Ancient writers about Macedonia - Diodorus Siculus

"Such was the end of Philip ... He had ruled 24 years. He is known to fame as one who with but the slenderest resources to support his claim to a throne won for himself the greatest empire among the Hellenes, while the growth of his position was not due so much to his prowess in arms as to his adroitness and cordiality in diplomacy."

(Diodoros of Sicily 16.95.1-2)

"Along with lavish display of every sort, Philip included in the procession statues of the twelve Gods wrought with great artistry and adorned with a dazzling show of wealth to strike awe to the beholder, and along with these was conducted a thirteenth statue, suitable for a god, that of Philip himself, so that the king exhibited himself enthroned among the twelve Gods. Every seat in the theater was taken when Philip appeared wearing a white cloak and by his express orders his bodyguard held away from him and followed only at a distance, since he wanted to show publicly that he was protected by the goodwill of all the Hellenes, and had no need of a guard of spearmen."

(Diodoros of Sicily 16.92.5-93.2)

"After this Alexandros left Dareios's mother, his daughters,and his son in Susa, providing them with persons to teach them the hellenic dialect,..."

(Diodoros of Sicily 17.67.1)

"Alexandros observed that his soldiers were exhausted with their constant campaigns. ...The hooves of the horses had been worn thin by steady marching. The arms and armour were wearing out, and the Hellenic clothing was quite gone. They had to clothe themselves in materials of the barbarians,..."

(Diodoros of Sicily 17.94.1-2)

"Is considered this king (Philip) began his monarchy with the bad conditions and he conquered the bigger monarchy of Hellenes (Macedonia) increasing the hegemony no so much with the heroism of arms, as long as with the skilful handlings and his diplomacy."

(Diodorus Sikeliotis, 16-95)

"and the Athenians were not ready to concede the leading position among the Greeks to Macedon."

[Diodorus of Sicily, 17.3.2]




"Similarly, the Thebans voted to drive out the garrison in the Cadmeia and not to concede to Alexander the leadership of the Greeks."

[Diodorus of Sicily, 17.3.4]




"First he [Alexander] dealt with the Thessalians, reminding them of his ancient relationship to them through Heracles"

[Diodorus of Sicily, 17.4.1]




"where he convened the assembly of the Amphictyons and had them pass a resolution granting him the leadership of the Greeks"

[Diodorus of Sicily, 17.4.2]

"He [Demosthenes] was generally believed to have received large sums of money from that source [King of Persian] in payment for his efforts to check the Macedonians and indeed Aeschines is said to have referred to this in a speech when he taunted Demosthenes with his venality:At the moment, it is true, his extravagance has been glutted by the king's gold, but even this will not satisfy him; no wealth has ever proved sufficient for a greedy character""

[Diodorus of Sicily, 17.4.8]




"he spoke to them in moderate terms and had them pass a resolution appointing him general plenipotentiary of the Greeks and undertaking themselves to join in an expedition against Persia seeking satisfaction for the offences which the Persians had committed against Greece"

[Diodorus of Sicily, 17.4.9]

Ancient writers about Macedonia - Titus Livius

"Aetolians, Acarnanians, Macedonians, men of the same language"

(T. Livius XXXI,29, 15)

"General Paulus of Rome surrounded by the ten Commissioners took his official seat surrounded by the whole crowds of Macedonians...Paulus announced in Latin the decisions of the Senate, as well as his own, made by the advice of his council. This announcement was translated into Greek and repeated by Gnaeus Octavius the Praetor-for he too was present."

(T. Livius,XLV)

Velleius Paterculus

""In this period, sixty-five years before the founding of Rome, Carthage was established by the Tyrian Elissa, by some authors called Dido. About this time also Caranus, a man of royal race, eleventh in descent from Hercules, set out from Argos and seized the kingship of Macedonia. From him Alexander the Great was descended in the seventeenth generation, and could boast that, on his mother's side, he was descended from Achilles, and, on his father's side, from Hercules. ""

Velleius Paterculus, Book I

Persian general Mardonius says Macedonians were Greeks

Whereupon Mardonius took the word, and said: "Of a
truth, my lord, thou dost surpass, not only all living Persians, but
likewise those yet unborn. Most true and right is each word that
thou hast now uttered; but best of all thy resolve not to let the
Ionians who live in Europe- a worthless crew- mock us any more. It
were indeed a monstrous thing if, after conquering and enslaving the
Sacae, the Indians, the Ethiopians, the Assyrians, and many other
mighty nations, not for any wrong that they had done us, but only to
increase our empire, we should then allow the Greeks, who have done us
such wanton injury, to escape our vengeance. What is it that we fear
in them?- not surely their numbers?- not the greatness of their
wealth? We know the manner of their battle- we know how weak their
power is; already have we subdued their children who dwell in our
country, the Ionians, Aeolians, and Dorians. I myself have had
experience of these men when I marched against them by the orders of
thy father; and though I went as far as Macedonia, and came but a
little short of reaching Athens itself, yet not a soul ventured to
come out against me to battle. (SS 2.) And yet, I am told, these
very Greeks are wont to wage wars against one another in the most
foolish way, through sheer perversity and doltishness. For no sooner
is war proclaimed than they search out the smoothest and fairest plain
that is to be found in all the land, and there they assemble and
fight; whence it comes to pass that even the conquerors depart with
great loss: I say nothing of the conquered, for they are destroyed
altogether. Now surely, as they are all of one speech, they ought to
interchange heralds and messengers, and make up their differences by
any means rather than battle; or, at the worst, if they must needs
fight one against another, they ought to post themselves as strongly
as possible, and so try their quarrels. But, notwithstanding that they
have so foolish a manner of warfare, yet these Greeks, when I led my
army against them to the very borders of Macedonia, did not so much as think of offering me battle. (SS 3.) Who then will dare, O king! to
meet thee in arms, when thou comest with all Asia's warriors at thy
back, and with all her ships? For my part I do not believe the Greek
people will be so foolhardy. Grant, however, that I am mistaken
herein, and that they are foolish enough to meet us in open fight;
in that case they will learn that there are no such soldiers in the
whole world as we. Nevertheless let us spare no pains; for nothing
comes without trouble; but all that men acquire is got by
painstaking."


So Mardonius says he marched against Greeks, he "went as far as Macedonia, and came but a little short of reaching Athens itself".

Persians considered Macedonians as Greeks!!!