tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11803390000291147892024-02-20T13:40:42.606-08:00MakTruthDedicated to exposing internet misinformation related to Macedonia.Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-55301170400049026192009-06-20T12:13:00.000-07:002009-06-22T22:33:17.042-07:00FYROM's History 'Du Jour'Up until about 15 years ago the historiographies put forth by various official institutions based in F.Y.R.O.M,<a href="http://maktruth.blogspot.com/2008/06/yugoslav-communists-doctor-macedonism.html"><u>and in Yugoslavia before 1990</u></a>, conceded that the descriptor "Macedonian" took on an ethnic significance only in the 19th century when a certain demographic of the population diverged from a populace that was regarded as <strong>BULGARIAN</strong>.<br /><br />This assertion is substantiated by an excerpt from a 1993 publication of the state sponsored "Macedonian Acadamy of Sciences and Arts" which describes how and when the regional descriptor "Macedonian" was given an ethnic significance.<br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=academy1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/academy1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=academy2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/academy2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=academy3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/academy3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />During the past few years, however, the Gruevski administration has been promoting a historiography that encompasses a biological and cultural relationship between the Slavic populace of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) and ancient Macedonia. Up until the recent past the notion of this ancient pedigree was traditionally espoused by only the most radical elements in F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora communities, as even the historian Eugene Borza tells us.<br /><br />To illustrate how the notion of a relationship between the Slavs of F.Y.R.O.M and ancient Macedonia has traversed from fringe nationalist circles to the mainstream of F.Y.R.O.M's society, lets examine the use of the Star of Vergina in F.Y.R.O.M's diaspora. During the past few years F.Y.R.O.M nationalists have been arguing that the Star of Vergina, or "Kutlesh Sun" as they call it, was a powerful symbol of the "Macedonian ethnicity" since the days of Alexander the Great. The implication of this claim suggests that there is a relationship between "ethnic Macedonians" and the ancient Macedonians. Footage from protests that have taken place in F.Y.R.O.M's diaspora communities are a powerful indicator that even 20 years ago "ethnic Macedonians" did not place an importance on a relationship with the ancient Macedonians.<br /><br />This is evidenced by the following 1990 "Macedonian protest footage" taken in Toronto. Notice that hardly anybody in the crowd used the ancient Macedonian symbol or depicted ancient Macedonian themes. If "ethnic Macedonians" had a strong sentimental attachment to the ancient Macedonians or their symbols and were aware of a relationship with the ancient Macedonians why was the Star of Vergina not prevalent in this 1990 protest by one of the largest F.Y.R.O.M diaspora communities in the world?<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mYF69I6_I38&hl=" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" fs="1&" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />Conversely, notice the wide spread usage of the Star of Vergina in this protest that took place in 2008 in Melbourne.<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OYcHFBMiCNU&hl=" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" fs="1&" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />There is no doubt that this shift in ideologies has been promoted and influenced by the Gruevski administration in concert with the most radical factions in F.Y.R.O.M's diaspora. What was once mostly a fringe sentiment has become mainstream historiography. Less than 20 years ago the state sponsored "Macedonian Acadamy of Sciences and Arts" published a historiography which described the "Macedonian ethnicity" as diverging from a populace that was regarded as Bulgarian (as was shown above). Currently the state sponsored "Institute of National History" is promoting a new historiography which suggests that the Slavic populace of F.Y.R.O.M are the descendants of the ancient Macedonians as is evidenced by this news clip:<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1vspRfN9MI8&hl=" width="425" height="344" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" fs="1&" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />Of course no credible authority in the disciplines of history, sociology or anthropology will support the claim of a relationship between F.Y.R.O.M and ancient Macedonia. This recent renovation of F.Y.R.O.M's national historiography is indicative of a state that is using nationalist mythologies in order to establish a historical legitimacy with the ramification that everything "Macedonian" belongs to the new "Macedonian" nation. Eugene Borza seems to have forecasted this historical revisionism several years ago:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=borzacover.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borzacover.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=borza4.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=borza5.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />During a span of less than 20 years F.Y.R.O.M's state sponsored institutions have published contradicting historiographies. The "<a href="http://maktruth.blogspot.com/2009/03/alexander-mania-grips-fyrom.html"><u>Alexander mania</u></a>" exhibited by F.Y.R.O.M's government has influenced much of their populace, and diaspora communities, to adopt a mythical historiography that was once confined to radical nationalist circles. Outside observers should be alarmed by these symptoms of radical nationalism while being skeptical of any versions of the history "du jour" being promoted by the Gruevski administration.Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-10491756624682710422009-06-03T14:03:00.000-07:002009-06-09T07:53:47.828-07:00Aleksovska's RantingsThe latest propaganda piece authored by "Alexandra Aleksovska" was published on the "American Chronicle" website: <a href="http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/104453">http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/104453 </a><br /><br />In the 'article' Aleksovska attempted to lambaste Prof. Stephen G. Miller over a <a href="http://macedonia-evidence.org/obama-letter.html">letter that he wrote</a> to President Obama. In the letter Prof. Miller outlined several historical innacuracies being perpetuated by The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) in order to lay claim to the legacy of the Macedonian region, including Alexander the Great. By attacking Miller's position with regards to F.Y.R.O.M's state sponsored national historiography Aleksovska is effectually defending the notion that the Slavic population of F.Y.R.O.M is linked to Alexander the Great and the ancient Macedonians. Unfortuately for Aleksovska no credible and objective authority in the fields of Antrhopology, Sociology or Balkan History will lend any credence to a relationship between F.Y.R.O.M and ancient Macedonia. This is further bolstered by the fact that over <a href="http://macedonia-evidence.org/">250 world class international Classical Scholars</a>, to date, have signed Miller's letter. <br /><br />There are numerous points in Aleksovska's American Chronicle piece that perplex me. To begin with, I find it astounding that nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora insist on citing Badian and Borza as being "friendly" to their "cause". In this case "Aleksovska" asks why "the most respected" scholars of ancient Macedonia, Badian and Borza, haven't signed Miller's letter with the implication that Borza and Badian somehow support her nationalist historiography: <br /><br /><strong><blockquote>Where on the list are respected scholars like Eugene Borza, Ernst Badian or Peter Green, who have written the most respected books on Ancient Macedonia.</blockquote> </strong><br /><br />Evidently "Aleksovska" is not familiar with the published views of Badian and Borza. If she was familiar with their work she would know that much of what they have published is far more devastating to her cause than any statements in Prof. Miller's letter. As a matter of fact Borza made a point of stating that modern "ethnic Macedonians" have no relationship to ancient Macedonia. It seems that the uneducated nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora cannot see beyond Badian's and Borza's views of 4th century BC Macedonia and have taken to blindly citing them ad infinitum in any situation that they think suits their cause. <br /><br />These are some of the published positions of Badian and Borza. Perhaps Aleksovska should familiarize herself with their work instead of blindly promoting them as substantiators of her cause: <br /><br />1. Borza claimed that the Royal house was regarded as Greek and regarded itself as Greek: <br /><br /><strong><blockquote>There is <strong>NO DOUBT </strong>that this tradition of a superimposed Greek house was <u>WIDELY BELIEVED by the Macedonians</u>." In the Shadow of Olympus pg 80</blockquote> </strong><br /><br /><strong><blockquote><u>There was a PERSISTENT, WELL ATTESTED</u> tradition in antiquity that told of a group of Greeks from Argos-descendants of Temenus, kinsman of Heracles-who came to Macedonia and established their rule over the Makedones, unifying them and providing a royal house." In the Shadow of Olympus - pg 80 </blockquote></strong><br /><br /><strong><u><blockquote>There is NO reason to deny the Macedonians' own traditions about their early kings and the migration of the Macedones. </u>[..] The basic story as provided by Herodotus and Thucydides, minus the interpoloation of the Temenid connections, UNDOUBTEDLY relfects the Macedonians' own traditions about their early history. In the Shadow of Olumpus - pg 84 </blockquote></strong><br /><br />2. Badian concluded that the Macedonians were regarded as Northern Greeks by Roman times. If we are to use Badian as an ultimate authority, as "Aleksovska" suggests, then we must conclude that regardless of what the perceptions of the Macedonians were in the 4th century the Macedonians were regarded as Greeks by other Greeks by Roman times: <br /><br /><strong><blockquote>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. <u>The former CERTAINLY became TRUE, in Greek consciousness in the course of the Hellenistic age;</u> the latter may be argued to be true`ex post facto'." But it is an important question whether these assertions should properly be made in a fourth century B.C context. - Greeks and Macedonians (Studies in the History of Art)</blockquote> </strong><br /><br />Aleksovska should also acquaint herself with Borza's positions regarding F.Y.R.O.M's modern history before she implicitly associates Borza with her nationalist historiography. These are Borza's published views on F.Y.R.O.M's modern history and they are far more damaging to Aleksovska's political agenda and nationalist historiography than Prof. Miller's letter! <br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borzacover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borzacover.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Note: Borza made no mention of a "Macedonian" ethnicity in his description of Macedonia's pre 20th century demographics. <br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza0.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza0.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Note: Borza stated that the region of Macedonia was an ethnic quagmire. This is a far cry from the F.Y.R.O.M nationalist claim that "Macedonia" was populated in the vast majority by "ethnic Macedonians". <br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Note: Borza claimed that only the most radical Slavic factions, mostly found in F.Y.R.O.M's diaspora, make claims of a relationship to ancient Macedonia. Keep in mind that Borza wrote this article a few years before the Gruevski administration took power in F.Y.R.O.M. Even Borza, who is one of the favorite historians of F.Y.R.O.M nationalists, would classify Gruevski's ideology as radical! <br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Note: Borza stated that the "Macedonians" are a new ethno/national group that have no history and as a result must construct one. Remember that this is Aleksovska's recommended authority on Macedonian history!<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza4.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Furthermore Aleksovska blatently lies to the reader by stating: <br /><br /><strong><blockquote>The ´elephant in the room´ in this argument has always been the fact that Modern Greece stole Macedonia from the Macedonians in 1913.</blockquote> </strong><br /><br />Perhaps Aleksovska can explain how land that formerly belonged to the Ottoman empire for several centuries was stolen from "the Macedonians" by Greece? The geographic region of Macedonia never belonged to a "Macedonian ethnicity", never was a part of a "Macedonian" country and never was under the political control of a "Macedonian nation". The region was incorporated into the Greek state as a result of the Balkan Wars in which Ottoman territory was won by Greece. Perhaps Aleksovska can explain where all the "ethnic Macedonians" were during this conflict and why <a href="http://maktruth.blogspot.com/2008/03/misrepresenting-1914-carnegie-report.html">the 1914 International Carnegie Commission</a> did not record any "ethnic Macedonian" population in their detailed report of the Wars. <br /><br />Furthermore, geographic depictions of "Macedonia" have varied during past centuries and the geographic version of "Macedonia" that Aleksovska espouses was only established in the 19th century. This fact, along with the fact that the region of "Macedonia" never composed a country, is conceded by scholars from F.Y.R.O.M: <br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=scholars2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/scholars2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=scholars3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/scholars3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Aleksovska also made the absurd and unsubstantiated claim that there were no Greeks in Macedonia prior to the Balkan Wars. <br /><br /><strong><blockquote>Prior to this there was not a single part of Macedonia that was Greek – ever </blockquote></strong><br /><br />This is a very amusing statement in light of the fact that the 1914 Carnegie Commission report on the Balkan wars described Greek populations and made no mention of "ethnic Macedonians". This after the commission sent a team of investigators to the region to examine the conduct of the various combatants. How does Aleksovska propose that an international commission did not record any "ethnic Macedonians" in a region in which she would claim they formed the vast majority? <br /><br />As a matter of fact a large number of writers from the 19th century, and before, recorded vast Greek populations in Macedonia while making absolutely no mention of "ethnic Macedonians". One such writer was George Finlay who spent time in the region during the Greek war of Independence. <a href="http://maktruth.blogspot.com/2008/04/twisting-words-of-finlay.html">Finlay, unlike Aleksovska, was in the region during the 19th century. Aside from making no mention of "ethnic Macedonians" in his detailed accounts, he stated that Greeks formed the majority in the Pashalik of Thessalonika.