Simmilarites Between Ancient Macedonian and Todays' Macedonian Culture (Linguistics and Onomastics)
There are other personal names of ancient Macedonians which in their spoken form have associations with present day Macedonian words, but only some of the more obvious examples have been mentioned.
Regarding the above mentioned names, few things require some explanation. Although it is obvious that in their spoken form they are completely or to a great extent analogous to the Macedonian words that we have cited, as well as those from a number of other "Slavic" languages, the question remains: is this merely chance and is the etymology of these names consistent enough to satisfy logic? For example, is it possible that someone really would name their child "Perustija" (an iron tool for a hearth fire)? In order to answer this question we can say that the criteria which was used in earlier times to create personal names is not quite the same as the present day criteria (at least in regard to the Macedonian onomasticon, and certainly in others as well). Concretely, for names derived from household items we can say that in 19th century Macedonia there is evidence of the female name "Masa" (a table) as well a male name "Lambe" (a lamp). This means that even in the near past there existed personal names connected to items for household use that may justify the claim that the female name "Perustae" was derived from the noun "perustija" (an iron tool for a hearth). Concerning the names that we have dealt with that are derived from verbs, we can say that there also exist today Macedonian names connected to specific activities that are names derived from verbs. Thus, for example, there is the name "Gone" (to hunte, to chase). Regarding the names connected to various items (mantija, plat, mesti and etc.) we can say that in the 19th century there is documentation for the name "Vuna" (dialectal form of the wool), which means that names connected to items existed even in the recent past. There is even evidence in the 19th century of the rare female name "Valkana" (Dirty). Although such a name appears quite strange to present generations, that doesn't deny the fact that our ancestors sometimes created personal names based on different criteria than we use today, and that fact must be taken into account when discussing their etymology.
There is plenty of ancient, middle age and modern age narrative evidence concerning the analogy between the culture of the ancient Macedonians and the culture of the Veneti (ancestors of the "Slavs").
The Latin historian Quintus Curtius Rufus in his biography of Alexander The Great wrote that the Veneti from Asia Minor region of Paphlagonia took part in the army of Alexander The Great. Quintus Curtius Rufus mentioned an interesting piece of information. He wrote that Philotas, a Macedonian who was a naturilised Hellen, teased his fellow Macedonians by calling them "Phrygians or Paphlagians"40). He also wrote that the Macedonians were unhappy about this and complained to Alexander The Great. Two very important points to note here: Philotas equated the terms Phrygians and Paphlagonians. It is well known that the Phrygians (in the Balkans were known as Brygians) became the constitutional ethno-cultural core of the ancient Macedonians, whereas the term Paphlagonians represents a geographic name for Veneti, i.e. for the ancestors of the "Slavs". What this means actually is that Philotas equated the ancient Macedonians and the Veneti, and this happened before IV BC.
Even earlier than this, Herodotus wrote that Phrygians (ancient Macedonians) and Paphlagonians (ancestors of the "Slavs") wore very similar clothes41).
There is narrative evidence regarding the analogy between the "Slav" and ancient Macedonian culture from a later period as well. The Byzantine historian and writer Nichephore Gregoras during his visit to the Macedonian town of Strumica in 1326, recorded that there he heard a large number of Macedonian folk songs. He affirms that, although he did not understand the language of the local population, the folk songs from Strumica definitely resembled - the Phrygian folk songs!42)
Also in the later periods a lot of foreign and Macedonian activists declared that the "Slavs" were the same people as the ancient Macedonians!
Mauro Orbini, in his book "The Kingdom of the Slavs" (1601), wrote about the presence of the "Slavs" during the period of Alexander The Great, even as a part of his army. In this book, Orbini published a document, which represents a Charter, that was sent to the "Slavs" by Alexander The Great as a gesture of gratitude for taking part in Alexander's battles43). It is important to note that Alexander's biographer Quintus Curtius Rufus also wrote that the Veneti were a part of the Macedonian army.
