Thessaloniki was a princess; daughter of King Philip II, half sister of Alexander the Great. She was given this name because she was born on the day of the Macedonian victory at the Battle of Crocus Field. Her name literally translates to “Thessalian Victory“, in Greek. The city of Thessaloniki, today the largest city of Macedonia, was founded by her […]

ARRIAN - THE CAMPAIGNS OF ALEXANDER Penguin Classics, Translated by Aubrey De Selincourt [1] At Athens too there was a certain amount of trouble; but resistance collapsed the moment Alexander approached and he was granted even greater honours than his father Philip before him. Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander Book 1, page 42 [2] They then presented themselves in the […]

“Macedonia and the Rest of Greece” in the ancient Literary & Epigraphical sources Arrian II.14.4: “Macedonia and the rest of Greece” (..Είς Μακεδονίαν και είς την άλλην Ελλάδα) Polybius 7.9.3: “Macedonia and the rest of Greece” (..Μακεδονίαν και τήν άλλην Ελλάδα) Strabo, 7.9: “Macedonia, of course, is a part of Greece[..]without taking her [Macedonia] from the rest of Greece” (..έστι μεν ουν Ελλάς […]

Lion hunt in ancient Macedonia Lion hunt. Mosaic from Pella (ancient Macedonia); source: Wikipedia In Macedonia evidence begins with silver coin-types of the fifth century; King Archelaos is said to have been murdered out hunting; Philip II was said (by Arrian’s sources) to have instituted the corps of royal pages who attended him while out hunting; Herodotos, Pausanias, and Aristotle […]

A. Testimonia (a) In a scene from the Attic comedy “Macedonians”, by the 5th-century writer Strattis, an Athenian asks ή σφύραινα δ‘ έ‘στι τίς;(‘sled-fish, what do you mean?), and a Macedonian replies “κέστραν μεν ΰμμες ώττικοΐ κικλήσκετε“ (‘wha ye Attics ca’ a hammer-fush, ma freen’). In order to appreciate the value of the Macedonian’s reply for the problem under dis­cussion, […]

* Ernst Badian (1982) “Studies in the history of art Vol 10: Macedonia and Greece in Late Classical and Early Hellenistic Times” “We have now become accustomed to regarding MACEDONIANS as northern GREEKS’ and, in extreme cases, to hearing Alexander’s conquests described as in essence GREEK CONQUESTS. The former CERTAINLY became TRUE, in Greek consciousness in the course of the Hellenistic […]

1. [Diodorus Siculus 17.1.5] “Alexander’s ancestry went back to Heracles on his father’s side, while through his mother he was related to the Aeacids.” 2. [Plutarch, Alexander 2.1-2] “As for Alexander’s family, it is firmly established that he was descended from Heracles through Caranus on his father’s side and from Aeacus through Neoptolemus on his mother’s. The story goes […]