Quote Originally Posted by Calypze
Also, how did the Macedonians and the Greeks view themselves? Were they primarily Makedones, Athenai, Epeirotes etc, or was there a Hellenic identity above that? If so, was it stronger or weaker than their local identity?
Around 130 AD The Roman emperor Hadrian formed the Panhellion (translates as 'all Greek') It covered 5 Roman provinces and extended way beyond mainland Greece, and it included cities in Macedonia, Thrace, Asia Minor, Crete, Rhodes and North Africa. The cities involved all demonstrated some link in their past to 'old Greece'. They all wanted to be part of it, and some cities even fabricated false pasts connecting with Greece in order to join the Panhellion. This seems to prove that at some time at least Greeks, Macedonians and Thracians all believed in this national identity, Not only that but other non-greeks wanted to cash in on their identity too.