The renowned Croatian historian from XVI century Vinko Pribichevich, in his book "About the Origin and the Adventures of Slavs" (Venice, 1532) asserts that ancient Macedonians are "Slavs". Middle-age Croatian reformists H. Lucich, D. Zatarich, I. Gundulich, J. Palmotich and others, also shared this belief and they all considered Alexander The Great a Slav. Matijan Alberti of Split (1561-1623) also supported this theory.
Ancient Macedonians were considered to be "Slavs" (Veneti) by a number of poets from Dubrovnik, and also a number of Russian historians: Butkov, Saveljev, Rostislavich and Chertkov, as well as archimandrites Leonid and Filrot. Mickevich from the Chair at the French College in Paris, in 1844 declared that the "Slavs are the oldest nation in Europe"44).
The German scholar Kuno, as well as the scholars Lelev and Bjeloski, put forward their assertion that not only the Hellenes but also the "Slavs" always lived on the Balkan peninsula, together with the Hellenes. The same was maintained by the highly distinguished Pavle J. Shafranich (who published a few books on this subject), as well as the Russian consul in Bitola, Hitrov. This theory was represented by some Serbian activists at the time45).
Renown Croatian folklorist from Bosnia Stefan Verkovich during his extended visit to Macedonia in the 19th century recorded a large number of Macedonian folklore deeds and in his letter to the newspaper "Dragoljub" in Zagreb published in 1868 wrote: "The Slavs, and not the Greeks, are the forefathers of the civilisation"46).
In his work "Veda Slovena" (1874) Verkovich wrote:"Our Slavs had a lively tradition even in the times of Alexander The Great".
Bulgarian writer Stefan Zahariev claimed that the "Slavs" are the oldest inhabitants of the Balkans and their literacy dates prior to the brothers St. Cyril and St. Methodius47).
In an Albanian history book from the 19th century has been stated that the Macedonians are the indigenous people of the Balkans and that Alexander The Great was a "famous Macedonian-Slav tzar". These views were shared by renown Macedonian intelectuals from the 19th century: Isaija Mazhovski, Gjorgji Pulevski, Nikola D. Chuparov and others, who believed that the ancient Macedonians and the "Slavs" are in fact the same people48).
Although the official Macedonian historiography (especially during the totalitarian regime in the period after the World War II until its indepence) mainly considered such articulations as national-romanticism, the future research will show whether there is any truth to the above claims.
Notes:
1) Aristotle's mother was born in the Macedonian city of Stagira, however this city at the time was an Athenian colony. This is why it is believed that she was Hellen. However his father, Nicomachus was most probably a Macedonian. He was a personal doctor of the Macedonian tzar Philip II (the father of Alexander The Great). It is known that both Philip and his son Alexander always appointed Macedonians in their immediate vicinity, especially in very sensitive positions such as doctors, trusted generals, bodyguards etc. This fact leads to a conclusion that Aristotle's father was a Macedonian, a view supported by many contemporary historians.
2) There are many historical deeds about the famous Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII describing her pure Macedonian origin. She was a daughter of Ptolemy XII, and a distant granddaughter of Ptolemy I (Ptolemy I was a friend of Alexander The Great since their childhood and a general in the Macedonian army).
3) After the death of Alexander The Great the great Macedonian empire fell apart, but the pieces consequent to the breakdown of the empire were still ruled by Macedonians. Alexander's general Ptolemy set out to rule Egypt, whereas the general Seleucus ruled Siria and southern Asia. These Macedonian dynasties retained a lot of their Macedonian heritage in their tradition. Later on their states were taken over by the Romans. A number of members of these Macedonian dynasties were mentioned in the Bible (especially The Old Testament). For more detail on this subject refer to the book "Jesus Christ and the Macedonians" by A. Donski (Centre for Cultural Initiative, Stip, Macedonia, 2000).
4) For information about the possible Macedonian descent of St. Luke refer to: "The Apostle Paul's Visit to Philippi, History of Philippi", by Dr. Clint Arnold and his class at Talbot Theological Seminary, The Biblelands Project (copyright 1999 by Musterseed Media Inc., website: www.musterseed.net). The likelyhood that St. Luke was from a Macedonian origin is indicated even in the world renown encyclopaedia Microsoft Encarta 98 (Encyclopaedia Deluxe Edition, USA, 1998; "Luke Saint"). More detail on this topic can be found in the book "Jesus Christ and the Macedonians" by A. Donski (Centre for Cultural Initiative, Stip, Macedonia, 2000).
