Bronze Age and the Embedded Macedonian Question

Starting from the 18thcentury, the search for tangible remains of the past had become a patriotic undertaking in virtually every western European nation. It is meaningful to emphasise that scientific archaeology was a course of study first established in European universities in the early 19thcentury alongside the rise of nation-states, nationalisms and positivist sciences. Today, archaeological images have become the official national symbols of modern peoples, and ancient ruins have been transformed into national shrines and popular tourist attractions. Archaeology as a discipline is embedded in present political borders and often takes the form of a national narrative.²