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Δελτία Τύπου

Επιστολή προς τον Ομπάμα 262 Καθηγητών της Διεθνούς Πανεπιστημιακής Κοινότητας οι οποίοι υπεραμύνονται των δικαιωμάτων της Ελλάδας για την Μακεδονία (8/6/2009)

262ΚΑΘΗΓΗΤΑΙ ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΩΝ

ΑΠΟ ΤΗ ΔΙΕΘΝΗ ΚΟΙΝΟΤΗΤΑ

ΥΠΕΡΑΜΥΝΟΝΤΑΙ ΤΩΝ ΔΙΚΑΙΩΜΑΤΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ

ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑ

ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΜΩΝΟΥΝ ΤΟΥΣ ΣΚΟΠΙΑΝΟΥΣ

ΜΕ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ ΤΟΥΣ ΠΡΟΣ ΤΟΝ ΠΡΟΕΔΡΟ ΟΜΠΑΜΑ

18-05-2009

Πρὸς τὸν ἀξιότιμο Barack Obama

Πρόεδρο τῶν ΗΠΑ,

Λευκὸ Οἶκο, 1600 Λεωφόρος Πενσυλβανίας

Οὐάσινγκτον, DC 20500

Ἀγαπητὲ Πρόεδρε Obama,

Οἱ ὑπογράφοντες πανεπιστημιακοὶ Καθηγητὲς σὲ τομεῖς τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς καὶ Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἀρχαιότητας, ζητοῦμε μὲ σεβασμὸ τὴν παρέμβασή σας, γιὰ νὰ ξεκαθαρίσουν διάφορα ἱστορικὰ ἐρείπια, ποὺ ἔχουν ἐναπομείνει στὴ νοτιοανατολικὴ Εὐρώπη, ἀπὸ προηγούμενες ἀμερικανικὲς Κυβερνήσεις.

Τὴν 4^η Νοεμβρίου 2004, δύο ἡμέρες μετὰ τὴν ἐπανεκλογὴ τοῦ Προέδρου GeorgeW. Bush, ἡ Κυβέρνηση του ἀνεγνώρισε μονομερῶς τὴ «Δημοκρατία τῆς Μακεδονίας». Ἡ ἐνέργεια αὐτή, ὄχι μόνο ἀκύ-ρωσε γεωγραφικὰ καὶ ἱστορικὰ γεγονότα, ἀλλὰ παράλληλα προεκά-λεσε μία ἐπικίνδυνη ἐπιδημία ἱστορικοῦ ῥεβιζιονισμοῦ, τῆς ὁποίας τὸ πλέον ἐμφανὲς σύμπτωμα, εἶναι ἡ κατάχρηση ἀπὸ τὴν Κυβέρνηση τῶν Σκοπίων τοῦ πλέον διασήμου ἀπὸ ὅλους τοὺς Μακεδόνες, τοῦ Μεγάλου Ἀλεξάνδρου.

Πιστεύομε ὅτι αὐτὴ ἡ ἀνοησία ἔχει πάει πολὺ μακρυὰ καὶ οἱ ΗΠΑ δὲν ἔχουν δουλειὰ νὰ ὑποστηρίζουν τὴν ἀνατροπὴ τῆς Ἱστορί- ας.

(ἡ στοιχειοθέτηση αὐτῶν τῶν γεγονότων, τὰ ὁποῖα ἐδῶ σημειώνονται μὲ ἔντονη γραφή, εὑρίσκεται στὴν ἱστοσελίδα

http://macedonia-evidence.org/documentation.html.)

Ἡ ὑπὸ συζήτηση χώρα, μὲ τὴν σύγχρονη πρωτεύουσά της, τὰ Σκόπια, στὴν ἀρχαιότητα ὠνομαζόταν Παιονία. Τὰ βουνὰ Βαρνοὺς καὶ Ὄρβηλος, τὰ ὁποῖα εἶναι σήμερα τὰ βόρεια ὅρια τῆς Ἑλλάδος, ἀποτελοῦν ἕνα φυσικὸ σύνορο, τὸ ὁποῖο διεχώριζε καὶ διαχωρίζει τὴν Μακεδονία ἀπὸ τὸ βόρειο γείτονά της. Ἡ μόνη πραγματικὴ σύνδεση εἶναι κατὰ μῆκος τοῦ ποταμοῦ Ἀξιοῦ/Βαρδάρη, ἂν καὶ ἀκόμη αὐτὴ ἡ κοιλάδα, δὲν ἀποτελεῖ γραμμὴ ἐπικοινωνίας, διότι διακόπτεται ἀπὸ φαράγγια.

Παρὰ τὸ ὅτι εἶναι ἀληθινὸ πὼς οἱ Παίονες κατακτήθηκαν περὶ τὸ 358 π.Χ. ἀπὸ τὸν Φίλιππο τὸν ΙΙ, πατέρα τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου, οἱ Παίονες δὲν ἦσαν Μακεδόνες, καὶ δὲν ζοῦσαν στὴ Μακεδονία. Παρ-ομοίως, π.χ., οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι, οἱ ὁποῖοι κατακτήθηκαν ἀπὸ τὸν Ἀλέξαν-δρο, διοικήθηκαν ἀπὸ τοὺς Μακεδόνες, στοὺς ὁποίους περιλαμβάνε-ται καὶ ἡ περίφημη Κλεοπάτρα, ἀλλὰ ποτὲ δὲν ἦσαν οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι Μακεδόνες, καὶ ποτὲ ἡ Αἴγυπτος δὲν ὠνομαζόταν Μακεδονία.

Ἡ Μακεδονία καὶ οἱ Ἕλληνες Μακεδόνες εἶναι τοὐλάχιστον ἐδῶ καὶ 2.500 ἔτη, ἐκεῖ ποὺ εὑρίσκεται καὶ ἡ σημερινὴ Ἑλληνικὴ ἐπαρχία τῆς Μακεδονίας. Ἡ ἰδία ἀκριβῶς σχέση ἰσχύει γιὰ τὴν Ἀτ-τικὴ καὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους Ἕλληνες, τὸ Ἄργος καὶ τοὺς Ἀργείους Ἕλληνες, τὴν Κόρινθο καὶ τοὺς Κορινθίους Ἕλληνες κτλ..