5) Refers to the members of the Macedonian dynasty that ruled Byzantine in the period IX to XI century AD. These tzars exercised a certain number of customs that were practised by the ancient Macedonian tzars, and they even promoted the Phalanx as a distinct component of the Byzantine army. A lot of historians believe these tzars carried the genes of the ancient Macedonians.
6) For extensive detail about the contribution of the ancient Macedonians to the world civilisation refer to "Contribution of the ancient Macedonians to the World Civilisation" by A. Donski, that will become available by December 2001.
7) The fact that the ancient Macedonians were a separate nation has already been widely accepted and indications in this regard can be found in a number of encyclopedias. As an illustration, following infromation has been taken from the encyclopedia Encarta (title: Europe): "Macedonia, to the north of Greece, had not originally been part of the Greek wold". This veracity has been confirmed by a row of international researchers and experts on ancient Macedonia, and the list of names is very long.
8) Arrian: "The Campaigns of Alexander", translated by Aubrey De Selincourt, Penguin Books, USA, 1987, page 119.
9) Homer (VIII BC) identified Veneti as people from Asia Minor, whereas Herodotus (V BC) identified them as Balkan people under the name of Eneti.
10) In support of the fact that Veneti were the same people as the "Slavs" there are number of testimonials. The German historian Jordanes (VI AD) wrote that Veneti and Slavs are the same people. The most convincing arguments regarding the common identity of the Veneti and Slavs were presented in the brilliant book "Veneti - First Builders of the European Community" by Joshko Shavli, Matej Bor and Ivan Tomazich, translation in English by Anton Skrebinc (Editions Veneti; A-1080 Wien, Bennogasse 21, Austria; Co-published by Anton Skrebinc; Boswell, British Columbia, Canada). In this book on over 500 pages are presented indisputable evidences from various fields and it is demonstrated that the Veneti and Slavs had identical cultures, i.e. they were the same people.
11) This is written in chapter 51 in Plutarch's biography of Alexander The Great (Macedonian Translation, Plutarh: "Aleksandar Makedonski", Skopje, 1994, p. 70).
12) Anthony by Plutarch, translated by John Dryden
13) Quintus Curtius Rufus: "Istorija na Aleksandar Makednoski", translation by Dr. Ljubinka Basotova (Skopje, 1998, p. 272)
14) Borza Eugen: "In the Shadow of Olimpus, The Emergence of Macedon" (Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, ISBN 0-691-05549-1, USA, 1990, p. 92)
15) The statement of Demosteness can be found in any publication of his speeches called Philippics.
16) For detailed explanation regarding the meaning of the term "barbarians" in the ancient world refer to Synthia Syndor Slowikowski: "Sport and Culture in the Ancient Macedonian Society" (The Pennsylvania State University, 1998, p. 30)
17) Synthia Syndor Slowikowski: "Sport and Culture in the Ancient Macedonian Society" (The Pennsylvania State University, 1998, p. 30)
18) Thycidides 2,8,1. Isocrates 5.108 and Clement of Alexandria 6.2.17
19) In relation to the presence of borrowed Greek words in the ancient Macedonian language more information can be found in the article "The Ancient Macedonians And Their Language" (Council for Research into South-Eastern Europe of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Skopje, 1993). Also in Eugen Borza: "The Shadow of Olimpus, The Emergence of Macedon" (Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, ISBN 0-691-05549-1, USA, 1990, p. 93)
20) N.G.L Hammond: "The Macedonian State, Origins, Institutions and History" published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc, New York, 1989, ISBN 0-19-814927-1, p. 6)
21) Makedonia - Sbornik ot dokumenti i materiali (BAN, Sofia, 1978, p. 44)
22) This word is supplied by Dr. Nade Proeva in her book: "Studii za Antickite Makednoci" (Skopje, 1997, p. 58). She asserted that the word "phoinikos" was used for the first time in the period of Alexander The Great.
