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In the Shadow of Olympus Paperback – September 8, 1992

by Eugene N. Borza (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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In tracing the emergence of the Macedonian kingdom from its origins as a Balkan backwater to a major European and Asian power, Eugene Borza offers to specialists and lay readers alike a revealing account of a relatively unexplored segment of ancient history. He draws from recent archaeological discoveries and an enhanced understanding of historical geography to form a narrative that provides a material-culture setting for political events. Examining the dynamics of Macedonian relations with the Greek city-states, he suggests that the Macedonians, although they gradually incorporated aspects of Greek culture into their own society, maintained a distinct ethnicity as a Balkan people. "Borza has taken the trouble to know Macedonia: the land, its prehistory, its position in the Balkans, and its turbulent modern history. All contribute...to our understanding of the emergence of Macedon.... Borza has employed two of the historian's most valuable tools, autopsy and common sense, to produce a well-balanced introduction to the state that altered the course of Greek and Near Eastern history."--Waldemar Heckel, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

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  1. Print length
    352 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Princeton University Press
  4. Publication date
    September 8, 1992
  5. Dimensions
    6.06 x 0.92 x 8.98 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0691008809
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0691008806
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 1991"

"This book is an extremely useful account of the history of Macedonia from its shadowy beginnings down through the reign of Philip II. Well written and coherent." ― Classical World

"Borza has employed two of the historian's most valuable tools, autopsy and common sense, to produce a well-balanced introduction to the state that altered the course of Greek and Near Eastern history." ― Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Princeton University Press; Reprint edition (September 8, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0691008809
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0691008806
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.12 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.06 x 0.92 x 8.98 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Eugene N. Borza

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4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

E. A. Kinzel
5.0 out of 5 stars Early history of Macedon
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2010
Verified Purchase
There are a great many books about Alexander the Great, his conquests, and his successors. I have always been more intrigued by Alexander's father, Philip II, and his predecessors all the way back to the first recorded kings of Macedon.

This book addresses the second topic - the emergence of Macedon until Alexander - in a thorough, critical manner.

Borza is exceptionally skeptical of the established traditions in Macedonian history. But as a careful historian, he gives voice to all opinions on each topic or event under consideration (esp. Hammond, with whom he often vigorously but respectfully disagrees - he is also often dismissive of Herodotus). The result is a well-documented, thorough, yet engaging account of early Macedonian history.

The serious student of Macedonian history should of course look at other points of view - I have not read Hammond, which seems to be a serious omission on my part as he appears to be an expert on the Macedonians - but I can heartily recommend the English translation of Errington's History of Macedonia, for an alternate, more traditional, perspective.
11 people found this helpful
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Mr. James Voikos
4.0 out of 5 stars The truth hurts.
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2004
I thought this a good read. As a student of history I can see how the old Greek guard would dismiss it. If the findings were not accurate - it would be hard to fathom the 100's of books by Greek authors or by government sponsors denying the authors claims.
15 people found this helpful
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T. Georgiev
5.0 out of 5 stars "In the shadows of Olimpus" Eugene Borza
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2009
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The Book came brand new. or I could not tell if it was used or not. So the visual experiance was excelent, but I am sure that the reading will surpass that.
Excelent buy
3 people found this helpful
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Darkuser
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but misrepresented work of scholarship
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2004
I bought this book expecting a major critique on the so-called "Greek position" and found nothing of the sort. Grossly misrepresented on both the internet and in other publications, Borza has often been presented as a staunch advocate for a position in the "Macedonian Question". The truth is virtually the opposite! Borza, as with all objective historians, takes no position on this topic other than providing an overview of recent historiography of the region, a topic to which some mention of the practice of nationalist history is usually indispensable.

The Focus of this book, not unlike the works of Hammond and Errington, is strictly on Macedonian history as historians, both modern and ancient, know it. This book however focuses on a much less-known period of Macedonian history, so those looking for an account on Alexander should look elsewhere. It is perhaps unusual how the book focuses on this history with much greater detail than other books, and the author has been overly commended for this effort. I will not dwell on the author here, but anyone who is vaguely aware of this subject should not need further convincing of his reputation and the respect he receives from other scholars within his field.

Since I choose to respect Amazon's reviewing system, I do not see the need to espouse my own opinions on the question of Macedonian ethnicity or further the agendas of those who do. It is clear that among most historians there is little disagreement on the subject other than on trivial matters of interpretation, and in any case the places where there seems to be conflicting opinions are of little relevance to the question of ethnicity. It is also here where evidence drastically diminishes to the extent that any objectivity dissolves into a polemic which needn't concern those interested in what the Macedonians themselves cared about. That said, the concurrence between Borza and the authors constantly cited against his work is incisive; so much so, that there seems to be some inconsistency among those maintaining the "Greek position" as to who is indeed their authoritative source!

