Macedonia

Similarities between ancient Macedonian language and today's' Macedonian language

2013-10-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

Apell(es). The root of this name contains the noun "apel" (a call) which we have in the present day Macedonian language.
Atarhi(as). The root of this name contains the noun "atar". This is a Macedonian archaism for the word "love". Names that contain the word "love" exist in a majority of lexicons.
Bere(s). The root of this name contains the verb "bere" (to pick up) that exists today in the Macedonian language and in other "Slavic" languages. Also in the present day Macedonian onomasticon there are names derived from verbs. The name "Bere" is present In todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Crater(us)32). The root of this name contains the word "krater" (crater) which exsists in the present day Macedonian and other "Slavic" languages. In todays' Macedonian onomasticon is present the name "Krate".
Caran(us)33). This name might be connected to the present day Macedonian noun "kruna" (a crown). The name "Karanche" is present In todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Dada. The noun "dada" in the present day Macedonian language means "older sister". The name "Dada" is present In todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Daron. This is a name for the ancient Macedonian god of healing. Its etymology is known, and it means "he that gives health." This means that the name of this god contains the Macedonian noun "dar" (a gift). The names Darun, Dare, Dara and others are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Del(us). The verb "dela" (to work) exists in the so called "Old Slavic language", as well as in several present day "Slavic languages". The name "Dele" is present In todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Dimno(s). The adjective "dimno" exists in the present day Macedonian language and still means "steamy The names Dimna, Dimon, Dimnak and others are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Diplai(os)34). A name of an upper Macedonian (Payonian) ruler. In his name is the noun "dipla" that in dialectal form in the present day Macedonian language means a bouquet of flowers. The noun "dipla" is also used as a designation for a type of old Macedonian instrument.
Dita. The noun exists in Slavic languages as "dite" or "dete", which means "a child". In 19th century Macedonian onomasticon was recordered the same name "Dita".
Dita(s). This is an obvious form of the preceding name Dita, but it has been Hellenized with the suffix "s".
Dud(es). The noun "dud" (a type of wood) exists in several "Slavic" languages. The names Dude and Duda are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Glaukia(s)35). Could this name be derived from the noun "glava" (a head)? In 19th century Macedonia one finds the male name Glavko.36)
Gauan(us). This is an old originally ancient Macedonian name, first mentioned by Herodotus. It has obvious similarities to the noun "gaval", that represents an archaism for the "kaval" (a short Macedonian wind instrument). In 15th century Macedonia one finds the male names: Gavale and Gavala.
Kopria. This name has possible connections to the noun "kopra" (a dill). It is a well-known practice to derive personal names from those of the plant world. In 16th century Macedonia one finds the female name Kopra.
Lasten. This name may be connected to the noun "lastovica" (in Serbian: "lasta"), which means "a swallow". The name Laste is present in today's Macedonian onomasticon.
Lyka. This female Macedonian name, which exists in the present day language, is possibly derived from the noun "lika" (a face, pretty face). The name Lika is present in today's Macedonian onomasticon.
Milo. This name was mentioned by Plutarch as a name of a Macedonian military leader in the Macedonian-Roman conflicts. This name exists to the present day in the Macedonian onomasticon. It has an obvious identification with the present day Macedonian adjective "milo" (dear), from which a number of names are (Milosh, Milko, Milka).
Mesti(us). The root of this name contains the noun (archaism) "mesti" (small childrens' shoes made from wool). In later Macedonian onomasticon there were also names derived from pieces of clothes.
Mamina. This name fully corresponds to the present day Macedonian adjective "mamina" (the one who belongs to her mother). In 18th and 19th century Macedonia one finds the female name Maminka.
Mama. This is identical to the present day Macedonian noun "mama", which in any case, exists in other languages. In 15th century Macedonia one finds the female name Mamica (deminutive for Mama).
Mama(s). It is obvious that this is a Hellenized variant on the previous name.
Manta. The noun "mantija", that exists in the present day Macedonian language represents a type of long garment. In 19th century Macedonia one finds the same female name Manta.
Mantyes. This is probably a variant of the previous name. The spoken form of this word (without the suffix "s") is still closer to the noun "mantija".
Med(es). The root of this name contains the noun "med" (honey), which exists in todays' Macedonian language as well in most other "Slavic" languages. The name Mede is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Myrcin(us). Name of a king of an ancient Macedonian tribe Edoni, mentioned by Herodotus. If we remove the Greek "us", we get the name Myrcin (Mirkin). To the present day in the Macedonian language there is the female name "Mirka" (derived from the noun "mir", which means peace), while "Mirkin" is an adjective which means "The one who belongs to Mirka". Among the Macedonians, right up to the 20th century, men frequently received names derived from their mother's name (Kanin son of Kana; Mirkin son of Mirka and etc.). Could that be the case with this name? The names Mirkan, Mirin and so on are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Mucati. The verb "mucati" exists in a number of the "Slavic" languages. In the Macedonian language the verb "mucna" means "to speak". Maybe this name can be connected to the noun "mucka" (snout). If we read "c" as "k", then maybe the root of this name can be connected to the noun "mukach" (which means a cry baby). The names Mucan Muce, Mucko, Mukan, Muko are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Nana. The noun "nana" in the Macedonian language today is used to signify an older female relative. In dialectal form "nana" takes the form of the verb, to sleep. The name Nana is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Pita. The noun "pita" (a type of food), can be found in a number of "Slavic" languages. In todays' Macedonian onomasticon is present the name Pito. There are other Macedonian names derived from the food: Piroshka, Pituluca and others.
Pittak(os). Could this be a variant of the previous name? The noun "pitach" exists in the present day Macedonian language, with the meaning, "one who begs". The names Pito and Pitako are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Plator. The noun "plat" exists in the present day Macedonian language as a type of high quality cloth. The suffix "or" is encountered in other male personal names, which means that it is independent of the root "plat". The name Platin is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Pyri(as).The root of this name could be connected to the noun "pir" (merriment). The name Piri is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Pyrh(os). This is probably a variant of the previous name.
Perustae. The noun "perustija" in the present day Macedonian language means an iron spit for cooking meat over a fire, an item that had great significance in the preparation of food in the past. The name Peruska is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Rumi37). A female name that could possibly be connected to the adjective "rumena" (ripe red). In todays' Macedonian onomasticon there is name "Rumi", which is short form of the name "Rumena" (ripe red).
Sita. A name that is identical to the present day Macedonian adjective "sita" (eating to satisfaction). The male name Sitko is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Sopol(is).This ancient Macedonian name is mentioned by the Greek historian Arrian as the name of a Macedonian officer in the army of Alexander the Great. It obviously contains the root "sopol" (a strong spring) from the so called "Old Slavic language". The name Sopol is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Stasanor. This name contains the present day Macedonian adjective "stasan" (ripe). We've said that the suffix "or" can be found in other male names, which means that it is outside of the root "stasan". The names Stasin, Stase and Staso are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Silen(us). Name of a forest demon in Brygian mythology. The root of this name contains the present day Macedonian adjective "silen" (that which has spiritual or physical strength). In middle age Macedonia one finds the names: Silan, Silano and Silane.
Stamen(os)38). The root of this name contains the present day Macedonian adjective "stamen" (reliable, firm). The name Stamen is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Sever(os). The root of this word contains the noun "sever" (north), which exists in in a number of present day "Slavic" languages. The name Sever is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Sipa. In the Macedonian language there exists the noun "sipa" (a type of fish), which lives in Macedonian lake waters. It is a well known practice to derive personal names from the names of animals. The name Sipe is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Sipa(s). This is obviously a Hellenized variant of the previous name.
Scritia39). The adjective "skrita" (secret) is apparent in this name that exists in "Slavic" languages.
Tata, Tato, Tataia. These are obvious variations of a name derived from the noun "tato" i "tata", which means "a father" and can be found in several "Slavic" languages. The name "Tataia" probably is a variant on these two names. In middle age Macedonia one find the names: Tato, Tate, Tatko, Tatka, Tatin.
Temen(os). The root of this name contains the present day Macedonian adjective "temen" (dark).
Traizina. The root of this word may contain the present day Macedonian adjective "trazena" (expected, sought).
Tip(as). The root of this name contains the noun "tip" (type), which is a word found in several Slavic languages. The names Tipa and Tipe are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Vitel(is). The root of this name contains the noun "vitel", which is found in the present day Macedonian and still means (whirlpool). The name Vitol is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Zaika. This is one of the most interesting ancient Macedonian female names. It may represent a female form of the present day Macedonian "zajak" (rabbit). In any case, there are numerous examples of names taken from names of animals. The names Zaia (Zaja) and Zaiko (Zajko) are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Zaimina. The present day Macedonian language contains the adjective "zemjina" (in dialectal form "zemina") which means "the one who belongs to Earth". There is also the adjective "zimna" (the one who belongs to the winter"). The name Zemko is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.

Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery

2013-10-11T11:20:00.001-07:00

The Monastery of Saint Jovan Bigorski is a Macedonian Orthodox monastery located in the western part of Macedonia, near the road connecting the towns of Debar and Gostivar.

The monastery church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. According to the monastery's 1833 chronicle, it was built in 1020 by Ivan I Debranin. The Ottomans destroyed the monastery in the 16th century. The monastery was restored in 1743 by the monk Ilarion, who also built several monk cells. Later, in the period from 1812 to 1825 the monastery was expanded by archimandrite Arsenius. Among the donors there is also a mention of a monk Iov, recognized by some researchers as the future educator Yoakim Karchovski. One of the most valuable treasures of the monastery is the iconostasis created by Petre Filipovski Garkata from the nearby village of Gari. This iconostasis is considered as the most beautiful and most valuable wood-carved iconostasis. Another valuable monastery treasure is an icon dating from 1020 with supposedly miraculous healing power.

Most of the old monastery complex was burnt down in 2009, while the new sections of the complex and church were saved. Reconstruction of the old palaces begun in May 2010 with the aim to reconstruct it as authentic as possible.

THE ANCIENT TOWN OF HERACLEA LYNKESTIS

2013-09-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Heraclea Linkestis is an ancient town situated on the southern part of the city of Bitola, at the base of Baba Mountain. The name was given by Heracles, the mythical hero and founder of the Macedonian royal dynasty Argeadi while adjective Lyncestis meaning "Linkestidska" comes from the name of the region Lynkestidia in where the city was found. The city was founded in period IV century BC, by the Macedonian king Philip II of Macedon.
Today on the ground of Heraclea the remains of more sacred objects are found, decorated with floor mosaics made in opus sectile and opus tessalatum, dating from the 5th and 6th centuries. It is a small basilica (A), civil basilica (B), the great basilica (C) located about 250 meters from the downtown area of Heraclea, despite that, here are found early Christian and medieval tombs, then portico courtroom from the Roman period (2nd century VN) bath from the Roman period (2nd century VN), theater from the Roman period (2nd century VN), episcopal residence from early Christian times (4 to 6th century), city tap water from the time of Justinian (562). In its place today are held and various cultural events. It is open for visits every day from 8 to 19 pm with advance notice.

Did you know that Pesna Cave has the biggest entry in the Balkan?

2013-09-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

Enigma about the entry – According to speleologists Pesna has the biggest entry in the Balkan - 30 meters height. According to the "natural heritage", the entry has significant dimensions: 16.8 x52, 4 m.

A few hundred meters from the cave runs Treska River, ideal for fishing and picnics. Also there is a fishpond in motel Pesna.

Pesna cave

The cave is close to the village Makedonski Brod. If you take the road from Prilep to Kicevo, take the turnoff to the village Modriste, just before Makedonski Brod.

It has been used as a shelter in times of war and crisis. It has easy access and it is open to visitors.

The legend has it that this fortress used to be the home of Pesna, the sister of King Marko (1335- 1395).

Did you know about Iconostas of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist?

2013-09-22T11:14:00.005-07:00

Monastery of St. John the Baptist is known for its iconostasis. He was drafted by Petre Filipov – Garkata from village of Gari. It is built by craftsman`s hands of Petre Filipov - Garkata village of Gari. Along with his brother Mark Philip, Makrarij Frchkovski of Galichnik and Abraham Dichov with his sons Vasil and Filip from Filipovci Osoj in the period from 1829 to 1835, managing to create beautiful artistic wooden procedure.

The iconostasis is divided into six horizontal bands. The first is basically composed of rectangular fields that have ornaments of flora and fauna. The second zone, which moved throne icons, ends with a figure of an eagle with spread wings. The third area is divided into three smaller horizontal separations that are symmetrically distributed angels, grapes and vines, etc. Above them are two rows of icons - with images of apostles. In the center is the large cross on which Crucifixion of Christ. On both sides of the cross are figures of a dragon whose mouth is raised icons of John the Baptist and the Holy Mary.

Did you know about Platanus Orientalis in Ohrid?

2013-09-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

The oldest tree in Macedonia is the Platanus Orientalis in Ohrid. Whether a coincidence or not, the tree is growing since St. Clement of Ohrid period, in the 9th century.

Oriental plane, is a large, deciduous tree of the Platanaceae family, growing to 30 m and known for its longevity and spreading crown.The name derives from its historical distribution eastward from the Balkans, where it was recognized in ancient Greek history and literature. Following Greek usage it is called platane or related names in continental Europe. It was equally famous to the Iranian-speaking world and from Turkey to India is called chinar.

Why is Greece Stealing the Macedonian History?

2013-09-18T10:31:00.004-07:00

Macedonia

Historian and Professor Eugene Borza who is credited as "Macedonian specialist" by the American Philological Association, and who have done extensive studies regarding the ethnicity of the ancient Macedonians, had also presented in-depth analysis on the modern Greek position which claims that the ancient Macedonians "were Greek". In his In the Shadow of Olympus (p.91-92) Borza writes:

"Thus, long before there was a sufficient ancient evidence to argue about the ethnic identity--as revealed by language--of the ancient Macedonians, there emerged a "Greek" position claiming that the Macedonian language was Greek, and that thus the inhabitants were Greek."

