Perhaps it was convenient that a German created Greece's history. Only the Germans at the time understood how powerful history was, especially if you twist, invent and fake it.

People hear “Hellenistic this, Hellenistic that” all the time, envisioning in their mind something very ‘old’, ancient if you will.

If you envisioned something old, you‘d be right, because it dates back to 1833. If you envisioned something ancient, sorry to disappoint you.

What happened in 1833? An area around Athens with the help of France and the UK had just gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire. To be more precise it was given to her by both France and Britain.

There was a small catch, as expected when someone else gives you independence - the French appointed a German ruler, Prince Otto.

Otto loved his new job in Greece. He loved the ethnic soup there, though he grew a bit concern as to how he would rule these people.

His biggest concern was Athens, where the Albanians and Turkish dominated.
Prince Otto contacted his twenty seven (27) year old friend  Johann Gustav Droysen at Friedrich Wilhelm University. The student turned part time teacher was such an authority on “History” that he was a privatdozent and then a professor (appointed by Otto) without a salary.  

Even Prince Otto didn’t think he was good enough to have a salary. Granted, friendship can sometimes go far, as in this case. Johann was hired by Greece’s ruler to create the “new history” for Greece, to unite the populace, give him an idea for a ‘language’ in such a way that the populations wouldn’t be in a conflict.

Johann Gustav had recommended Albanian as the core language of Greece because it dominated Athens. This idea didn’t go well with Prince Otto who explained that people in and outside of Athens spoke Turkish as well. Besides, the idea was to unite the populations.

Johann’s showed his cleverness by suggesting to adopt the long lost Koine language. This would be the same as Americans today adopting what is now considered the dying Latin language.

Prince Otto loved Johann's idea and very soon set the wheels in motion. Koine was the language adopted for the Greek populace. Better yet, the German ruler decided that he would call the Koine languge Greek, it looked better on paper.

Little it was known that Otto’s friend and “history” professor Johann Gustav had transferred to yet another University, this time at Kiel, where once again was not able to get a salary. Shortly afterwards he made a decision to move into Politics! You’d think History would have worked out for him.

We are not done with Greece and Johann Gustav Droysen. Once the Koine language was introduced, Johan decided to further help Prince Otto in uniting the ethnic soup in Greece.

Hellenism was the word.

This word was coined by none other, but our remarkable History Professor turned Politician Johann Gustav in 1836.

I understand few of you are disappointed because this term doesn’t go back in ancient time as some believe. 1836 is the year, the word Hellenism was first coined. Not a minute before that. When you consider who coined the word, any comment can be superfluous.

By all means, Johann did his job, he was tasked to ’unite’, not to divide. Yes, he went perhaps a bit too far with the Hellenism phrase, not to mentioned calling Koine 'Greek'.

My suggestion to Macedonians is to adopt the Hebrew language and call it "old Macedonian", that way anything that was ever written in Hebrew during the past 4,000 years we could claim as being Macedonian. Easy enough, if you follow "Greek logic".

Perhaps, I’d accept the term “Hellenistic” to describe something that happened in Athens, though I don’t know what that would be, still,  the term "Macedonistic" period should, and ought to be, used to cover any other historical references.

There is no denying that the period from Alexander the Great until well into the Roman time deals with Macedonian Dynasties, their rule, succession and their eventual interaction, or lack there of with the indigenous local populations throughout the Balkan Peninsula, Asia and Egypt.

The term "Hellenistic” can hardly do any justice to historical scholarship since its coverage/domain leaves a huge section of history barely touched. Hellenism, the term Johann Gustav Droysen gave to this era, is such a narrow cultural belt of history that its usage is not only misleading and inappropriate but it very much distorts and minimizes the greatness of the ancient Macedonians.

Perhaps the Athenian contribution, from a cultural point of view, may be argued to have occupied a place of some importance in the administrative sector of the empire, the organizational, the military and the structural components of the Macedonian Empire must have been obtained, delivered and maintained strictly from Macedonian resources and for Macedonian interests.

The concept of an empire, an esoteric notion for the Athenians, was born with the first few initial successes of Alexander, and its meaning, magnitude, scope and structure grew as the string of victories and the success on the battlefields allowed Alexander to enlarge, coordinate and control huge land areas in Asia and Egypt. For almost 3 centuries after Alexander, it was his successors that carried the symbols and the name of the Macedonian Empire.

Thus, the very narrow strip of "Hellenism" that comes, as a residue, attached to the period in question, cannot, in any meaningful way, embrace and encompass the scope and the magnitude of an empire that was built, organized and maintained on the strength and the efficiency of the Macedonian army.

If Johann were to be alive today to see what his drive-by history and the god-father style of creating Greece has caused, I am certain he would have broken off his friendship to Prince Otto.

Marina Sazdovska