Ancient Pella workshop discovered

A recently excavated ceramics workshop has yielded a plethora of information concerning the economic activities of Hellenistic-era Pella, one of the most significant sites in the ancient kingdom of Macedon, according to archaeologists in Thessaloniki on Monday, who spoke during a presentation of artifacts and findings.

The workshop, unearthed by archaeologists of the culture ministry's 17th directorate of prehistoric and classical studies, was discovered north of the new entrance of the Pella archaeological site. It is believed to have been in operation between the final quarter of the 4th century BC and 200 BC.

A plumbing system used to clean the potter's clay is among the most notable findings, while a furnace and storage areas were also uncovered. Movable artifacts include pottery casts, vessels, fragments of statuettes and silver and bronze coins.

Caption:

An aerial view of an ancient ceramics workshop recently excavated at the Pella archaeological site in northern Greece, one of the most significant sites in the ancient kingdom of Macedon, the homeland of Philip II and Alexander the Great, was presented in Thessaloniki on Monday, March 30, 2009 by culture ministry archaeologists. ANA-MPA / STR.

source:ANA-MPA

Afghanistan requires back the Greek heritage that was destroyed from the USAID

“We have the biggest Greek theatre in the world after Epidaurus”, the Afghan professor Harzi courageously declares. It was destroyed as well with all our monuments Moutzaheadin and Taliban. Now we request the assistance of civilized countries in order to gather the remains.’’

The truth is hidden in these phrases for the unrooting of Greek past that the Afghans consider their national heritage. USAID used a large sum of money in order to transmute the cultural background of Afghans, eradicate the “Soviet education” and make a nest of Moutzaheadin in Islamic schools in the borders with Pakistan where the Afghans were arriving in order to acquire bread and hate. Inhuman moulads undertook the propaganda of Islamic sariah law and Soviet books became holy books for children (only for the boys of course), children that learn not to count with cute little sheeps, but with bombs that with ‘’eradicate’’ the ‘’infidels’’. The same USAID that now finances the educational books of Cyprus in order to ‘’reconciles’’ the two communities!!

And the rage of Afghan scientists overflows when they explain that the Americans sent metal detectors with the pretext of demining, but in the substance were useful in order to are located the Ancient Greek Macedonian Graves and the precious relics they were hiding! The American intermediaries waited for the merchandise in order to sell them in museums and private collections. Extensive use of explosives destroyed many temples and monuments in order to make the illegal excavations easier. Pillagers encouraged the moulads to ‘’get rid of anything that was ‘’pagan’’. Anything that could not be transported was simply turned in ruins from hate and greed. The Greek treasures were stolen by the museum of Kabul despite the desparate calls of workers that saw their culture lost in the dark. The fact that they felt proud for their Greek Macedonian origin of Alexander was obvious in the all of their newer history, a fact that even the Soviets respected in the education system they had established in the past. And the Afghan land always gave its treasures generously and willingly since their craftsmen maintained the knowledge alive even after the arrival of Buddhism.


Bronge Statue of Heracles.

A characteristic example is the many statues of Hercules since the splendid gym of Ai Khanoum was dedicated in the Greek hero’s divine form. Such a wonderful masterpiece was sold in a bazaar of Pakistan in 2002.





Macedonian finding in Aphaganian currency.


Thousands of old coins were sold and auctioned in sacks (!) and the massive amount of discoveries that really proves the multiannual presence of Kings of the Baktrian and their popularity causes feelings of awe. Temples, gyms, states all buried in the semidarkness of tradition before the irreparably covering from the dark of domination and religious fanaticism.


Macedonian coins weight 50 kilos.


Now, Afghan scientists try to recover the lost cultural wealth. Unfortunately they were forced to ask the help of Unesco and the “civilized” West. The West that from the center of the “Afghan studies” in the university of Nebraska, supplied CIA and other secret services with information concerning the moves of the Soviets, the interactions of various sects and the attribution of nominations Talibans. In this ‘’at euphemism’’ university the times that “terrorists” were called in the university in order to met with American dignitaries were very not few at all. With the ‘’assistance’’ of USAID of course. These were the meetings that every effort of every organisation and movements for the rights of women of Afghanistan were demolished for good.