The modern Greeks have therefore, developed a position that the Macedonians were Greek, long before there was sufficient ancient evidence to argue about their ethnicity. Yet although modern historiography had long abandoned this prematurely established "Greek" position, modern Greeks are still its most zealous defendersdespite the overwhelming evidence available today, which overwhelmingly shows that the Macedonians were not Greeks but a distinct nation. Borza continues:

"For example, recent work describes the funerary stelae found in the tumulus covering the royal tombs at Vergina. These stelae date from the fourth and early third centuries, and the preponderance of names are Greek… The excavator of Vergina, Manolis Andronikos, in a useful summary of the epigraphic evidence, writes: "In the most unambivalent way this evidence confirms the opinion of those historians who maintain that the Macedonians were a Greek tribe, like all the others who lived on Greek territory, and shows that the theory that they were of Illyrian or Thracian descent and were hellenized by Philip and Alexander rests on no objective criteria." Manolis Andronikos Vergina:The Royal Tombs, 83-85."

Here is Borza’s answer to the Greek archeologist Manolis Andronikos:

"This argument is true enough only as far as it goes. It neglects that the hellenization of the Macedonians might have occurred earlier then the age of Philip and Alexander, and can not therefore serve as a means of proving the Macedonians were a Greek tribe."

Indeed, not only Andronakis was obviously wrong to conclude that the Macedonians were Greek, but also notice how the Greek archeologist does not point that the Macedonians might have been a separate nation. Instead he prefers to call it if not Greek, either Illyrian or Thracian, two ancient nations that can not be associated with the Balkans politics surrounding Greece, resulted from the 1913 partition of Macedonia (see below). Also notice how Andronikos used the term "like all the others who lived on Greek territory". It’s like he wants to convince the reader that Macedonia has always been a "Greek territory", which is exactly what he uses as a base for his inaccurate conclusion.

Another Greek writer, Michael Sakellariou, in his Macedonia 4000 years of Greek History, 44-63 (quite questionable of accuracy title to begin with), "proves" that the "Macedonians were Greek" although he purposely avoided all evidence that does not suit such conclusion. Borza has a line for him as well:

"It is indicative of the strength of Badian’s case that his critics have succeeded only in nit-picking: e.g., Sakellariou, Macedonia, 534-35 nn. 52.53" (Borza, In the Shadow of Olympus p.96.)

Borza is talking about Ernst Badian from Harvard University who in his extensive research Greeks and Macedonians presented all evidence and soundly concluded that the Macedonians were distinct nation from the Greeks, which neither considered themselves to be Greeks nor were considered by the Greeks to be Greek. Thatis precisely what the Greek writer Sakellariou had completely and purposely avoided, and lacking any base for a well-balanced criticism, choused instead to nit-pick Badian's argument.

We can see a trend among the Greek scholars (Andronicos, Martis, Daskalakis, Kallaris, and Sakellariou) who desperately want to show the world that the Macedonians "were Greeks", though unsuccessfully. Martis'Falsification of Macedonian History was handed out to the foreign journalists in Greece and translated into many languages. Sakellariou’s Macedonia 4000 years of Greek History was even donated for free to the libraries throughout the United States. This exposes a well-developed propaganda strategy, to influence all those unaware that the "Macedonians were Greek." Yet the Greeks are showing the world that the "Macedonians were Greek" by avoiding all ancient and modern evidence that does not suit their purpose, and in that process they try to pass books so full of historical errors and distortions:

"The fullest statement of the "Greek" position, and also the most detailed study of the Macedonian language, is by Kallaris, Les anciens Macidoniens, esp. 2: 488-531, in which alleged Greek elements in the Macedonian language are examined exhaustively. A more chauvinistic (and less persuasive) point of view can be found in Daskalakis, Hellenism, esp. pts. 2. and 3. The most blatant account is that of Martis (The Falsification of Macedonian History). This book, written by a former Minister for Northern Greece, is an polemical anti-Yugoslav tract so full of historical errors and distortions that the prize awarded it by the Academy of Athens serves only to reduce confidence in the scientific judgment of that venerable society of scholars. The most sensible and scholarly Greek position is that laid out by Sakellariou, inMacedonia, 44-63. Lest it seem, however, that the "Greek" position is held only by modem Greeks" - (Borza, In the Shadow of Olympus p.91)

It is ironical that the book of the former Greek politician Nicolas Martis is named The Falsification of Macedonian History, when in fact he is the one who is falsifying the history of Macedonia with his historical errors and distortions. It is worrisome that the students of the countries who have nothing to do with the modern Greek politics, must be exposed to the Greek historical fabrications against one of the most dynamic powers of the ancient times - the Macedonians. But why is Greece doing this, what is behind it, why do they steal the history of the ancient Macedonians, and attempt to appropriate it as theirs?

The answer lays in the year of 1913 when Macedonia was partitioned after the Balkan wars and Greece swallowed the biggest part - 51%. There was nothing in Macedonia then that connected that land with Greece, apart from the small 10% Greek minority scattered in southern Macedonia among the overwhelming majority of Macedonians who lived throughout the country (for complete statistical evidence see the "Macedonian-Greek Conflict"). Since in 1913 it acquired foreign territory populated by non-Greeks, Greece had to provide a link that would justify its claim on that half of Macedonia. That is exactly why the Greeks claim that the ancient Macedonians "were Greek", so that if in ancient times there was a Greek tribe (Macedonians) living in Macedonia, then that land therefore is Greek (just like Andronikos points above). What is not disputable however, is that since 1913 till today, the modern Greek state continues to oppress the ethnic Macedonians who now find themselves living in Greece (see Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International evidenced in the "Macedonians in Greece"). The other northern part of Macedonia, today’s Republic of Macedonia, broke out of Yugoslavia and became independent in 1991. That brought addition fuel to the Greek nationalists who are afraid now that one part of the ethnic Macedonian nation is independent, the partition of 1913 can be seen as illegal, which could lead to eventual loss of their Greek Macedonian part and subsequent reunification of one Macedonia. That is exactly why they claim that there is no modern Macedonian nation, not in Greece not anywhere, and continue to deny the basic human rights of their Macedonian minority through politics filled with paranoia, politics which without the revision of the ancient history could not breathe.

Golden mask - Macedonia

2012-09-05T14:58:00.001-07:00

For those lucky visitors to Ohrid who get the opportunity to spend time with one of Macedonia’s pre-eminent archaeologists, Pasko Kuzman, a world of ancient relics and remarkable stories awaits.

Ensconced in his element, the wonderful repository of antiquities he carefully oversees at the city’s museum, the archaeologist is glad to spread his infectious enthusiasm for the great potential of Macedonian archaeology- according to him, a resource still largely untapped.

Some of Mr. Kuzman’s notable achievements include the discovery of the priceless Ancient Macedonian golden mask of Ohrid, similar to four previously found at the necropolis of Trebenista, the faithful reconstruction of the Byzantine church of Plaosnik, and the ongoing excavation of a 3,000 year-old settlement now submerged deep under water near the village of Gradiste, tucked halfway down Ohrid’s southeastern shore.

In July, more excavations in the central fortress of the medieval Tsar Samuel unearthed remains of what is believed to be the first fortress of King Philip II of Macedon, dating back to the fourth century B.C.

Kuzman also began the excavation works in Vevchani, where the ruins of a mysterious church were discovered last fall. With the warm spring weather now returning to Macedonia, excavations will resume and hopefully the church will divulge its secrets soon enough (though he recently told us that they have not yet resumed).

The museum in Ohrid is housed in a grand and stately old building. The cozy laboratory where Kuzman and his assistants work is located several floors up a narrow stairway. On a long worktable illuminated by white lights, penciled index cards and drawings of artifacts overlay ancient finds in the process of documentation. Neatly assembled along the shelf behind are rows of ancient Macedonian battle helmets, swords, jewelry and pots.

As Kuzman merrily works away on cataloguing the enormous backlog of little treasures on the table, he points out the presence of the Star of Vergina, the symbol of the ancient House of Macedon, found on rounded drinking vessels among other objects. He points to this fact with satisfaction: “it indicates that this was an Ancient Macedonian, and not some other civilization that lived in Ohrid’s ancestor,Lychnidos.” The decoration is shaded in red and yellow pencil on a worn old booklet suited for the purpose.

The shelves are lined with spears and arrowheads, daggers and necklaces and curving vessels. There are rusted, narrow-fitting helmets, and round-topped ones with almost a sort of metal visor brimming out. But the most beautiful among them is a shone bronze helmet, adorned with wreath and ram’s head with curving horn over the ear piece. Relics like these conjure up both the glorious civilizations that created them and the bloody battles in which they were used.

Another item pointing to the Ancient Macedonian legacy in Ohrid, tucked safely away in its own special container, is the more famous golden mask of Trebenista. One of the biggest discoveries to have taken place in the modern-day Republic of Macedonia, it caused a sensation when dug up on September 30, 2002.

The mask also means a lot to the Macedonians because the four other similar ones previously found were spirited away by foreign occupiers, probably never to return; two by the Bulgarians upon being discovered in 1918, and the other two by the Serbs in 1934. Now in museums in Sofia and Belgrade, the masks were thought to be the only ones for a long time. Yet further excavations a the Gorna Porta of Ohrid’s old town yielded a fifth mask and accompanying golden glove with gold ring on it. They were found in a tomb together with several rings and sandals woven with silver.

According to Kuzman, this discovery among others indicates that Lychnidos was at some stage a city for the Ancient Macedonian aristocracy, rather than an Illyrian town as he had learned in university. He maintains that the funereal masks can teach modern researchers much about the prevailing social relationships of Antiquity and, romantically, that the delicate gold mask meant to cover the face of the dead person helped that person to communicate in some way with the living from the afterlife.

Stobi - ancient town in Macedonia

2012-08-15T10:45:00.001-07:00

Lying in a fertile valley just a few minutes off the central north-south highway that connects Macedonia with Greece, the ancient city of Stobi was a vital trade route in its days. This crossroad of ancient civilizations has left a rich legacy of antique theaters, palace ruins,brightly-colored mosaics and religious relics for visitors to enjoy today.

The city of Stobi is first mentioned in documents from the 2nd century B.C. However, archaeologists believe that the town had been inhabited at least 400 years earlier. Stobi became a rich and prosperous city due to its location on the crossroads of important trade routes. It experienced its highest prosperity in the 3rd and 4th century A.D.

This archaeological site (located just 3 km or 1.8 miles from the Gradsko exit on Highway E-75) offers sweeping views of the central Macedonian plain and contains edifices such as the 2nd century amphitheatre, the Theodosia palace and early Christian ruins with extensive and ornate mosaic floors.

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ANTIQUE THEATRE, STOBI

With aim to preserve the tradition of the antique theatre, from 1992, to the initiative of the actors of the theatre of Veles, on the scene of the ancient amphitheatre were presented the performances of the antique theatrical texts. From 2004, this tradition is transformed in international Festival of antique drama that each year attracts an increase number of theatrical artists worldwide.

The festival is a true attraction not only for the citizens of Veles, but also for the admirers of theatre from all the regions of the state that is confirmed by the big number of visitors, 2000 to 3000 by the piece.

In the framework of the festival, traditionally are allocated the prices for the best presentations, directors and actors. The ancient scene of Stobi is particularly impressive because of the possibility of creation the true spectacles in the authentic ambient of the antique theatre thru the resurrection of the texts of Sophocles, Aristophanes, Euripides and others antique authors.

MACEDONIAN GEOGLYPH

2012-08-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

Geoglyphs are works of art created in the earth's soil by organized stacking of stones, earth or other material.

The origin of these drawings visible from the sky is still unknown to most scholars of our time. World famous Nazca Lines are a series of geometric shapes, kilometers of lines and large drawings of animal and human figures and shapes made on the desert floor in Nazca in Peru.

In Chile there are remnants of the Inca culture, also represented through forms on earth and only just visible from the sky. Series of such drawings are not only in South America, but in Australia, UK, USA, which is clearly visible on this map . According to previous research, which today forms the science calls geoglifi were created by ancient civilizations in order to show respect for their gods, or of replicating well known "As Above, So Below" The same way of copying the image of "Heavenly Paradise" is evident in Egypt, where the Sphinx and Pyramids are placed just in order reflected a perfect mirror of celestial movements of certain constellations and positions, not just the stars but the sun and moon .

In truth, our Macedonia is in the list of world's oldest civilizations. Geoglif in an area about the size of a football field is located in Ovche Pole, near Sveti Nikole. Clearly visible from a helicopter, airplane, and - on Google Maps

Part of the local population is aware of the existence of this place more than 15 years, and no doubt that this for was conscious and former Yugoslav Army. These days, scientists, adventurers, explorers from around the Balkans comes surprisingly in Sveti Nikole, taking into account the many (over) natural phenomena in the environment. The position of this geoglyph is in a exact direction north - south and located above the village Crnilishte.

Coincidentally, the symbol painted on the ground which is cultivated for centuries is the same with some words from the middle text of Rosetta Stone, deciphered by professors Bosevski Tome and Aristotle Tentov. Their work clearly shows that the letter and the language of our ancestors is the root not only ours, but through out to the Glagolitic and all Slavic languages. According transcription, read from north to south, the picture visible from the sky corresponds to the Supreme Deity of ancient Macedonians, God DZE (one who sees All, Supreme, Ruler, Prophet, The Sacred Eye, The Great Eye) and his tribute to the Great Mother, or the armed A Dze - The Great (first) Mother of the heavenly Head.