23) Explanation regarding pronunciation of the letter "v" instead of "f" in the ancient Macedonian and Brygian language is available in the book: "Brigi" by Dr. Eleonora Petrova (Muzej na Makedonija, Skopje, 1996, p. 207)
24) Andonovski Hristo: "Juzna Makedonija od antickite do denesnite Makedonci" (Skopje, 1995)
25) Gjorgji Pop-Atnasov: "Biblijata za Makedonija i Makedoncite" (Menora, Skopje, 1995, p. 57)
26) N.G.L. Hammond: "The Macedonian State, Origins, Institutions and History" published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc, New York, 1989, ISBN 0-19-814927-1, p. 6)
27) This was the name of the capital of ancient Macedonia
28) and 29) These two ancient Macedonian words were supplied by Dr. Nade in her book: "Studii za Antickite Makednoci" (Skopje, 1997)
30) A number of authors have written about the Brygians as the main ingredient in the ethno-genesis of the ancient Macedonians. Results of the research carried out by some of these authors have been conveyed in the study "Brigi" by Dr. Eleonora Petrova (Muzej na Makedonija, Skopje, 1996, on various occasions throughout the book). Detailed elaboration regarding the domination of the Brygian component in the ancient Macedonians is available in the book "Studii za Antickite Makedonci" by Dr. Nade Proeva (Skopje, 1997)
31) All given names presented herewith have been obtained for use from the above mention books by Dr. Nade Proeva and Dr. Eleonora Petrova, unless specified otherwise. That most of these names are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon see at Dr. Ljubica Stankovska "Rechnik na lichnite iminja na Makedoncite" (Skopje, 1992). In this book more that 30.000 names from Macedonian middle age and modern age onomasticon are presented.
32) The name "Craterus" has been recorded by the ancient biographers of Alexander The Great
33) "Caranus" was the name of a legendary Macedonian sovereign
34) This name has been taken on from the edition "Macedonia acta archeologica", br. 11, 1987-1989 (Skopje, 1990). This was the name of a local Macedonian tribal leader from IV BC.
35) The name "Glaukas" has been recorded by the biographers of Alexander The Great
36) Miladinovci: "Zbornik" (Skopje, 1983, chapter: "Sopstveni narodni iminja", p. 506)
37) The name "Rumi" is taken from Aleksandar Matkovski's "Makednoija vo delata na stranskite patepisci 1778-1826" (Skopje, 1992, p. 54)
38) The name "Stamenos" has been recorded by the biographers of Alexander The Great
39) This name was taken on from the book: "Travels in Northern Greece" by William Martin Leake, London, 1835, vol. III (Nacionalna biblioteka Pariz, signatura J.12345-12348)
40) Quintus Curtius Rufus: "Istorija na Aleksandar Makednoski", translation from Latin in Macedonian by Dr. Ljubinka Basotova (Skopje, 1998, p. 276)
41) The similarity between the apparel of the Phrygians and Paphlagonians was recorded by Herodotus: "The dress of the Phrygians closely resembled the Paphlagonian, only in a very few points differing from it"
42) Nichephore Gregoras: "Corespondance" (Paris, 1927, p. 30)
43) Prof. Angelina Markus; Also "Makedonsko Sonce" (11.07.1997, p.18)
44) For more information refer to: "Veda Slovena" by Gane Todorovski (Makedonska Kniga, Skopje, 1979, p. 17)
45) For more information refer to: "Makedonija i makedonskata nacija" by Dr. Blaze Ristovski (Skopje, 1995, p. 131)
46) For more information refer to: "Zivotni put Stjepana Vjerkovicha (1821-1894)" by Ljubisha Doklestich (Zagreb, 1982, p. 304)
47) For more information refer to: "Zivotni put Stjepana Vjerkovicha (1821-1894)" by Ljubisha Doklestich (Zagreb, 1982, p. 285)
48) For more information in relation to the Albanian history and the work of Mazovski, Pulevski, Chuparov and others refer to: "Makedonija i makedonskata nacija" by Dr. Blaze Ristovski (Skopje, 1995, on various occasions throughout the book)