In response to yet another claim 'alexander the great was not greek'?

Question

In response to this question http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ap9MGM8X.wB8tOp0.MVgSLMAAAAA;_ylv=3?qid=20060810022710AARyJq9


First of all, the names themselves are greek.

Alexander (Alexandros) is greek, means protector of men

Phillipos his father, greek name, Means ' friend of horses'

Olympia.. well, do i really need to explain that?

as for the "greek salad, greek coffee"

Greeks don't call that salad 'greek' it's called "horiatikh (village salad)" cause it has what you get from your garden (onion, tomato, cucumber, olives, olive oil, oregano, feta cheese) the oregano is from the mountains where villages are, and almost all families in villages have their own cattle and produce cheese, milk etc, and majority of greeks has atleast a small olive grove.

Foreigners call it 'Greek salad' .

As for 'Greek coffee' it's not that it comes from greece, it's the way it's made. After all those coffee grains are arabic, not even turkish.

The turks cook the coffee in a different way as the greeks, therefor the greek coffee - turkish coffee. You can order both ways as long as you know how to order it at a cafe.

Anything that has been 'taken' from turkish cuisine or from any cuisne has the original name, maybe slightly greek-fied for prenouncation

Turkish

"loukoum' (loukoumas)
"baklava"
"yaoutrlou"


Italian
Pizza (like everywhere)
Kaltsone

French
Patespani (paindespagne)

can't remember anything else and don't wanna make this a huge text.

Alexander the great was greek, get over it.

Answer 1

Alexander, though Macedonian was Greek in that Macedonia was highly Hellenized, much as Scotland is British today. The Macedonians achieved great things only insofar as they became Hellenized. Prior to that they were little more than a tribe of goat herders. For modern Macedonian nationalists to ride the coattails of Alexander in the spirit of distinction from Greece is laughable.

Answer 2

Alexander the Greek came from Macedonia, and Macedonia is in the north of Greece, of course they are going to adopt some customs but not ALL.

Canada is to the north of the US and is somehwat similar to the US. Does that mean Canadians are Americans, New Zealanders are Australians, Georgians Russians?

Alexander considered himself Macedonian, not Greek. Greeks saw Macedonians as vulgar drunks and Alexander did little to dispel that by being drunk. Greece wanted nothing to do with him. Alexander destroyed the Greek city of Thebes, the home of Hercules. No Greek would have done that.

ALexander the Great was MACEDONIAN!

Answer 3

SFAIK Alexander himself claimed he was Greek and considered Macedonia to be a "Greek" or "Hellenic" state (the same as Thebes, Sparta, Boeotia or Athens. Since the guy himself claimed that, I feel it is rude to argue with a dead man (he has no way of answering back after all)



As to his real origins I couldn't care less if he was in reality a Norwegian or a Zulu - he still was a great soldier and statesman

Answer 4

Alexander the Great was Macedonian

Answer 5

to the greeks of the time Macedonians were NOT greek they were considered to be slightly higher up than savages. alexander did spread greek culture and he himself was very greek like but in general he was not looked at as a greek at least not by ppl in places like athens. today i think most would consider him to be a greek but in his life time he would not have been.