Δὲν καταλαβαίνομε πῶς οἱ σημερινοὶ κάτοικοι τῆς Παιονίας, ποὺ ὁμιλοῦν σλαβικὰ, γλῶσσα ποὺ εἰσήχθη στὰ Βαλκάνια περίπου μία χιλιετία μετὰ τὸν θάνατο τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου, μποροῦν νὰ τὸν παρ-ουσιάζουν ὡς ἐθνικό τους ἥρωα. Ὁ Μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος ἦταν καθ’ ὁ-λοκληρία καὶ ἀναμφισβήτητα Ἕλληνας. Ὁ προ-προππάπος του Ἀλέ-ξανδρος Ι, εἶχε πάρει μέρος σὲ Ὀλυμπιακοὺς Ἀγῶνες, στοὺς ὁποίους ἡ συμμετοχὴ περιοριζόταν μόνο σὲ Ἕλληνες.

Ἀκόμη καὶ πρὶν ἀπὸ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρο Ι, οἱ Μακεδόνες ἕλκυαν τὴν καταγωγή των ἀπὸ τὸ Ἄργος, καὶ πολλοὶ Μακεδόνες Βασιληά-δες ἐχρησιμοποίησαν σὲ νομίσματά των τὴν κεφαλὴ τοῦ Ἡρακλῆ, ποὺ ἀποτελοῦσε τὴν πεμπτουσία τοῦ Ἕλληνα Ἥρωα.

Ὁ Εὐριπίδης, ποὺ πέθανε καὶ ἐνεταφιάσθη στὴ Μακεδονία, ἔγραψε στὴν ἑλληνικὴ γλῶσσα τὸ ἔργο του «Ἀρχέλαος», πρὸς τιμὴ θείου του Ἀλεξάνδρου. Εὑρισκόμενος ὁ Εὐριπίδης στὴ Μακεδονία, ἔγραψε καὶ τὸ ἔργο του «Βάκχες», ἐπίσης στὴν ἑλληνικὴ γλῶσσα. Προφανῶς, τὸ Μακεδονικὸ ἀκροατήριο καταλάβαινε διαβάζοντας τὴ γλῶσσα στὴν ὁποία εἶχε γράψει ὁ Εὐριπίδης, καὶ καταλάβαινε ἐπίσης αὐτὴ τὴ γλῶσσα ὅταν τὴν ἄκουγε.

Ὁ πατέρας τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου Φίλιππος, κέρδισε νίκες σὲ ἱπ-πικὰ ἀγωνίσματα στὴν Ὀλυμπία καὶ τοὺς Δελφούς, δύο ἀπὸ τὰ πλέ-ον ἑλληνικὰ Ἱερὰ ἀπὸ ὅλα τὰ Ἱερὰ τῆς ἀρχαίας Ἑλλάδος, στοὺς ἀ-γῶνες τῶν ὁποίων μόνον Ἕλληνες εἶχαν δικαίωμα συμμετοχῆς. Μὲ ἄλλα λόγια, ὁ πατέρας τοῦ Μεγάλου Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ οἱ πρόγονοί του ἦσαν Ἕλληνες 100%. Ἑλληνικὴ ἦταν ἡ γλῶσσα ποὺ χρησιμο-ποιοῦσε ὁ Δημοσθένης καὶ ἡ Ἀθηναϊκὴ ἀντιπροσωπεία, ἡ ὁποία ἐπεσκέφθη τὸν Φίλιππο τὸ 346 π.Χ..

Ὁ Ἀριστοτέλης, ἕνας ἀκόμη Ἕλληνας ἀπὸ τὴ Βόρεια Ἑλλά-δα, ἐφοίτησε γιὰ 20 περίπου χρόνια στὴν Ἀκαδημία τοῦ Πλάτωνα. Ὁ Ἀριστοτέλης ἐπιστρέφοντας στὴ Μακεδονία, ἔγινε δάσκαλος τοῦ Ἀ-λεξάνδρου ΙΙΙ. Στὰ μαθήματά των ἐχρησιμοποιοῦσαν τὴν Ἑλληνικὴ Γλῶσσα, ὅπως μποροῦμε καὶ σήμερα ἀκόμη νὰ διαπιστώσωμε κοντὰ στὴ Νάουσα, πόλη τῆς Μακεδονίας.

Ὁ Ἀλέξανδρος εἶχε μαζύ του σὲ ὅλες τὶς ἐκστρατεῖες του, τὴν Ἰλιάδα τοῦ Ὁμήρου, ποὺ εἶχε ἐκδώσει ὁ Ἀριστοτέλης. Ἐπίσης ὁ Ἀ-λέξανδρος διέδωσε τὴν Ἑλληνικὴ Γλῶσσα καὶ τὸν Ἑλληνικὸ Πολιτι-σμὸ σὲ ὅλη του τὴν Αὐτοκρατορία, ἐγκαθιδρύοντας πόλεις καὶ κέν-τρα σπουδῶν. Ἔτσι συναφεῖς ἐπιγραφὲς ποὺ ἀφοροῦν σὲ τέτοια, τυπι-κὰ Ἑλληνικὰ Ἱδρύματα καὶ Γυμνάσια, ἀνακαλύπτονται σήμερα ἀ-κόμη καὶ μέχρι τὸ μακρυνὸ Ἀφγανιστάν. Ὅλες αὐτὲς οἱ ἐπιγραφές, εἶναι γραμμένες στὴν Ἑλληνικὴ Γλῶσσα.

Μετὰ τὰ προαναφερόμενα προκύπτουν ἐρωτήσεις ὅπως :

Ø Γιατὶ ἡ Ἑλληνικὴ ἦταν κοινὴ γλῶσσα σὲ ὅλη τὴν Αὐτοκρατορία τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου, ἐὰν αὐτὸς ἦταν «Μακεδόνας» καὶ ὄχι Ἕλληνας;

Ø Γιατὶ ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, γιὰ παράδειγμα, ἐγράφη στὴν Ἑλληνικὴ Γλῶσσα;

Οἱ ἀπαντήσεις εἶναι ξεκάθαρες.