</a>Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-11683546479961238012009-03-21T09:34:00.000-07:002009-04-04T08:53:36.689-07:00Alexander Mania Grips FYROMThe 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 lend their new nation a historical legitimacy. 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 look like extremists using the 19th century nation building tactic of promoting a mythical national historiography in the context of 21st century Europe. <a href="http://maktruth.blogspot.com/2008/07/fyroms-national-myth.html">No credible and objective historian, social scientist, or scholar relates modern F.Y.R.O.M with ancient Macedonia.</a><br /><br />Read the whole article here: <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0321/p01s01-wogn.html">http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0321/p01s01-wogn.html</a><br /><br />Some of the more telling excerpts from the article are:<br /><br /><blockquote><em>In an intense media campaign, locals are told that ethnic Macedonians are the proud direct descendants of Alexander, <u>and thus a people responsible for spawning the white race of planet Earth</u>, from the Caucasus "to the seas off Japan," according to a public service spot on national TV.</em> </blockquote><br /><br /><blockquote><em>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." <u>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</em></u>."</blockquote><br /><br /><blockquote><em>Beyond theatrics, the <u> 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</em></u><br /><br /><em>Unlike Serbia's Kosovo story, based on centuries of poetry and legend,<u>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</em>.</u> </blockquote><br /><br />The following is a clip from the TV ad that the article describes. This TV ad appeared on state sponsored television. This 1930's style fascist ideology which appeals to 'pristine' blood pedigrees does not belong in 21st century free and progressive Europe.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/neWcuiTZdvw&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/neWcuiTZdvw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-13305241565600322492008-12-22T12:12:00.000-08:002008-12-24T17:10:09.388-08:00World MuseumsNationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) and her diaspora constantly allege that only Greek historians and institutions subscribe to the notion that the ancient Macedonians, including the Hellenistic successors of Alexander, belonged within the sphere of the ancient Greek world. The nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M claim that the notion that the ancient Macedonians were a Greek tribe is an assertion largely motivated by propaganda efforts of the Greek state. According to nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora the ancient Macedonians were a proto-Slavic tribe who spoke a proto-Slavic language. These same nationalists, along with the Gruevski administration, claim that the ancient Macedonians are the ancestors of the Slavic population of F.Y.R.O.M. <em><strong><u>No credible and objective historian in the world supports this far fetched claim.</u></strong></em> Unfortunately for the nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora the ancestors of the Slavs of F.Y.R.O.M were almost universally regarded as Bulgarians up until the early 20th century.<br /><br />A quick survey of international museums, and their descriptions of ancient Macedonia and ancient Macedonian artificats, shows that many of the most reputable and respected international institutions regard the ancient Macedonians as an ancient Greek tribe. The following examples, taken from websites of various museums, expose the nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M as liars when they claim that only Greeks relate ancient Macedonians with ancient Greeks. <br /><br />While reading the follwing excerpts from international Museums the readers should ask themselves who to believe: The likes of the British Museum or nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M who have constructed a mythical pedigree for themselves, that no reputable historian supports, in order to lend legitimacy to their new Balkan state.<br /><br /><br />[Credit goes to Georox for compiling this information]<br /><br />1.<strong> <span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><u>The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York.</u></span></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=metart0.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/metart0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gkru/hd_gkru.htm#mace">http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gkru/hd_gkru.htm#mace</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=metart1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/metart1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tacg/hd_tacg.htm">http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/tacg/hd_tacg.htm</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=metart2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/metart2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/alex/ho_52.127.4.htm">http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/alex/ho_52.127.4.htm</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=metart3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/metart3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/angk/hd_angk.htm">http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/angk/hd_angk.htm</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=metart4.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/metart4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/haht/ho_2002.66.htm">http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/haht/ho_2002.66.htm</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=metart5.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/metart5.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/haht/ho_2002.66.htm"></a><br /><br />2.<strong> <span style="font-size:130%;"><u>The British Museum. London.</u></span></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=bm0.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/bm0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/world_cultures/europe/ancient_greece.aspx">http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/world_cultures/europe/ancient_greece.aspx</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=bm1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/bm1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/m/portrait_alexander_the_great.aspx">http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/m/portrait_alexander_the_great.aspx</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=bm2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/bm2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/d/dedication_by_alexander.aspx">http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/d/dedication_by_alexander.aspx</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=bm3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/bm3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/b/bronze_mask_of_dionysos.aspx">http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/gr/b/bronze_mask_of_dionysos.aspx</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=bm4.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/bm4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />3.<strong> <span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><u>The Louvre. Paris.</u></span></strong></span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=Louvre0.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/Louvre0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=Louvre1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/Louvre1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=louvre2-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/louvre2-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=Louvre3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/Louvre3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=louvre4-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/louvre4-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />4.<strong> <span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><u>The Getty. Los Angeles.</u></span></strong></span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=getty0.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/getty0.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=8128">http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=8128</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=getty1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/getty1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=8239">http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=8239</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=getty2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/getty2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=35555">http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=35555</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=getty3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/getty3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=109801">http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=109801</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=getty4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/getty4.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=35552">http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=35552</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=getty5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/getty5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=248738">http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=248738</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=getty6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/getty6.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />5.<strong> <span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><u>The Hermitage. St. Petersburg Russia</u></span></strong></span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=hermitage0.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/hermitage0.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/hm3_7_1_1b.html">http://hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/hm3_7_1_1b.html</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=hermitage1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/hermitage1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><a href="http://hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/hm3_7_1_1b.html"></a><br /><br />6.<strong> <span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><u>The Fitzwilliam Museum. Cambridge</u></span></strong></span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=fitz0.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/fitz0.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www-cm.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery/east-west/">http://www-cm.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery/east-west/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=fitz1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/fitz1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />7.<strong> <span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><u>The Philadelphia Museum of Art.</u></span></strong></span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=phila0.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/phila0.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/40363.html?mulR=4756">http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/40363.html?mulR=4756</a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=phila1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/phila1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-92043064129366979682008-11-08T15:01:00.000-08:002008-11-09T15:08:24.744-08:00Rainbow Party ValuesThe Rainbow Party is a political party in Greece who self describe as representing the interests of an "ethnic-Macedonian" minority in Greece. The Rainbow Party asserts that it stands for the principles of human rights, civility and integrity. In the 2004 European Parliamentary elections Rainbow managed to obtain 6,176 votes, equalling to .098% of the popular vote in Greece. This figure should be a sobering indicator to nationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) of the number of people who affiliate with a "Macedonian" ethno/national identity in Greece. This political barometer, set in the process of an internationally monitored democratic process, indicates that the unsubstantiated figure of "hundreds of thousands" of "ethnic Macedonians" living in Greece is nothing more than political propaganda being peddled by nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora.<br /><br />The Rainbow Party's official website is florina.org<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=rainbow1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/rainbow1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />A domain lookup of florina.org, freely available from the internet website http://whois.domaintools.com/, reveals that Lubi Uzunovski is the registrant and administrator of the Rainbow Party's website:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=florinaorg.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/florinaorg.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />A quick domain lookup reveals that Mr. Lubi Uzunovski is the registrant and administrator of the maknews.com website:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=maknewscom.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/maknewscom.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Hence both maknews.com and florina.org are administered by and registered to Mr. Lubi Uzunovski.<br /><br />The Rainbow Party website implicitly sanctions and recommends maknews.com through a link advertised on their website as can be evidenced by the following list of links taken from their website:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=rainbow2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/rainbow2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Readers should be concerned by the fact that the Rainbow Party has associated itself with Mr. Uzunovski by implicitly sanctioning Maknews.com and by having their official website, florina.org, admistered by and registered to Mr. Uzunovski. <br /><br />To illustrate why the relationship between Uzunovski, his website maknews.com, and the Rainbow Party is indicative that the Rainbow Party is interested more in propaganda and less in civility, human rights and integrity, let us first examine statements from their manifesto which is published on their website.<br /><br />To begin with the Rainbow manifesto claims that they have aligned itself with anti-chauvanist and anti-nationalists forces in Greece:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=rainbow5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/rainbow5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />If the Rainbow Party is so concerned with aliging themselves with anti-nationalist and anti-chauvanist forces why have they allowed their official website to be registered to and administered by Mr. Uzunovski who holds the following beliefs which he regularly advertises on maknews.com, the same maknews.com which the Rainbow Party implicitly sanctions with an advertised link.