The despicable child books of USAID that portrayed the use of rockets, bombs and arms with verses from the Koran entered in the foresight afterwards the failure of arrangement that had been made with Taliban. It was straightly asked for the replacement of violent pictures and verses of Jihad. The answer of Bush? ‘We can deprive from the Afghans their Islamic heritage (!!!)

They could however eradicate their Greek one.

Translation from Ariadni_Nefeli
Original article written from http://olympia.gr

Alexander Mania Grips FYROM

The following is an interesting article that describes how the government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) is constructing a mythical historiography in order to appeal to the masses. The Gruevski administration is promoting the notions that the Slavic population of F.Y.R.O.M are descendants of the ancient Macedonians and are the originators of the "White Race". The notions being promoted by F.Y.R.O.M's government hint of the ideologies that were exhibited by the likes of Mussolini and Hitler who appealed to ideals involving genealogical lineages and 'pristine' genetic bloodlines. The F.Y.R.O.M government looks akward using the 19th century nation building tactic of promoting a mythical national historiography in the context of 21st century Europe

Read the whole article here: http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0321/p01s01-wogn.html

Some of the more telling excerpts from the article are:

In an intense media campaign, locals are told that ethnic Macedonians are the proud direct descendants of Alexander, and thus a people responsible for spawning the white race of planet Earth, from the Caucasus "to the seas off Japan," according to a public service spot on national TV.

Even "God" has gotten involved. A nine-minute TV ad starts with a petition from Macedonia to the heavens: "Our neighbors distributed thousands of books across the world, containing false history and portraying a wrong picture about Macedonia. ... Only you know our pain." The Almighty then responds: "From you, Macedonians, descendants of Macedon, I conceived the white race. All that stretches to the seas off Japan is conceived from your genes."

The following is an excerpt from the TV ad that the article describes. This TV ad appeared on state sponsored television. This 1930's style fascist ideology does not belong in 21st century free and progressive Europe.

Beyond theatrics, the program deeply troubles many scholars and intellectuals here– who are being sidelined – for its promulgation of myth as truth. The new taxpayer funded Alexander ideology has no serious texts

Unlike Serbia's Kosovo story, based on centuries of poetry and legend,the Macedonian ideology is being both invented and presented at the same time. There is no outside scholarly consensus, no textual tradition; the result is a kind of history-free history. The top-down, debate-free imposition of the new history is itself seen as illiberal and authoritarian.

by Chris Phillipou in maktruth blog

Alexander the Great Marathon 2009

The Organising Committee of the Alexander the Great Marathon welcomes you to the official site of the event.

The 4th International Marathon "Alexander the Great" will take place during the 12th of April, 2009 in the course from Pella to Thessaloniki. At the same time 5Km and 10Km Health Road Races will take place.

Visit our pages to receive information concerning:- The history of the race- The Latest news - The city of Thessaloniki- Your registration to the race (until Thursday, April 9, 2009)

We shall be waiting to welcome you in the start area of the Marathon, 10Km and 5Km Road Races on April 12, 2009. We wish you to enjoy your Navigation!!!

More informations in alexanderthegreatmarathon.org

Arsinoe IV was probably of mixed race ?

Some archaelogists and forensic experts believe they have identified the skeleton of Cleopatra’s younger sister called Arsinoe.

Arsinoe murdered more than 2,000 years ago on the orders of the Egyptian queen. The remains of Princess Arsinoe, put to death in 41BC on the orders of Cleopatra and her Roman lover Mark Antony to eliminate her as a rival, are the first relics of the Ptolemaic dynasty to be identified.

The breakthrough, by an Austrian team, has provided pointers to Cleopatra’s true ethnicity. Scholars have long debated whether she was Greek like her ancestor the original Ptolemy, a Macedonian general who was made ruler of Egypt by Alexander the Great, or whether she was north African. Austrian Academy of Sciences claim that evidence obtained by studying the dimensions of Arsinoe’s skull shows she had some of the characteristics of white Europeans, ancient Egyptians and black Africans, indicating that Cleopatra was probably of mixed race, too.

They were daughters of Ptolemy XII by different wives.

