Geographic Dictionary from 1688

The following excerpts are taking from a geographic dictionary published in 1668. These passages provide the reader with valuable insight into how contemporary European scholars defined "Greece","Macedonia", and "Scopia" during the 17th century. These definitions torpedo the theory advertised by nationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) which implies that the geographic boundaries of Greece never encompassed the geographic region of Macedonia.





Excerpt 1 Greece: Notice how the definition of Greece incorporates Macedonia. Also notice how the Byzantine Empire was described as a "Grecian Empire".






Excerpt 2 Macedonia: Notice how the definition of Macedonia describes ancient Macedonia as a region of ancient Greece and notice how the excerpt makes reference to Thessalonica and not to "Solun" ("Solun" is the name nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M use for Thessaloniki)






Excerpt 3 Scopia: This is the definition for Scopia, known as Skopje today. Skopje is the capital city of F.Y.R.O.M. The most important thing to notice is that Scopia WAS NOT considered to be a part of Macedonia.





It is important to note that prior to the 19th century a vast number of depictions and definitions of "Macedonia" were published that did not include Skopje or much of F.Y.R.O.M's current geography. In other words, for most of history since antiquity, most of the geography of F.Y.R.O.M was never considered to be a part of "Macedonia".