Nonessential are wonderful! The analogy of the symbol reflected the country with the supreme deity of the ancient people of the region awakened interest among many people in Macedonia.

Being interested in this place, calculate another interesting parallel - north of there is a megalithic observatory Kokino and south Alshar mine with lorandite. Through communication with researchers in this field, understood, and the similarity in the constellation Cassiopeia and its movement by Northern Star.

the place where it's located is named KANDA in years

Paeonian God of War was KANDAON

KUKLICA - THE STONE TOWN (NATURAL MONUMENT)

2012-08-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

In the area of Kratovo near village Kuklica, a 10 million years old “stone town” is established. There are many legends and myths about the existence of the ‘Dolls’ but the most famous is the one that says that the stone figures are wedding guests that were cursed by a forsaken bride who turned them into rocks. There are 120 stone figures, one next to another and they are up to 10 meters high.

The legend has it that once upon a time a boy from the village of Kuklica (which is above the stone town) couldn’t decide which girl to marry so he asked two girls to be his brides. The weddings with both of them were planned to take place in one day. There used to be a tradition that there mustn’t be two weddings in one day, because the brides must not see each other during their weddings – it was considered to be bad luck. One of the brides, not knowing about this tradition saw that there is another wedding in the same day and ran out of her house to see who is getting married. When she saw her husband to be with another girl she cursed all of them: "Let God turn you all into rocks, even me" and all people turned into rocks.

According to another legend, the existence of the stone figures is very different. There used to be a forest in this area but due to wars it was burned down. Soon the area became a wasteland. The temperatures were very low and when the army passed through the wasteland all of the soldiers turned into rocks.
However, scientists do not agree with the legends. According to them, the stone figures were formed 10 million years ago by tectonic erosion, from minerals that dissolve in water. As time went by, nature created masterpieces. Locals say that every 5-6 years new figures appear.

Church of St. John at Kaneo

2012-08-13T18:18:00.002-07:00

Saint John the Theologian, Kaneo or simply Saint John at Kaneo is a Macedonian Orthodox church situated on Kaneo beach overlooking Lake Ohrid in the city of Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia. The church is attributed to the author of the Gospel of John, John the Evangelist. The construction date of the church remains unknown but documents detailing the church property suggests that it was built before the year 1447. Archaeologists believe that the church was constructed some time before the rise of the Ottoman Empire very likely in the 13th century. Restoration work in 1964 led to the discovery of frescoes in its dome.

The church was built into the shape of a cruciform with a rectangular base. The architect of the church is unknown but it is believed that he was influenced by the architecture of Armenian churches. Reconstruction work was carried out on the church in the 14th century, shortly before the arrival of Ottoman Turks in Macedonia. A wooden iconostasis was constructed within the church and by the 20th century numerous saints along with the Virgin Mary have been portrayed on the apse. A fresco of Christ Pantocrator can be seen on the dome of the church. A fresco of Saint Clement of Ohrid (whose monastery, Saint Panteleimon, is located close to the church) accompanied by Saint Erasmus of Ohrid can also be seen on a wall of the church.

Saint Panteleimon, Ohrid - Old Church Slavonic

2012-08-12T18:18:00.003-07:00

Saint Panteleimon is a monastery in Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia situated on Plaošnik. It is attributed to Clement of Ohrid, a disciple of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius. Archaeologists have come to believe that the monastery was the site where the first students of the Glagolitic alphabet (used to translate the Bible into Old Church Slavonic) were taught.

The monastery is believed to have been built when Saint Clement arrived in Ohrid, at the request of Boris I of Bulgaria and restored an old church. Sources say that Saint Clement was not satisfied with the size of the church and therefore built a new one over it and assigned Saint Panteleimon as its patron saint.

Saint Clement used his newly created monastery as a liturgical building and a place for teaching his disciples his variation of the Glagolitic alphabet, known as the Cyrillic script. Clement personally built a crypt inside the monastery in which he was buried after his death in 916, his tomb still exists today.

In the 15th century, Ottoman Turks converted the monastery into a mosque but during the beginning of the 16th century allowed ruined churches and monasteries to be restored, therefore, so was Saint Clement's monastery. The monastery was again ruined during the end of the 16th century or the beginning of the 17th century and yet another mosque, called Imaret Mosque, was erected by the Ottomans, this mosque still exists to this day.

Many archaeologists believe that Clement himself designed and constructed the monastery. Clement, along with Naum of Preslav would use the monastery as a basis for teaching the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets to Christianised Slavs thus making it a university.

The monastery stands on a hill which is now known as Plaošnik overlooking Lake Ohrid. Clement built his monastery on a restored church and a Roman basilica of five parts (the remains of the basilicas can still be seen outside the monastery). Judging by the architectural style and design of the monastery, researchers say that Saint Clement intended for his building to be a literary school for disciples, thus it is believed to be the first and oldest discontinued university in Europe.

The exterior of the monastery contains a large number of finely detailed mosaics not far from a stone Baptismal font used to baptise his disciples.

Apart from the monastery's many reconstructions during the Ottoman empire, it has recently undergone extensive reconstruction and excavation. Reconstruction started on December 8, 2000 and the physical church was fully reconstructed by August 10, 2002. Most of Saint Clement's relics were returned to the church. A partially ruined bell tower was restored on the right side of the monastery and the floors of the interior of the church have been reconstructed with marble. Reconstruction was carried out by hand using materials used to build the original church in order to preserve the original spirituality of the monastery. Machines were only used to polish the interior during the reconstruction of the monastery.The first excavations of the monastery were carried out in 1943 by Prof. Dimche Koco. Excavations inside the monastery have revealed underground tunnels and crypts. Further excavations have been planned to uncover more remains under the monastery, including more ruins of the Roman basilicas that stood there (the pillars outside the monastery support the idea of more remains).

On October 10, 2007, a collection of approximately 2,383 Venetian coins was discovered by archaeologists while excavating the monastery. A prominent archaeologist of the Republic of Macedonian, Pasko Kuzman, stated that the coins are of special significance because they indicate that Ohrid and Venice were commercially linked

As the monastery is the most sacred of all the churches in the Republic of Macedonia, thousands of Macedonian Orthodox Christians gather at Plaošnik during large religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas to celebrate and take part in the liturgies.

The Mine of Alshar - Macedonia

2012-08-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

Alshar, an ancient mine located in the southern Balkans, in Macedonia, is said to contain minerals that are found nowhere else on the planet. The rarest of them all—the lorandite, a crystal of the thallium. The lorandite is thought to have the potential to unravel the so-called "neutrino puzzle." By serving as a geochemical detector of the neuron, the lorandite could validate or disprove the theory of the standard solar system, say physicists. In simple terms—it would let us understand the work of the Sun.They say it holds a secret no less than that of the Universe. That it guards the answer to the power of the Sun. No, it is not the latest Spielberg blockbuster. It is a mine. But a mine covered in a veil of mystery.

The Ottomans, who ruled the peninsula until the beginning of the 20th century, called it Majdan (the word for "mine" in Turkish). This was also the name given to the nearest village. They explored for gold. But they were not the first ones at the mine. According to some, the mine has existed for over 5,000 years.

It has eight entrances, two of which lead through corridors that extend up to 6 kilometers and have cobblestone pathways, placed there by the Ottomans. The mine has been closed for decades.

Media reports tell the story that in the late 70's the Macedonian government had a secret session, at the request of the federal authorities of former Yugoslavia, to decide whether to concede a "great power" (Russia?) to conduct research for space purposes in Alshar.

At the beginning of the 20th century, elite universities from Budapest, Vienna and Prague began examining the then unknown minerals from the mine.

Nowadays people from the nearby villages serve as guides to "mysterious" foreigners who visit the mine. The visitors go inside the mine to collect minerals from its bowels. These stories abound often mixed with an element of fantasy. They talk of helicopters that do screening from above—helicopters bearing the marks of the national government but also of foreign militaries. (There is a large foreign military presence in the region.) Villagers say the mine is full of minerals that glow in different colors.

According to experts, many world scientists are very interested in exploring Alshar. The lorandite from the mine can register in a chemical and physical way the so-called neutrino flux coming from the Sun. And they say it is the only known substance that has this power. If the neutrino could be explored, science could understand the processes that go on inside the Sun. Some say with awe that it could lead to an understanding of the past but also of the future of our galaxy.

How did it ever get there, and only there? On a mountain (Kozuf) in the southern Balkans? One assumption, again resembling a movie scenario, is that it fell from the Sun, following an eruption a billion years ago.

Despite all the mystery, the fact is undisputed that Alshar is the only known place on the planet that contains the lorandite, a mineral of potentially huge significance in physics.

According to rough estimates, the mine could have reserves of up to 40 tons of lorandite. A few grams of lorandite for lab research is said to cost about 5-6 euros.

Local scientists have come forward in the past with the idea to have the mine protected by UNESCO and have suggested that it be turned into a resort for global science tourism. It could attract up to several thousand researchers a year, they say, including atomic physicists, space scientists, geologists, and of course many adventurers. The zone around the mine should be developed, and the mine itself should be restored, its corridors lighted, and new pathways built. They say many NASA people would enjoy coming and staying for work and holidays combined.

All agree that Macedonia has the lorandite and should do more for promoting the "hunt" of the neutrino.

A decade ago, the LOREX project (lorandite experiment) was initiated by scientists from all over former Yugoslavia, in cooperation with international labs. The key to the neutrino is the key to the door of Alshar, they said.

A few years ago, the mine was registered as a natural monument and made part of the Emerald Network of "areas of special conservation interest," created by the Council of Europe.

This year, the Macedonian government has initiated a project to have the mine protected. This would mean that any type of activity in Alshar would require prior government permission. At present, the place is completely unrestricted for any type of visit.

Villagers' stories continue. Just next to the mine is a small hill where the grass is always green. Neither man nor livestock can step a foot on it, they say. It will knock down even the largest cow that roams the pasture, as the hill is full of thallium, one of the most potent of poisons.

The immediate zone around the mine has geothermal waters, and the outer edges of the village of Majdan abound with a white mineral that the villagers use for washing and cleaning.

If the power of the Sun could be understood, say scientists, then hypothetically, humanity could reproduce it. It could create many "small suns." Energy production facilities akin to nuclear plants, but without the radioactivity. They could produce environmentally clean power.

Is it a fantasy, or not?

Similarities between ancient Macedonian and today's' Macedonian Culture (Linguistics and Onomastics)

2012-08-11T12:08:00.003-07:00

The Ancient Macedonians are among the most famous nations in the history. Probably the most famous of all in the row of renown ancient Macedonians is Alexander The Great of Macedon, who was driven by his idea of a World State where all the people will live together in equality. His father, Philip II of Macedon is also very well known. Aristotle1), one of the greatest philosophers of all times was also a Macedonian (by father), and so was the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII (she was a distant grand-daughter of the Macedonian general Ptolemy, friend of Alexander The Great since their childhood)2). The members of the Seleucides and Ptolemais dynasties were also Macedonians, and a few of them are mentioned in the Bible3). There are views within the scientific community that The Holy Evangelist Luke4), as well as a number of Byzantine tzars5) all carried the Macedonian genes. The contribution of ancient Macedonians to the world civilization is large and of great importance6).

What was the ethnic origin of the ancient Macedonians?

Despite the views in some parts of the scientific community today that the ancient Macedonians were part of the Hellenes, the idea that ancient Macedonians were a separate nation is becoming increasingly accepted among the scientific circles around the world7). The ancient Greek historians clearly stated that the Macedonians were a separate people from the Hellenes. The Greek historian Arrian (I AD) wrote that there was a "racial rivalry" between the ancient Macedonians and the Greeks8).
There are a certain number of arguments and strong indications in support of the existence of (at least partial) ethno-cultural links between the ancient Macedonians and Veneti.
Before presenting some of these arguments, it is required to affirm that the Veneti were among the oldest nations in Europe. Narratively the Veneti were initially mentioned as people from Asia Minor, and later on as Balkan people as well. Furthermore, there are number of testimonials and evidences that the ancient people Veneti were the ancestors of the so called "Slavs"10). This practically means that the ancient Macedonians and the so called "Slavs" should have (at least partial) common ethno-cultural background. Following are only some of the arguments in support of this as a wider elaboration is required to fully cover this topic and the space on this occasion is limited.
The ancient Macedonians used their own vernacular, Macedonian language. There are number of testimonials from the ancient historians in support of this fact. For instance, the Greek historian Plutarch (I AD), describing a quarrel between Alexander The Great and one of his friends wrote that Alexander "jumped on his feet and in Macedonian called on his shield-bearers"11).
In his biography of Marc Anthony, Plutarch mentioned that Macedonian was the mother tongue of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII and of her ancestors from the Macedonian dynasty Ptolemais12).
The Latin historian Quintus Curtius Rufus (I AD) also testified that the ancient Macedonians spoke a separate, Macedonian language. He described the trial of the Macedonian Philotas for contriving a plot to murder Alexander The Great. The plot was discovered and Philotas was publicly interrogated by Alexander. Describing this event, Quintus Curtius Rufus clearly stated that the Macedonians spoke separate, Macedonian language13).
An evidence about the distinction of the Macedonian language was found on fragment of a papyrus which was thought to be a part of the lost work "History of the successors" by the ancient Greek historian Arrian. In this papyrus (PSI XII.1284) an episode from the history of ancient Macedonia has been described where the distinction of Macedonian language has been clearly emphasized. It has been described in this text how the secretary of Philip and Alexander of Macedon, Eumenes was: "…sending forth a man called Xennias who was Macedonian in speech…" to negotiate with the Macedonian army of Neoptolemeus. This event took place around 321 BC.14)
That the Macedonian was a distinct vernacular characteristic to the Macedonians confirm the anti-Macedonian speeches given by the great orator from Athens, Demosthenes. In his work "Philippic" Demosthenes gave the following insulting remark about the Macedonian King Philip II of Macedon:
"That man Philip, not only he is not a Greek, but also he does not have anything in common with the Greeks. If only he would have been a barbarian from a decent country - but he is not even that. He is a scabby creature from Macedonia - a land that one can not even bring a slave that is worth something from".15)
The question why Demosthenes named Philip as a barbarian becomes imminent. Majority of the scientists believe that the term "barbarians" in the ancient period was used to refer mainly to people that spoke language that Greeks could not understand, usually accompanied by a dose of disregard towards the culture of the people speaking that language. It is well known that all the people that did not speak Greek were named "barbarians", whereas the Greeks from the city-states used the word "xenoi" when referring to one-another.16)
Demosthenes was not alone in naming the Macedonians "barbarians". Ancient Greek historian Isocrates also called the Macedonians "barbarians".17)
The Greek Trasymachus, in his speech before the Larisians in V BC named the Macedonian king Archelaos "barbarian" in relation to the Greeks Larisians.18)
However, it stands for a fact that the elites in power in ancient Macedonia at a certain stage of the development of Macedonia took up the Greek literary language and some elements of the Greek culture (religion, onomastics etc). It needs to be emphasized that this does not mean at all that the Macedonians were Hellenes. First thing to be said in relation to this is that the Greek literary language at the time was also used by many other nations that were not Hellenes: Thracians, Jews, Ilyrians, even the Romans, all these people at some stage in the ancient period wrote in old Greek language. Such examples can be witnessed even today: the Irish speak and write in English and are not English; Brazilians speak and write in Portugese and are not Portugese etc.
As far as adopting the Old Greek language by the Macedonian royalty is concerned, it is a fact that this occurred at a certain stage of development of the Macedonian state. Supporting this fact is the non-existence of not even a single inscription in Greek on the territory of Macedonia to be dated from and before V BC, which matches with the period prior to the partial adoption of the Greek culture in Macedonia. The fact that many of the inscriptions in Greek found (from a later date though) contain many grammatical errors, is by itself a proof in support of the truth, that is the Old Greek language was foreign to the Macedonians.

