Controversy over the Greekness of Macedonia from ancient politicians to Victorian scholars mainly sprang from a bias for or against kings. Yet its particular and characteristic institution of kingship was Macedonia’s principal contribution to history.
Athenians last month swallowed hard when they heard that members of an Albanian mafia were out to kidnap gold medal champion weight-lifter Pyrrhus Dimas. Although born and raised in Albania (he only received a Greek passpost just before flying off to Barcelona), he is an ethnic Greek, and judging from his first name, probably of royal Epirot descent.
