Balkan Illusion – phantasia archaica:
“…it is very interesting to note that many of the authentic ancient Macedonian words, according to their etymology and pronunciation, have a striking resemblance to the appropriate words used in the modern Macedonian language (and other so called “Slav”[sic] languages)”…”Del(us). The verb “dela” (to work) exists in the so called “Old Slavic language”[sic], as well as in several present day “Slavic languages”[sic]. The name “Dele” is present in todays’ Macedonian onomasticon”. From: “Similarities between ancient Macedonian and today’s’ Macedonian Culture (Linguistics and Onomastics)” by Aleksandar Donski, celebrity “historian” and propagandist from FYROM.
Delus and Delios /Δηλιος
The Homeric Hymns are celebratory poems that were recited and sung in religious ceremonies by priests and bards of ancient Greece. Each of them celebrated the epiphany of a particular God or Goddess and his or her attributes. Most of them were written in the Archaic age of Greek history, between the ninth and the fifth century BC. Their language and meter (dactylic hexameter) are in the traditional epic style and dialect of Homer´s Iliad and Odyssey. The ancient Greeks, the historian Thucydides among them, believed that they were actually composed by Homer himself. One of these, Homeric Hymn #3, was written in praise of Phoebos Apollo, the Delios / Δήλιος, the God born οn the Cycladic island of Delos / Δηλος. Here are a few lines of this Hymn:
Macedonian names and makeDonski pseudo-linguistics: The case of the names Delius and Delus
Balkan Illusion – phantasia archaica:
“…it is very interesting to note that many of the authentic ancient Macedonian words, according to their etymology and pronunciation, have a striking resemblance to the appropriate words used in the modern Macedonian language (and other so called “Slav”[sic] languages)”…”Del(us). The verb “dela” (to work) exists in the so called “Old Slavic language”[sic], as well as in several present day “Slavic languages”[sic]. The name “Dele” is present in todays’ Macedonian onomasticon”. From: “Similarities between ancient Macedonian and today’s’ Macedonian Culture (Linguistics and Onomastics)” by Aleksandar Donski, celebrity “historian” and propagandist from FYROM.
Delus and Delios /Δηλιος
The Homeric Hymns are celebratory poems that were recited and sung in religious ceremonies by priests and bards of ancient Greece. Each of them celebrated the epiphany of a particular God or Goddess and his or her attributes. Most of them were written in the Archaic age of Greek history, between the ninth and the fifth century BC. Their language and meter (dactylic hexameter) are in the traditional epic style and dialect of Homer´s Iliad and Odyssey. The ancient Greeks, the historian Thucydides among them, believed that they were actually composed by Homer himself. One of these, Homeric Hymn #3, was written in praise of Phoebos Apollo, the Delios / Δήλιος, the God born οn the Cycladic island of Delos / Δηλος. Here are a few lines of this Hymn:
Εἲς Ἀπόλλωνα Δήλιον
To Apollon Delios
μνήσομαι οὐδὲ λάθωμαι Ἀπόλλωνος ἑκάτοιο,
ὅντε θεοὶ κατὰ δῶμα Διὸς τρομέουσιν ἰόντα…
I ‘ll remember and shall not let out of my mind Apollo the far shooting,
whom the Gods going about the house of Zeus are terrified of…
χαίρει δέ τε πότνια Λητώ,
οὕνεκα τοξοφόρον καὶ καρτερὸν υἱὸν ἔτικτε.
χαῖρε, μάκαιρ’ ὦ Λητοῖ, ἐπεὶ τέκες ἀγλαὰ τέκνα,
Ἀπόλλωνά τ’ ἄνακτα καὶ Ἄρτεμιν ἰοχέαιραν,
τὴν μὲν ἐν Ὀρτυγίῃ, τὸν δὲ κραναῇ ἐνὶ Δήλῳ…
and joy comes to lady Leto
for she gave birth to a mighty son and an archer.
Rejoice, oh blessed Leto, for you gave birth to glorious children,
Apollo the lord and Artemis the arrow happy;
her in Ortygia, and him in rocky Delos…
Ομηρικος Υμνος #3 / Homeric Hymn #3
Apollo was the God of prophecy, of oracles and medicinal healing (he was called Alexikakos/from: “αλεξ/alex”+”κακός/kakos” = defender against evil) protector of children and protector from plagues. He was the patron God of the arts, of music and poetry and for these artistic attributes he was called Apollon Mousegetes/Ἀπόλλων Μουσαγέτης (Leader of the Mousai). Apollon was one of the most popular Gods of the Greek pantheon with innumerable temples throughout the Greek world. The most important sanctuaries were the oracle at Delphoi and the sacred island of Delos. Delos, according to Greek mythology, was the birthplace of the twin Gods Artemis and Apollo. Their mother Leto, having become pregnant by Zeus, was banished and was being chased by Hera, Zeus’ jealous wife. Poseidon directed her to Delos, a new island that suddenly “appeared” out of the sea, and where she was able to give birth.