Ὁ Μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος ἦταν Ἕλληνας καὶ ὄχι Σλάβος. Οἱ Σλάβοι καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα των, ποὺ ἐμφανίσθηκαν 1000 χρόνια ἀργότερα, δὲν εἶχαν τίποτε τὸ κοινὸ μὲ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρο ἢ τὴν πατρίδα του. Αὐτὴ ἡ διαπίστωση μᾶς ἐπιστρέφει στὴ γεωγραφικὴ περιοχή, ποὺ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχαιότητα ἦταν γνωστὴ ὡς Παιονία.

Ø Γιατὶ οἱ σημερινοὶ κάτοικοι αὐτῆς τῆς περιοχῆς ὀνομάζουν τοὺς ἑαυτούς των Μακεδόνες καὶ τὴ χώρα τους Μακεδονία;

Ø Γιατὶ ὑποκλέπτουν μιὰ πλήρως Ἑλληνικὴ προσωπικότητα καὶ τὴν ἀναγορεύουν σὲ ἐθνικό τους Ἥρωα;

Οἱ ἀρχαῖοι Παίονες, εἶναι πιθανὸν νὰ ἦσαν ἢ νὰ μὴν ἦσαν Ἕλληνες, ἀλλὰ ἐξελληνίσθησαν καὶ δὲν ἦσαν ποτὲ Σλάβοι. Ἐπίσης δὲν ἦσαν Μακεδόνες. Ἡ ἀρχαία Παιονία, ἦταν μέρος τῆς Μακεδονι-κῆς Αὐτοκρατορίας, ὅπως ἐπίσης ἦσαν ἡ Ἰωνία, ἡ Συρία, ἡ Παλαι-στίνη, ἡ Αἴγυπτος, ἡ Μεσοποταμία, ἡ Βαβυλωνία, ἡ Βακτριανὴ καὶ πολλὲς ἄλλες περιοχές. Μπορεῖ οἱ προαναφερόμενοι τόποι νὰ ἔγιναν προσωρινὰ «Μακεδονικοί», ἀλλὰ κανένας ἀπὸ αὐτοὺς δὲν ἀπετέλεσε τὴ «Μακεδονία». Δὲν μπορεῖ νὰ δικαιολογηθῇ ἡ κλοπὴ τοῦ Φιλίππου καὶ τοῦ Ἀλεξάνδρου, ἀπὸ μιὰ χώρα ποὺ ποτὲ δὲν ὐπῆρξε Μακεδονία.

Οἱ παραδόσεις τῆς ἀρχαίας Παιονίας, μποροῦν νὰ γίνουν ἀ-ποδεκτὲς ἀπὸ τοὺς σημερινούς της κατοίκους μὲ σημαντικὴ κατα-νόηση. Δὲν μπορεῖ νὰ δικαιολογηθῇ ἡ ἐπέκταση τῆς γεωγραφικῆς ὀνομασίας «Μακεδονία», στὴ Νότια Γιουγκοσλαβία. Ἀκόμη καὶ στὰ τέλη τοῦ 19^ου αἰῶνα, αὐτὴ ἡ κατάχρηση δείχνει ἀῤῥωστημένες ἐδα-φικὲς διεκδικήσεις.

Τὰ ἴδια κίνητρα διαφαίνονται καὶ σὲ σχολικοὺς χάρτες στὴ Σλαβικὴ Γλῶσσα, ποὺ δείχνουν τὴν ψευδομεγάλη Μακεδονία νὰ ἐ-κτείνεται ἀπὸ τὰ Σκόπια μέχρι καὶ τὸν Ὄλυμπο. Οἱ ἴδιοι χάρτες καὶ διεκδικήσεις ἐμφανίζονται σὲ ἡμερολόγια, τραπεζικὰ χαρτονομίσμα-τα, αὐτοκόλλητα κτλ., τὰ ὁποῖα κυκλοφοροῦνται ἀπὸ τὸ 1991, ποὺ ἡ περιοχὴ αὐτὴ ἀποσχίσθηκε καὶ ἀνεξαρτοποιήθηκε ἀπὸ τὴν Γιουγ-κοσλαβία.

Ø Γιατὶ μιὰ χώρα περίκλειστη ἀπὸ στεριὲς ἀπετόλμησε αὐτὴ τὴν ἱστο-ρικὴ ἀνοησία;

Ø Γιατὶ ἀναιδέστατα ἐμπαίζει καὶ προκαλεῖ τὸν γείτονά της;

Ὅπως καὶ νὰ χαρακτηρισθῇ ἡ προαναφερομένη συμπεριφορά, δὲν ἀποτελεῖ προφανῶς ἱστορικὴ ἀλήθεια καὶ δὲν συμβάλλει στὴν σταθερότητα τῶν Βαλκανίων. Εἶναι λυπηρὸ ποὺ οἱ ΗΠΑ ὑποκινοῦν καὶ ὑποβοηθοῦν αὐτὴ τὴ συμπεριφορά.

Ἀπευθυνόμασθε σὲ σᾶς κ. Πρόεδρε, προκειμένου ὅπως σεῖς κρίνετε ἐνδεδειγμένο, νὰ βοηθήσετε τὴν Κυβέρνηση τῶν Σκοπίων νὰ ἀντιληφθῇ ὅτι δὲν μπορεῖ νὰ δημιουργήσῃ μιὰ ἐθνικὴ ταυτότητα σὲ βάρος τῆς ἱστορικῆς ἀληθείας. Ἡ κοινὴ διεθνής μας κοινωνία, δὲν μπορεῖ νὰ ἐπιβιώσῃ, ὅταν ἀγνοεῖται ἡ Ἱστορία, ἰδίως δὲ ὅταν ἡ Ἱστορίακατασκευάζεται.

Εἰλικρινῶς,

(ἀκολουθοῦν τὰ ὀνόματα καὶ οἱ τίτλοι

262 Καθηγητῶν Πανεπιστημίων διαφόρων χωρῶν).