Dont confuse the most known previous Arsinoe I and II that were born in Macedonia in 305 and 316 BC. Arsinoe IV was the youngest daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes, sister of Ptolemy XIII and Cleopatra VII, and one of the last rulers of the Ptolemaic dynasty of ancient Egypt. When their father died, he left Ptolemy and Cleopatra as joint rulers of Egypt, but Ptolemy soon dethroned Cleopatra and forced her to flee Alexandria.

source:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/

Letter from American Professor S. Miller to "Archaeology Magazine" as regards an article with subject the ancient Macedonian history

January 22, 2009
Editor, Archaeology Magazine
36-36
33rd Street Long Island City,
NY 11106 U.S.A.

Dear Sir,

I opened the January/February issue of Archaeology today and eagerly turned to “A Letter from Macedonia” only to discover that it was actually a letter from ancient Paionia – the land north of Mt. Barmous and Mt. Orbelos. Livy’s account of the creation of the Roman province of Macedonia (45.29.7 and 12) makes clear that the Paionians lived north of those mountains (which form today the geographically natural northern limits of Greece) and south of the Dardanians who were in today’s Kosovo. Strabo (7. frag 4) is even more succinct in saying that Paionia was north of Macedonia and the only connection from one to the other was (and is today) through the narrow gorge of the Axios (or Vardar) River. In other words, the land which is described by Matthew Brunwasser in his “Owning Alexander” was Paionia in antiquity.

While it is true that those people were subdued by Philip II, father of Alexander, in 359 B.C. (Diodorus Siculus 16.4.2), they were never Macedonians and never lived in Macedonia. Indeed, Demosthenes (Olynthian 1.23) tells us that they were “enslaved” by the Macedonian Philip and clearly, therefore, not Macedonians. Isokrates (5.23) makes the same point. Likewise, for example, the Egyptians who were subdued by Alexander may have been ruled by Macedonians, including the famous Cleopatra, but they were never Macedonians themselves, and Egypt was never called Macedonia (and so far as I can tell does not seek that name today).

Certainly, as Thucydides (2.99) tells us, the Macedonians had taken over “a narrow strip of Paionia extending along the Axios river from the interior to Pella and the sea”. One might therefore understand if the people in the modern republic centered at Skopje called themselves Paionians and claimed as theirs the land described by Thucydides.

But why, instead, would the modern people of ancient Paionia try to call themselves Macedonians and their land Macedonia? Mr. Brunwasser (p. 55) touches on the Greek claims “that it implies ambitions over Greek territory” and he notes that “the northern province of Greece is also called Macedonia.” Leaving aside the fact that the area of that northern province of modern Greece has been called Macedonia for more than 2,500 years (see, inter alios, Herodotus 5.17; 7.128, et alibi), more recent history shows that the Greek concerns are legitimate. For example, a map produced in Skopje in 1992 (Figure 1) shows clearly the claim that Macedonia extends from there to Mt. Olympus in the south; that is, combining the ancient regions of Paionia and Macedonia into a single entity. The same claim is explicit on a pseudo-bank note of the Republic of Macedonia which shows, as one of its monuments, the White Tower of Thessalonike, in Greece (Figure 2). There are many more examples of calendars, Christmas cards, bumper-stickers, etc., that all make the same claim.

Further, Mr. Brunwasser has reported with approval (International Herald Tribune 10/1/08) the work of the “Macedonian Institute for Strategic Research 16:9”, the name of which refers “to Acts 16:9, a verse in the New Testament in which a Macedonian man appears to the Apostle Paul begging him: ‘Come over into Macedonia, and help us.’" But where did Paul go in Macedonia? Neapolis (Kavala), Philippi, Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessaloniki, and Veroia (Acts 16:11-17:10) all of which are in the historic Macedonia, none in Paionia. What claim is being made by an Institute based in Skopje that names itself for a trip through what was Macedonia in antiquity and what is the northern province of Greece today?

I wonder what we would conclude if a certain large island off the southeast coast of the United States started to call itself Florida, and emblazoned its currency with images of Disney World and distributed maps showing the Greater Florida.

