned his personal guest-friends and ordered the members of his court to bring along as many as they could of their acquaintances from abroad.”
(Histories, Chapter 16, 91.5-6)

All the above quotes clearly show that Macedonians shared the same religion as the rest of Greeks.