1. Harry C. Avery, Professor of Classics, University of Pittsburgh (USA)

2. Dr. Dirk Backendorf. Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz (Germany)

3. Elizabeth C. Banks, Associate Professor of Classics (ret.), University of Kansas (USA)

4. Luigi Beschi, professore emerito di Archeologia Classica, Università di Firenze (Italy)

5. Josine H. Blok, professor of Ancient History and Classical Civilization, Utrecht University (The Netherlands)

6. Alan Boegehold, Emeritus Professor of Classics, Brown University (USA)

7. Efrosyni Boutsikas, Lecturer of Classical Archaeology, University of Kent (UK)

8. Keith Bradley, Eli J. and Helen Shaheen Professor of Classics, Concurrent Professor of History, University of Notre Dame (USA)

9. Stanley M. Burstein, Professor Emeritus, California State University, Los Angeles (USA)

10. Francis Cairns, Professor of Classical Languages, The Florida State University (USA)

11. John McK. Camp II, Agora Excavations and Professor of Archaeology, ASCSA, Athens (Greece)

12. Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture, University of Cambridge (UK)

13. Paavo Castrén, Professor of Classical Philology Emeritus, University of Helsinki (Finland)

14. William Cavanagh, Professor of Aegean Prehistory, University of Nottingham (UK)

15. Angelos Chaniotis, Professor, Senior Research Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford (UK)

16. Paul Christesen, Professor of Ancient Greek History, Dartmouth College (USA)

17. Ada Cohen, Associate Professor of Art History, Dartmouth College (USA)

18. Randall M. Colaizzi, Lecturer in Classical Studies, University of Massachusetts-Boston (USA)

19. Kathleen M. Coleman, Professor of Latin, Harvard University (USA)

20. Michael B. Cosmopoulos, Ph.D., Professor and Endowed Chair in Greek Archaeology, University of Missouri-St. Louis (USA)

21. Kevin F. Daly, Assistant Professor of Classics, Bucknell University (USA)

22. Wolfgang Decker, Professor emeritus of sport history, Deutsche Sporthochschule, Köln (Germany)

23. Luc Deitz, Ausserplanmässiger Professor of Mediaeval and Renaissance Latin, University of Trier (Germany), and Curator of manuscripts and rare books, National Library of Luxembourg (Luxembourg)

24. Michael Dewar, Professor of Classics, University of Toronto (Canada)

25. John D. Dillery, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Virginia (USA)

26. Sheila Dillon, Associate Professor, Depts. of Art, Art History & Visual Studies and Classical Studies, Duke University (USA)

27. Douglas Domingo-Forasté, Professor of Classics, California State University, Long Beach (USA)

28. Pierre Ducrey, professeur honoraire, Université de Lausanne (Switzerland)

29. Roger Dunkle, Professor of Classics Emeritus, Brooklyn College, City University of New York (USA)

30. Michael M. Eisman, Associate Professor Ancient History and Classical Archaeology, Department of History, Temple University (USA)

31. Mostafa El-Abbadi, Professor Emeritus, University of Alexandria (Egypt)

32. R. Malcolm Errington, Professor für Alte Geschichte (Emeritus) Philipps-Universität, Marburg (Germany)

33. Panagiotis Faklaris, Assistant Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

34. Denis Feeney, Giger Professor of Latin, Princeton University (USA)

35. Elizabeth A. Fisher, Professor of Classics and Art History, Randolph-Macon College (USA)

36. Nick Fisher, Professor of Ancient History, Cardiff University (UK)

37. R. Leon Fitts, Asbury J Clarke Professor of Classical Studies, Emeritus, FSA, Scot., Dickinson Colllege (USA)

38. John M. Fossey FRSC, FSA, Emeritus Professor of Art History (and Archaeology), McGill Univertsity, Montreal, and Curator of Archaeology, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Canada)

39. Robin Lane Fox, University Reader in Ancient History, New College, Oxford (UK)

40. Rainer Friedrich, Professor of Classics Emeritus, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S. (Canada)

41. Heide Froning, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Marburg (Germany)

42. Peter Funke, Professor of Ancient History, University of Muenster (Germany)

43. Traianos Gagos, Professor of Greek and Papyrology, University of Michigan (USA)

44. Robert Garland, Roy D. and Margaret B. Wooster Professor of the Classics, Colgate University, Hamilton NY (USA)

45. Douglas E. Gerber, Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies, University of Western Ontario (Canada)

46. Hans R. Goette, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Giessen (Germany); German Archaeological Institute, Berlin (Germany)

47. Sander M. Goldberg, Professor of Classics, UCLA (USA)

48. Erich S. Gruen, Gladys Rehard Wood Professor of History and Classics, Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley (USA)

49. Christian Habicht, Professor of Ancient History, Emeritus, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (USA)

50. Donald C. Haggis, Nicholas A. Cassas Term Professor of Greek Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)

51. Judith P. Hallett, Professor of Classics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (USA)

52. Prof. Paul B. Harvey, Jr. Head, Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, The Pennsylvania State University (USA)

53. Eleni Hasaki, Associate Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Arizona (USA)

54. Miltiades B. Hatzopoulos, Director, Research Centre for Greek and Roman Antiquity, National Research Foundation, Athens (Greece)

55. Wolf-Dieter Heilmeyer, Prof. Dr., Freie Universität Berlin und Antikensammlung der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin (Germany)

56. Steven W. Hirsch, Associate Professor of Classics and History, Tufts University (USA)

57. Karl-J. Hölkeskamp, Professor of Ancient History, University of Cologne (Germany)

58. Frank L. Holt, Professor of Ancient History, University of Houston (USA)

59. Dan Hooley, Professor of Classics, University of Missouri (USA)

60. Meredith C. Hoppin, Gagliardi Professor of Classical Languages, Williams College, Williamstown, MA (USA)

61. Caroline M. Houser, Professor of Art History Emerita, Smith College (USA) and Affiliated Professor, University of Washington (USA)

62. Georgia Kafka, Visiting Professor of Modern Greek Language, Literature and History, University of New Brunswick (Canada)