What was like the ancient Macedonian language?

There are only a certain number of preserved words, and from the current knowledge the structure of the ancient Macedonian can not be fully synthesised. Most of the ancient Macedonian words are different to the ancient Greek language words, however there are a few that are similar. For the words from the ancient Macedonian language that are similar to the ancient Greek language words are believed to be taken on from Greek.19) In fact, this occurrence was and still is characteristic for all languages in the world. In the Macedonian language today terms are adopted from foreign languages mainly where there is no authentic terminology or analogy. For instance: antena (antenna); satelit (satellite); mobilen telefon (mobile/cellular phone); kompjuter (computer) etc. These foreign words are being adapted in accordance with the modern Macedonian phonetic system. This needs to be taken into account when analysing the ancient Macedonian language. The authenticity and the nature of a language can not be possibly determined only by the words that language adopted from another language.
One needs to bear in mind that almost all the preserved ancient Macedonian words reached modern age through their Greek transcript which makes it more difficult to identify their true meaning. It is important that the phenomenon "Interpretato Graeca" is mentioned here, that is greekifying of all the foreign words: nouns, verbs, and especially names. A specific characteristic of this process is adding the suffix "os" or "s" to the foreign words, and this will be discussed later in this paper.
Despite all this, it is very interesting to note that many of the authentic ancient Macedonian words, according to their etymology and pronunciation, have a striking resemblance to the appropriate words used in the modern Macedonian language (and other so called "Slav" languages).
For instance, the word "tshelniku" which translated in English means foremost is a very interesting case. The British historian Hammond mentioned its etymology and said that the word "tshelniku" in the ancient Macedonian language had a meaning of "leader of a group". Hammond says that this word was translated into Greek only in the 14th century as "phylarchos".20)
The word "tshelnik" with completely identical etymology and pronunciation has been registered in the so called "old Slavic language" in Macedonia as early as 11th century! Proof of this is the entry of Byzantine chronicle writer Kekavmen where he described the events surrounding the anti-Byzantine uprising of Petar Deljan in 11th century. He said that in the language of the rebels "the strategist is called tshelnik"!21) It is known that Kekavmen was fluent in the "language of the Slavs" in Macedonia therefore he could translate the Greek word "strategist" as "tshelnik" (the strategist was a high military rank in Byzantine). It is even more interesting that the word "tshelnik" with identical etymology and pronunciation is being used in todays' Macedonian language and in other "Slav" languages, as well! This can not be a coincidence, especially considering the fact that there could be hundreds of thousands etymological meanings that a single word can represent, and in this instance there is an identical etymological meaning for a word that has also an identical pronunciation.
The remark that the middle age Macedonians simply borrowed this word from the language of ancient Macedonians and used it in 11th century is not valid. Assuming that it is so, becomes impossible to explain the fact that this word is present in the contemporary Croatian literary language. Have they inherited this word from the ancient Macedonians as well? It is the same with the contemporary Serbian and Bulgarian literary languages where this word is also present with the same pronunciation and etymology.
It is highly likely that through analysis of the word "tshelniku" some other characteristics of the ancient Macedonian language could be identified, considering the fact that in the contemporary Macedonian language this word is deducted from the noun "tshelo" - forehead.
As mentioned previously, the non-Greek words were recorded by the ancient Greeks on as-heard basis without analysing the form of the word. Due to the fact the word "tshelniku" had been recorded inclusive of the vowel "u" at the end, it is anticipated that "tshelniku" was recorded by the ancient Greeks in its vocative form. The vocative form of the noun "tshelnik" in the contemporary Macedonian language is precisely "tshelniku". Is it maybe that the Greeks used to hear the word "tshelniku" every time a Macedonian addressed the leader, therefore recorded this word without realising that they were recording its vocative form?
Another word that is also very interesting in this regard is the word "phoinikos", which is related to the warfare22). Indubitable this word is very much alike the contemporary Macedonian word "voinik" meaning "soldier". There could be a little doubt that these words have a common origin. Why is this so? In the ancient Greek language the consonant "v" did not exist23). The conclusion is imminent that the true pronunciation of the word "phoinikos" would be "voinikos" ("ph" replaced with "v"). In addition to this, as established earlier in this text, ancient Greeks added the suffix "os" to a lot of non-Greek words they recorded. If the word "phoinikos" had been subjected to the "Interpretato Graeca" phenomenon i.e. if the suffix "os" had been added to this non-Greek word, by taking out the Greek suffix we arrive at the contemporary Macedonian word "voinik" (soldier). Not only the pronunciation, but also the etymology of the word "voinik" is very similar to that of the word "phoinikos" and is located in the domain of warfare.
An abundance of water is described with the word "vodi" in contemporary Macedonian language. The corresponding ancient Macedonian word for this is the word "vedy". The Greek archaeologist Aliki Stuyanaki in the periodical "Edesaika Hronika" (Edessa, may-august, 1972) advised that the Macedonian city of Voden, to which the Greeks gave the name "Edessa", was originally a Brygian city and its old name was Vedy which means abundance of water24). Furthermore, St. Clement of Alexandria wrote that ancient Macedonians had a great respect towards the water (springs, wells, rivers) and they worshiped the Macedonian divinity they called Vedy25). In this instance as well, the similarity between pronunciation of a contemporary Macedonian and an ancient Macedonian word is undeniable, and again their etymology is identical.
The contemporary Macedonian verb "pesh" (walk) in ancient Macedonian would have been pronounced "pez"26).
"Pella"27) is another ancient Macedonian word. The etymology of this word is "a stone". The corresponding word in contemporary Macedonian language is "spila", which is similar in pronunciation with the ancient Macedonian word "pella".
The ancient Macedonian word recorded through its Greek interpretation as "skoidos" bears the meaning of judges. In contemporary Macedonian this meaning is conveyed using the word "sudii"28).

