Propaganda of Fyrom’s site HistoryofMacedonia.Org Exposed – Part II (Donski)

http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/Co…ia/donski.html

FYROMian claim :

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Today’s Macedonians anthropologically differ from the ancient Slavs. It is well known that the Byzantine historian Procopius (who was their contemporary and had personally came upon them) clearly described the ancient Slavs as tall people and having a strong stature. Procopius also wrote that they were all and one blond and that there weren’t any with a different colour of the hair. It is obvious that the majority of the Macedonians today have different anthropological features.

The REAL text says :

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Indeed, some of them do not wear even a shirt or a cloak, but gathering their trews up as far as to their private parts they enter into battle with their opponents. And both the two peoples have also the same language, an utterly barbarous tongue. Nay further, they do not differ at all from one another in appearance. For they are all exceptionally tall and stalwart men, while their bodies and hair are neither very fair or blond, nor indeed do they incline entirely to the dark type, but they are all slightly ruddy in color. Source: An Introduction to Slavic Philology Alexander M. Schenker Yale University Press New Haven and London Page 30

FYROMian claim

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There are also clear Byzantine documents according to which in the VIII century Tzar Justinian II moved out a large number of Slavs from Macedonia, but this information was not discussed in Macedonian historiography.

TZAR !!!!
Its obvious that our Northern friends can’t avoid using Bulgarian terms even when attempting to write in english.

Information not discussed they say. Well obviously this is the belief of self-proclaimed historians like our friend here. The demographic measures enforced originally by Justinian II the Rinomitos called “epi tas Sklavinias” are well recorded by several authorities of Byzantine history.
Now while our friend suggests that the Slavic population were dealt with in order to support his non-existant relation to the Makedones by assimilation. What the self-proclaimed historian, although allegedly quotes Procopius, fails to note, is the significant information provided in his texts:

In “The Bulgars in the Balkans and the Occupation of Corinth in the Seventh
Century” by Kenneth M. Setton Speculum, 25, 4, 1950) page 506 we read:

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Procopius, writing his Secret History about this time, gives us a depressing, even if much exaggerated, summary of conditions in the Balkans: ‘Illyricum and Thrace, from the Ionian Sea to the suburbs of Byzantium, were overrun almost every year since Justinian’s accession to the throne by Huns, Sclavenes, and Antae, who dealt atrociously with the inhabitants. In every invasion I suppose that about 200,000 Roman subjects were killed or enslaved; the whole land became a sort of Scythian deserts but the invasions of the Balkans were just beginning:

FYROMian claim

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It should be noted that the Slavs were not “people from the other side of the Carpathians” (as we were thought until recently), but descendants of the Veneti, ancient people with grand culture. Veneti were even referenced by Homer, and were later also referenced by Herodotus as people from the Balkans. This fact has been long recognized by the world science and from recently has been included in the history textbooks in Republic of Macedonia.

Now we now what is being fed to FYROMian youth.

There is NO serious historian that connects the Enetoi to Slavs EXCEPT only as usual, a handfull of nationalistic propagandists, that tend to invent connections that aren’t there… The ‘Wends’ (Venedes) that lived on the Vistula (Poland) have not been proven to be linked to the Veneti found in Italy.
The ONLY tribe mentioned by Herodotus that has been suggested (but not proven) to relate to the Slavs are the Neuri.. It is actually Herodotus’ account seen in 4.105 :

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for the Scythians, and the Greeks settled in Scythia, say that once a year every one of the Neuri becomes a wolf for a few days and changes back again to his former shape.

that has made historians/researcher believe that this is the origin of the Slavic belief in warewolves.
But then again, our friend forgets that Herodotus clearly mentions the area the Neuri populated :

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Herodotus Histories 4.17.1-2 North of the port of the Borysthenites, which lies midway along the coast of Scythia, the first inhabitants are the Callippidae, who are Scythian Greeks; and beyond them another tribe called Alazones; these and the Callippidae, though in other ways they live like the Scythians, plant and eat grain, onions, garlic, lentils, and millet. [2] Above the Alazones live Scythian farmers, who plant grain not to eat but to sell; north of these, the Neuri; north of the Neuri, the land is uninhabited so far as we know.

—

But for the sake of argument, even if we were to accept the historic fallacy stated about Homer’s record, they have the following problem..

Homer places the Enetoi in Anatolia as clearly seen in :

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Iliad 2.852-4: “And the Paphlagonians did Pylaemenes of the shaggy heart lead from the land of the Eneti, whence is the race of wild she-mules. These were they that held Cytorus and dwelt about Sesamon, and had their famed dwellings around the river Parthenius”

Just in case all these names trouble our friends..

Cytorus is situated in Mysia as is Parthenius (see Xenophon Anabasis 7.8.8 and Herodotus 2.104)

These Eneti are connected to the tribes that accompanied Antenor to Italy after the end of the Troyan war.. Obviously the reason why Herodotus situates them on the Adriatic, centuries later.. BUT
Proof that the possibility of any connection to the Slavic tribe named Veneti is non-existant…

FYROMian claim

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even though it has been scientifically proven that mosquitoes carry the malaria disease only in the early 20th century!

Actually, Sir Ronald Ross first discovered this in 20 August 1897 and had fully proved his thesis by July 1898. So actually, its the late 19th century and not the early 20th.

FYROMian claim

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Consideration of the men’s waistband from the folk apparel as a symbol of manhood is another custom that remained from the ancient Macedonians (this was recorded by Aristotle and the same custom was recorded in Macedonia in the 19th century).

While a source would be nice, I suppose that the Bulgarians :

Romanians:

Kosovarians :

among others that have a ‘waistband’ included in their traditional costumes can also claim descendance from the Makedones.

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We have the custom of breaking a loaf of bread during the marriage ceremonies that has also remained from the ancient Macedonians.

Unfortunately for our friend, bread is used worldwide in traditional marriages and under no circumstance can this be considered valid proof.

For example :

In Poland sharing bread, salt and wine is considered an old Polish tradition. The bread symbolizes hope that the couple will never go hungry, the salt symbolizes that life will have its difficulties, and the wine is a blessing for health and happiness.

In Russia the bride and groom receive bread and salt, which is believed to symbolize health, prosperity and long life.

In Bulgaria, the groom’s mother holds a loaf bread over her head and invites the couple to each pull one end of it; whichever one gets the bigger piece will have the biggest role in the new family.

In Belarus, the wedding pie is a bread, symbolizing abundance, luck and a rich and prosperous life.

In Ukraine, a traditional bread called Korovai, decorated with symbols which represent the everlasting union of the couple getting married.

In Lithuania, the couple drink wine and eat salt and bread upon entering the reception hall – symbols of joy, tears, and work, the three elements of a life together.

In Jewish weddings, the wedding meal begins with blessings over wine and bread, symbols of joy and security.

Then again, all one has to do is read John 6:35 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life….” to understand why we see this common tradition so widespread.

By Orphic Hymn