63. Anthony Kaldellis, Professor of Greek and Latin, The Ohio State University (USA)

64. Andromache Karanika, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of California, Irvine (USA)

65. Robert A. Kaster, Professor of Classics and Kennedy Foundation Professor of Latin, Princeton University (USA)

66. Vassiliki Kekela, Adjunct Professor of Greek Studies, Classics Department, Hunter College, City University of New York (USA)

67. Dietmar Kienast, Professor Emeritus of Ancient History, University of Duesseldorf (Germany)

68. Karl Kilinski II, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Southern Methodist University (USA)

69. Dr. Florian Knauss, associate director, Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek Muenchen (Germany)

70. Denis Knoepfler, Professor of Greek Epigraphy and History, Collège de France (Paris)

71. Ortwin Knorr, Associate Professor of Classics, Willamette University (USA)

72. Robert B. Koehl, Professor of Archaeology, Department of Classical and Oriental Studies Hunter College, City University of New York (USA)

73. Georgia Kokkorou-Alevras, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)

74. Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Classical Studies, Brandeis University (USA)

75. Eric J. Kondratieff, Assistant Professor of Classics and Ancient History, Department of Greek & Roman Classics, Temple University

76. Haritini Kotsidu, Apl. Prof. Dr. für Klassische Archäologie, Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/M. (Germany)

77. Lambrini Koutoussaki, Dr., Lecturer of Classical Archaeology, University of Zürich (Switzerland)

78. David Kovacs, Hugh H. Obear Professor of Classics, University of Virginia (USA)

79. Peter Krentz, W. R. Grey Professor of Classics and History, Davidson College (USA)

80. Friedrich Krinzinger, Professor of Classical Archaeology Emeritus, University of Vienna (Austria)

81. Michael Kumpf, Professor of Classics, Valparaiso University (USA)

82. Donald G. Kyle, Professor of History, University of Texas at Arlington (USA)

83. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Helmut Kyrieleis, former president of the German Archaeological Institute, Berlin (Germany)

84. Gerald V. Lalonde, Benedict Professor of Classics, Grinnell College (USA)

85. Steven Lattimore, Professor Emeritus of Classics, University of California, Los Angeles (USA)

86. Francis M. Lazarus, President, University of Dallas (USA)

87. Mary R. Lefkowitz, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities, Emerita, Wellesley College (USA)

88. Iphigeneia Leventi, Assistant Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Thessaly (Greece)

89. Daniel B. Levine, Professor of Classical Studies, University of Arkansas (USA)

90. Christina Leypold, Dr. phil., Archaeological Institute, University of Zurich (Switzerland)

91. Vayos Liapis, Associate Professor of Greek, Centre d’Études Classiques & Département de Philosophie, Université de Montréal (Canada)

92. Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Professor of Greek Emeritus, University of Oxford (UK)

93. Yannis Lolos, Assistant Professor, History, Archaeology, and Anthropology, University of Thessaly (Greece)

94. Stanley Lombardo, Professor of Classics, University of Kansas, (USA)

95. Anthony Long, Professor of Classics and Irving G. Stone Professor of Literature, University of California, Berkeley (USA)

96. Julia Lougovaya, Assistant Professor, Department of Classics, Columbia University (USA)

97. A.D. Macro, Hobart Professor of Classical Languages emeritus, Trinity College (USA)

98. John Magee, Professor, Department of Classics, Director, Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto (Canada)

99. Dr. Christofilis Maggidis, Associate Professor of Archaeology, Dickinson College (USA)

100. Jeannette Marchand, Assistant Professor of Classics, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio (USA)

101. Richard P. Martin, Antony and Isabelle Raubitschek Professor in Classics, Stanford University (USA)

102. Maria Mavroudi, Professor of Byzantine History, University of California, Berkeley (USA)

103. Alexander Mazarakis Ainian, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Thessaly (Greece)

104. James R. McCredie, Sherman Fairchild Professor emeritus; Director, Excavations in Samothrace Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (USA)

105. James C. McKeown, Professor of Classics, University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA)

106. Robert A. Mechikoff, Professor and Life Member of the International Society of Olympic Historians, San Diego State University (USA)

107. Andreas Mehl, Professor of Ancient History, Universitaet Halle-Wittenberg (Germany)

108. Harald Mielsch, Professor of Classical Archeology, University of Bonn (Germany)

109. Stephen G. Miller, Professor of Classical Archaeology Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley (USA)

110. Phillip Mitsis, A.S. Onassis Professor of Classics and Philosophy, New York University (USA)

111. Peter Franz Mittag, Professor für Alte Geschichte, Universität zu Köln (Germany)

112. David Gordon Mitten, James Loeb Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology, Harvard University (USA)

113. Margaret S. Mook, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, Iowa State University (USA)

114. Anatole Mori, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, University of Missouri- Columbia (USA)

115. Jennifer Sheridan Moss, Associate Professor, Wayne State University (USA)

116. Ioannis Mylonopoulos, Assistant Professor of Greek Art History and Archaeology, Columbia University, New York (USA)

117. Richard Neudecker, PD of Classical Archaeology, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Rom (Italy)

118. James M.L. Newhard, Associate Professor of Classics, College of Charleston (USA)

119. Carole E. Newlands, Professor of Classics, University of Wisconsin, Madison (USA)

120. John Maxwell O'Brien, Professor of History, Queens College, City University of New York (USA)

121. James J. O'Hara, Paddison Professor of Latin, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (USA)

122. Martin Ostwald, Professor of Classics (ret.), Swarthmore College and Professor of Classical Studies (ret.), University of Pennsylvania (USA)

123. Olga Palagia, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)

124. Vassiliki Panoussi, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, The College of William and Mary (USA)

125. Maria C. Pantelia, Professor of Classics, University of California, Irvine (USA)

126. Pantos A.Pantos, Adjunct Faculty, Department of History, Archaeology and Social Anthropology, University of Thessaly (Greece)

127. Anthony J. Papalas, Professor of Ancient History, East Carolina University (USA)

128. Nassos Papalexandrou, Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Austin (USA)

129. Polyvia Parara, Visiting Assistant Professor of Greek Language and Civilization, Department of Classics, Georgetown University (USA)