There are number of ancient Macedonian words with undetermined etymology which in their pronunciation undeniably resemble contemporary Macedonian words, as well as words from other so called "Slavic languages".A very good example is the word "arotos" which ancient Macedonians used as an epithet to the god Heracles29). Its etymology is undetermined to-date, however if the suffix "s" is deleted this word is practically identical with the adjective "aroto" - "the old one" (archaism to a degree) from the present Macedonian language. According to a legend Heracles was considered to be the oldest ascendant of the Macedonians. Can the answer for the etymology of the word "arotos" be located in this legend, by referring to Heracles as "the old one" or "aroto(s)"?
It is inevitable that the Macedonian Phalanx is mentioned in this discussion. The strongest weapon of the phalanx was the long spear called "sarissa". It is very interesting to analyse the etymology of the word "sarissa". The first and obvious question is whether the first letter of this word, the letter "s", is authentic or perhaps there should be the letter "z" instead? It is well known that the name of the Brygian (ancient Macedonian) goddess was recorded as both "Semela" and "Zemela". If this is applied to the word "sarissa" i.e. the letter "s" is replaced with the letter "z" it will transform into the word "zarissa". An exciting assumption emerges regarding the etymology of this word. The reflexive verb in its dialectical form "zari se" in the contemporary Macedonian is identical in pronunciation with the word "zarisa" (thrust itself in, pierce itself into). This is of course an assumption, which nevertheless has a solid base in the information presented in relation to the pronunciation and etymology of the words discussed previously.
By analysing ancient Macedonian words that have a determined etymology, it is possible to make some assumptions and even draw some conclusions regarding certain grammatical forms of the ancient Macedonian language. This forms are identical with the forms of the contemporary Macedonian language.
It is worth to mention that there were words in the ancient Macedonian language that (at least without performing a deeper analysis) appear to have a little in common with the contemporary Macedonian language. However, the presence of these words does not deny the existence of words from the contemporary Macedonian language in the ancient Macedonian language. In fact, for some of these words it is more than obvious that they had existed in the ancient Macedonian vocabulary.
We should also turn attention to a portion of the ancient Macedonian onomastics. At the same time it is necessary to keep in mind two things. First, there is no doubt that the ancient Macedonians (mainly those from the highest circles) accepted part of the Hellenic onomastics. But in fact a large number of Macedonian names were different than those in the Hellenic onomasticon, while a considerable number of these are reminiscent of the later Macedonian onomasticon, or are derived from words of Macedonian or from so called "Slavic" (Venetic) origin.
A second thing that needs to be kept in mind is the fact that ancient Macedonian personal names up to our own time mainly achieved written form through their Greek (and in a smaller number Latin as well) transcription. We can surmise that a considerable number of these names were given the added Greek suffixes "os" and "s", and more rarely "us". There are a lot of proofs for this, but here for lack of space we shall only mention that, in our research we have noted over 350 personal names written by ancient Greek authors, which names belonged to various non-Greek peoples. The overwhelming number of these Persian, Thracian, Illyrian, Egyptian, Scythian, Brygian, Libyan, Indian, and other personal names (but also toponyms and other words) were artificially Hellenized by the old Greek authors, adding the Greek suffix "os", and where appropriate "s". Sometimes the old Greek authors went to such lengths that the foreign name was totally changed in the process. Thus, for example, the Egyptian Pharaoh Khu-fu in Greek sources became written as CheopS (with the attached Greek suffix "s"). Later the Indian King Chandragupta was written by Greeks as SandroticOS, and so forth. Sometimes the only change to the name would be the Greek ending "os" or "s". Thus, for example, the name of the Egyptian King Psamtic was written by Greeks as PsametihOS. The Macedonian name Ata, as well, became written as both Ata and AtaS (Hellenized by addition of the suffix "s"), etc.
We've said that we have identified hundreds of such examples of artificially Hellenized non-Greek names (but also other non-Greek words) by old Greek writers, which for lack of space here, will not be mentioned. According to such practices of that time it happened that peoples from quite disparate cultures, ethnic origins (and even races) such as the Persians, Egyptians, Illyrians, Arabians, Libyans, Thracians, Ethiopians, Scythians, Indians, Macedonians, and others, all had identical (Greek) endings on their names. This is so unlikely as to be unbelievable. Therefore, in the following discussion particular attention will be paid to the roots of personal names, given the extensive artificial use of the Greek suffixes "os" and "s" (as well as "us").
In the ancient Macedonian onomasticon we will include several Brygian names (most of them found in Macedonia) as well. This is for the simple reason that Brygians played a major role in the ethnogenesis of the ancient Macedonians30). But to pass on to concrete instances. We will mention a portion of the ancient Macedonian names which are the same or very similar to later Macedonian names or words, as well as names and words of the other so called "Slavic languages". Most of these names are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon 31) .
Ata(s). The root of this name contains the noun "at", which in the so called "Old Slavic language" meant "a horse". We note that the ancient Macedonians were great horsemen and horses were very importaint for them. Such names allready exsists in onomasticons of other peoples (for example Bulgarians have their popular name Asparuh, which means "speed horse" in Old Bulgarian language). The same name "Ata" is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Apell(es). The root of this name contains the noun "apel" (a call) which we have in the present day Macedonian language.
Atarhi(as). The root of this name contains the noun "atar". This is a Macedonian archaism for the word "love". Names that contain the word "love" exist in a majority of lexicons.
Bere(s). The root of this name contains the verb "bere" (to pick up) that exists today in the Macedonian language and in other "Slavic" languages. Also in the present day Macedonian onomasticon there are names derived from verbs. The name "Bere" is present In todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Crater(us)32). The root of this name contains the word "krater" (crater) which exsists in the present day Macedonian and other "Slavic" languages. In todays' Macedonian onomasticon is present the name "Krate".
Caran(us)33). This name might be connected to the present day Macedonian noun "kruna" (a crown). The name "Karanche" is present In todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Dada. The noun "dada" in the present day Macedonian language means "older sister". The name "Dada" is present In todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Daron. This is a name for the ancient Macedonian god of healing. Its etymology is known, and it means "he that gives health." This means that the name of this god contains the Macedonian noun "dar" (a gift). The names Darun, Dare, Dara and others are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Del(us). The verb "dela" (to work) exists in the so called "Old Slavic language", as well as in several present day "Slavic languages". The name "Dele" is present In todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Dimno(s). The adjective "dimno" exists in the present day Macedonian language and still means "steamy The names Dimna, Dimon, Dimnak and others are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Diplai(os)34). A name of an upper Macedonian (Payonian) ruler. In his name is the noun "dipla" that in dialectal form in the present day Macedonian language means a bouquet of flowers. The noun "dipla" is also used as a designation for a type of old Macedonian instrument.
Dita. The noun exists in Slavic languages as "dite" or "dete", which means "a child". In 19th century Macedonian onomasticon was recordered the same name "Dita".
Dita(s). This is an obvious form of the preceding name Dita, but it has been Hellenized with the suffix "s".
Dud(es). The noun "dud" (a type of wood) exists in several "Slavic" languages. The names Dude and Duda are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Glaukia(s)35). Could this name be derived from the noun "glava" (a head)? In 19th century Macedonia one finds the male name Glavko.36)
Gauan(us). This is an old originally ancient Macedonian name, first mentioned by Herodotus. It has obvious similarities to the noun "gaval", that represents an archaism for the "kaval" (a short Macedonian wind instrument). In 15th century Macedonia one finds the male names: Gavale and Gavala.
Kopria. This name has possible connections to the noun "kopra" (a dill). It is a well-known practice to derive personal names from those of the plant world. In 16th century Macedonia one finds the female name Kopra.
Lasten. This name may be connected to the noun "lastovica" (in Serbian: "lasta"), which means "a swallow". The name Laste is present in today's Macedonian onomasticon.
Lyka. This female Macedonian name, which exists in the present day language, is possibly derived from the noun "lika" (a face, pretty face). The name Lika is present in today's Macedonian onomasticon.
Milo. This name was mentioned by Plutarch as a name of a Macedonian military leader in the Macedonian-Roman conflicts. This name exists to the present day in the Macedonian onomasticon. It has an obvious identification with the present day Macedonian adjective "milo" (dear), from which a number of names are (Milosh, Milko, Milka).
Mesti(us). The root of this name contains the noun (archaism) "mesti" (small childrens' shoes made from wool). In later Macedonian onomasticon there were also names derived from pieces of clothes.
Mamina. This name fully corresponds to the present day Macedonian adjective "mamina" (the one who belongs to her mother). In 18th and 19th century Macedonia one finds the female name Maminka.
Mama. This is identical to the present day Macedonian noun "mama", which in any case, exists in other languages. In 15th century Macedonia one finds the female name Mamica (deminutive for Mama).
Mama(s). It is obvious that this is a Hellenized variant on the previous name.
Manta. The noun "mantija", that exists in the present day Macedonian language represents a type of long garment. In 19th century Macedonia one finds the same female name Manta.
Mantyes. This is probably a variant of the previous name. The spoken form of this word (without the suffix "s") is still closer to the noun "mantija".
Med(es). The root of this name contains the noun "med" (honey), which exists in todays' Macedonian language as well in most other "Slavic" languages. The name Mede is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Myrcin(us). Name of a king of an ancient Macedonian tribe Edoni, mentioned by Herodotus. If we remove the Greek "us", we get the name Myrcin (Mirkin). To the present day in the Macedonian language there is the female name "Mirka" (derived from the noun "mir", which means peace), while "Mirkin" is an adjective which means "The one who belongs to Mirka". Among the Macedonians, right up to the 20th century, men frequently received names derived from their mother's name (Kanin son of Kana; Mirkin son of Mirka and etc.). Could that be the case with this name? The names Mirkan, Mirin and so on are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Mucati. The verb "mucati" exists in a number of the "Slavic" languages. In the Macedonian language the verb "mucna" means "to speak". Maybe this name can be connected to the noun "mucka" (snout). If we read "c" as "k", then maybe the root of this name can be connected to the noun "mukach" (which means a cry baby). The names Mucan Muce, Mucko, Mukan, Muko are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Nana. The noun "nana" in the Macedonian language today is used to signify an older female relative. In dialectal form "nana" takes the form of the verb, to sleep. The name Nana is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Pita. The noun "pita" (a type of food), can be found in a number of "Slavic" languages. In todays' Macedonian onomasticon is present the name Pito. There are other Macedonian names derived from the food: Piroshka, Pituluca and others.
Pittak(os). Could this be a variant of the previous name? The noun "pitach" exists in the present day Macedonian language, with the meaning, "one who begs". The names Pito and Pitako are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Plator. The noun "plat" exists in the present day Macedonian language as a type of high quality cloth. The suffix "or" is encountered in other male personal names, which means that it is independent of the root "plat". The name Platin is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Pyri(as).The root of this name could be connected to the noun "pir" (merriment). The name Piri is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Pyrh(os). This is probably a variant of the previous name.
Perustae. The noun "perustija" in the present day Macedonian language means an iron spit for cooking meat over a fire, an item that had great significance in the preparation of food in the past. The name Peruska is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Rumi37). A female name that could possibly be connected to the adjective "rumena" (ripe red). In todays' Macedonian onomasticon there is name "Rumi", which is short form of the name "Rumena" (ripe red).
Sita. A name that is identical to the present day Macedonian adjective "sita" (eating to satisfaction). The male name Sitko is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Sopol(is).This ancient Macedonian name is mentioned by the Greek historian Arrian as the name of a Macedonian officer in the army of Alexander the Great. It obviously contains the root "sopol" (a strong spring) from the so called "Old Slavic language". The name Sopol is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Stasanor. This name contains the present day Macedonian adjective "stasan" (ripe). We've said that the suffix "or" can be found in other male names, which means that it is outside of the root "stasan". The names Stasin, Stase and Staso are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Silen(us). Name of a forest demon in Brygian mythology. The root of this name contains the present day Macedonian adjective "silen" (that which has spiritual or physical strength). In middle age Macedonia one finds the names: Silan, Silano and Silane.
Stamen(os)38). The root of this name contains the present day Macedonian adjective "stamen" (reliable, firm). The name Stamen is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Sever(os). The root of this word contains the noun "sever" (north), which exists in in a number of present day "Slavic" languages. The name Sever is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Sipa. In the Macedonian language there exists the noun "sipa" (a type of fish), which lives in Macedonian lake waters. It is a well known practice to derive personal names from the names of animals. The name Sipe is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Sipa(s). This is obviously a Hellenized variant of the previous name.
Scritia39). The adjective "skrita" (secret) is apparent in this name that exists in "Slavic" languages.
Tata, Tato, Tataia. These are obvious variations of a name derived from the noun "tato" i "tata", which means "a father" and can be found in several "Slavic" languages. The name "Tataia" probably is a variant on these two names. In middle age Macedonia one find the names: Tato, Tate, Tatko, Tatka, Tatin.
Temen(os). The root of this name contains the present day Macedonian adjective "temen" (dark).
Traizina. The root of this word may contain the present day Macedonian adjective "trazena" (expected, sought).
Tip(as). The root of this name contains the noun "tip" (type), which is a word found in several Slavic languages. The names Tipa and Tipe are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Vitel(is). The root of this name contains the noun "vitel", which is found in the present day Macedonian and still means (whirlpool). The name Vitol is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Zaika. This is one of the most interesting ancient Macedonian female names. It may represent a female form of the present day Macedonian "zajak" (rabbit). In any case, there are numerous examples of names taken from names of animals. The names Zaia (Zaja) and Zaiko (Zajko) are present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
Zaimina. The present day Macedonian language contains the adjective "zemjina" (in dialectal form "zemina") which means "the one who belongs to Earth". There is also the adjective "zimna" (the one who belongs to the winter"). The name Zemko is present in todays' Macedonian onomasticon.
We would also add to this list the name of the well-known Brygian goddess Zemela, who was goddess of the earth. There is an obvious similarity to the Macedonian noun "zemja" (in dialectal form: "zemla"), which is similar in other "Slavic" languages.
We would also mention the name of a Brygian tribe, the "Mushki", who lived in the 9th century before Christ. Their name is identical to the noun "mushki" (men), which exists in other "Slavic" languages. Their king was called Mita a name which remains unchanged in a number of "Slavic" languages.
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)

Devil's Wall - the biggest Macedonian mystery

2012-08-06T15:42:00.002-07:00

Beauties of Macedonia can not be enumerated quickly and to describe with ease.

Through their wealth this beautiful country hides many secrets and mysteries that are interesting to the world, and significant for the Macedonians.

Interesting geomorphologic natural occurrence on the right bank of Bregalnica called Devil's Wall.

Legend says that the devil bet with God that the Bogoslovec locality in the district of Sveti Nikole for only one night to build a wall that will redirect Bregalnica from its natural bed, its waters will be sent to Ovcepolie and will completely flooding. God accepted the wager, and the devil are obliged to build the wall until the first zakukurikaat roosters. The same night the devil began to build the wall and it did so quickly and skillfully as a place ceased to doubt that the work will finish on time. The Lord has used shrewdness - before dawn klocnal a sleeping cock zakukurikal so that once announced the arrival of the day. The devil failed in its intention, Ovcepolie was saved from a flood, the wall is named Devil, and huge stones remained to this day to witness the legend that is not known when occurred.

The interesting legend remained among the people, who to this day tells whenever you mention this wonderful place.

Another legend says that on this space is hiding a wealth of great conquests of Alexander of Macedon, and this myth was very challenging for buried treasure seekers to try their luck.

These are rocky izdanoci ie rock bands that are clearly evident in the relief and extend fragmented east-west-northwest, the length of several hundred meters. The phenomenon is a consequence of rapid erosion of the Eocene sediments erodibilnite-sands, and other pesochnici in terms of tectonic poremetenite, stronger vertical rock bands. These rocks stronger as compared to the relatives and friends behind in relief in the form of a natural wall. Thus the appearance is not a direct consequence of human activity or construction, unless they are considered human impact on the acceleration of erosion processes through ogoluvanjeto pitch.

Dr. Aleksandadr Balabanov, a famous classical philologist and university professor in Leipzig said that the Devil's Wall wonder what does not exist in the world.

When the already distant 1970, the famous archaeologist from Belgrade, Milutni Garashanin, accidentally hit a wall this admiringly said:

- This is amazing! This is brilliant work, whether of nature or man! This is the wonder of the world! This wall is distinctively imponzanten significant length of five hundred feet in the direction of extension of "Bogoslvoec" and DES-tive along the coast of Bregalnica and its traces can be seen even five miles to the west. Traces of the wall can be seen on the left bank of Bregalnica edinsvenost that associated with the wall. Average height ranges from 10 to 12 feet wide and about 2 meters. The building is constructed with stone blocks with an average intake - to 4 cubic meters, and cause-tions between the stones is thin, reddish binder material skillfully done by expert grditel.

For seekers of gold by a story that this is a wall from the Roman period, that it hides a tunnel with incredible wealth. The tunnel is designated and certain topographic maps naive seekers of fortune sell them adept fraudsters from nearby countries. The tunnel, according to them is the main reason that last year the illegal diggers treasure more visit the wall and damage. The last two years subject to such observation activities and the wall was some NATO troops with helicopters often unfold near the Wall. Also, repeatedly observed wild diggers from neighboring countries so that they become the biggest threat to the status of this rare feonomen.

Devil's Wall creates unrest and peace simultaneously. The man carries risks, but shining with all its beauty, grandeur and mystery as breathtaking and awe real cause.

Macedonian Language

2012-08-06T15:32:00.002-07:00

Introduction
Bulgarian and Greek propagandists insist that Macedonian is not a language, that it is only a western Bulgarian dialect, despite the fact that Macedonian is an internationally recognized language and taught at several prestigious universities throughout the world. (See below). Here are some quotes, by non-Macedonians, regarding the Macedonian language:

"The decision to establish Macedonian as the official language of the Republic of Macedonia in 1944, therefore, 'confirmed what was already de facto practice. It did not create a language out of the air, rather it granted recognition to a literary language whose modern development began in the 19th century."(Friedman 1985:35).
"In the world of Horace Lunt, a distinguished Slavic linguist, Bulgarian scholars who argue that the concept of a Macedonian language was unknown before World War II or who continue to claim that a Macedonian language does not exist 'look not only dishonest, but silly,' while Greek scholars who make similar claims are displaying 'arrogant ignorance' of their Slavic neighbours". (Lunt 1984:110, 120).
"The Macedonian language is accepted by linguists everywhere in the world except in Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece. It is recognized as a distinct language by various international authorities such as the Encyclopedia Britannica and The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. It is one of the recognized 88 world languages, spoken by close to 1.5 million people in the Republic of Macedonia, 250,000 people in Aegean Macedonia, 250,000 people in Pirin Macedonia, and around 500,000 people in other parts of the world, particularly North America and Australia.
"Modern Greece has often recognized its Slav minority and its language as Macedonian Slav, Bulgarian, or just Slav: in the official map circulated in the post -World War I negotiations (Soteriadis, 1918); in at least one official Greek Foreign Ministry document of 1924 (the language was mentioned as Macedonian, Divani, 1995:228); in interwar newspapers (Margaritis, 1993:27) or official notary documents (GHM and MRG-Greece have copies of them); in its publication of the 1920, 1928, 1940 and 1951 census results (Lithoxoou, 1995). For the 1920 census, the language is mentioned simply as Macedonian and is distinguished from Bulgarian.
"Krste Misirkov, considered 'the founder of the modern Macedonian literary language (Nurigiani 1972:160-161) was an outspoken and unambiguous advocate of Macedonian linguistic and national separatism. In his book On Macedonian Matters, published in 1903 in Sofia and immediately suppressed by the Bulgarians, Misirkov wrote, 'I am a Macedonian. I write in the central Macedonian dialect, which from now on I shall always consider the Macedonian literary language.' He not only advocated 'completely separating our (Macedonian) interests from those of other Balkan states and independently continuing our own cultural and national development,' but he also called for the 'recogntion of the Slavs in Macedonia as a separate nationality - Macedonians.' He stated plainly and simply that the Macedonians are 'a separate and independent Slav people.'"

