Why do people say Alexander the Great was Greek?

Question

In ancient times and even more now, according to historians Macedonians were deemed barbarians from other Greeks. In fact back then, Greece was further divided into many other countries, the two most famous countries were city states in Athens and Sparta. Macedonians clearly where not from any Ancient Greek City state and were definitely not Greek at all. Doesn't that make Alexander the Great very much a foreign ruler as much as people would hate to recognize him as so?

Answer 1

Part of Macedonia was part of the Greek States depending on the maps you look at, to the North.

After his father united the Greek States and Alexander inherited he led his conquests

Chetak

Answer 2

The KIngdom of Macedon - where Alexander the Great was from - was a part of Greece,and recognized as such by other Greek states in the ancient world.



Not every state in ancient Greece was a city state;Thessaly was also ruled by a king.



So,Alexander was Greek from Macedonia in the same that,for example,Plato was Greek from Athens and Leonidas a Greek from Sparta.

Answer 3

In ancient times people had no idea of Nation states . Nation states usually is made of many factors ,but one of them is important that is language . All three places ,you have mentioned were in Greece & all of them spoke Greek language . In modern division all of them fall in Greece . So Alexander was a man from Greece.

Answer 4

Because he was born in Greece by Greek parents and also spoke Greek. It would be a stretch to say he was Chinese or something, don't you think?

Answer 5

Why does it matter? The only people who worry about this stuff are a small minority of people from Greece and FYROM who badly need to get a life.

Answer 6

"Alexander the Great" sounds greek that's why.