130. Richard W. Parker, Associate Professor of Classics, Brock University (Canada)

131. Robert Parker, Wykeham Professor of Ancient History, New College, Oxford (UK)

132. Anastasia-Erasmia Peponi, Associate Professor of Classics, Stanford University (USA)

133. Jacques Perreault, Professor of Greek archaeology, Université de Montréal, Québec (Canada)

134. Yanis Pikoulas, Associate Professor of Ancient Greek History, University of Thessaly (Greece)

135. John Pollini, Professor of Classical Art & Archaeology, University of Southern California (USA)

136. David Potter, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Greek and Latin. The University of Michigan (USA)

137. Robert L. Pounder, Professor Emeritus of Classics, Vassar College (USA)

138. Nikolaos Poulopoulos, Assistant Professor in History and Chair in Modern Greek Studies, McGill University (Canada)

139. William H. Race, George L. Paddison Professor of Classics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)

140. John T. Ramsey, Professor of Classics, University of Illinois at Chicago (USA)

141. Karl Reber, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Lausanne (Switzerland)

142. Rush Rehm, Professor of Classics and Drama, Stanford University (USA)

143. Werner Riess, Associate Professor of Classics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)

144. Robert H. Rivkin, Ancient Studies Department, University of Maryland Baltimore County (USA)

145. Barbara Saylor Rodgers, Professor of Classics, The University of Vermont (USA)

146. Robert H. Rodgers. Lyman-Roberts Professor of Classical Languages and Literature, University of Vermont (USA)

147. Nathan Rosenstein, Professor of Ancient History, The Ohio State University (USA)

148. John C. Rouman, Professor Emeritus of Classics, University of New Hampshire, (USA)

149. Dr. James Roy, Reader in Greek History (retired), University of Nottingham (UK)

150. Steven H. Rutledge, Associate Professor of Classics, Department of Classics, University of Maryland, College Park (USA)

151. Christina A. Salowey, Associate Professor of Classics, Hollins University (USA)

152. Guy D. R. Sanders, Resident Director of Corinth Excavations, The American School of Classical Studies at Athens (Greece)

153. Theodore Scaltsas, Professor of Ancient Greek Philosophy, University of Edinburgh (UK)

154. Thomas F. Scanlon, Professor of Classics, University of California, Riverside (USA)

155. Bernhard Schmaltz, Prof. Dr. Archäologisches Institut der CAU, Kiel (Germany)

156. Rolf M. Schneider, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Ludwig-Maximilians- Universität München (Germany)

157. Peter Scholz, Professor of Ancient History and Culture, University of Stuttgart (Germany)

158. Christof Schuler, director, Commission for Ancient History and Epigraphy of the German Archaeological Institute, Munich (Germany)

159. Paul D. Scotton, Assoociate Professor Classical Archaeology and Classics, California State University Long Beach (USA)

160. Danuta Shanzer, Professor of Classics and Medieval Studies, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America (USA)

161. James P. Sickinger, Associate Professor of Classics, Florida State University (USA)

162. Marilyn B. Skinner  Professor of Classics,  University of Arizona (USA)

163. Niall W. Slater, Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Latin and Greek, Emory University (USA)

164. Peter M. Smith, Associate Professor of Classics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA)

165. Dr. Philip J. Smith, Research Associate in Classical Studies, McGill University (Canada)

166. Susan Kirkpatrick Smith Assistant Professor of Anthropology Kennesaw State University (USA)

167. Antony Snodgrass, Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology, University of Cambridge (UK)

168. Theodosia Stefanidou-Tiveriou, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

169. Andrew Stewart, Nicholas C. Petris Professor of Greek Studies, University of California, Berkeley (USA)

170. Oliver Stoll, Univ.-Prof. Dr., Alte Geschichte/ Ancient History,Universität Passau (Germany)

171. Richard Stoneman, Honorary Fellow, University of Exeter (England)

172. Ronald Stroud, Klio Distinguished Professor of Classical Languages and Literature Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley (USA)

173. Sarah Culpepper Stroup, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Washington (USA)

174. Nancy Sultan, Professor and Director, Greek & Roman Studies, Illinois Wesleyan University (USA)

175. David W. Tandy, Professor of Classics, University of Tennessee (USA)

176. James Tatum, Aaron Lawrence Professor of Classics, Dartmouth College

177. Martha C. Taylor, Associate Professor of Classics, Loyola College in Maryland

178. Petros Themelis, Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology, Athens (Greece)

179. Eberhard Thomas, Priv.-Doz. Dr.,Archäologisches Institut der Universität zu Köln (Germany)

180. Michalis Tiverios, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

181. Michael K. Toumazou, Professor of Classics, Davidson College (USA)

182. Stephen V. Tracy, Professor of Greek and Latin Emeritus, Ohio State University (USA)

183. Prof. Dr. Erich Trapp, Austrian Academy of Sciences/Vienna resp. University of Bonn (Germany)

184. Stephen M. Trzaskoma, Associate Professor of Classics, University of New Hampshire (USA)

185. Vasiliki Tsamakda, Professor of Christian Archaeology and Byzantine History of Art, University of Mainz (Germany)

186. Christopher Tuplin, Professor of Ancient History, University of Liverpool (UK)

187. Gretchen Umholtz, Lecturer, Classics and Art History, University of Massachusetts, Boston (USA)

188. Panos Valavanis, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)

189. Athanassios Vergados, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA

190. Christina Vester, Assistant Professor of Classics, University of Waterloo (Canada)

191. Emmanuel Voutiras, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

192. Speros Vryonis, Jr., Alexander S. Onassis Professor (Emeritus) of Hellenic Civilization and Culture, New York University (USA)

193. Michael B. Walbank, Professor Emeritus of Greek, Latin & Ancient History, The University of Calgary (Canada)

194. Bonna D. Wescoat, Associate Professor, Art History and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, Emory University (USA)

195. E. Hector Williams, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of British Columbia (Canada)

196. Roger J. A. Wilson, Professor of the Archaeology of the Roman Empire, and Director, Centre for the Study of Ancient Sicily, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (Canada)