It is a shame how a work of scholarship, cited by numerous scholars as a "must read" in their bibliographic notes, has lent itself to a continuing controversy, which exists in little form outside cyberspace and political spheres of interest. The author explicitly stated that it was not his intention to discuss it, and at any rate maintained an objective outlook: devoting only a few pages to the problem, yet uncompromising to opinions which he sees as evidentially fragile.

This is indeed a must read if you are interested in Macedonian history, but if your concerns lie elsewhere, this is not the book for you.
28 people found this helpful
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Yannis Stefanopoulos
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice piece of unbiassed scholar work
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2003
Eugene Borza is one of the leading revisionists of the history of ancient Macedonia. That is why Greek ultra - nationalists and Greek nazi - fashists are attacking this wonderfull, unbiassed and consequently objective piece of scholar work. Actually, there are very few important historians left that backing up the thesis of the putative Hellenic origins of the ancient Macedonians.
This out of date thesis has its roots in the 19-th century german historical school. This school of thought was politically motivated to create an artificial justification for the ambitions of Otto I of Bavaria, (the German king of Greece:1830 -1860) and his German-Danish successors to enlarge Greece to the north. Of course, Greece (with a little help of its friends) managed to realize that during the Balkan wars (1912 -1913) and did a classical ethnical cleansing to the majority of Macedonian inhabitants, afterwards. The empty houses of Macedonians were inhabited by the newcomers from Asia Minor. Today, those people represent themselfs as real Macedonians, although their ancestors settled there only 80 years ago.
Mostly during the second half of the 20-th century the thesis of the Hellenic roots of the ancient Macedonians has been completelly discarted many times by a number of important scholars. So, from that point of view, Borza's work is not new.
However, Borza has a unique ability to take the evidence as a whole, cut it to the tiniest details and synthetise them again in a convincing and thrilling argumentation. That is why I strongly recommend this book to everyone interested in the ancient Balkan history.
34 people found this helpful
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Ilias Vafiadis
4.0 out of 5 stars A good book ; It would have been better if it were written ten years after its first publication.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2018
Verified Purchase
I have a lot of books on ancient Macedonia, including the massive HISTORY OF MACEDONIA by Hammond. Unfortunately, during the past 30 years the issue of "nationality" of the ancient Macedonians has turned to be a political issue. The result was that a series of clear polemics appeared under the disguise of historical research, serving one or the other side. I had heard that Borza's book was somehow biased on one side. I can assure the reader that this is not the case. It is a short but informative work, extremely well written, the best for the average reader. On difficult issues, as the ethnicity of the Macedonians, to quote Borza himself "No other single issue about which there is so little evidence has achieved such notoriety." And finally, after carefully weighting the limited evidence on this issue, i.e. if the ancient Macedonians were of Greek stock or not, he remains in doubt, and concludes "It is time to put the matter of the Macedonians' ethnic identity to rest."
It is however a fact that Hammond has a different view on the matter, it is a fact that THE OXFORD CLASSICAL DICTIONARY, pages 905-906 concludes that "...Macedonian then may be seen as a Greek dialect, characterized by its marginal position and by local pronunciations", "...nowadays historians generally agree that the Macedonians form a part of the Greek ethnos [ nation ]." Borza' doubt must be attributed that, at the time he wrote this book, he was ignorant of the latest archeological discoveries as the curse tablet in Pella ( 4th century BC), that have taken place AFTER the publication of his book.
On the other hand, anybody who has read Borza's MACECONIAN REDUX is aware of the fact that ( again quoting Borza himself)
"Modern Slavs, both Bulgarians and “Macedonians”, cannot establish a link with antiquity, as the Slavs entered the Balkans centuries after the demise of the ancient Macedonian kingdom. Only the most radical Slavic factions—mostly émigrés in the United States, Canada, and Australia—even attempt to establish a connection to antiquity.”
One person found this helpful
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pierrot
4.0 out of 5 stars Une bonne synthèse.
Reviewed in France on April 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
Une bonne introduction à l'histoire de la Macédoine , qui plus est relativement récente. Remplace avantageusement l'ouvrage ancien de Cloché.
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Ellie Tucker
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty useful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
I needed this for my course, and although it was a little bit pricey, it ended up being really helpful.
2 people found this helpful
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