Alexander the great, Macedonian or Greek?

[Erik Bloodaxe]

I have searched the forum recently to try to find an answer. I’m sorry if this has been debated before guys, but really, I couldn’t find it. So, I got a question:

Was Alexander the great (and the rest of the Macedonians ofc.) a Macedonian or a Greek? Or is it just.. New wrapping same s***? (don't get me wrong, just my sense of humor;)

[Marshal Murat]

I think Macedonian. The Macedonians considered themselves Greeks, but Greeks considered them pseudo-barbarians.

[ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88]

Macedonians I would say Mr.Erik.

[CBR]

It is not clear if ancient Macedonians are to be considered a Greek tribe (related to Dorians) or non-Greek (maybe related to Illyrian or Thracian) But AFAIK most evidence is pointing towards the Greek related.

Herodotus traced the Macedonian royals back to the good old Greek heroes. And they considered themselves to be Greek. So even if we assume the Macedonians to be non-Greek, the royal house seems to be very much Greek indeed.


CBR

[AntiochusIII]

Was there a clear distinction beyond Demosthenes' propaganda anyway?

Philip (II) seemed to have participated in the politics and cultures of the Greek world fine enough. At least to me the Greeks seemed to be able to distinguish the Macedonian monarch from, say, the Persian King. The latter is definitely an outsider while the former is kinda not really just as such.

Of course, I also have near zero knowledge on the ethnic background of the Ancient Macedonians and their relations to the neighbors down South, so you know...

However, if this question is phrased in the context of the modern Macedonia-Greek conflict, then my answer would be an absolutely convinced "irrelevant."

[Mouzafphaerre]

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Please, let's all keep all kinds of nationalist sentiments off this thread!

I'd like to learn more about this subject from our esteemed well read patrons.
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[KrooK]

He was definitely Macedonian.
Macedonia that times was military stronger than Greece but they were until influence of Greek culture. Philip, father of Aleksander, forced greek cities do admit that Macedonians are Greeks too but they definitely were not Greeks.

[Watchman]

I've long been under the impression the "Greeks proper" - that is, the inhabitants of Hellas itself and their outliers around the Med - basically allowed the Macedonians "into the club" as it were, if only by technicality, but very much looked down on them as barely civilised rustics and country bumpkins - which by what I've read of the socioeconomics of the place at least before the Hellenistic period was a valid enough opinion. By all accounts Macedon was, after all, even more of a semi-pastoral feudal backwater than Thessaly, and spent a lot of time having the Persians or one powerful poleis or another meddling in its affairs. And getting raided by those pesky northern tribes to boot.

The Macedonians, no doubt, in return entertained a fair few insulting opinions concerning their more urbane southern cousins in the fine manner of poor neighbourly relations everywhere...

Anyway, Alex himself was actually half Illyrian or something wasn't he ? I understand that put him in a somewhat precarious position as a heir-apparent should a full-blooded Macedonian candidate happen to be born of one of Philip's many wives - which by what I've read indeed happened, and likely not very coincidentially not too long before Daddy Philip had an unfortunate encounter with an assasin's knife...

Ah, the joys of royal heredity games. Always good for family loyalties.

[RabidGibbon]

The best way to answer the question posed in the thread title is, to my mind, ask how people at the time would have answered it. Was Alexander III Macedonian or Greek?

Appealing to Herodotus is a bit like me appealling to Edward Gibbon to prove my points, that particular historian was long dead by now. However how Herodotus speaks of Macedonians may well be revealing.

The "Greeks" only ever saw themselves as a unified body to the extent that they spoke the same language (with different dialouges) and worshipped the same gods(With different names in different regions!). So if the Macedonians followed Greek custom, spoke the same language and worshipped the same gods then who has the right to say they were not Greeks?

Perhaps the Greeks? Who couldn't even identify themselves? Lots of people have a lot of trouble working out just were the borders of greekdom lie.

[The Wizard]

I believe Alexander was half Epirote, Watchman. Now, seeing as a large part of that kingdom seems to have been in modern Albania, and the fact that the people who inhabit that place seem to descend from the ancient Illyrians, you may have quite the point there.

In fact, speaking of Epirus... what did the Greeks think of that place? There was an ancient holy site there (Dodona) plus a major colony... but what about your average Epirote? Greek, barely Greek country hick, or savage barbarian?

[edyzmedieval]

I think(not fully sure) they consider it something in between. Greeks, but a bit barbaric, though it was not quite the case, especially after Pyrrhos.

He is consider Alexander of Macedon, but at that time, they were considering themselves Greeks. Pella is in modern day northern Greece.