197. Engelbert Winter, Professor for Ancient History, University of Münster (Germany)

198. Timothy F. Winters, Ph.D. Alumni Assn. Distinguished Professor of Classics, Austin Peay State University (USA)

199. Michael Zahrnt, Professor für Alte Geschichte, Universität zu Köln (Germany)

200. Paul Zanker, Professor Emeritus of Classical Studies, University of Munich (Germany)

201. cc: J. Biden, Vice President, USA

202. H. Clinton, Secretary of State USA

203. P. Gordon, Asst. Secretary-designate, European and Eurasian Affairs

204. H.L Berman, Chair, House Committee on Foreign Affairs

205. I.Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member, House Committee on Foreign Affairs

206. J. Kerry, Chair, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

207. R.G. Lugar, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

208. R. Menendez, United States Senator from New Jersey.

Addenda

12 Scholars added on May 19th 2009:

209. Mariana Anagnostopoulos, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, California State University, Fresno (USA)

210. John P. Anton, Distinguished Professor of Greek Philosophy and Culture University of South Florida (USA)

211. Effie F. Athanassopoulos, Associate Professor  Anthropology and Classics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA)

212. Leonidas Bargeliotes, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Athens, President of the Olympic Center for Philosophy and Culture (Greece)

213. Joseph W. Day, Professor of Classics, Wabash College (USA)

214. Christos C. Evangeliou, Professor of Ancient Hellenic Philosophy, Towson University, Maryland, Honorary President of International Association for Greek Philosophy (USA)

215. Eleni Kalokairinou, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Secretary of the Olympic Center of Philosophy and Culture (Cyprus)

216. Lilian Karali, Professor of Prehistoric and Environmental Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)

217. Anna Marmodoro, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford (UK)

218. Marion Meyer, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Vienna (Austria)

219. Jessica L. Nitschke, Assistant Professor of Classics, Georgetown University (USA)

220. David C.Young, Professor of Classics Emeritus, University of Florida (USA)

10 Scholars added on May 20th 2009:

221. Maria Ypsilanti, Assistant Professor of Ancient Greek Literature, University of Cyprus

222. Christos Panayides, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Nicosia (Cyprus)

223. Anagnostis P. Agelarakis, Professor of Anthropology, Adelphi University (USA)

224. Dr. Irma Wehgartner, Curator of the Martin von Wagner Museum der Universität Würzburg (Germany)

225. Dr. Ioannis Georganas, Researcher, Department of History and Archaeology, Foundation of the Hellenic World (Greece)

226. Maria Papaioannou, Assistant Professor in Classical Archaeology, University of New Brunswick (Canada)

227. Chryssa Maltezou, Professor emeritus, University of Athens, Director of the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Postbyzantine Studies in Venice (Italy)

228. Myrto Dragona-Monachou, Professor emerita of Philosophy, University of Athens (Greece)

229. David L. Berkey, Assistant Professor of History, California State University, Fresno (USA)

230. Stephan Heilen, Associate Professor of Classics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA)

3 Scholars added on May 21st 2009:

231. Rosalia Hatzilambrou, Researcher, Academy of Athens (Greece)

232. Athanasios Sideris, Ph.D., Head of the History and Archaeology Department, Foundation of the Hellenic World, Athens (Greece)

233. Rev. Dr. Demetrios J Constantelos, Charles Cooper Townsend Professor of Ancient and Byzantine history, Emeritus; Distinguished Research Scholar in Residence at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (USA)

3 Scholars added on May 22nd 2009:

234. Ioannis M. Akamatis, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

235. Lefteris Platon, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, University of Athens (Greece)

236. Lucia Athanassaki, Associate Professor of Classical Philology, University of Crete (Greece)

5 Scholars added on May 23rd 2009:

237. Georgios Anagnostopoulos, Professor of Philosophy, University of California-San Diego (USA)

238. Ioannes G. Leontiades, Assistant Professor of Byzantine History, Aristotle University of Thessalonike (Greece)

239. Ewen Bowie, Emeritus Fellow, Corpus Christi College, Oxford (UK)

240. Mika Kajava, Professor of Greek Language and Literature; Head of the Department of Classical Studies, University of Helsinki (Finland)

241. Christian R. Raschle, Assistant Professor of Roman History, Centre d’Études Classiques & Département d'Histoire, Université de Montréal (Canada)

4 Scholars added on May 25th 2009:

242. Selene Psoma, Senior Lecturer of Ancient History, University of Athens (Greece)

243. G. M. Sifakis, Professor Emeritus of Classics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki & New York University (Greece & USA)

244. Kostas Buraselis, Professor of Ancient History, University of Athens (Greece)

245. Michael Ferejohn, Associate Professor of Ancient Philosophy, Duke University (USA)

5 Scholars added on May 26th 2009:

246. Ioannis Xydopoulos, Assistant Professor in Ancient History, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

247. Stella Drougou, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

248. Heather L. Reid, Professor of Philosophy, Morningside College (USA)

249. Thomas A. Suits, Emeritus Professor of Classical Languages, University of Connecticut (USA)

250. Dr Thomas Johansen, Reader in Ancient Philosophy, University of Oxford (UK)

6 Scholars added on May 27th 2009:

251. Frösén Jaakko, Professor of Greek philology, University of Helsinki (Finland)

252. John F. Kenfield, Associate Professor, Department of Art History, Rutgers University (USA)

253. Dr. Aristotle Michopoulos, Professor & Chair, Greek Studies Dept., Hellenic College (Brookline, MA, USA)

254. Guy MacLean Rogers, Kemper Professor of Classics and History, Wellesley College (USA)

255. Stavros Frangoulidis, Associate Professor of Latin. Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

256. Yannis Tzifopoulos, Associate Professor of Ancient Greek and Epigraphy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

1 Scholar added on May 29th 2009:

257. Christos Simelidis, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Lincoln College, University of Oxford (UK)

3 Scholars added on June 2nd 2009:

258. Dr. Peter Grossmann, Member emeritus, German Archaeological Institute, Cairo (Egypt)

259. Eleni Papaefthymiou, Curator of the Numismatic Collection of the Foundation of the Hellenic World (Greece)

260. Evangeline Markou, Adjunct Lecturer in Greek History, Open University of Cyprus (Cyprus)

2 Scholars added on June 3rd 2009:

261. Aliki Moustaka, Professor of Classical Archaeology, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

262. François de Callataÿ, Professor of Monetary and Financial history of the Greek world, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Paris/Sorbonne) and Professor of Financial history of the Greco-Roman world, Université libre de Bruxelles (France and Brussels)

On May 18th, 200 Classical Scholars from around the world, sent a letter to the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.