<br /><br />Uzunovski's Belief #1: Hellenism is a disease and a cult:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=maknewsextreme2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/maknewsextreme2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Uzunovski's Belief #2: Modern Greeks fake their ethnic Heritage and belong to a cult.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=maknewsextreme3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/maknewsextreme3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Uzunovski's Belief #3: Greeks are "Twats". The Greek identity was invented by a 17 year old King who lived in the 19th century:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=maknewsextreme4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/maknewsextreme4.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Mr Uzunovski's feelings regarding the Greek nation:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=maknewsextreme5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/maknewsextreme5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Furthermore, the Rainbow Manifesto claims that they promote friendly and peaceful relations with their neighbours:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=rainbow4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/rainbow4.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Perhaps the Rainbow Party should be equally concerned with promoting friendly and peaceful relations with the Greek people they live amongst by not advertising a website where one can read the following racist filth authored by a forum moderator:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=maknewsextreme6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/maknewsextreme6.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This racist filth is akin to Nazi ideology which suggested the Jews were an inferior race. This racist filth was authored by a forum moderator on maknews.com who was given moderator status by Mr. Uzunovski. <br /><br />Finally, in the following example Mr. Uzunovski hinted at acts of violence against Greeks in diaspora communities. If the Rainbow Party was so concerned about inter ethnic relations, anti-chauvanism and anti-nationalism why would they associate themselves with Mr. Uzunovski and his maknews.com website?<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=maknewsextreme1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/maknewsextreme1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />If the Rainbow Party was an American political party one can only imagine the public outcry if the party's official website advertised a link to a site where Jewish people or African American people were described in the same manner in which Mr. Uzunovski and his cohort(s) describe Greek people. It is hypocritical for the Rainbow Party of Greece to tout itself as a champion for human rights while implicitly sanctioning the notions put forth by Mr. Uzunovski and his maknews cronies.Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-28628772350656497572008-09-25T17:58:00.000-07:002008-10-02T10:57:20.203-07:00Tentov-Boshevski Delusions of GrandeurThe following is an excellent analysis of Tentov & Boshevski's far fetched theory which suggests that a form of Slavic, related to the language spoken in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, is written on the Rosetta Stone. Even though NO qualified scholars have taken their theory seriously and even though their theory has not appeared in any peer reviewed publications nationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) persist in presenting the Tentov-Boshevski theory as historical fact. In the following article Mr. Bolaris shows how absurd the claims of Tentov and Boshevski are.<br /><br />For a high resolution "zoomed in" view of the article please click on the following viewer. 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target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/rspga72.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=rspga73.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/rspga73.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />-->Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-42946120138761250402008-07-23T11:25:00.000-07:002009-03-22T09:03:59.248-07:00F.Y.R.O.M's national MYTHNationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) and her diaspora allege that there is a cultural, linguistic and genealogical continuity between the ancient Macedonians and the "modern Macedonian" nation. Until the recent past these claims were usually confined to radical nationalists circles in F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora. With Gruevski's administration now leading F.Y.R.O.M the claims involving a relationship between F.Y.R.O.M and ancient Macedonia are being promoted and encouraged at the official state level. <br /><br />No credible and objective historian or social scientist relates the modern "Macedonian nation" to ancient Macedonia. Any credible authority on the history of the region knows how ridiculous the state sponsored myths involving relationships between F.Y.R.O.M and ancient Macedonia are.<br /><br />Eugene Borza is one of the most frequently cited historians on F.Y.R.O.M nationalist websites (see historyofmacedonia.org as an example). His views on ancient Macedonia are quoted ad infinitum because Borza is skeptical of whether the ancient Macedonians of the 4th century BC could be classified as ancient Greeks. Nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora completely ignore Borza's position that the ancient Macedonians were fully Hellenized by Roman times. <u>They also completely disregard Borza's assertion that "modern Macedonians" have no relationship to ancient Macedonia.</u><br /><br />This is Borza's position on F.Y.R.O.M's modern history:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borzacover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borzacover.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Note: Borza makes no mention of a "Macedonian" ethnicity in his description of Macedonia's pre 20th century demograpics.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza0.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza0.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Note: Borza states that the region of Macedonia was an ethnic quagmire. This is a far cry from the F.Y.R.O.M nationalist claim that "Macedonia" was populated in the vast majority by "ethnic Macedonians".<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Note: Borza claims that only the most radical Slavic factions, mostly found in F.Y.R.O.M's diaspora, make claims of a relationship to ancient Macedonia. Keep in mind that Borza wrote this article a few years before the Gruevski administration took power in F.Y.R.O.M. Even Borza, who is one of the favorite historians of F.Y.R.O.M nationalists, would classify Gruevski's ideology as radical!<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Note: Borza states that the "Macedonians" are a new ethno/national group that have no history and as a result must construct one.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza4.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza4.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=borza5.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/borza5.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />In light of the fact that the modern "Macedonian" ethno/national identity is a mid to late 19th century construct, and in light of the fact that no credible historian or social scientist supports the notion of any cultural or genealogical lineage between ancient Macedonia and the modern "Macedonian" nation, it seems absurd and comical that the Gruevski government is claiming a relationship between the Slavs of F.Y.R.O.M and the ancient Macedonians. <br /><br />Gruevski's desperate attempts at promoting a relationship between the modern "Macedonian nation" and ancient Macedonia are evidenced by his bizarre and now ridiculed official state meeting with the leader of the Pakistani Hunza tribe. The Hunza claim that they are the remnants of Alexander's ancient Macedonian army that traversed through Pakistan.<br /><br />The following picture is of Gruevski meeting with what the F.Y.R.O.M government advertises as the long lost kin of the Slavic inhabitants of F.Y.R.O.M.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=gruevskihunza.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/gruevskihunza.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />The following is a video clip of the Hunza tribe leader being officially greeted at Skopje airport by actors wearing cheap ancient Macedonian uniforms. These theatrics, coordinated at the official state level, make F.Y.R.O.M look like a nationist theme park.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G1BsUbnnJoI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G1BsUbnnJoI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />This visit was ridiculed and criticized by international media as is described by the following article from the <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/11034b1e-54ef-11dd-ae9c-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1">Financial Times</a>. The history being promoted by the Gruevski administration, and F.Y.R.O.M's cultural institutions, in the context of the year 2008, makes his government look like amateur radicals promoting an 19th century nation building ideology based on ancient lineages. <u> No credible and objective historian or social scientist substantiates this mythical relationship.</u>Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-23734265858695710642008-07-16T20:04:00.000-07:002008-07-22T07:51:53.083-07:00Stefov Manufactures HistoryNationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) and her diaspora constantly claim that the Greek nation was artificially manufactured by foreign powers and that Greece's independence movement was not an indigenous grass roots phenomenon driven by Greeks themselves. An example of a nationalist who concocts such unsubstantited theories is the self styled "history expert" Risto Stefov who constantly makes the following claims:<br /><br />[Anyone interested in verifying that Stefov made these claims can easily google the phrases]<br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=stefov3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/stefov3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=stefov2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/stefov2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There are volumes of texts, produced throughout the Ottoman era, illustrating that there were several grass roots movements amongst educated and/or elite Greeks who wanted to free Greece from the Ottoman empire. During this period many Greeks appealed for foreign help in an attempt to free Greece.<br /><br />If Greece and Greeks were artificial post 19th century inventions, as Stefov shamelessly claims, why are there volumes of texts, produced throughout the Ottoman era, illustrating the will and wishes of Greeks who wanted to free Greece from the Ottoman empire?<br /><br />To begin with the following letter was written in <strong>1790</strong> by "Deputies of the Greek Islands" to the Empress of Russia. In the letter the Greek Deputies asked the Empress for assistance to free Greece from the Turks. In return for her help they offered the Greek throne to her grandson Constantine. <b><u>The authors of the letter were conscious of an ancient Greek heritage and they were conscious of the Greek nation - concepts that Stefov and his uneducated compatriots claim were artificially manufactured post 19th century! </u></b>Above all this letter destroys Stefov's position that Greece was artificially manufactured since it <u>clearly illustrates one example of a grass roots attempt to appeal for outside help to free Greece .</u><br /><br />Also notice that in this example the Greeks were asking for help from the Russians. Stefov and his uneducated compatriots claim that Greece was artificially created to block the <u><strong>same Russians</u></strong>from the Mediterranean!<br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=letter1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/letter1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/letter2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />An additional example of a Greek who wished to free Greece from the Ottoman empire can be found in a scholarly journal article describing the works of Demetrius Chalcondyles who was a teacher at the University of Padua during the 1400's. The excerpt quotes Chalcondyles who lamented about enslaved Greece, drew a connection between the contemporary Greeks and ancient Greece, and expressed a kinship between the Greeks in Italy and the Greeks in Greece. The words of Chalcondyles, written almost 400 years before the establishment of the Greek state, destroy Stefov's shameless propaganda which suggests that Greeks and Greece were artificial post 19th century creations! <br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=padua.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/padua.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=padua0.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/padua0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Finally, if Greeks were an artificial post 19th century invention, as Stefov's shameless and unsubstantiated propaganda suggests, why have Greeks been recorded by foreigners for centuries and why are there volumes of texts describing Greeks in diaspora communities throughout the centuries?<br /><br />To begin with, the following is an engraving depicting a Greek church in Venice that provided services for Venice's large Greek community. If Greeks and Greece are artificial creations how could there have existed a large Greek diaspora community in Venice since at least the 15th century?<br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=venice.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/venice.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />An additional example of outsiders recording Greeks in foreign lands is an account authored by Edward Brown in 1739. It describes the "nationalities" that he found in Cairo during the early 18th century. Note that this excerpt was authored almost 100 years before the establishment of the Greek state and hence destroys Stefov's absurd claim that Greeks were manufactured post 1820.<br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=brown2-1739.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/brown2-1739.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/?action=view&current=brown1-1739.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p114/xiotis38/brown1-1739.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Stefov and his uneducated nationalist compatriots who are blinded by their political agenda should abandon their absurd and unsupported theory that Greece and Greeks were post 19th century artificial inventions.Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-6513830289729666742008-06-24T11:46:00.000-07:002008-06-24T13:02:59.724-07:00The "Ilinden Pension Plan"During the decades following WWII the Yugoslav Communists implemented many measures to foster a "Macedonian" consciousness amongst their populace in a historical context and in a region where such an ethno/national identity hardly existed. Many of the measures imposed on the largely illiterate and uneducated populace by the communists were documented by Palmer and King in their book called "Yugoslav Communism and the Macedonian Question" as was shown <a href="http://maktruth.blogspot.com/2008/06/yugoslav-communists-doctor-macedonism.html">in this article</a>.<br /><br />The Communists manufactured a version of history that lent a historical legitimacy to the new "Macedonian" nation. One measure that they implemented in order to sanitize and reconstruct history for the purpose of giving the "Macedonian" nation a historical credibility was their employment of a pension plan for those who were involved in the 1903 Ilinden uprising.<br /><br /><strong><u>In order to qualify to recieve the pension individuals had to fulfill conditions that basically bound them to espouse the notion that the Ilinden uprising was an "ethnic Macedonian" uprising</u></strong>. In reality a vast number of contemporary observers and documenters of the uprising at Kruschevo did not record the uprising as an "ethnic Macedonian" rebellion. In essence the Yugoslav government offered financial incentives and advantages to those who reinterpreted the events at Kruschevo in such a manner that facilitated and agreed with new "Macedonian" historiography the government was manufacturing.<br /><br />Keith Brown, in his book "The Past in Question", goes into great detail about the events that took place at Kruschevo along with the subsequent measures taken by the communists to reconstruct the events to make the uprising appear as an "ethnic Macedonian" one. Brown spent time in FYROM studying government archives. These are some excerpts from Brown's book regarding the "Ilinden Pension Plan".<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=kbp151.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/kbp151.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=kbp152.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/kbp152.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />This is a description of the pension plan and the conditions that individuals had to fulfill in order to obtain the pension:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=kbp130.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/kbp130.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=kbp131.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/kbp131.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=kbp132.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/kbp132.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=kbp133.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/kbp133.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-4188774969095836002008-06-13T07:30:00.000-07:002008-06-13T09:28:20.539-07:00Yugoslav Communists doctor "Macedonism"Nationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) and her diaspora exert great efforts in promoting an "ethnic Macedonian" historiography which encompasses a genealogical and cultural continuity that literally spans thousands of years. In reality practically every objective and qualified scholar who has studied the history of the region describes the "Macedonian" ethno/national identity as being a mid to late 19th century construct.<br /><br />The concoction of a "Macedonian" historiography has been an ongoing process largely instigated and influenced by the Yugoslav communists during the years immediately following World War II. Tito and the Yugoslav communists capitalized on the late 19th/early 20th century politically motivated notion that the South Balkan Slavs were a distinct ethnic group by developing the Socialist Republic of Macedonia and the so called "Macedonian" ethnicity for political purposes including the pretense for future territorial expansion. By fostering a "Macedonian" consciousness amongst the largely illiterate and peasant populace the communists could secure their territory from the Bulgarians and set their sight on the Greek region of Macedonia due to their implicit implication that Macedonia should belong to the "Macedonians".<br /><br />The Yugoslav communists developed and imposed numerous cultural measures in order to de-Bulgarize the region and to foster a "Macedonian" consciousness amongst the populace. An excellent book describing these cultural implementations is "<u>Yugoslav Communism and the Macedonian Question</u>" authored by Palmer and King. This is an important source because it was written by non-Greeks during the late 60's and published in 1971. <br /><br />The following are excerpts from the book that describe the process in which the Yugoslav communists sanatized and manufactured "Macedonian" historiography in order to lend the "Macedonian nation" a historical legitimacy that was distinct from the Bulgarian nation.<br /><br />It is important to note that the communist architects behind the "Macedonian" historiography argued that the "Macedonian" nation diverged from the Bulgarian populace as the result of a 'natural' process that unfolded during the 19th century. They were not so bold and so unrealist to claim that the "Macedonian" nation is rooted in ancient Macedonia! The mythical historiography encompassing ancient Macedonia was largely developed by F.Y.R.O.M nationalists, mostly from the diaspora, during the past 25 years.<br /><br />While you read these excerpts ask yourself this: <u>if the "Macedonian" ethnicity is over 2000 years old and is the product of natural processes why would the communists have to sanatize the history of the region and why wouldn't they include the history of ancient Macedonia when they were developing the "correct interpretation" of history for the "Macedonian nation"?</u> <br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=pktitle.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/pktitle.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=pk159.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/pk159.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=pk159.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/pk160.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=pk159.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/pk161.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=pk159.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/pk162.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=pk159.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/pk163.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=pk159.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/pk164.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=pk165.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/pk165.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-43613116553565629842008-05-30T10:18:00.000-07:002008-07-02T10:46:29.797-07:00UMD Perpetuates PropagandaOne of the most popular historical inaccuracies being spread by nationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) and her diaspora is the notion that there was no region named "Macedonia" in Greece until the Greek government renamed "Northern Greece" to "Macedonia" in 1988. The nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora also assert that Greece actually discourged the usage of the name "Macedonia" until 1988. An example of a nationalist organization that perpetuates this lie is the "United Macedonian Diaspora" led by M. Koloski.<br /><br />This is an excerpt found from one of the articles posted on the UMD website:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=umd1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/umd1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=umdlies1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/umdlies1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If there was no region in Greece named "Macedonia" prior to 1988, and this geographic descriptor was discourged by the Greek government until that date, perhaps Mr. Koloski, or anyone from the UMD, can explain why Greek school books circulated by the Greek government and integrated into the state sponsored curriculum by the Greek government included whole sections on the geographic region of Macedonia. The following are just a couple examples, out of many, taken from school books that were part of the Greek state implemented curriculum of the 1960's and 1970's:<br /><br />[NOTE THE DATE ON THE TEXT BOOK COVER IS 1976!!]<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=geographiagrades3and41876.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/geographiagrades3and41876.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=geographiagrades3and41976p2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/geographiagrades3and41976p2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=geographiagrades3and4x1nu0.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/geographiagrades3and4x1nu0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=geographiagrades3and4y1bo8.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/geographiagrades3and4y1bo8.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The following is from the 1978 edition of the same text book. If Greece had no region named "Macedonia", and was even trying to discourage the name "Macedonia" as nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M constantly claim, why would Greek school text books include maps such as the following??<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=geographia1978.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/geographia1978.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />From a 1960s text book:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=oldgreekgeographybk118bj2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/oldgreekgeographybk118bj2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=oldgreekgeographyv123ty5.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/oldgreekgeographyv123ty5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The historical inaccuracy being perpetuated by the UMD is indicative of the UMD's lack of integrity. The amateurish organization is run by nationalist individuals who apparently have no interest in the truth. The claim that Greece did not use the name "Macedonia" prior to 1988 is a LIE.<br /><br />Finally, the excerpt from the UMD article talks about a 'sizeable Macedonian minority' living in Greece. In other articles authored by Koloski a number of 200,000 'ethnic Macedonians' residing in Greece is put forth. This number is derived from the personal opinion of "The Official Rainbow Party " in Greece which represents the rights of "ethnic Macedonians" living in Greece. If the UMD believes that 200,000 is an accurate population number perhaps they, or the Rainbow Party, can explain why the Rainbow Party, a party that allegedly represents the minority interests of "ethnic Macedonians" in Greece, recieved a little more than 6,000 votes (about half of which came from outside of Macedonia) in the internationally monitored European Parliament elections of 2004. Think about it: why would a minority population of at least 200,000 people not turn out to vote en masse, in order to make a political statement to the world, for the party that would fight for their alleged lack of 'human rights' in an internationally monitored election where votes are cast in an anonymous system? Perhaps Mr. Koloski, the UMD, and the Rainbow Party are over inflating the statistics and over exaggerating the so called "human rights" abuses in order to peddle their political agenda?Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-65620064416960864062008-04-24T10:36:00.000-07:002008-04-27T07:41:56.153-07:00Twisting the words of FinlayNationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) and her diaspora frequently promote the following excerpt from George Finlay's "A History of the Greek Revolution" published in 1861:<br /><br /><blockquote>According to G. Finlay in his 'History of the Greek Revolution volume 1 - 1861: "The Albanian population occupies most of ancient Greece. Albanians now occupy all Attica and Megaris, Boetia and Locris. They occupy the whole of Corinthia and Argolis, extending themselves into the northern part of Ardadia and eastern Achaia..." </blockquote><br /><span>Their intent on using the above quote is to imply that the Greek ethno/national identity was manufactured in the 19th century in a region that was dominated by Albanians. In other words they use the above quote to support their theory that most Greeks have Albanian ancestors. Anyone who has read Finlay's book surely knows that:<br /><br />a) Finlay recorded significant Greek populations and<br /><br />b) <u>Finlay made absolutely no mention of any "Macedonian" ethnicity or nation even though he spent a significant amount of time in the region of "Macedonia". </u>Is it not amusing that the same nationalists who quote from Finlay and present him as a reliable source completely overlook the fact that Finlay did not record any "Macedonians" in the region where nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M claim that"ethnic Macedonians" dominated the demographics for centuries?<br /><br /><br />Lets examine Finlay's passages in their context. If no significant Greek populations existed in the geographic region of modern Greece why would Finlay describe 6 Ottoman administrative regions, or Pashaliks, where Greeks formed the majority of the population?<br /></span><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=finlay1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/finlay1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=finlay1a.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/finlay1a.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=finlay1b.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/finlay1b.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=finlay1c.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/finlay1c.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=finlay1d.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/finlay1d.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span><span>Notice that Finlay, who documented his observations during the early-mid 19th century, made no mention of "Macedonians" in his population descriptions of Turkey's European dominions! Also notice that Finlay states that Greeks formed the majority of the population in the Pashalik of Thessalonica, a region that nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora claim was populated in the majority by "ethnic Macedonians"! As a matter of fact, Finlay is quite explicit in his description of Greeks dominating the population of the Pashalik of Thessalonica:</span><span style="font-size:0;"><br /><br /></span></span><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=finlay4.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/finlay4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span>Finally, in order to clarify Finlay's position regarding the demographics of Albanians vs Greeks we have the following excerpt:<br /></span><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=finlay2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/finlay2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span>Hence Finlay estimated the number of Albanians in the Greek kingdom to be about 200,000. Recall, from the quote above, that Finlay estimated the number of Greeks in the region to be about 1 million!