Macedonian and Neighbouring Languages
Language is one of the most important features of a people. As for the Macedonian people and its state are concerned, language is of extreme significance and offers confirmation of their historical continuity. Apart from being the official language in the Republic of Macedonia, Macedonian is spoken and cherished in many European countries, the United States, Canada and Australia, wherever Macedonians live. It is also the mother tongue and a language of everyday communication in those parts of the Balkan states populated by ethnic Macedonians.
As the official language of the Republic of Macedonia, Macedonian is written using its Cyrillic alphabet. The Macedonian literary standard is a modern European language, which according to its characteristics is different from the neighboring and other Slavic and non-Slavic languages.
Macedonian is an Indo-European language from the family of Slavic languages belonging to the South-Slavic group. At the same time, it is a Balkan language. It is interesting to mention that there are instances in the world when two or more nations have a common language, and vice versa, when some nations have two languages. The Macedonian nation, however, is in this respect like the majority of nations in the world - its members have a separate language. This fact creates a feeling of independence in every member of the Macedonian nation and represents a significant contribution in the construction of Macedonian national consciousness.

Normative Structure
The historical development of the Macedonian language dates back to the 9th century AD when Slavonic literacy began with a standard Macedonian language. The modern codification of the Macedonian literary language was as late as 1944, although from the 1860s onwards, attempts were made at creating a general Macedonian literary standard.
The Macedonian language has a rich history and has played a key role in the development of the spiritual culture, creative activity and the preservation of the distinctive national identity of the Macedonians. It developed from the dialect of the South Slavs who deeply penetrated the Balkan Peninsula. It has common features with the Bulgarian dialects to the east and Serbian dialects to the north. Located in the Slavic linguistic periphery within the sphere of Greek-Byzantine civilization and Roman-Balkan culture, Macedonian preserves numerous archaic features, such as the use of imperfect and aorist, and has made a number of innovations.

Macedonian Studies in the World
Today it occupies a central position on the Balkan Peninsula. It has common borders with Albanian, Greek and the Turkish spoken in Thrace, which makes possible the inclusion of a large number of Balkan characteristics into the Macedonian language. Some of the more characteristic Balkan features of Macedonian are the postpositive article, analytic declination (the loss of case forms), double object, da-constructions, kje-constructions, constructions with ima/nema, constructions with sum + deverbative, etc.
The grammatical structure of Macedonian was chiefly stabilized during the 15th century. The modern Macedonian literary standard is based on the central variants of the western dialect, west of the River Vardar, even though it contains features from the eastern dialect, to the east of the Vardar. A characteristic feature of the Macedonian literary standard is the three-syllable accent (the accent always falls on the third syllable from the end in words of three syllables or more), and the clear pronunciation of unaccented vowels.
As we have already mentioned, starting from the 9th century and the foundation of the well-known Ohrid Literary School, the standard Macedonian language was used in written documents for a long period: until the 11th century in the Glagolitic, and after that in the Cyrillic script. Of old written documents (until the 13th century), we should mention Dobromir's Gospel, the Ohrid Apostle (Work of the Apostles), the Slepche Apostle, Dobrejsho's Gospel, the Macedonian Gospel of Priest John, the Dechani Gospel, the Vraneshnica Apostle, Pogodin's Psalter, the Bologna Psalter, Radomir's Gospel and the Strumica Apostle.
The phonetic principle has been applied in contemporary orthography, which means that there is a separate letter for each sound, so that the Macedonian alphabet has 31 letters. The period since 1944 has led to a swift development and comprehensive affirmation of the Macedonian literary language within the country and abroad. The first grammar was published by Krume Kepeski in 1946. A detailed grammar in two volumes was published by Blazhe Koneski in 1952 (Volume 1) and 1954 (Volume 2), while the first Macedonian grammar by a foreign scholar was published by H. Lunt in 1952. An abundant literature has been written in Macedonian in all fields, while in the fields of linguistics, a comprehensive Dictionary of the Macedonian Language and many bilingual dictionaries have been prepared. A large number of works, from classical literature up to the contemporary literature of many people, have been translated into Macedonian.
There are a number of institutions in the Republic of Macedonia where the Macedonian Language has been studied. Macedonian is taught as a subject in several university centres in the world, at the appropriate faculties in Moscow, Voronyezh, Minsk, Ivanovo, Warsaw, Krakow, Katowice, Lodz, Krajova, Prague, Vienna, Halle, Lund, Paris, Naples, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Bradford, Portland, Budapest, Istanbul and Toronto. Munich, Regensburg, Zurich, Cologne, Cannes, Brno, Bucharest, Harvard, Chicago, New York, Nanking, Klagenfurt, Trieste, Bratislava, St. Petersburg, Kansas, Syracuse, Ohio and Canberra. Macedonian is being taught in all universities of the former Yugoslavia.
Findings from the study of the Macedonian language have been published in specialized editions. A large number of scholarly papers from the field of Macedonian studies have been published by Macedonian and foreign authors.

Languages of the Minorities
The languages of the minorities within the Republic of Macedonia are used freely. Albanian, Turkish, and Serbo-Croatian have been taught at the pre-school, elementary, and secondary level. Albanian and Turkish are studied at the University of Skopje, and newspapers, magazines, and books are published and radio and television programs prepared in the languages of the minorities.
The Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia determines the right to the official use of the languages of the minorities. According to the Constitution, "in the units of local self government where there is a considerable number of inhabitants belonging to a nationality, their language and alphabet are also in official use, in addition to the Macedonian language and Cyrillic alphabet, under conditions and in a manner determined by law." (Article 7)
The newly-adopted Local Self-Government Act stipulates the use of the languages and scripts of the minorities in the units of local self government with populations of mixed ethnic affiliation. The Act defines the categories of units of local self government where a majority or a considerable number of the inhabitants belong to a minority. The respective numbers are, 50% and 20% of the total population according to official data from the 1994 census.

Museum of the Macedonian Struggle

2012-08-04T18:25:00.001-07:00

The Museum of the Macedonian Struggle is a national museum of the Republic of Macedonia located in the capital city of Skopje. Construction of the museum began June 11th 2008 and it was opened to the public on the 20th anniversary of the declaration of independence on September 8th, 2011. The building is located between the Museum of Archaeology (under construction), the Holocaust Museum of Macedonia, the Stone Bridge and the Vardar River.

The exhibit covers the fight for Macedonian statehood from the days of the Hajduks against the Turkish occupation during the Ottoman Empire until the declaration of independence from Yugoslavia on 8th September 1991. The guided tours take the visitors through 13 exhibits ending in front of the original copy of the 1991 Declaration of Independence.

Archaeo-astronomical Site Kokino

2012-08-03T07:59:00.002-07:00

The archaeo-astronomical site, the megalithic observatory "Kokino" is located in the north-eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia, at 19km to the northeast of the town Kumanovo and in the vicinity of the village Kokino. Administratively it belongs to the municipality Staro Nagorichane. It comprises an area with a surface of 100m in the direction east-west and 50m in the direction north-south, at the peak of the imposing rocky hill called Tatichev kamen. It is at an elevation of 1013 m.

The hill had been formed from volcanic rocks. It has a conical form with a saddle at the top and it belongs to the volcanic area Kratovo-Zletovo. The volcanic cone, the lateral secondary parasite effusions and volcanic neck (petrified lava in the lower volcanic channel) are preserved from the extinct volcano. The erupted lava is of an intermediate character with an andesitic composition, with clearly columnar (prismatic) emission and accentuated cracks.

The natural predisposition of these andesite rocks to crack vertically and horizontally caused forming of almost ideal cubic rock blocks that could be easily shaped and wisely used by the prehistoric dwellers as areas/positions for observing the movement of the Sun and the Moon and for performing religious rites.

All crucial features of the ancient observatory are situated at two platforms, an upper and a lower one, at an elevation difference of 19m. The shapes of four stone seats ("thrones") placed in a row dominate the lower, western side. They are oriented in the direction north-south, thus enabling the one seating on the throne to observe the apparitions on the upper platform, while the tops of the rocks had the role of an eastern horizon. According to the archaeo-astronomical analysis, the main role of the thrones was the performing of the bonding ritual of the Sun God with his "representative" on Earth - the ruler, who sat on one of the thrones (the second one) during the ritual. A testimony for that is the distinct stone block with a separate marker cutting on its top, placed right under the highest elevation of the site. The ritual was performed in mid-summer (today in the last day of July) when the Sun rises exactly in the opening of the stone marker. The marker cutting was made with great precision, in such a way that the distance of its external vertical sides fully corresponds with the diameter of the Sun, when observed from the second throne. In order to enable the sun ray to fall on one of the thrones, the people had made a separate trench (incision) in the vertical rock that separates the upper from the lower platform of the site. In the day of the ritual the sun ray passes exactly by the right edge of the trench and falls only on the second throne, i.e. on the place where the most powerful member of the community sat. The day when the rite was performed corresponded with the time of the ending of the harvest - the end of the annual cycle of the plants, and in the same time end of the energy of the ruler. By reuniting with the Sun God, through the light that fell on its face during the ritual ceremony, the energy and the power of the ruler were renewed. This meant hope for a peaceful life for the community and rich crops in the year to come. Twenty hand grinders found in the proximity of the room at the base of the ritual mark are a testimony for the performing of the rite that marked the end of the harvest.

The central space of the ancient observatory was to the south-west from the thrones. It was used for observing the eastern horizon. All nine marker cuttings at the eastern horizon used by the ancient "astronomers" for daily marking of the rising of the Sun and the Moon can be seen from here. Three of the marker cuttings were intended to mark the rising of the Sun in the day of the summer solstice, the autumn and the spring equinox and the winter solstice. The six remaining marker cuttings marked the spots of the rising of the full Moon in the days when it has the smallest and the biggest declination during winter and summer. The two marker cuttings that were used for measuring the length of the lunar months can be seen from here. They were utilized for the making of a calendar for a periodic cycle of 19 lunar years.

In the "Kokino" calendar 12 lunar years contained 12 lunar months each. Six of them were winter months of 29 days and six summer months of 30 days. The remaining 7 lunar years contained 13 lunar months: six winter months of 29 days and seven summer months of 30 days. These „excessive" lunar years were at each 2^nd, 5^th, 8^th, 10^th, 13^th, 16^th and 18^th year in a period of 19 years.

The making of the calendar was one of the basic functions of the megalithic observatory "Kokino". Most probably, the announcement for the days when the most important events start was made by lighting fire on the mountain top located behind the thrones. This spot opens a view in a radius of more than 30km, and hence the fire could be seen by the inhabitants of all surrounding places.

The archaeological investigations at this area unearthed of one of the richest Bronze Age sites in the Republic of Macedonia. Its boundaries are much wider than the boundaries of the ancient observatory that is situated at the mountain top. The observatory has a surface of 0,5 hectares, while the archaeological site spreads on a surface of about 30 hectares. The investigated area is quite small, having in mind that there have been continuous archaeological investigations for only couple of years (since 2001).

The largely abundant archaeological movable material is comprised of fragments of ceramic vessels, whose shapes (versions of cooking vessels, many types of cups,kantharoses), determine the period of Bronze Age in Macedonia. The earliest ones date in Early Bronze Age (19^th - 17^th century BC), while the ones from Late Bronze Age (14^th - 11^th century BC) prevail. It is monochromatic ceramic encountered in different versions in the wider Central Balkan and South Thracian area, but with elements of local evolution. Especially significant is the mould for casting bronze axes and a pendant, for the first time discovered in Macedonia, but also in the wider region.

The archaeological artefacts from the eastern side of the highest part of the site also speak of one of the mountain rites related with the fertility cult. Namely, fragments of vessels were discovered in several natural cracks on the rocks, sometimes remodelled in almost circular form in the upper part. The small pits formed this way were closed with earth and small stones upon the introducing of the vessels filled with offerings. The essence of the cult is in the belief that the rocky mountain top is the body of the Great Goddess Mother and the cracks in the rocks - the openings in her womb.

A settlement that existed from the prehistoric period (Bronze Age) until the protohistoric period (the passage to Iron Age and Iron Age), i.e. from 19^th to 7^thcentury BC was formed at the southeast slope of the hill. Its precise location and more complete identification will be determined by the continuous archaeological investigations.

The megalithic observatory "Kokino" represents a unique outstandingly well preserved site from Bronze Age in South East Europe, testimony for the human creative genius in the usage of a specific natural resource for satisfying the vital needs and beliefs. It is significant as:

The ancient observatory "Kokino" represents an exceptionally well structured and organized area on the two hanging platforms united in the performing of their joint function: observing the movement of the Sun and the Moon and marking of the extreme positions. The existence of the three stone marker cuttings for marking the spots of the rising of the Sun in the days of the summer solstice, the winter solstice, the spring and autumn equinox, unarguably shows that Bronze Age people were familiar with the movement of the Sun in the course of the year. The four precise marker cuttings for marking the spots of the rising of the full Moon on the eastern horizon, when it has a maximum and minimum declination in winter and summer, also confirm that the ancient observers of the sky above "Kokino" knew about the cycle in a period of 19 years when the full Moon rises at the same spot in the same day of the calendar. In the same time, the megalithic observatory "Kokino" has two marker cuttings, that so far are the only ones in the world, and which measured the length of the lunar months and made the lunar calendar. This represents the peak of the human creative thought from that time. The calendar in "Kokino" is greatly in accordance with the tropical year, i.e. with the vegetation cycles. For the inhabitants from this age it meant precise dating of the beginning and the end of farming and stock-breeding, thus undertaking activities for good crops and offspring that provided peaceful and stabile life for the community.