The small Aegean island of Delos has been inhabited since the third millennium BC. Delos became a religious center of great importance to the Ionians, early on (1000 BC). Its name is etymologically derived from the verb deloo/δηλόω, to appear, to declare, to manifest. It was named so because it “manifested” itself, it became “visible” to Leto (but not to Hera) [Arist. Fr.488, EM264.22]. Delos/Δήλος is the “manifest” island, the “visible” one. Even in Modern Greece when someone goes to the police, the tax authorities or to the municipality to declare something, what he is signing is called a delosis/δήλωσις, a declaration. When something is obvious to the naked eye, modern Greeks say it is prodelos/πρόδηλος or prodelon/πρόδηλον, too apparent, using the same word Plato would have used, and in fact he did:
“περὶ δ´ αὖ μέθας τυραννεύσασα, τὸν κεκτημένον ταύτῃ ἄγουσα, δῆλον/delon οὗ τεύξεται προσρήματος·καὶ τἆλλα δὴ τὰ τούτων ἀδελφὰ καὶ ἀδελφῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ὀνόματα τῆς ἀεὶ δυναστευούσης ᾗ προσήκει καλεῖσθαι πρόδηλον/prodelon.”
“and again, if the desire for drink becomes the tyrant and leads him who possesses it toward drink, we know what he is called; and it is quite clear what fitting names of the same sort will be given when any desire akin to these acquires the rule. The reason for what I have said hitherto is pretty clear by this time, but everything is plainer when spoken than when unspoken;”
Plato, Phaedrus, 238b / Πλἀτωνος, Φαίδρος, 238β.
The Athenians took possession of Delos in mid-6th century BC. A Pythian decree emanating from the oracle at Delphi (a competing religious center) ordered the Athenians to purify the island by removing all the graves and to forbid all deaths and births on the island.
After the defeat of the invading Persians and Medes in the Persian wars, by 478 BC, the Athenians organized the Delian League. This was a defensive organization against further incursions by the Persians. It was headquartered at Delos. Under the leadership of Pericles the great Athenian statesman, the funds of the Delian League were transferred in 454 BC to the Acropolis in Athens, helping finance the building activity of Classical Athens, including such buildings as Erechtheion, the Propylaea and the Parthenon.
During the late Hellenistic and Roman times, Delos saw its most prosperous times having been declared a free port that became the financial center of the Mediterranean and a great slave market place where up to10,000 slaves could be sold daily. Wealthy foreigners from as far as Rome, Syria, and Egypt lived in this cosmopolitan port, in complete tolerance of each other’s religious beliefs, and each group built its various shrines.
Delos was destroyed in 88 BC by the Greco-Persian king of Pontus Mithridates the Great-Eupator, who attacked and sacked the unfortified sacred island. Delos never fully recovered and it was eventually deserted. It is now a designated UNESCO World Heritage site and its extensive archaeological site is visited by admirers of the ancient Greek culture from around the world.
For September 1st, 2007, Alexander Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, had organized to present a major cultural event of music and ballet on the sacred island of Delos. It was to feature the Filarmonica della Scala and soloists of the Teatro alla Scala ballet from Milano. The event was to open with Igor Stravinsky’s “Apollo Musagète”, choreographed by George Balanchine, with the Italian dancer Roberto Bolle in the leading role. The second half of the event was to feature Gustav Mahler’s Sinfonia n. 1. The Filarmonica della Scala would be directed by Daniele Gatti. The event was appropriately named “Delios Apollon / Δήλιος Ἀπόλλων”. Due to the wild fires that ravaged Greece late that summer, Delios Apollon’s opening on the island of Delos was postponed and it eventually opened on September 3rd of 2007 at the Odeion of Herodes Atticus, by the Acropolis, in Athens (the ΔΗΛΙΟΣ ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝ/DELIOS APOLLON poster in the beginning of this article is from this event).
Being so popular a deity, it is not surprising that many Greeks took names that were derivatives of Apollon’s name:
Apellaios/Ἀπελλαίος, Apollodemos/Ἀπολλόδημος, Apollodotos/Ἀπολλόδοτος, Apollodora/Ἀπολλοδώρα, Apollocrates/Ἀπολλοκράτης, Apollophanes/Ἀπολλοφάνης, Apollonia/Ἀπολλωνία, ApollonidesἈπολλωνίδης, Apollonios/ Ἀπολλώνιος, Apollonis/Ἀπολλωνίς, and numerous others.