<br /><br />This surely puts a pitchfork through the far fetched theory being promoted by radical nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora who use Finlay as supporting evdience to claim that:<br /><br />a) hardly any Greeks existed during the early-mid 19th century and<br />b) Albanians formed the vast majority of the population in the region and as a result most modern Greeks have Albanian ancestors!<br /><br />The excerpts from Finlay demolish these theories! To top it all off: George Finlay's first hand accounts made no mention of any "Macedonian" nation or ethnicity! We might as well add Finlay to the vast number of sources that failed to record any "ethnic Macedonians" prior to the 20th century! Of course this is due to the fact that the "Macedonian" ethno/national identity is a late 19th century construct that was not affiliated to by any significant population until the 20th century!</span>Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-83060571121655473532008-04-16T11:22:00.000-07:002008-04-23T08:50:56.406-07:00Piperkata: Spotting Loch Ness Monsters again!Nationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) along with their diaspora cohorts constantly inundate internet forums and blogs with obscure references to "Macedonians" in historical texts with the implication that the authors of the texts were referring to 'ethnic Macedonians' akin to those who currently self describe as such. Prior to the mid to late 19th century the descriptor "Macedonian" had no ethnic significance. It was a geographic descriptor used to describe inhabitants of the region regardless of their ethnicity. Unfortunately, in the minds of nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora, everyone from Alexander the Great to Gotse Delchev was an 'ethnic Macedonian'!<br /><br />An example of a nationalist who scours historical texts for any references to "Macedonians" and then posts the references in multiple internet forums as proof for a continuous and archaic "Macedonian" ethnos is an individual who posts under the pseudonym of "Jordan Piperkata". The following is taken from Mr. Piperkata's website where he has posted an excerpt from Baron De Tott's 18th century memoirs where De Tott mentioned "Macedonians". Mr. Piperkata presents this as evidence of the existence of a "Macedonian ethnicity" during the 1700's.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=piperkata2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/piperkata2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Knowing that the "Macedonian" ethno/national identity is a mid to late 19th century construct I had a strong sense that Mr. Piperkata probably omitted passages from De Tott that put the excerpts containing references to "Macedonians" into context. After <a href="http://maktruth.blogspot.com/2008/04/loch-ness-monster-style-spotting.html">all, Mr. Piperkata has a history of misrepresenting quotes on the internet</a>. I found the reference that Mr. Piperkata posted and as a result I was able to read the context of the excerpt he posted on his blog and in the forums of the nationalist website maknews.com.<br /><br /><u>It turns out that Mr. Piperkata omitted the last paragraphs from the last page of De Tott's excerpts that elaborate on the identity of the Macedonians Baron De Tott described. </u><br /><u></u><br /><u><span style="font-size:+0;"></span></u>I will provide the complete context of the excerpt where Baron De Tott described an altercation between some Turks and his Macedonian Workers. De Tott was managing the construction of a castle and he had 1500 Macedonian workers to assist him. De Tott described an occasion when he gave his workers (the Macedonians) a day off from work. During the off day an altercation occurred between a Turk and a Macedonian and as a result their respective compatriots got involved. Several men were killed and De Tott thought that he needed to do something to prevent further conflict between the two sides. The last page of the excerpt described how Baron De Tott tried to obtain security for his workers from the Vesir. It is in the last paragraph that Mr. Piperkata omitted that De Tott described his Macedonian workers as GREEK!<br /><br />Here is the whole context. <strong>Make sure to pay special attention to the last page and the last paragraph that was omitted by Mr. Piperkata</strong>:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=detott2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/detott2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=detott3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/detott3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=detott4.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/detott4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=detott5.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/detott5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=detott6.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/detott6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=detott7.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/detott7.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As the last paragraph states, after the altercation between the Macedonians and the Turks, Baron De Tott tried to get indemnity (protection or security) for the GREEKS from the Visir. If he did not consider the Macedonians to be GREEKS why would he make this statement?<br /><br />To bolster the position that Baron De Tott considered the Macedonians he described in his memoirs to be Greeks I will now present some excerpts from an early 19th century encyclopaedia that cited the specific passages presented above from De Tott's memoirs:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=perthensis1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/perthensis1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />Notice that the entry for "Macedonians" includes an instruction to see "Greeks".<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=perthensis2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/perthensis2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view¤t=perthensis3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/perthensis3.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br />From De Tott's memoirs and from the supporting evidence found in an early 19th century encyclopaedia citing De Tott it is obvious that De Tott considered the Macedonians described in his memoirs to be Greeks. It is unfortunate that nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora selectively misrepresent passages from historical texts in order to bolster their far fetched mythical historiography which implies that a "Macedonian" ethnicity has existed in continuity for centuries.Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-66488812559734030762008-04-14T11:30:00.000-07:002008-04-14T15:06:08.187-07:00"Makedonski"- A Loch Ness Monster Style SpottingNationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) along with their diaspora cohorts constantly inundate internet forums and blogs with obscure references to "Macedonians" in historical texts with the implication that the authors of the texts were referring to 'ethnic Macedonians' akin to those who currently self describe as such.<br /><br />Prior to the mid to late 19th century the descriptor "Macedonian" had no ethnic significance. It was a geographic descriptor used to describe inhabitants of the region regardless of their ethnicity. Unfortunately, in the minds of nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M and her diaspora, everyone from Alexander the Great to Gotse Delchev was an 'ethnic Macedonian'!<br /><br />An example of a nationalist who scours historical texts for any references to "Macedonians" and then posts the reference in multiple internet forums as proof for a continuous and archaic "Macedonian" ethnos is an individual who posts under the pseudonym of "Jordan Piperkata". The following is taken from Mr. Piperkata's website where he has taken a quote by Thomas Gordon of out context in order to imply that an "ethnic Macedonian" was spotted during the early 19th century!<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=piperkata1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/piperkata1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />To begin with, is it not amusing that the same nationalists who claim that the "Macedonian" ethnicity has existed in continuity for dozen(s) of centuries while dominating the demographics of the region have to resort to posting references to footnotes found in obscure 19th century accounts to support their claim of a constant regional dominance?<br /><br />A few points regarding this reference:<br /><br />1. Thomas Gordon goes into great detail describing the races and population groups of European Turkey.<u> <strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Nowhere does he mention a "Macedonian" race or ethnicity</span></strong>.</u> Why would Mr. Gordon, who documented his first hand observations of the region during the early 19th century, not describe what Mr. Piperkata and his compatriots would claim was one of the most significant ethnic groups in the region of European Turkey at the time?<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=gordon0.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/gordon0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=gordon1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/gordon1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=gordon2a.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/gordon2a.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=gordon2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/gordon2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />2. Thomas Gordon categorized the revolutionary figures Diamantis, Gazzos and Kara Tassos as "Macedonians". These people were captains of the Armatoles that fought the Ottoman Turks and it is blatently obvious when one reads the extensive descriptions of the various conflicts they were involved in that these people were not "ethnic Macedonians". After all, would Mr. Piperkata et al. be so bold as to claim that individuals with names such as Diamantis, Gazzos and Tassos were 'ethnic Macedonians'?<br /><br />3. Makedonski, the figure who Mr. Piperkata claims that Thomas Gordon presented as an "ethnic Macedonian", is referred to in other contemporary texts. Since Thomas Gordon does not elaborate on Makedonski's background I will now present an excerpt from a 19th century book called the "<strong><em>The Secret Societies of the European Revolution 1776-1876</em></strong>" by Thomas Frost written in 1876. On page 67 Frost makes Makedonski's background very clear:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=frost1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/frost1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=frost2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/frost2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />From the available evidence taken from the Frost and Gordon books we can safely conclude:<br /><br />1. Gordon used the term "Macedonian" as a Geographic descriptor. He used it to describe Greek revolutionary leaders such as Diamantis.<br /><br />2. Makedonski was a Russian of Greek background from Macedonia as Frost tells us.<br /><br />This is yet another example of a "Loch Ness monster style sighting" of a "Macedonian" in the historical literature that turns out <strong><span style="font-size:130%;">NOT </span></strong>to be an 'ethnic Macedonian' once the subject is put into context and the relevant contemporary literature is examined. The likes of Mr. Piperkata will continue to post references to the most obscure passages in order to lend credence to their far fetched mythical historiography which claims that the "Macedonian" ethnos is centuries old and rooted in ancient Macedon of Alexander's era. If that was the case Mr. Piperkata would certainly not have to resort to posting obscure references to 19th century books' footnotes in order to substantiate his far fetched claims!Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-35176291943460234642008-04-08T10:40:00.000-07:002008-04-08T15:53:15.273-07:00Vergina SunThe Vergina Sun, Star of Vergina or Argead Star, is the name given to a 16 ray sun/star symbol that was unearthed by Professor Manolis Andronikos in 1977 during archaeological excavations in Vergina Greece. He discovered it on a golden larnax in the tombs of the kings of the ancient kingdom of Macedon.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:0;"><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=Verginasun.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/Verginasun.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">Nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M claim that the Vergina Sun has always been a significant symbol of the millennia old "Macedonian Nation" whose historical and cultural legacy is rooted in the ancient Macedonian kingdom . For this reason they claim that the Vergina Sun should be on the national flag of F.Y.R.O.M.<br /><br />As proof of the symbol's continuous usage throughout the centuries nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M present depictions of what they claim are derivations of the Vergina Sun used in various artistic portrayals. This is supposed to be proof of the symbol's continuous usage by the so called "Macedonian nation" with the implication that "ethnic Macedonians" have been aware of their ancient Macedonian cultural legacy for thousands of years. For example the nationalist website historyofmacedonia.org provides the following explanation under the heading of "The Macedonian Sun":<br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><p><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=propagandacaption.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/propagandacaption.jpg" border="0" /></a></p></span></span>As proof for the allegation that the "Macedonian Sun" is found on icons and frescoes that were produced throughout the ages historyofmacedonia.org supplies the following images with the far fetched assumption that "ethnic Macedonians" included depictions of the "Macedonian Sun" in religious art with the implication that there is some sort of cultural continuity between the ancient Macedonians that the symbol is currently associated with and the modern "Macedonian" nation.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"></span></span><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=propagandaicon1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/propagandaicon1.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=propagandaicon2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/propagandaicon2.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=propagandaicon3.jpg" target="_blank"></a></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"></span></span><br />A few points regarding these far fetched arguments:<br /><br />1. If the "Macedonian Sun" has been cherished by "Macedonians" for over 3000 years and it appeared on cultural artifacts since the days of the ancient Macedonians, as implied above, why was it not used in any official capacity by any government or cultural institutions managed by "ethnic Macedonians" prior to its excavation in 1977?<br /></span></span><br />2. If the "Macedonian Sun" was such a powerful symbol for "Macedonian" people throughout the ages why didn't any of F.Y.R.O.M's national heroes use the symbol during any of the struggles or liberation movements described by F.Y.R.O.M's official historiography? As an example why didn't the primary characters of the 1903 Ilinden uprising use the Symbol in any capacity?