Certainly there was no doubt of the underlying point of “Macedonia” in the mind of U.S. Secretary of State Edward Stettinius on December 26, 1944, when he wrote:

“The Department [of State] has noted with considerable apprehension increasing propaganda rumors and semi-official statements in favor of an autonomous Macedonia, emanating principally from Bulgaria, but also from Yugoslav Partisan and other sources, with the implication that Greek territory would be included in the projected state. This government considers talk of Macedonian ”nation”, Macedonian “Fatherland”, or Macedonian “national consciousness” to be unjustified demagoguery representing no ethnic nor political reality, and sees in its present revival a possible cloak for aggressive intentions against Greece.” [Source: U.S. State Department, Foreign Relations vol viii, Washington, D.C., Circular Airgram (868.014/26Dec1944)]

Mr. Brunwasser (a resident of Bulgaria), however, goes on to state, with apparent distain, that Greece claims “Alexander III of Macedon (Alexander the Great) . . . as Greek.”

This attitude mystifies me. What is there to “claim”? Alexander’s great-great-great grandfather, Alexander I, was certified as Greek at Olympia and, in the words of the father of history “I happen to know that [the forefathers of Alexander] are Greek” (Herodotus 5.22). Alexander’s father, Philip, won several equestrian victories at Olympia and Delphi (Plutarch, Alexander 4.9; Moralia 105A), the two most Hellenic of all the sanctuaries in ancient Greece where non-Greeks were not allowed to compete. If Philip was Greek, wasn’t his son also Greek?

When Euripides – who died and was buried in Macedonia (Thucydides apud Pal. Anth. 7.45; Pausanias 1.2.2; Diodorus Siculus 13.103) – wrote his play Archelaos in honor of the great-uncle of Alexander, did he write it in Slavic? When he wrote the Bacchai while at the court of Archelaos did he not write it in Greek even as it has survived to us? Or should we imagine that Euripides was a “Macedonian” who wrote in Slavic (at a date when that language is not attested) which was translated into Greek?

What was the language of instruction when Aristotle taught Alexander? What language was carried by Alexander with him on his expedition to the East? Why do we have ancient inscriptions in Greek in settlements established by Alexander as far away as Afghanistan, and none in Slavic? Why did Greek become the lingua franca in Alexander’s empire if he was actually a “Macedonian”? Why was the New Testament written in Greek rather than Slavic?

On page 57 of the so-called “Letter from Macedonia” there is a photograph of the author standing “before a bronze statue of Alexander the Great in the city of Prilep.” The statue is patently modern, but the question is whether the real historic Alexander could have read the Slavic inscription beneath his feet. Given the known historic posterity of Slavic to Greek, the answer is obvious.

While Mr. Brunwasser’s reporting of the archaeological work in Paionia is welcome, his adoption and promotion of the modern political stance of its people about the use of the name Macedonia is not only unwelcome, it is a disservice to the readers of Archaeology who are, I imagine, interested in historic fact. But then, the decision to propagate this historical nonsense by Archaeology – a publication of the Archaeological Institute of America - is a disservice to its own reputation.

Let it be said once more: the region of ancient Paionia was a part of the Macedonian empire. So were Ephesos and Tyre and Palestine and Memphis and Babylon and Taxila and dozens more. They may thus have become “Macedonian” temporarily, but none was ever “Macedonia”. Allow me to end this exegesis by making a suggestion to resolve the question of the modern use of the name “Macedonia.” Greece should annex Paionia – that is what Philip II did in 359 B.C. And that would appear to be acceptable to the modern residents of that area since they claim to be Greek by appropriating the name Macedonia and its most famous man. Then the modern people of this new Greek province could work on learning to speak and read and write Greek, hopefully even as well as Alexander did.

Sincerely,

Stephen G. Miller
Professor Emeritus,
University of California,
Berkeley

PS: For a more complete examination of the ancient evidence regarding Paionia, see I. L. Merker, “The Ancient Kingdom of Paionia,” Balkan Studies 6 (1965) 35-54

cc: C. Brian Rose, President, Archaeological Institute of America
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State of the United States of America
Dora Bakoyiannis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece
Antonis Samaras, Minister of Culture of Greece
Olli Rehn, European Commissioner for Enlargement
Erik Meijer, Member, European Parliament