We also find “Apollonian”-related names like Pytheias/Πυθείας, Pytheides/Πυθείδης, Pytheios/Πύθειος, Pytheie/Πυθείη, and also: Delphias/Δελφιὰς, Delphis/Δελφίς, Delphikos/Δελφικος, Delphinia/Δελφινία etc.
Apollon and Artemis, having being born on the hill Cynthos/Κύνθος of Delos island, were both called Cyntians, Apollon Cynthios/Ἀπόλλων Κύνθιος and Artemis Cynthia/Ἀρτεμις Κυνθία. Centuries later, Cynthia became a popular name in the English word in its own right.
But since Artemis and Apollon were ofthey Del were also called the Delians: Delia Artemis/Δηλία Ἀρτεμις and Delios Apollon/Δήλιος Ἀπόλλων. The name Delios/Δήλιος was used as a common Greek name and a eponym throughout the Greek world.
As expected the name appears first of all in Delos. In the base of a statue we read:
IG XI,4 1211, Delos (IG XI and ID)
Ἀγόραλος Σαρπηδόνος Δήλιος ἐποίησεν.
Agorallos son of Sarpedon, a Delian (Delios) made it.
On another inscription from Delos, we read the names of people from Salamis, Knidos, Delos and Athens:
ID 2612
Delos (IG XI and ID)
— — ου Σαλαμίνιος
— — κ̣λείδου Δήλιος / Delios
— — μ̣άχου Κνίδιος
— — Νικ]ά̣νορος
— — — — Ξενοκλείδου Δήλιος/Delios
— — Διον]υ̣σίου Ἀθηναῖος
oy Salaminian
— — kleidou Delios
— — machou Knidios
— — son of Nik]anor
— — — — Son of Xenokleides Delios
— — son of Dion]ysios Athenaios
Once again from Delos:
ID 2598, Delos (IG XI and ID)
Ἀνδρέας Πειραιεύς,
Ἀντίγονος Δήλιος,/Delios
Μιλτιάδης Μαραθώνιος,
Andreas Peiraieus
Antigonos Delios
Miltiades Marathonios
A note should be made here concerning Greek names. Greeks had a first name but not a last name in the way modern Greeks and others do today. A person had his proper name and then there were three more names that could be attached to distinguish him from other people of the same name. The most usual was the patronym, the father’s name, which was enough to distinguish them in their neighborhood, clan or city.
We have Pericles Xanthipou/Περικλής Ξανθίππου/Pericles son of Xanthippos, or Alexandros Philippou / Αλέξανδρος Φιλίππου / Alexandros son of Philippos.
When a person’s fame surpassed the narrow confines of his city or area, he was also named after the city or the area they were from. Marsyas Pellaios/Μαρσύας Πελλαίος/ Marsyas of Pella or Pittakos Mytilinaios/Πιττακός Μυτιλιναίος/Pittalos of Mytiline. Occasionally a person would be given the name of the city or area they lived in for a long time, as in the example of the healer and founder of modern medicine Hippocrates of Cos, who was also named “Thessalos” because he lived the last years of his life in Thessaly.
Persons of great parentage could also be identified by the clan or family name they descended from. The Larissan aristocrats of the Aleuas/Αλευάς clan were collectively named Aleuadai/Αλευάδαι, and a powerful aristocratic clan in Athens was the Alcmaionidai/Αλκμαιονίδαι. Homer’s Mycenaean Menelaos/Μενέλαος and Agamemnon/Αγαμέμνων were both Atreidai/ Ατρείδαι, descending from the clan of king Atreus / Ατρεύς.
We will use as our example the name of the famous king of Macedonia, Philip II /Φίλιππος Β’, to highlight the different examples of Greek onomastics. Philip in the sources is alternatively mentioned as:
Philippos Amyntou/Φίλιππος Αμύντου/Philippos son of Amyntas and Philippos ho Makedon/Φίλιππος o Μακεδών/ Philippos the Macedonian.
Additionally, Philippos/Φίλιππος, Alexandros/Αλέξανδρος, Perdicas/Περδίκας, Amyntas/Αμύντας, and all other Macedonian kings before Cassandros/Κάσσανδρος/Cassander were all collectively known as belonging to the Royal family of the Argeiadai/ Αργειάδαι, indicating their clan’s common descent from the city of Argos. Alternatively they were also known as Temenidai, from the Argive prince Temenos/Τέμενος who established the Argaead/Temenid Macedonian dynasty. Because of this, Philip was additionally known also as:
Philippos Temenides/Φίλιππος Τεμενίδης or Philippos Argaeades/Φίλιππος Αργειάδης.