<br /><br />3. The notion that the "Macedonian Nation" is 3,000 years old is not supported by any credible historian, anthropologist or sociologist. The "Macedonian" ethno/national identity is a 19th century construct.<br /><br /></span></span>4. The symbols depicted on the icons and religious paintings hardly look like the 16 ray Sun excavated in Greece! Equating Star symbols found on religious art with the symbol excavated in 1977 is far fetched to say the least!<br /><br />5. Depictions of Sun/Star symbols in Byzantine art was not uncommon. How does historyofmacedonia.org explain the fact that similar symbols are found on icons from Russia, Greece and Italy:<br /><br /><br /></span><p>Example a: <strong>Icon from Belingheiro Italy, produced in 1230</strong>. I suppose that there is some sort of cultural continuity between modern Italians and the ancient Macedonians too? </p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=belingheiroItaly1230.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/belingheiroItaly1230.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>Example b: <strong>Icon from Patmos Greece, produced in the 15th century</strong>. </p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=patmos15thcentury.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/patmos15thcentury.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>Example c: <strong>Virgin Amolyntos from Crete produced in 15th century:</strong></p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=VirginAmolyntoscrete15thcentury.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/VirginAmolyntoscrete15thcentury.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p>Example d: <strong>Virgin Mother Eleusa from Russia produced in 14th century.</strong> Were the Russians depicting the "Macedonian Sun" too??</p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=VirginMotherEleusaRussia14thcentury.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/VirginMotherEleusaRussia14thcentury.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><br />The truth is that the Sun of Vergina held no significance to any nation prior to its excavation in 1977. Nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M really grasp at straws when they claim that the symbol was cherished for 3,000 years by the "Macedonian Nation" and then offer Byzantine paintings depicting star symbols as evidence. As shown above the depiction of star symbols in Byzantine art was not uncommon.<span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></p></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="font-size:0;"></span></span></span>Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-85951012232443840642008-04-03T13:04:00.000-07:002008-04-03T13:18:47.089-07:00Is this supposed to be an Ally?This is the Prime Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia(F.Y.R.O.M), Nikola Gruevski, during an official state ceremony. Along with the name dispute irridentist overtures such as the following from F.Y.R.O.M's cultural and governmental institutions resulted in Greece blocking F.Y.R.O.M's NATO invitation. No further commentary necessary.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=gruveski.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/gruveski.jpg" border="0" /></a>Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-14029911811045433472008-04-03T09:40:00.001-07:002008-04-03T14:29:22.203-07:00Mr. Koloski and BoratOne of the most significant "ethnic Macedonian" diaspora organisations is the "United Macedonian Diaspora" (UMD) which is based in Washington DC. The president of the UMD is Metodija A. Koloski.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=umd1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/umd1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=umd3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/umd3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The objectives of the UMD are listed as follows:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=umd2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/umd2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I have underlined the last objective from above for a particular reason. Mr. Koloski and his organisation self describe as standing for peace and equality and for promoting stability in the region within the framework of "the world community". If Mr. Koloski is so concerned about peace, equality and civility why is he, the President of the most significant "ethnic Macedonian" diaspora organisation, participating in the forums of a nationalist website, maknews.com, and posting video clips with overt racist themes involving Greece and Greek politicians:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=umd4.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/umd4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Remember that this is the leader of a major "ethnic Macedonian" diaspora organisation which allegedly promotes peace and equality advertising a video clip, in a public forum read by thousands, titled "<strong><span style="font-size:130%;">BORAT HELL ASS</span></strong>" with obvious implicit and explicit racist themes.<br /><br />This is the video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ9VjrbkgI4<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eJ9VjrbkgI4&rel=0&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eJ9VjrbkgI4&rel=0&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />I ask the reader to imagine the uproar this action would create if a similar video with equal themes was directed at the Jewish community or the African American community and was advertised by the leader of a diaspora organisation on a public internet forum read by thousands. Mr. Koloski engages in this racist activity on one website while on his own UMD website he claims he stands for promoting peace and equality. Racist videos such as the one Mr. Koloski has advertised will only serve to fuel the nationalist fires in Greece and in F.Y.R.O.M.<br /><br />Furthermore, how would Mr. Koloski and his diaspora cohorts react if the leader of a major Greek diaspora organisation such as the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association sunk to the level of posting racist video clips on public internet forums? Why do the notions of civility, peace and equality <em><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">only</span></strong></em> apply to Mr. Koloski's cause when they suit his agenda?<br /><br />With these actions Mr. Koloski and his organisation have shown themselves to be amateurs and a farce. I suppose that if he has to resort to posting on maknews.com to appeal for donations from his most radical and nationalist diaspora compatriots he has to do as the locals do and advertise his true racist tendencies.<br /><br />Shame on you Mr.Koloski.Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-45758084763743921052008-03-31T14:29:00.000-07:002008-04-02T13:07:24.056-07:00Wilkinson's Maps and PoliticsA fascinating book regarding the demographics of late Ottoman era Macedonia is "<em>Maps and Politics: A Review of the Ethnographic Cartography of Macedonia</em>" by Henry Robert Wilkinson. In his book, which was published in 1951, Wilkinson exhaustively summarized dozens of ethnographic maps put forth by European scholars, ethnographers and cartographers which depicted the demographics of the southern Balkans.<br /><br />From the dozens of ethnographic maps included in Wilkinson's book it is appearent that up until the late 19th century the Slavs of Macedonia were regarded as Bulgarians. The following is how Wilkinson described the process in which the Slavs of Macedonia came to be regarded as an ethno/political group distinct from the Bulgarians in the region. Wilkinson's position surely does not concur with the mythical historiography being promoted by nationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) which asserts that 'ethnic Macedonians' have continuously resided in the region since antiquity.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=wilkinson2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/wilkinson2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=wilkinson3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/wilkinson3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Wilkinson's exhaustive study and detailed analysis of the ethnographic studies pertaining to Ottoman era Macedonia resulted in his assertion that no authority depicted the Slavs of Macedonia as an ethnic group distinct from the Bulgarians until certain European ethnographers and cartographers were influenced by the politically motivated works of the Serbian scholar J. Cvijic who espoused the contemporary Serbian policy of diminishing Bulgaria's claim to the region. If "ethnic Macedonians" dominated the demographics of the region for dozen(s) of centuries, as nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M constantly claim, why did dozens of pre 20th century studies and publications pertaining to the ethnography of the region fail to record what was supposed to be obvious: a significant 'ethnic Macedonian' population? Of course, the answer to this question is obvious to any objective historian: the "Macedonian" ethno-national identity was a late 19th century construct and no significant population affiliated with the "Macedonian" identity until the 20th century. The dozens of ethnographic maps depicted in Wilkinson's book also destroy the theory currently being promoted on many F.Y.R.O.M nationalists websites (see maknews.com) which asserts that no Greeks existed in the pre 1912 region of Macedonia.<br /><br />These are a few examples of the ethnographic maps found in Wilkinson's book. The demographics depicted in the maps may differ from one another but what is important to note is that no "ethnic Macedonian" population was recorded.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=petermann1869.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/petermann1869.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=kiepert1876.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/kiepert1876.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=dardano1916.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/dardano1916.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Nationalists from F.Y.R.OM attempt to explain away these vast number of maps and surveys (including the <u><a href="http://maktruth.blogspot.com/2008/03/misrepresenting-1914-carnegie-report.html">1914 Carnegie Report</a></u>) by claiming that the authors were ignorant of the truth, and/or blinded by bias, and/or uneducated. This would be akin to a vast number of studies being published pertaining to modern Palestine and not mentioning any Palestinians!Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-71384519419945730422008-03-28T22:32:00.000-07:002008-04-02T11:52:55.398-07:00Early 20th century Migrants from MacedoniaThere have been several studies published that include the subject of early 20th century Slavic migrants to the United States from the region of "Macedonia". (note:<a href="http://maktruth.blogspot.com/2008/03/macedonias-historic-borders.html"> I am using the post 19th century definition of "Macedonia"</a>)<br /><br />To begin with lets examine an exhaustive volume titled "<span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><strong><em>Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups</em></strong></span>" edited by Thernstrom, Orlov, and Handlin and published in 1980. The text provides valuable insight into how the Slavic immigrants from the region of "Macedonia" regarded themselves during different periods of the 20th century. From this we can deduce when the "Macedonian" ethno/national identity started to establish itself amongst the populace in the region of "Macedonia". As the following explains it wasn't until the period circa WWII that the majority of the immigrants from the region strongly identified with the "Macedonian" ethno/national identity. Prior to this Slavic immigrants from the region regarded themselves as, and were regarded as, Bulgarians:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=Thernstrom1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/Thernstrom1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=thernstrom2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/thernstrom2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=thernstrom3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/thernstrom3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=thernstrom4.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/thernstrom4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The notion that pre WWII Slavic immigrants from the region of "Macedonia" largely regarded themselves as Bulgarians, and not as "Macedonians" in an ethno/national sense, is bolstered by 2 additional sources:<br /><br />1. A publication titled "Immigrant Races in North America" by Peter Roberts published in 1910 states that the Slavs from Macedonia were Bulgarians. Roberts defined a "Macedonian" as a Bulgarian from Macedonia as is evidenced from the following excerpts:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=roberts1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/roberts1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=roberts2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/roberts2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />2. The anthropologist Loring Danforth, in his book "<em><strong>The Macedonian Conflict(1995)" </strong></em>wrote the following regarding the Slavic immigrants from "Macedonia" :<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><p>"..the largest number of Slavic-speaking immigrants from Macedonia came to the United States during the first decade of the twentieth century<span style="color:#000000;"> at which time they identified themselves either as BULGARIANS or as Macedonian BULGARIANS</span>. It has been estimated that between 1903 and 1906, 50,000 people who identified themselves in this way entered the United States [..] Since 1960, when Yugoslav emigration policies were liberalized, most of the immigrants from Macedonia to the United Stats have come from Yugoslavia and have had a strong sense of Macedonian national identity. They have founded their own churches in affiliation with the Macedonian Orthodox Church of Skopje, as well as their own cultural, sporting, and political organizations, all of which are concerned with preserving a uniquely Macedonian national identity. These organisations (some of which have maintained good relationships with the Republic of Macedonian and some of which advocate a more extreme and irridentist form of Macedonian nationalism) have succeeded in instilling a distinctly Macedonian national identity in some of those older immigrants from Macedonia who have previously adopted a more BULGARIAN orientation.-pages 87-88"<br /><span style="font-size:0;"></p></span></blockquote><p></p><p></p>The question the reader should ask himself/herself is: if "ethnic Macedonians" have existed in continuity for centuries, and dominated the demographics of the Southern Balkans during that period, as nationalists from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia constantly assert, why do several objective sources, both modern and contemporary, state that the Slavic immigrants from the region were regarded as, and regarded themselves as, Bulgarians? Could it be that the "Macedonian" ethno/national identity is a relatively recent phenomenon as a vast number of sources tell us?Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-88687650576367753952008-03-26T08:41:00.000-07:002008-03-26T10:25:40.609-07:00Geographic Dictionary from 1688The 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.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=1688-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/1688-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><em><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Excerpt 1 Greece</span></strong></em>: Notice how the definition of Greece incorporates Macedonia. Also notice how the Byzantine Empire was described as a "Grecian Empire".<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=1688-2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/1688-2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="font-size:130%;">Excerpt 2 Macedonia</span></em></strong>: 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" <a href="http://maktruth.blogspot.com/2008/03/what-is-solun.html"><strong>("Solun" is the name nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M use for Thessaloniki</strong></a>)<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=1688-3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/1688-3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=1688-4.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/1688-4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong><em><span style="font-size:130%;">Excerpt 3 Scopia:</span></em></strong> 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.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=1688-5.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/1688-5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />It is important to note that prior to the 19th century <a href="http://maktruth.blogspot.com/2008/03/macedonias-historic-borders.html"><strong>a vast number of depictions and definitions of "Macedonia"</strong></a> 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".Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-80134655244607734092008-03-24T13:31:00.000-07:002008-05-27T13:51:45.532-07:00Stefov vs Carnegie: Misrepresenting the 1914 Carnegie ReportIn 1914 the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published a report regarding the conduct of the nations that participated in the Balkan Wars. The report was written by an international commission that was dispatched to the region in order to investigate the actions of the Balkan armies as well as to investigate the causes of the various conflicts that took place during the wars.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=carnegie1a.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/carnegie1a.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=carnegie2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/carnegie2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Risto Stefov, who also publishes books under the name "Chris Stefou", has used the 1914 Carnegie Commission Report on the Balkan Wars as a primary reference for many of his articles. He has written a whole series titled "Greek attrocities in Macedonia" which can be found on maknews.com<br /><br />In these articles Stefov engages in a heavy dose of historical revisionism. He implies that the Carnegie Commission report describes atrocities committed against "ethnic Macedonians" when in fact the report made<strong><em> <span style="font-size:130%;">no mention</span></em></strong> of any "ethnic Macedonian" population. The fact that the report made no mention of "ethnic Macedonians" does not phase Stefov who shamelessly converts the Bulgarians the report described into "ethnic Macedonians". Stefov retrospectively molds the population descriptions found in the report to adhere to his nationalist historiography. He and his followers imply that the reason the report described "ethnic Macedonians" as Bulgarians was because the authors of the report were categorizing by religious affiliation. Their theory suggests that because 'ethnic Macedonians' attended the Bulgarian church (Exarchy) they were described as Bulgarians.<br /><br />The report demolishes this theory in 2 ways:<br /><br />1. The report makes it clear that those who attended the Bulgarian church were of Bulgarian nationality. If these people were actually "ethnic Macedonians" why would the authors of the report make the following statement?:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=carnegie3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/carnegie3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />2. The report clearly states that the Serbs were amongst the first to categorize the Slavs of Macedonia as a distinct group from the Bulgarians for political purposes. The authors of the report clearly viewed the Slavic population as Bulgarian despite the claim of Serbian scholars who attempted to distinguish this group from the Bulgarians in order to diminish Bulgaria's claim to the region:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=carnegie1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/carnegie1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It should be sobering for Stefov's readers to actually read the pages of the report and to see for themselves how the "ethnic Macedonians" Stefov describes in his articles were actually recorded as Bulgarians by the international commisison. As an example Stefov goes into length describing attrocities committed in Kukush by the Greek army. This is how the actual report describes Kukush:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=carnegie4.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/carnegie4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=carnegie5.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/carnegie5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Regardless of Stefov's attempts to focus only on the actions of the Greek army in order to demonize the Greek state as much as possible, the fact is that the 1914 Carnegie Commission report also describes atrocities committed by the other combatants. As an example this is an excerpt from the report which describes the massacre of Greeks in the Greek town of Doxato:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=carnegie6.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/carnegie6.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The report was published during an era when the "Macedonian" ethno/national identity was still in it's infancy stages. The report provides the reader with valuable contemporary insight into how contemporary geopolitical dynamics fostered the notion that the Slavs of the region were a distinct ethnic group. Up to the period of the Balkan Wars the Slavic population of the region was largely regarded as Bulgarian. The 1914 Carnegie Commisison report was authored by an international commission that spent time in the region. Their observations of the Slavic population of the region concurs with a vast number of other contemporary first hand accounts . Stefov and his nationalist cronies engage in a dishonest practice when they misrepresent the commission's first hand observations and reconstruct the Bulgarians described in the report as "ethnic Macedonians".<br /><br />Implying that the Carnegie Commission failed to record what Stefov et al allege was the largest ethnic group in the region is akin to a modern international commission going into Palestine and not recording any Palestinians!Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-71129649947820027992008-03-19T10:05:00.000-07:002008-03-24T13:31:33.475-07:00"Macedonian Orthodox Church" promotes pseudoscienceOfficial cultural institutions from The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) are promoting a mythical historiography which attempts to associate modern "Macedonians" with the ancient Macedonians. The nationalist theory that modern "Macedonians" are related to ancient Macedonians is not supported by any credible and objective historian, anthropologist or social scientist. An example of an attempt to relate modern "Macedonia" with ancient Macedonia is that of a recent theory being promoted by F.Y.R.O.M's cultural institutions which implies that an ancient dialect related to the modern "Macedonian" language is written on the Rosetta Stone. This theory attempts to implicitly establish the notion that the ancient Macedonians who ruled over Egypt spoke a language that was a predecessor to modern "Macedonian" and as a result there is a cultural/linguistic relationship between modern "Macedonians" and the ancient Macedonians.<br /><br />The Rosetta Stone is an Ancient Egyptian artifact which was instrumental in advancing modern understanding of hieroglyphic writing. The stone is a Ptolemaic era artifact with carved text. The text is made up of three translations of a single passage, written in two Egyptian language scripts (hieroglyphic and <em>Demotic</em>), and in classical Greek. For more info on the Rosetta Stone see <a href="http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aes/t/the_rosetta_stone.aspx">the official page from the British Museum</a>.<br /><br />Two electrical engineering professors named Mr. Boseveski and Mr. Tentov, from Skopje, operating under the auspices of the government funded Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Skopje and the official Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, have put forth a 'theory' that the "Demotic" script is, in fact, a text related to the "old Slavonic Macedonian language" and is Ancient Macedonian. This contradicts all mainstream interpretations of the Stone and the mainstream scientific evidence that Ancient Macedonian was not a Slavic language and, not least, that Slavic speaking peoples did not reach the Balkan peninsula until the 6th Century CE.<br /><br />This pseudoscientific theory, which has not been peer reviewed or accepted by any credible authority, is being promoted by the "Macedonian Orthodox Church". A link to the official website of Mr. Bosevski's and Mr. Tentov's theory is found on the official website of the "<a href="http://www.mpc.org.mk/English/default.asp">Macedonian Orthodox Church":<br /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=moc.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/moc.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In order to put this claim into perspective, and to shed some relevance on how far fetched this claim is, I will post some evidence from the official 'keeper' of the stone: The British Museum.<br /><br />First, this is the official description that is placed along with the Rosetta Stone exhibit at the British Museum. This is the mainstream view that has been espoused by international specialists in the field for decades. Notice how the description mentions the "Ptolemaic dynasty from Greece" and there is no mention of a "proto slavic" or "ancient Macedonian" language:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=rossetastonebritishmuseum1ie9.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/rossetastonebritishmuseum1ie9.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Next, this is a letter sent by one of my compatriots to a scholar and representative from the British Museum:<br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote><p><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Greetings<br /><br />As far as I know the demotic text of the Rosetta stone has been decoded and translated many years ago. However, two academics from the UKIM university in Skopje, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia claim to have decyphered the code and identified it as Slavic instead of Egyptian. Mr. Boshevskis and Tentovs work has been published in the official pages of UKIM: </span><a href="http://rosetta-stone.etf.ukim.edu.mk...v-appendix.pdf/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family:arial;">http://rosetta-stone.etf.ukim.edu.mk...v-appendix.pdf</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:100%;">. What is the British museum's position to this claim? Is it accepted as an orthodox method of decypherment, is it under examination or has it been dropped?<br /><br />Kind Regards<br />Philip</span><br /></span></p></blockquote><br /><br />This was the response he recieved from the British Museum:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Dear Mr ...,<br /><br />Thank you for you enquiry about this piece of research on the Rosetta Stone. The common consensus among Egyptologists is indeed that Demotic was successfully and fully deciphered in the 19th century and that the language - now very extensively studied - is a form of Later Egyptian (e.g. Antonio Loprieno, Ancient Egyptian: A Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge University Press), from the Afro-Asiatic language family. </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#000000;">As far as I am aware no Egyptologist or historical linguist has given any credence whatsoever to this alternative theory.</span><br /></span></span></strong><br />With best wishes,.<br /><br />Dr R... B...<br />Assistant Keeper (curator)<br />Dept of Ancient Egypt and Sudan<br />The British Museum<br />London WC1B 3DG</span><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></p></span></span></blockquote><br />The fact that the "Macedonian Orthodox Church" espouses this unsupported and pseudoscientific theory by advertising a link to it's official website is indicative of the lengths that official cultural institutions in F.Y.R.O.M will go to in order to promote a mythical historiography for the purpose of lending the "Macedonian" ethno/national identity , and new "Macedonian" nation, a historical legitimacy.Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-26426114475599036092008-03-17T11:28:00.000-07:002008-03-19T13:37:53.709-07:00What is "Solun"?Nationalists from The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M) along with their diaspora cohorts refer to the Greek city of Thessaloniki as "Solun". The city of Thessaloniki, also commonly referred to as Salonica, was founded around 315 BC by the King Cassander of Macedon, on or near the site of the ancient town of Therma and twenty-six other local villages. He named it after his wife Thessalonike, a half-sister of Alexander the Great (Thessalo-nikē means the "victory of Thessalians"). The city was incorporated into the Greek state as the result of the Balkan wars of 1912-13. Prior to its incorporation into the Greek state the city belonged to the Ottoman empire for centuries.<br /><br />There seems to be a common consensus amongst nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M that Thessaloniki, or "Solun" as they call it, was a "Macedonian" city since ancient times with the implication that "ethnic Macedonians" dominated the demographics of the city for centuries prior to its incorporation into the Greek state. This notion is evidenced by websites authored by individuals from F.Y.R.O.M and F.Y.R.O.M's diaspora. The following example, taken from a nationalist Blog, is indicative of how Thessaloniki is viewed as a city 'stolen' from modern "Macedonians":<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=solun1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/solun1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />If this view, which is typically advertised by F.Y.R.O.M nationalists throughout the web, is correct one would think that there should exist a vast number of supporting texts that describe "ethnic Macedonians" in "Solun" during the centuries before it was incorporated into the Greek state. As a matter of fact there do exist volumes of first hand accounts written by individuals that either lived in Thessaloniki or travelled through Thessaloniki during past centuries and they all have one thing in common: <em>the authors made no mention of an "ethnic Macedonian" population</em>.