Especially significant is the stone block with a separate marker cutting on its top. It was made for ritual function with an explicit solar character. In mid summer (end of July) a sun ray from the sunrise that penetrated through the opening of the stone marker cutting and passed by the right edge of the artificially formed trench, illuminated the ruler alone, who set on one of the four stone thrones, made especially for rite needs. The illumination of the face of the ruler signified ritual union with the Sun God and returning/renewing of his ruling power.

The megalithic observatory "Kokino" represents an original and integral complex formed 3900 years ago. Its role as a distinctly shaped space for the most important rites in the life of the people from that time and as a place where the lunar calendar was made and applied, speaks of the creative potential and the organization level of the early farmers community on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia, but also wider in the Balkans. The artefacts that had been discovered so far show an occupancy continuity of at least 1200 years in the period between the 19^th and the 7^thcentury BC.

The dominant location and the monumental appearance of the stone seats (thrones), the distinctly made stone markers, trenches, access paths and formed rite spaces - are a testimony of one original monumental art expressed through the skill of designing a space in a rocky area.

The archaeological excavations had additionally shed light on the performing of two important rituals in the life of Bronze Age people in this area. The excavation of the ritual pits filled with offerings vessels on the eastern slopes of the mountain, confirmed the existence of the rites connected with the fertility of the land, i.e. the cult devotion of the Great Goddess Mother. Along with the specific spatial organization and the shaping of certain stone forms that served for the performing of the rites for the end of harvest and for the ritual bonding of the ruler with the Sun God, speak of the role of this site as a holy mountain.

The determining of the age of the observatory, the homogeneity of the structure, the manner of spatial shaping and its proven purpose, are a testimony of the fact that it is an exceptional and rare, and according to many features - unique site of the so-called megalithic culture in the world.

The scientific methods of, mainly, two sciences: astronomy and archaeology are applied in the analysis of the values of the site "Kokino". The precise measurements and the application of the astronomic methods in the argumentation and documentation of the positions of the marker cuttings for the rising of the Sun and the Moon in astronomically precisely determined time, do not allow any doubt for the authenticity of the marker cuttings and their purpose, as well as for the overall design of the observatory.

The great number of artefacts showing integrity in the forms, the material and the production manner also confirm their authenticity. The most important ones are exhibited in the National Institution - Museum Kumanovo.

The archaeo-astronomical site is preserved in its original condition. The permanent damaging occurs due to natural factors, but this does not undermine its integrity. The dominant position that offers a view towards other archaeological sites (settlements of Neolith and Bronze Age) on the surrounding hills, confirms the crucial role of this site in the life of the prehistoric dwellers from these areas.

Protection status :

For reasons of securing the features of the site Kokino, where the investigations started in 2001, it had received the status of a property under temporary protection, according to a Decision (nr. 08-1935/6 of 13.11.2008) issued by the Cultural Heritage Protection Office, a body within the Ministry of Culture, and based on the Law on Protection of Cultural Heritage for the category of immovable cultural property - cultural landscape. In this regard, beside the general information on the location of the site and the evaluation of the features of the site, its boundaries, contact zones and the regime of protection are preliminary determined. In the meantime, a procedure for gathering and analysing the data for obtaining a protection status of highest rank was initiated and it has to be finalized within the legally determined period of one year. In this way, the site/cultural landscape "Kokino" will be proclaimed protected property of highest category - cultural heritage of especial significance with subcategory - exceptional significance. Having in mind that there already are sufficient data that confirm the exceptional significance of this site (as an integral archaeo-astronomical property / cultural landscape), from protection aspect, the researchers will have to concentrate on the precise determination of the boundaries of the property and the measures of the protection regime in the separate zone for permanent securing of the site and its immediate surrounding from unlawful actions and also for its proper presentation and popularization.

A draft Management Plan (Kumanovo, 2008) was prepared for the site Kokino. It was commissioned and adopted by the National Institution Museum Kumanovo and it will become a strategic document of the Republic of Macedonia, in accordance with the information for the rest of the legal procedure.

The United States Space Agency (NASA) recognized the megalithic observatory "Kokino" as a significant heritage of this type in its "Timeless knowledge" project in 2005. "Kokino" is listed side by side with ancient observatories as Stonehenge (Great Britain), Abu Simbel (Egypt), Angkor Wat (Cambodia), Machu Picchu (Peru) etc.

Monuments in Skopje, Macedonia

2012-07-31T16:16:00.001-07:00

Phillip II of Macedon - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

In the summer of 338 BC the great Macedonian army, about 30000, are faced with almost the same number of enemy force of Athenians, Thebans and Bostian in town Chaeronea. It was a disaster.

In the plane of Chaeronea Macedonian phalanx proved its superiority over traditional hoplitski forces. Opposing the Allied forces suffered heavy casualties, including full and so-called holy orders.

Decisive Macedonian victory have made Philip master of the situation. The gathered representatives from all regions of the city of Corinth, has forced the coast and forming the so-called "League of Corinth" under his leadership. Of course, all participants' city-states "have lost their independence, they actually become part of a strong empire of Philip of Macedon. Battle of Chaeronea marks the epoch that buried the freedom of non-Macedonian cities. Military victory has incorporated political deal that Philip was given a blank map of interventions when and where he had need.

Alexander the Great - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

Alexander III the Great, the King of Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian Empire is considered one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. He was inspiration for later conquerors such as Hannibal the Carthaginian, the Romans Pompey and Caesar, and Napoleon. Alexander was born in 356 BC in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. He was son of Philip II, King of Macedonia, and Olympias, the princess of neighboring Epirus. He spent his childhood watching his father transforming Macedonia into a great military power, winning victory after victory on the battlefields throughout the Balkans. When he was 13, Philip hired the Greek philosopher Aristotle to be Alexander’s personal tutor. During the next three years Aristotle gave Alexander a training in rhetoric and literature and stimulated his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy, all of which became of importance in Alexander’s later life. In 340, when Philip assembled a large Macedonian army and invaded Thrace, he left his 16 years old son with the power to rule Macedonia in his absence as regent, which shows that even at such young age Alexander was recognized as quite capable. But as the Macedonian army advanced deep into Thrace, the Thracian tribe of Maedi bordering north-eastern Macedonia rebelled and posed a danger to the country. Alexander assembled an army, led it against the rebels, and with swift action defeated the Maedi, captured their stronghold, and renamed it after himself to Alexandropolis.

Two years later in 338 BC, Philip gave his son a commanding post among the senior generals as the Macedonian army invaded Greece. At the Battle of Chaeronea the Greeks were defeated and Alexander displayed his bravery by destroying the elite Greek force, the Theban Secret Band. Some ancient historians recorded that the Macedonians won the battle thanks to his bravery.

Justinian the 1st - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

We continue to present famous people from world history, whose origin was from Macedonia. In the following we will make a brief summary of the character and the accomplishments of the famous Byzantine Emperor Justinian the 1st also known as the Grate. Most of the researchers and historians ﬁgured that there is no doubt that he was born near Skopje. This fact is represented in the Catholic encyclopaedia ( title: Justinian).The real name of Emperor Justinian was Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Justinianus. He was born in 482 or 483. Some speculate that even as a child he was adopted by Byzantine Emperor named Justin (who ruled from 518 till 527), because he was the son of his sister. These researchers came to this conclusion on the bases of the name Justinian, which was given to him. It is known that eight years after his coming to power, Justinian ordered his birth place be well decorated, after which it got the name “Justinian Prima”. Some researchers claim that Justinian didn’t speak the Greek language at all. For example the author Christopher Hibert in his book “Cities and civilisations”, on page 59 writes that there are no evidence that the Emperor Justinian spoke the Greek language well. Here we can read:“As a young man Justinian joined his uncle Justin in Constantinople, where he acquired a solid education, although he never learn to speak Greek well”. Justinian was married to Theodora, who before that was a dancer.

Tsar Samuil - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

Tsar Samuil established the first Macedonian state in 976 A.D. lasting until 1018, following the defeat at the hands of the Byzantines. Samuil's Empire consisted of the entire region of Macedonia, as well as Thessaly, Epirus, Albania, Serbia, Duklja, Travina, Zahumlje, Neretva, and a considerable part of Bulgaria. In this empire the majority of the population were Macedonians, followed by Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Romaioi (Byzantines), Albanians, and Vlachs. The official language of the empire was Macedonian.

"Perched in his royal seat high over the city of Ohrid, Tsar Samuil fought the Byzantine invaders who frequently tried to take over Macedonia. A ruler as well as a warrior, he led a brave and loyal army who would follow him to the grave."

Saints Cyril and Methodius - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they received the title "Apostles to the Slavs". They are credited with devising the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet used to transcribe Old Church Slavonic. After their deaths, their pupils continued their missionary work among other Slavs. Both brothers are venerated in the Orthodox Church as saints with the title of "equal-to-apostles"

Saint Clement and Saint Naum - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

Saint Naum of Ohrid – The Miracle Maker (830—23rd December 910), was a medieval ascetic, writer, teacher and one of the founders of the Slavic and Macedonian literacy and culture. The sources from which information about him can be obtained are the following: Two Slavic hagiographies, the Greek hagiography, the Pannonian Legends and Clement's Comprehensive hagiography. There it is written that “the Saint and great father Naum came from Moesia. After he was educated by his noble [parents], he decided that aristocracy and wealth were like a weed and he joined Constantine the Philosopher and his brother Methodius, who were equal to the apostles.”
Saint Naum followed the Thessaloniki brothers in the course of their mission among the Slavs in Moravia and Pannonia, where for many years (863-885) he gave sermons about God’s word to the Slavic peoples in their mother tongue, he followed them to Rome, where in 868 Pope Adrian II (867-872) ordained him a deacon, after which he received the title of presbyter, and later on he became a devoted helper of Saint Methodius in Pannonia. After the death of Saint Methodius (yr. 885), the disciples of the Holy Brothers fraught with harsh temptations, especially when the old enemy of the Slavic culture - the German Viking, became the Moravian Bishop. The preachers were thrown into a dark room, shackled, and subjected to torture. Having heard their prayers, God made a miracle: there was an earthquake, the walls of the prison toppled, and the shackles broke off. When the people witnessed that, they were convinced in the holiness of the prisoners, but Viking interpreted this divine sign as a work of the devil and banished Saint Naum and his fellow ascetics to Velikomoravia. The Holy preachers, guided by the Divine Providence, made many miracles before they reached the Danube. There they divided into groups. Some of them went in the direction of Moesia, whereas others towards Dacia and Illyria, "spreading the Divine Providence." Venerable Naum along with Saint Clement and Saint Angelarij travelled to Bulgaria. The Sacred Bulgarian King Michael (Boris) gladly greeted the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius. He sent St. Clement on a teaching mission to Macedonia, whereas St. Naum remained in the capital Pliska. Saint Naum organized a Slavic educational and literary centre, not in the capital Pliska, where the residence of the Bysantian Archbishop of Bulgaria was situated, but rather in the adjacent Slavic town Preslav. Venerable Naum started teaching and giving sermons in the monastery built in the name of Saint Pantaleon, near Preslav (886-893). In the year 893 St. Clement was ordained Bishop of Belica/Velica. Following this event, St. Naum was appointed to his position as a teacher. King Simeon sent Venerable Naum to Kutmichevica. “Naum and Clement arrived in the Illyrian and Lychnidos regions.” It was here that St. Naum strengthened his educational work, together with St. Clement for seven years continuously, and established the Ohrid Literary School, also known as the First Slavic University. Together with St. Clement, they were named “the new Moses and Aaron." While St. Clement was working as a Bishop in Ohrid (holding the title Bishop of Velica), St. Naum founded a new monastery on the southern shore of Ohrid Lake, in honor of the Holy Archangels. This monastery exists even today and adorns the shore; as the name of St. Naum adorns the history of the Slavic Christianity throughout the centuries and represents a spring of miraculous power and a sanctuary for the sick and the disadvantaged. St. Naum was surrounded by many a monk from all parts of the Balkans. He was a wise teacher, the only superior of the monks, a zealous ascetic, miraculous with his prayers and ecclesiasticism. He was assiduous in his efforts to translate the Holy Bible and other religious books from Greek into Slavic language. He is thought to have written The Canon for Apostle Andrej and the Canon for the Translation of the Relics of John Chrysostom.
He made miracles during and following his earthly life. His miraculous relics, which rest in the monastic church, up to this day dazzle with their miracles, especially when it comes to curing serious diseases, in particular curing insanity. He passed away in the first half of X century, i.e. December 23rd 910, in the monastery that he himself established, which today bears his name, “Saint Naum”.

Saint Clement of OhridHad it not been for the missionary work of Sts. Clement and Naum in Ohrid, the enlightening Christian and educational feat of the Holy Brothers would have practically been lost. These students of Sts. Cyril and Methodius laid the foundations of Christianity and Slav literacy in their homeland Macedonia. St. Clement was the first Macedonian of spirit erudition and literacy. His activities were firmly linked with the true and thorough Christianization of the Macedonian Slavs, as well as with the foundation and organization of the First Slav Episcopate in Ohrid and Kutmitchevica. St. Clement continued with the translation of the Holy Scriptures in the language of the Macedonian Slavs and he founded the Ohrid University, which took him a step further than his teachers. He created the new Slav alphabet, called Cyrillic, in honor of his teacher St. Cyril of Thessaloniki.