Since I mentioned Philippos ho Makedon, I must clarify here that when the Greeks called someone a Sicilian, a Theban, a Macedonian or an Ionian what they indicated was the place of his birth, the place of his long time residence or his tribal affiliation.
In the 21st century, when some history revisionists from FYROM says “Aleksandar Makedonski”/”Александар Македонски”, what they they paint in their nationalistic-tainted fantasy is an imaginary “Aleksandar/Александар” who speaks in a Bulgarian-Slavic idiom, he considers the (ancient Thraco-Dardanian but later Serbo-Albanian) city of Skopje/Скопје as much a “Macedonian” city as Pella or Amphipolis. This Aleksandar Makedonski calls his sister Solun /Солунь/Солун, not Thessalonike/Θεσσαλονίκη and he hates Greeks with a burning Slavo-makedonski passion worthy of all the lost Balkan wars.
How much of this is historical accuracy and how much of it is acute hysteria is obvious only to people who never lived in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and its predecessor, Tito’s ethnic pet child, the Socialist Republic of Macedonia (Socijalistička Republika Makedonija Социјалистичка Република Македонија), and were never subjected to the ethnic doctrines of the pseudo-Makedonist school of historical falsification as practiced in Skopje since 1944.
The precedence of such a Procrustean historic-geographic travesty in the Balkan neighborhood already exists: some modern Turks, a nation whose original and ancestors came from the Mongolian steppes of east-central Asia more than two thousand years after Homer wrote his epics, shamelessly claim Homer/Όμηρος, the epic poet of Iliad and Odyssey, as being a proud Anatolian Turk. Homer was in truth Omer, a similar sounding Muslim name, they claim. This kind of outlandish claims, therefore, are not shocking or unheard of in that part of the world. Greeks are casually used by these hostile encroachments and claims on their rich cultural heritage by now, though they still shake their head in disbelief and laugh them off!
Unfortunately, when someone claims your culture they mean to claim more than that. When someone claims to have the property rights on the document of your house, they do not simply mean the piece of paper: they mean the land and the walls indicated in that piece of paper. When the inhabitants of ancient Paionia and Dardania, where FYROM is now claim to be Macedonians, the obvious conclusion is that they will next start screaming that you trespass on “their” Macedonian land.
Let us now return to our epigraphic documentation.
In Pella/Πέλλα, the ancient capital of Macedonia we find the name:
SEG 24:546
Macedonia:Bottiaia: Pella
Μάκαρτο̣ς Δήλιος
Makartos Delios
In the Macedonian island of Thasos / Θάσος we find another person named Delios:
IG XII,8 437
Northern Aegean (IG XII,8) : Thasos
Φίλιππος Φιλοκλέο̣[ς]
Δήλιος.
Philippos son of Philokles
Delios
Further south, in the central Greek island of Euboea, next to the Boeotian mainland, we read an inscription:
IG XII,9 29
Euboia (IG XII,9)
Δημαίνετος
Δήλιος.
Demainetos
Delios
From the Greek city of Bouthrotos / Βουθρωτός, in north Epeiros, across from Corfu, in what is now southern Albania we locate this partial inscription:
I.Bouthrotos 67
Epeiros, Illyria, and Dalmatia
ος ἁμέραι κδʹ, ἀφίεντι ἐλευθέραν καὶ ἀνατίθεντι ἱερὰν τῶι Ἀσκλαπιῶι
ἀνέφαπτον Φιλουμέναν Πύρρος Δήλιος καὶ ὁ [ὑὸ]ς Ἄλκιμος· μάρτυρες [— — — —]
— —]ε̣νος, Καλλικράτης Φιλώτα, Φιλώτας Καλλικράτεος, Βοΐσκος Φαλακρίωνος,
os 24 days, being liberated and dedicated to the temple of Asclepios
the untouched Philoumena, Pyrrhos Delios and his son Alkimos, witnesses
being…[— —]enos, Kallikrates son of Philon, Philotas
son of Kalikrates, Boiskos son of Phalakrion,
In Eastern Anatolia, in Cappadocia, in modern eastern Turkey, north of Iraq, a Greek inscription reads:
Tit.Coman.Capp. 5,39, Cappadocia
Δειλιος [Ἀθ]-
η̣ναιδι Δε[ιλιου]
Deilios son of Ath-
enaidis Delios
From Bithyneia, which also lies in what is now Turkey, we find another inscription:
IK Klaudiu polis 120, Bithynia Δήλιος ζῶν
ἑαυτῷ καὶ Delios while still alive for himself and
Another partial inscription, this one from Athens mentions a man whose father was called Delios:
IG II² 1641b, Attica
— τέμενος ἀνεμίσθωσαν —
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