<br /><br />The following are some examples of first hand accounts that describe the population of Thessaloniki prior to the 20th century. The demographics put forth by each account may differ from from one another but none mention any "ethnic Macedonians".<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Example 1</span>: <em>John Galt</em>, 1812. No "ethnic Macedonians" mentioned.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=johngalt1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/johngalt1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=johngalt2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/johngalt2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Example 2</span>:<em> Henry Holland, 1813</em>. No "ethnic Macedonians" mentioned.</p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=henryholand1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/henryholand1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=henryholand2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/henryholand2.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Example 3</span>: Edward Clarke, 1818. No "ethnic Macedonians" mentioned.</p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=edwardclark1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/edwardclark1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=edwardclark2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/edwardclark2.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Example 4</span>: <em>William</em> <em>Bingley, 1821</em>. No "ethnic Macedonians" mentioned.</p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=williambingley1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/williambingley1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=williambingley2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/williambingley2.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Example 5</span>: <em>William Leake, 1835</em>. No "ethnic Macedonians" mentioned.</p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=leake1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/leake1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=leake2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/leake2.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Example 6:</span> <em>Macmillan's Magazine, 1862</em>. No "ethnic Macedonians" mentioned.</p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=macmillans1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/macmillans1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=macmillans2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/macmillans2.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Example 7</span><em>: This is how an early 19th century (1835) Encyclopedia described Salonica</em>, no mention of "ethnic Macedonians":</p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=encyclopediaAmericana1.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/encyclopediaAmericana1.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=encyclopediaAmericana2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/encyclopediaAmericana2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></p><p>How could all of these sources have overlooked what nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M allege was supposed to be blatently obvious: a significant "ethnic Macedonian" population in the town prior to its incorporation into the Greek state? The notion that "Solun" was a "Macedonian" city with a significant "ethnic Macedonian" population throughout the centuries is a nationalist myth. We only need to look back to accounts from the 19th century to put a pitchfork through their theory that "Solun" was populated by "ethnic Macedonians" until it was incorporated into the Greek state.</p><p></p><p>Finally, what is "Solun" and where did that name come from? Is it not amusing that the people who claim that they are descendants of the ancient Macedonians and who claim that "ethnic Macedonians" have lived in "Solun" continuously since the days of Alexander do not use, in their common parlance, the name their supposed ancient Macedonian ancestors gave the town? Instead they use the same name the Bulgarians use for the town. I wonder why!</p><p></p>Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-77056709688047099572008-03-15T09:58:00.000-07:002008-03-17T10:13:14.363-07:00"Macedonia's" Historic Borders - misconceptionsNationalists from The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia along with their diaspora cohorts constantly advertise maps which depict what they claim is "historic Macedonia". There are numerous examples of such maps posted in all sorts of nationalist "Macedonian" websites and forums.<br /><br />This is an example of such a map:<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=unitedmak.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/unitedmak.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Notice the legend in the map above which defines the "historic borders", and notice that these borders encompass territory that belongs to Greece and Bulgaria.<br /><br />So, how "historic" are these borders? Nationalists from The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia along with their diaspora cohorts will allege that "Macedonia" has been defined with such boundaries for dozens of centuries. This is, afterall, what they have been led to believe by their own state sponsored institutions including the education system in F.Y.R.O.M. The following map, taken from a F.Y.R.O.M school text book, illustrates how Macedonia was defined and populated circa the period of the Slavic Migrations (6th-7th century AD):<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=example2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/example2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Taken from: Grade 7 History, Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Skopje 1992, page 155</span></em><br /><br />In reality, these boundaries as well as the notion of a "Macedonian" ethnicity were unknown at the time (circa 7th century AD)! The implication of this misinformation and propaganda is that we now have a whole generation of people in F.Y.R.O.M believing that "Macedonia" existed as an ethno/social entity defined by borders that have remained roughly the same for millenia! From this they conclude that Greece and Bulgaria are occupying territory that rightfully belongs to a "Macedonian" nation. In reality a consensus on their definition of "Macedonia" was only established in the 19th century. Even academics from Skopje concede this fact in their publication "<em>Macedonia and its Relations With Greece" published in 1993</em>:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=scholars2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/scholars2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=scholars3.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/scholars3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />So much for "Historic Boundaries"!! Unless of course 100+ years, in the context of Balkan history, is supposed to be "historic"!<br /><br />The geographic region of Macedonia has never belonged to a "Macedonian" nation or ethnos, has never been part of a "Macedonian" state and the geographic descriptor "Macedonian" did not have any ethnic signficance until certain Balkan states manufactured and promoted a "Macedonian" identity in the late 19th century. As a matter of fact, prior to the 19th century there were a vast number of depictions of Macedonia produced that did not even include most of the geography that F.Y.R.O.M is located on today:<br /><br />Example 1: <em>1747 DG. De L'Isle. Nova et accurata Regni Hungariae Tabula, ad usum Serenissimi Burgundiae Ducis.</em><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=map1747.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/map1747.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Notice how "Macedoine" is depicted as part of the geography of "Grece"<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=macedoine-greece.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/macedoine-greece.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Example 2: <em>1651 - A depiction of "GRAECIA" (Greece) by the cartographer J. Janssonius</em>.<br />This depiction of Macedonia hardly coincides with the version being peddled by FYROM's institutions today:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=gracia1651.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/gracia1651.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Example 3: During the Byzantine period "Macedonia" was defined as an administrative province called a 'Theme'. <em>The following map depicts the contemporary Byzantine themes including theme of Macedonia</em>. <strong>F.Y.R.O.M's current geography is located in what was the Byzantine theme of BULGARIA</strong>!<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=byzantiumthemes10258hb.gif" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/byzantiumthemes10258hb.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Example 4: <em>Ptolemaic Map produced in 1480</em>. Notice that the depiction of Macedonia hardly coincides with the current geography of F.Y.R.O.M<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=PtolemaicMap1480.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/PtolemaicMap1480.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Example 5: <em>G. Mercator. Macedonia and Epirus 1609</em>. The depiction of Macedonia barely overlaps the current geography of F.Y.R.O.M.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=GMercatorMacedoniaEpirvisetAchaiaDu.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/GMercatorMacedoniaEpirvisetAchaiaDu.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Example 6: <em>Macedonia Alexandri M. Patria - Janssonius à Waesberghe ,ca. 1684.</em> Notice that the depiction of Macedonia barely touches the current geography of F.Y.R.O.M:<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=macedonia17thcent.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/macedonia17thcent.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Example 7: <em>Macedonia, Epirus et Achaia. - Blaeu ,1659-72. </em>Notice that the depiction of Macedonia barely overlaps the current geography of F.Y.R.O.M.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=MacedoniaEpirusAchaia1659.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/MacedoniaEpirusAchaia1659.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Example 8: <em>Nova Totius GRAECIAE descriptio - Mercator-Hondius-Jansson ,ca. 1633</em>. Notice that the depiction of Macedonia not only barely overlaps the current geography of F.Y.R.O.M, the geography of Macedonia is also depicted within the cartographer's contemporary definition of 'Greece'.<br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=GreeceMercatorHondiusJansson1633.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/GreeceMercatorHondiusJansson1633.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As usual, claims from official F.Y.R.O.M sources have no basis in fact or reality. Macedonia surely did not have static boundaries for centuries on end. As shown above, even academics from Skopje concede that the modern geographic definition of "Macedonia", as espoused by nationalists from F.Y.R.O.M, <em>was established during the 19th century</em>. Prior to the 19th century most of F.Y.R.O.M's current geography, including the region encompassing Skopje, was not included in a vast number of depictions of Macedonia that were produced by European cartographers. This is why the name <strong><em>NEW Macedonia</em></strong> would be an accurate and appropriate name for the new Balkan state. In light of the fact that the "Macedonian" ethno/national identity is a 19th century construct the name "<strong><em>New Macedonia</em></strong>" would be the best compromise for the name dispute involving Greece and F.Y.R.O.M.Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180339000029114789.post-3685872203997573622008-03-14T13:28:00.001-07:002008-03-14T16:22:37.933-07:00France backs Greece in Name disputeFrench President Nicholas Sarkozy pledged his support for Greece with regards to the name dispute with The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia<br /><br /><a href="http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8630/">http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8630/</a><br /><blockquote><p></p><p><strong>France Backs Greece In Macedonia Row</strong></p><p><strong>14 March 2008</strong></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Brussels _ French President Nicolas Sarkozy has confirmed he backs Greece in the row over Macedonia’s name.<br /><br />On the margins of the European Union summit, Sarkozy said it was “the right impression” to conclude that that Paris is on Greek side in the “name” dispute. He also confirmed the issue is always raised during various meetings with Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. “I always stressed that we support the Greek position in the name issue. Greeks are our friends,” Sarkozy said. “I am confirming to you that we are in solidarity with the position of our Greek friends,” the French president said. Athens objects Skopje’s use of its constitutional name, “Republic of Macedonia” saying it implies Skopje's territorial claims over Greece's own northern province of Macedonia.<br /><br />Greece has vowed to veto Macedonia’s bid to join NATO at the alliance’s Bucharest Summit at the beginning of April if a solution is not found. Meanwhile, the European Commission expressed its worry that Macedonia’s government crisis might affect the pace of EU reforms in the country. Late on Thursday, the Democratic Party of Albanians, the key partner in the centre-right government coalition lead by VMRO DPMNE, confirmed that it is withdrawing from the government.<br /><br />“We expect the government to remain focused on the EU reform process. We believe that this is a moment when all parties need to put aside party interests, and work in a spirit of consensus and engage in continued dialogue in order to ensure success in reform processes,” said Krisztina Nagy, spokeswoman for the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner, Olli Rehn.</span><br /></p></blockquote><br />Of course this development was not viewed in a friendly light by the so called internet based "Macedonian Human Rights Activists". As an example the administrator of maknews.com and the architect of the official Rainbow Party of Greece website, the same Rainbow Party that is a champion of human rights for minorities in Greece, made the following comment regarding the French president and people. Remember, this is one of the "Macedonian" diaspora's greatest internet champions of human rights making these derogatory comments:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/?action=view&current=maknews2.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w45/chrisphilipou/maknews2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I suppose civility and 'human rights' only apply to issues that adhere to the maknews.com administrator's agenda!Chris Philipouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15607184871739408658noreply@blogger.com0