About 3,500 students sought their education at the University of St. Clement. Many of them were ordained priests, deacons and arch-deacons, and many were sent on missions among the Slav peoples on the Balkan Peninsula, and even further abroad. A large number of them also reached far away Russia.

In 893 AD, St. Clement was enthroned bishop. He was the first Slav bishop in the all-Slav Bishopric of Belica. This Slav bishopric is rightly considered by some Church historians as the first organized Slav Church on the Balkan Peninsula. The Bulgarian Church of the time, that was organized following the Christianization of the Bulgarians in 846 AD, had senior Byzantine clergy.

Thus, St. Clement, student and affiliate of the Slav apostles and teachers Cyril and Methodius, became the first Macedonian Slav bishop, renowned man of letters, teacher, and preacher of the Christian Gospels in the ninth and tenth century. He is the founder of Slav literacy and literature in Macedonia. The model he set out for his life was that of his teacher, the great Methodius, and he took care and prayed not to sway from his ways. He knew Methodus like no one else, for he had been with him from the days of his youth, and was witness to his deeds and achievements. St. Clement was one of those Slav youths that the Holy Bothers prepared as aides in their missions in Moravia and Panonia, and later among the Macedonian Slavs. They were trained to translate the Holy Writ and the Holy Scriptures from Greek into the language of the Macedonian Slavs. One can rightly conclude that St. Clement was a part of the translating activities of the Holy Brothers, as well as an author in his own stead. Not only did he preach, he also wrote down his discourses, so as to assist the inexperienced priests in their sermons. Led by such an aim he wrote sermons, patterns for all holidays round the year.The Literary Activity of St. Clement of OhridThe total number of all St. Clement's epistles and morals has not yet been established. To this day they have not been collected in one Complete Works. We find them in transcripts from the twelfth and thirteenth century, where often St. John Chrisostomos is listed as the author, although the content, language, and style reveal St. Clement as the author. He is also probably the author of the Panonic Hagiography of Sts. Clement and Methodius. He translated the Flower Triode that contains church songs sung from Easter to Pentecost. There is the probability that he is the author of the Holy Service and the Life of St. Clement, the Roman Pope, as well as of the oldest service dedicated to St. Cyril and St. Methodius.

Gotse Delchev - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

Georgi Nikolov Delchev (1872–1903) was an important revolutionary figure in Ottoman-ruled Macedonia and Thrace at the turn of the 20th century. He was one of the leaders of what is commonly known today asInternal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO), a paramilitary organization active in the Ottoman territories in Europe at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century

Nikola Karev - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

Nikola Janakiev Karev was a revolutionary in Ottoman-ruled Macedonia. He was born 23 November 1877 in Kruševo and died 27 April 1905 in the village of Rajčani, both today in the Republic of Macedonia. Karev was a local leader of what later became known as the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO)

Dame Gruev - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

Damian Jovanov Gruev or just Dame Gruev (Smilevo, January 19, 1871 - Rusinovo, December 23, 1906) was a Macedonian revolutionary, founder and one of the most prominent members of the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization.

Gate Macedonia - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

Mother Teresa - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

Fortress kale - Skopje, Macedonia

National Theater in Skopje, Macedonia

The "Liberators of Skopje" - Monument in Skopje, Macedonia

Millennium Cross - Skopje, Macedonia

Mother Teresa Museum - Skopje, Macedonia

Museum of the Macedonian Struggle - Skopje, Macedonia

Macedonia Airports

2012-07-30T10:10:00.003-07:00

А. Skopje "Alexander the Great" Airport (IATA: SKP, ICAO: LWSK) is the largest and busiest of the two international airports in the Republic of Macedonia. It is located 17 km (11 mi) southeast of the national capital Skopje in the Municipality of Petrovec.

B. Ohrid Airport (IATA: OHD, ICAO: LWOH) or Ohrid "St. Paul the Apostle" Airport, is an airport in Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia. The airport is located 9 km (6 mi) from Ohrid and 145 km (2 hours by bus) from Skopje, along the Struga-Kičevo-Skopje motorway.

Skopje "Alexander the Great" Airport

In 2008 the Macedonian Government signed a contract with the Turkish company Tepe Akfen Ventures (TAV) for a twenty year long concession during which this company would manage Macedonia's two existing airports - the Skopje Alexander the Great Airport and the St. Paul the Apostle Airport in Ohrid. In September 2011, the new terminal building, extension of the runway, new administrative building, cargo building and new access road with parking facilities were opened. The goal of the project is to increase the capacity of Skopje Airport to four million passengers per year with plans to turn Skopje Airport into a major transit and cargo hub for Southeast Europe. Renovations of the Ohrid airport terminal building and VIP sections were completed in the Spring of 2011. The concession contract also includes the construction of a third airport intended for cargo transport near the eastern Macedonian town of Štip which eventually would be transformed into Macedonia’s main airport. The total amount of the foreseen investment is 200 million Euros with 30 to 40 million Euros total concession payments to the Macedonian Government over the 20-year concession period. Tepe Akfen Ventures Airport Holding is one of the world's fastest expanding airport operators currently managing the Turkish airports of Atatürk, Esenboğa, Adnan Menderes and Gazipaşa along with Tbilisi and Batumi in Georgia, Monastir and Enfidha in Tunisia. TAV is also bidding to take over the management of Ruzyně International Airport and Riga International Airport. Also the construction of a luxurious hotel next to the airport is planned.

Ohrid "St. Paul the Apostle" Airport

In 2008 the Macedonian government signed a contract with the Turkish company Tepe Akfen Ventures (TAV) for a twenty year long concession during which this company would manage Macedonia's two existing airports in Ohrid and Skopje. The planned works include the construction of a new airport terminal building in Skopje, extension of the runway, new administration building, and new access road with parking facilities increasing the capacity of Skopje Airport to four million passengers per year with plans to turn Skopje Airport into a major transit and cargo hub for Southeast Europe. Ohrid airport will have its terminal building and VIP sections modernized. The concession contract also includes the construction of a third airport intended for cargo transport near the eastern Macedonian town of Štip which eventually would be transformed into Macedonia’s main airport. The total amount of the foreseen investment is 200 million Euros with 30 to 40 million Euros total concession payments to the Macedonian Government over the 20-year concession period. Tepe Akfen Ventures Airport Holding is one of the world's fastest expanding airport operators currently managing the Turkish airports of Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Antalya along with Tbilisi in Georgia, and Monastir in Tunisia. TAV is also bidding to take over the management of Ruzyně International Airport and Riga International Airport

Skopje Airport

Ohrid Airport.

Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery

2012-07-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Monastery of Saint Jovan Bigorski is a Macedonian Orthodox monastery located in the western part of Macedonia, near the road connecting the towns of Debar and Gostivar.

The monastery church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. According to the monastery's 1833 chronicle, it was built in 1020 by Ivan I Debranin. The Ottomans destroyed the monastery in the 16th century. The monastery was restored in 1743 by the monk Ilarion, who also built several monk cells. Later, in the period from 1812 to 1825 the monastery was expanded by archimandrite Arsenius. Among the donors there is also a mention of a monk Iov, recognized by some researchers as the future educator Yoakim Karchovski. One of the most valuable treasures of the monastery is the iconostasis created by Petre Filipovski Garkata from the nearby village of Gari. This iconostasis is considered a most beautiful and most valuable wood-carved iconostasis. Another valuable monastery treasure is an icon dating from 1020 with supposedly miraculous healing power.

Macedonian traditional food

2012-07-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Macedonian traditional food

Macedonian cuisine is the traditional cuisine of Macedonia—a representative of the cuisine of the Balkans—reflecting Mediterranean (Greek and Turkish) and Middle Eastern influences, and to a lesser extent Italian, German and Eastern European (especially Hungarian) ones. The relatively warm climate in Macedonia provides excellent growth conditions for a variety of vegetables, herbs and fruits. Macedonian cuisine is also noted for the diversity and quality of its dairy products, wines, and local alcoholic beverages, such as rakija.

Tavče-gravče and mastika are considered the national dish and drink of Macedonia, respectively.

Malidzano

Malidzano is traditional Macedonian cream salad made from eggplants, feta cheese, walnuts and spices. It derives its name from the Italian word for eggplant, melanzane . Malidzano is usually served as appetizer along with bread.

Pinđur or Pindjur is a Bosnian and Macedonian spicy relish form and is commonly used as a summer spread.

Lyutenica ajvar and pindur

Pindjur is similar to ajvar but is generally made with aubergines. In some regions the words are used interchangeably.

The creation of this traditional relish is quite a long process which involves baking some of the ingredients for hours, also roasting the peppers and peeling them.

Pastrmajlija is a Macedonian specialty bread pie made from dough, meat and eggs. Pastrmajlija is oval-shaped with chopped meat on top of it. The name comes from the word pastrma, meaning salted and dried meat of sheep or lamb (cf. pastrami and "pastırma"). Traditional pastrmajlija is a long shape, with a topping of small cubes of dried pork or lamb and served with two fried eggs on the top.

Preparation: Ohrid trout

Clean the fish and cut it on larger pieces, sprinkle salt and roll it in flour. Fry the fish in heated oil and put it aside on hot.
In a pan put two tablespoons of oil, once heated add 2 tablespoons flour. When the flour is half fried add the ground walnuts and stir constantly until the mixture get red color.
In 400 ml of lukewarm water add 2 tablespoons vinegar and finely chopped garlic. Sprinkle the walnuts with this water, stir and boil it. If the mixture is thick, add a little more water.
Place the fried fish in a bowm and pour it with the mixture.
Enjoy.

Philip II Arena

2012-07-29T10:10:00.001-07:00

"Philip II of Macedonia" National Arena

The project for the south stand was designed in 1977 by architects Dragan Krstev and Todorka Mavkova from Beton. Construction of the stadium in present form began in 1978, with the building of the south stand which took two years to finish. The reconstruction and expansion started after a long delay in project implementation in January 2008. The construction of a new north stand was finished in August 2009 and was put in use on 2 August 2009, the Macedonian national holiday "Ilinden". Ten days later, on 12 August, the Macedonia national football team played a friendly match against the current World Champions Spain, as part of the 100-year anniversary of football in Macedonia.

Notable matches

1985–86 UEFA Cup First round, Second leg - 2 October 1985 between FK Vardar and FC Dinamo Bucureşti.

1987–88 European Cup First round, Second leg - 30 September 1987 between FK Vardar and FC Porto.

1992-93 Macedonian Cup final - May 1993 between FK Vardar and FK Pelister.

UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying - 7 September 1994 between Macedonia and Denmark.

UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying - 12 October 1994 between Macedonia and Spain.

2000–01 UEFA Cup First round, First leg - 14 September 2000 between FK Pobeda and AC Parma.

2003–04 UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round, Second leg - 6 August 2003 between FK Vardar and CSKA Moscow^.

2003–04 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round, First leg - 13 August 2003 between FK Vardar and AC Sparta Prague.

UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying - 6 September 2003 between Macedonia and England.

2003–04 UEFA Cup First round, Second leg - 15 October 2003 between FK Vardar and AS Roma.

2006 FIFA World Cup qualification - 9 October 2004 between Macedonia and Netherlands.

2005–06 UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round, First leg - 27 July 2005 between FK Rabotnički and Lokomotiv Moscow.

2006–07 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round, Second leg - 23 August 2006 between FK Rabotnički and LOSC Lille.

2007–08 UEFA Cup First round, First leg - 20 September 2007 between FK Rabotnički and Bolton Wanderers.

UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying - 17 November 2007 between Macedonia and Croatia.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - 6 September 2008 between Macedonia and Scotland.

2010–11 UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round, First leg - 29 July 2010 between FK Rabotnički and FC Liverpool.

2011–12 UEFA Europa League Play-offs, Second leg - 25 August 2011 between FK Rabotnički and SS Lazio.

Concerts

1994 Lepa Brena held a concert held in front of 35,000 people.
1995 Dragana Mirković held a concert held in front of 30,000 people.
2005 Svetlana Raznatović held a concert in front of 20,000 people.
2007 Toše Proeski held a concert in front of over 40,000 people.

Macedonia

Similarities between ancient Macedonian language and today's' Macedonian language

Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery

THE ANCIENT TOWN OF HERACLEA LYNKESTIS

Did you know that Pesna Cave has the biggest entry in the Balkan?

Did you know about Iconostas of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist?

Did you know about Platanus Orientalis in Ohrid?

Why is Greece Stealing the Macedonian History?

Golden mask - Macedonia

Stobi - ancient town in Macedonia

MACEDONIAN GEOGLYPH

KUKLICA - THE STONE TOWN (NATURAL MONUMENT)

Church of St. John at Kaneo

Saint Panteleimon, Ohrid - Old Church Slavonic

The Mine of Alshar - Macedonia

Similarities between ancient Macedonian and today's' Macedonian Culture (Linguistics and Onomastics)

Devil's Wall - the biggest Macedonian mystery

Macedonian Language

Museum of the Macedonian Struggle

Archaeo-astronomical Site Kokino

Monuments in Skopje, Macedonia

Macedonia Airports

Skopje "Alexander the Great" Airport

Ohrid "St. Paul the Apostle" Airport

Links:

Skopje Airport

Ohrid Airport.

Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery

Macedonian traditional food

Malidzano

Malidzano is traditional Macedonian cream salad made from eggplants, feta cheese, walnuts and spices. It derives its name from the Italian word for eggplant, melanzane . Malidzano is usually served as appetizer along with bread.

Pinđur or Pindjur is a Bosnian and Macedonian spicy relish form and is commonly used as a summer spread.

Preparation: Ohrid trout

Philip II Arena

Concerts