Search found 113 matches

by Nikas
Wed Jun 01, 2011 4:52 am
Forum: Philip and Alexander's predecessors
Topic: Philip II of Macedonia: Greater than Alexander
Replies: 244
Views: 115580

Re: Philip II of Macedonia: Greater than Alexander

No, that's not my statement (although it is a good subject for debate) but the title of a new book by Richard A. Gabriel. Here's the link to the BMCR Review. Should be an interesting read and I'd like to see how it compares to Ian Worthington's Philip II of Macedonia . The most provocative statemen...
by Nikas
Wed Jun 01, 2011 4:48 am
Forum: Art and Culture
Topic: ptsd in Alexanders army
Replies: 34
Views: 13028

Re: ptsd in Alexanders army

As for one's country being behind the army, well I'm not sure if that mattered too much to the Macedonians. To the Greeks with the army, maybe, because of the way the campaign was promoted. But I suspect that for the Macedonians it was more about the "booty". Interesting question. Best re...
by Nikas
Mon Nov 22, 2010 1:38 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai
Replies: 37
Views: 10022

Re: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai

The money that Thucydides mentions will have have been what Perdiccas' was to "kick the tin" for. He was utilising the forces (including mercenaries) that Brasidas had organised and they had to be financed - particularly as Perdiccas was to be the beneficiary. That Brasidas then decides t...
by Nikas
Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:33 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai
Replies: 37
Views: 10022

Re: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai

I think that Thucydides here speaks of the Macedonian nobility - the cavalry - as "Makedones". At this time the "general" population were indentured serf-farmers at the beck and call of their "feudal lord". What I think Thucydides is indicating is that these are the cr...
by Nikas
Sun Nov 21, 2010 8:54 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai
Replies: 37
Views: 10022

Re: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai

Agreed: he differentiates on both the arming (Macedon having no heavy infantry of any use) and ethnos. We know that Philip II extended the "companionate" to Greeks in Macedonia but we do not know if earlier kings did similar. Likely not. Were these Greeks actually a part of Macedonia one ...
by Nikas
Sun Nov 21, 2010 2:43 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai
Replies: 37
Views: 10022

Re: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai

Obviously I do not accept your assessments, so I will suffice to say that the Macedonians "certainly" were not "others" in Classical times, regardless of the political views of some of the southern city state Greeks, and that "philhellenising" was "certainly"...
by Nikas
Sat Nov 20, 2010 8:59 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai
Replies: 37
Views: 10022

Re: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai

Going to sound like a fence sitter here but Alexander I and the Macedonian Royal Family WERE considered Greeks, whuch is why he could compete at Olympia, the rest of the Macedonians were considered non-Greek, though culturally they were heavily influenced by the South and seem to have shared the Gr...
by Nikas
Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:42 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai
Replies: 37
Views: 10022

Re: Upcoming Oxford Exhibit - Items from Aigai

A more deliberate purpose is more than hinted at by the language. Presenting evidence to a purpose might be a better way of describing it. You are correct, though, about transgressing site rules and I am busy on other matters. Suffice to say that the city state Greeks certainly considered the Maced...
by Nikas
Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:36 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander's languages
Replies: 32
Views: 13618

Re: Alexander's languages

The Greeks did not accept the Macedonians as Hellenes but only the Temenid/Argaead Royal Family which is why there are only the two Olympic Victories Alexander I in the foot-race (probably before the Persian invasion) and Philip II's horses which coincided with Alexander's birth and was celebrated ...
by Nikas
Fri Nov 19, 2010 9:16 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander's languages
Replies: 32
Views: 13618

Re: Alexander's languages

One little note on Macedonian pronunciation - the only one I know of, although there could be others in more obscure sources. Plutarch’s Moralia. Volume IV. 292 E. (The Greek Questions.) The month “Bysios,” as many think, is the month of growth (physios); for it begins the spring and during it many...
by Nikas
Fri Oct 29, 2010 7:34 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander's languages
Replies: 32
Views: 13618

Re: Alexander's languages

Hi Nikas, I sense that we are moving from throwing about academic possibilities to that modern day silly debate which shall not be named. For the sake of our sanity, I shall make this my last post on this specific topic with my thoughts on both. I agree that if Macedonian and Greek were two languag...
by Nikas
Fri Oct 29, 2010 12:12 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander's languages
Replies: 32
Views: 13618

Re: Alexander's languages

Hi Nikas, I'm with Catherine on this one, although I don't find the passage odd. It only becomes odd if one presumes from the outset that Macedonian and Greek are only accents on the same language, in which case none of what Alexander says makes sense. To go through your points - Alexander hadn't b...
by Nikas
Thu Oct 28, 2010 6:25 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander's languages
Replies: 32
Views: 13618

Re: Alexander's languages

It depends on who you ask. Some call them languages within a super Chinese language family. It is a source of controversy. :) I could just as easily say that English is a western Germanic dialect as Swedish is a northern Germanic dialect. But you know what they say: "A language is a dialect wi...
by Nikas
Thu Oct 28, 2010 1:18 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander's languages
Replies: 32
Views: 13618

Re: Alexander's languages

I do think that politics or nationalism can be seen in the insistence that Mandarin and Cantonese are the same language. Belonging to the same language family does not make it the same language. Frisian (actually there a few) and English are from the same family, but they are not the same language....
by Nikas
Thu Oct 28, 2010 1:11 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: Alexander's languages
Replies: 32
Views: 13618

Re: Alexander's languages

It is indeed an odd passage - odder the more you think about it. It certainly looks as though Alexander regarded Macedonian as a different language, otherwise why ask the question? Obviously it was sufficiently different for non-Macedonians not to understand it. Does that make it another language o...