Virtual Macedonia Bookstore - Siatista-Macedonia : The Spirit of Hellenism

List Price: $16.95
Our Price: $70.46
Your Save: $ ( % )
Availability:
Manufacturer: Pentland Press (NC)

Average Customer Rating:

Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 949.562
EAN: 9781571972217
ISBN: 1571972218
Label: Pentland Press (NC)
Manufacturer: Pentland Press (NC)
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 191
Publication Date: 2000-12-01
Publisher: Pentland Press (NC)
Studio: Pentland Press (NC)

Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating:

Summary: The Truth
Comment: A fallacious account of Macedonian history, most likely fueled by greek propaganda. Most literature on the history of Macedonia is manipulated by foreign parties with their own interests at hand. If you are interested in the history of Macedonia I encourage you to read materials from all sides, and speak to people. The truth is never easy to find. History can never be changed.

Customer Rating:

Summary: An EXCELLENT book on the Balkans!
Comment: Recent events in the Balkans have shown that due to the ethnological, geopolitical and historical complexity of the region, serious in depth analysis is of paramount importance in understanding the truth. Apart from the thousands that have died as a result of the break up of Yugoslavia in the 1990's, another victim has been the truth, as is the case in most wars, especially in the 20th century.
The truth is based on undisputed facts (dates, events etc), and in relation to opinion, the truth always lies somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, the second "reviewer," instead of treating this book for what it is, i.e. a valuable primary source, he dismisses it on the grounds that it is written by a Greek scholar, while adding irrelevant and unsupported assumptions from an unknown origin.. The "reviewer" states: "The ancient Macedonians conquered the ancient Greeks." There is no bigger crime one can commit against history and human-kind in general, especially the younger generations, than distorting history itself. The undisputed fact is that the "Greeks" or "Hellenes", as is more correct, are made up of a mosaic of different peoples with common characteristics. The Macedonians, just like the Spartans, Athenians, Corinthians, and the citizens of Argos, Thebes, Phokis, Eretria and dozens of other regions, spoke and wrote the Greek language, had Greek names, believed in the Greek gods, used Greek architecture and most of all considered THEMSELVES to be Greek, thus setting themselves apart from all others whom they viewed as "Barbarians". The unification of Greece took place under the hegemony of Macedonia and led to the downfall of the Persian Empire and the establishment of the mighty Empire of Alexander the Great, through which the Greeks avenged themselves for the Persian Wars and spread Hellenism across the "Known World" and into the far reaches of uncharted lands in Asia.
Furthermore, the fact that Greeks constantly warred against each other, does not make them any less "Greek." During the Peloponnesian War half of Greece fought against the other half. Was it the Athenians or the Spartans who were not "Greek?" We all know the answer to that question, therefore, the reader from N.Y., should be more careful. It is a rather childish and yet dangerous reaction coming as a result of Yugoslav communist propaganda and indoctrination aiming at conditioning the majority Bulgarian-Slavic population of South Serbia into believing they belong to a fictitious "Macedonian" nationality. What's next? Did the Vikings build the Parthenon, were the Spartans African spearmen or was Alexander the Great a Slav?
Let's be serious. In a democracy all voices should be heard instead of being immediately disregarded on the basis of their origin. One cannot and should not silence another just because they disagree with them! At the same time, however, the truth should be protected at all cost and not be left to be sacrificed in pursuit of political agendas.
This book provides a valuable insight in the study of Macedonia. It is a "must" for any serious historian or political analyst interested in the Balkan region.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Biased Book
Comment: This is an incredibly biased book. Macedonia had never been a "spirit of hellenism". The ancient Macedonians conquered the ancient Greeks, but the Modern Greek had conquered 50% of Macedonia in 1913 which is still in the borders of Greece. Books like this one serve to justify the Greek occupation of Macedonia, while the ethnic Macedonians are daily oppressed, forbidden to use their Macedonian language and have a Macedonian personal names.

Customer Rating:

Summary: A must read book!
Comment: James Siotas has done extensive research on Macedonia, which resulted into this highly acclaimed work. This book is a great reference for Foreign Policy Makers as well as the perfect gift for Greek History lovers.

Editorial Reviews:

In his historical gem Siatista-Macedonia: The Spirit of Hellenism, James Siotas takes a walk through a monumental epoch of Greek culture. Based on his own research, his text revolutionizes our understanding of Hellenism and its surrounding conditions existing in the Balkans for up to 300 years. Siotas delves deep into the persona and the culture that surrounds Hellenism, including Kapodistzias, the first Governor of Free Greece, and his urging the Czar of Russia to work for a system of government for the Balkans similar to our own US Democracy. Such circumstances, he claims, had they differed, could have altered the path for Balkan tensions today.

James Siotas has published a novel, Siatista-Macedonia, which shines new light on this dark spot in Hellenic culture, providing an account of an extraordinary time in world history. In this authentic work, Siotas describes Siatista’s virtues and traditions, researched and presented through valuable historical detail, which delineate how the spirit of Hellenism and its conclusive circumstances have affected culture to date.

The author prides himself on the well-substantiated basis of his life work Siatista-Macedonia, which provides readers from all cultural backgrounds true candor and validity on a topic that remains in the news headlines of today.