Why FYROM insist using the name Macedonia and claim that the history of ancient Macedonia belong to them?

Question

Isn't this conterfeiting of history?
What would happen if Alexander the great presented today?
What would he say? That he is a slav?

Answer 1

For the answer above:
Being Greek has nothing to do with the territory you live!
There are millions of Greeks who live in other countries of the world right now and they feel that they are totally Greek.People that they have never been to Greece,that they were born somewhere else,they claim that they are Greek because of their origin,their language,their history and culture!
From the other side there are so many people living in Greece right now,so many immigrants for working here,some have a good relationship with Greeks (specially people from middle east and Africa) ,some other do not have the best relationship with Greek people but all those immigrants never said that they are Greeks just because they live here!
All the Ionians ,Dorians etc. and all the people who were living here before Ionians (Pelasgoi ,Minoans etc) and the rest who came from north made Greece and all that culture that followed.
They were all Greeks,they were sharing the same things,as the same gods,the same language,the same way of living.Of course , Greece was not a united country with the same laws,the same king etc in the ancient years but there were many city-states.But they were all feeling that they belonged to the same family,the Greek family which had been made from the people who were in Greece firstly and by the others who came after.
No one forced a city to became Greek,to speak the greek language and claim that they were Greeks.So,I am sure that Alexander the Great was Greek (because he said it himself) and as we can all understand he wasn't definitely slav because slavs were not in this location by this time.They came in Balkans in 6th-7th century.So,it is not normal for him to be slav.
Common sense!

Answer 2

The Greeks are scared from Macedonia. They now about the torture that thay have made on Macedonian human beings, they noe that they ought to grant Macedonian human beings back their proprties and homes. they're scared that the total international will understand the actual about Macedonia and Formar Antic Greece (Greece). Macedonia never became greek. interior the Olimpic video games the greeks did not enable Aleksandar the large to take area, because, as they stated, The Olympics aren't from now on for barbarians. So how got here Aleksandar to be Greek? very last week our sportists were insulted in Solun, they even opt for us to chenge our new sport fan odd (by technique of Tose Proeski) purely becouse there is the call of Aleksandar!? As a macedonian cityzen i believe insulted at the same time as greece call us some thing else yet MACEDONIA!!!

Answer 3

Ultimately any group can claim anything they want to, but this does not make it so. Just because one group decides that they are the "true" descendants of an area, nation or culture doesn't mean that this is the way it is or should be. In the final analysis history will make the decision.

However, having said that, one must also realize that history, like art, is political. If one group pushes stronger than any other group, if they get their names in front of the media and their voice heard more than anyone else's, then in fact they will have the greatest influence on the writing of history.

Textbooks are notoriously biased, but students want to accept them as 'fact'. They are not, which is why students have to read more and study every single issue. The Internet is filled with bias and wikipedia is the classic example where anyone can define a term, person or place any way they want to. There are no restrictions and bias is part of the game. It's just not reliable.

Therefore, we all have to believe that time and history will sort it all out, it's just that we can also affect history and make our voice heard over the voice of reason.

Was Alexander a Slav? One would be hard pressed to support that today, although some will say it, just because of Macedonia is today.

Answer 4

Καλημέρα!
I don't want to enter into this debate, because I don't belong to any of these groups. But I have slavic heritage, of which I am proud, and I don't like the way you posted it here, as something bad. We all that lived in ex- Yugoslavia always called that republic Macedonia, and Greece didn't had anything agianst it since it was just one of federal units, not indipendent state. After break down of that state (Yugoslavia), Macedonia claimed independence and became FYROM. I was for some time really confused (I was just a kid back than) what is the problem with that, but now I understand. In our schools we always were thought that Alexander the Great was greek, and there isn't any doubt for me that he was. His father was greek, his teacher Aristotelous was greek, he spoke greek language, etc. So I understand why greeks are mad about the name, it's like stealing of history.
But Macedonia, or FYROM, have big problems, I think. They don't have other name or other indentity. They have economical problems, plus albanian minority which will soon become majority and claim everything by using same model like on Kosovo. As a Serb, I don't and I can't support the fact that they imprisoned the priest of serbian orthodox church because: "he was spreading national hate"?!, which is political decision related to establishing of so called macedonian orthodox church. But, I think they are lost, and don't be too harsh on them (I know how greeks are really mad because of that name). I really wish this problem can be solved in a way that both sides can be satisfied, because at the end, we are talking about two christian and ortodox people. Basic problem is with FYROM identity, and as I have heard, USA had recognized that name, which makes this problem much bigger.
Anyway, I just wanted to answer from a point of citizen of ex-Yugoslavia, and a Slav.

Answer 5

That happens because they are desperate for having an identity.It is a small country with people with different nationalities and they won't manage to be united somehow else.
Some of them know the truth,some other not and some other don't want to accept the truth.It is their problem if they want to believe a lie.The problem begins when they dream of Greek territories and believe me they do!
I don't answer about Alexander the Great's nationality,it is known to everyone who has brains!

Answer 6

There were people living in "Greece" before the Greeks. There was an Ionian Greek invasion followed later by a Doric invasion. Those Greeks came from somewhere else.

The name Greek could be claimed by the Ionians, Dorians, or those who remained where those groups came from. And people who move to Greece who are neither Ionian nor Dorian claim to be Greek by virtue of living in Greece.

Likewise Macedonia was an area ruled by Macedonians. Not everyone in the area was ethnically Macedonian. The ethnic Macedonians (such as Alexander) were not native to the area but had migrated there from elsewhere as had the other Greeks.

Deciding 2,400 years later who owns the right to the name Macedonia is purely arbitrary.

If Alexander the Great were alive today he would probably still claim he was a Greek, descended from a God, Pharoah of Egypt, and Emperor of Persia. Given that Alexander left Macedonia and took on the titles, trappings and culture of other areas I don't think he is the ideal you want to use for claiming Macedonia.