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Book Reviews: Makedon (Macedonia)

Makedonika: Essays by Eugene Borza, edited by Carol Thomas, Regina Books, 1995
Review needed...

A History of Macedonia, R. Malcolm Errington, University of California Press, 1990
Review needed...

The Macedonian State: Origins, Institutions and History, N.G.L. Hammond, Oxford University Press, 1989
Review needed...

In The Shadow of Olympus: The Emergence of Macedon, Eugene Borza, Princeton University Press, 1990 (Paperback ed.)
Reviewer: Christopher Bates
Borza's book covers the period of the Argead dynasty, and therefore ends with the death of Alexander the Great. Arranged in narrative and thematic chapters; Borza has attempted to present academic theory in a manner more absorbable by the general reader. In this respect Borza has only partly succeeded as the work is less accessible than Errington's 'A History of Macedonia', which also covers Macedonian history down to the defeat and absorbtion by Rome. Yet, for readers who persevere, Borza provides a valuable overview of Argead history, and a useful counterpoint to the works of Hammond; who Borza opening disagrees with on several issues- notably Macedonian 'Greekness'. The paperback edition also contains new appendices discussing (in a limited fashion) advancements in Macedonian research since the publication of the hardback edition. If you can only afford one book on Macedonia then Errington's 'History' would be the safer option. If you can afford two then Borza would be a valuable and worthwhile addition.



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