· Since then, the list of cosigners has grown to 254, see Addenda.

Here is the Documentation. that accompanies the letter

Macedonian coin, stating in Greek: "ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΥ" (in English: "ALEXANDER'S")

Letter to President Barack Obama

May 18, 2009

The Honorable Barack Obama
President, United States of America
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

We, the undersigned scholars of Graeco-Roman antiquity, respectfully request that you intervene to clean up some of the historical debris left in southeast Europe by the previous U.S. administration.

On November 4, 2004, two days after the re-election of President George W. Bush, his administration unilaterally recognized the “Republic of Macedonia.” This action not only abrogated geographic and historic fact, but it also has unleashed a dangerous epidemic of historical revisionism, of which the most obvious symptom is the misappropriation by the government in Skopje of the most famous of Macedonians, Alexander the Great.

We believe that this silliness has gone too far, and that the U.S.A. has no business in supporting the subversion of history. Let us review facts.

(The documentation for these facts [here in boldfacehttp://macedonia-evidence.org/documentation.html)] can be found attached and at:

The land in question, with its modern capital at Skopje, was called Paionia in antiquity. Mts. Barnous and Orbelos (which form today the northern limits of Greece) provide a natural barrier that separated, and separates, Macedonia from its northern neighbor. The only real connection is along the Axios/Vardar River and even this valley “does not form a line of communication because it is divided by gorges.”

While it is true that the Paionians were subdued by Philip II, father of Alexander, in 358 B.C. they were not Macedonians and did not live in Macedonia. Likewise, for example, the Egyptians, who were subdued by Alexander, may have been ruled by Macedonians, including the famous Cleopatra, but they were never Macedonians themselves, and Egypt was never called Macedonia.

Rather, Macedonia and Macedonian Greeks have been located for at least 2,500 years just where the modern Greek province of Macedonia is. Exactly this same relationship is true for Attica and Athenian Greeks, Argos and Argive Greeks, Corinth and Corinthian Greeks, etc.

We do not understand how the modern inhabitants of ancient Paionia, who speak Slavic – a language introduced into the Balkans about a millennium after the death of Alexander – can claim him as their national hero. Alexander the Great was thoroughly and indisputably Greek. His great-great-great grandfather, Alexander I, competed in the Olympic Games where participation was limited to Greeks.

Even before Alexander I, the Macedonians traced their ancestry to Argos, and many of their kings used the head of Herakles - the quintessential Greek hero - on their coins.

Euripides – who died and was buried in Macedonia– wrote his play Archelaos in honor of the great-uncle of Alexander, and in Greek. While in Macedonia, Euripides also wrote the Bacchai, again in Greek. Presumably the Macedonian audience could understand what he wrote and what they heard.

Alexander’s father, Philip, won several equestrian victories at Olympia and Delphi, the two most Hellenic of all the sanctuaries in ancient Greece where non-Greeks were not allowed to compete. Even more significantly, Philip was appointed to conduct the Pythian Games at Delphi in 346 B.C. In other words, Alexander the Great’s father and his ancestors were thoroughly Greek. Greek was the language used by Demosthenes and his delegation from Athens when they paid visits to Philip, also in 346 B.C.

Another northern Greek, Aristotle, went off to study for nearly 20 years in the Academy of Plato. Aristotle subsequently returned to Macedonia and became the tutor of Alexander III. They used Greek in their classroom which can still be seen near Naoussa in Macedonia.

Alexander carried with him throughout his conquests Aristotle’s edition of Homer’s Iliad. Alexander also spread Greek language and culture throughout his empire, founding cities and establishing centers of learning. Hence inscriptions concerning such typical Greek institutions as the gymnasium are found as far away as Afghanistan. They are all written in Greek.

The questions follow: Why was Greek the lingua franca all over Alexander’s empire if he was a “Macedonian”? Why was the New Testament, for example, written in Greek?

The answers are clear: Alexander the Great was Greek, not Slavic, and Slavs and their language were nowhere near Alexander or his homeland until 1000 years later. This brings us back to the geographic area known in antiquity as Paionia. Why would the people who live there now call themselves Macedonians and their land Macedonia? Why would they abduct a completely Greek figure and make him their national hero?

The ancient Paionians may or may not have been Greek, but they certainly became Greekish, and they were never Slavs. They were also not Macedonians. Ancient Paionia was a part of the Macedonian Empire. So were Ionia and Syria and Palestine and Egypt and Mesopotamia and Babylonia and Bactria and many more. They may thus have become “Macedonian” temporarily, but none was ever “Macedonia”. The theft of Philip and Alexander by a land that was never Macedonia cannot be justified.

The traditions of ancient Paionia could be adopted by the current residents of that geographical area with considerable justification. But the extension of the geographic term “Macedonia” to cover southern Yugoslavia cannot. Even in the late 19th century, this misuse implied unhealthy territorial aspirations.

The same motivation is to be seen in school maps that show the pseudo-greater Macedonia, stretching from Skopje to Mt. Olympus and labeled in Slavic. The same map and its claims are in calendars, bumper stickers, bank notes, etc., that have been circulating in the new state ever since it declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Why would a poor land-locked new state attempt such historical nonsense? Why would it brazenly mock and provoke its neighbor?

However one might like to characterize such behavior, it is clearly not a force for historical accuracy, nor for stability in the Balkans. It is sad that the United States of America has abetted and encouraged such behavior.

We call upon you, Mr. President, to help - in whatever ways you deem appropriate - the government in Skopje to understand that it cannot build a national identity at the expense of historic truth. Our common international society cannot survive when history is ignored, much less when history is fabricated.

Sincerely, ( )

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