It\'s all Greek to me (Makedonians included) ...

[Paralus]

Eumenes always was in fear that his men would not be loyal to him, and they proved him right... . He wanted to show the other side that he was no stranger and that he also commanded Macedonians. Sending a Macedonian to speak to Macedonians was only logical for he reminded them that they would fight against Macedonians, not against the army of a foreigner (in the ancient sense of course...). This again serves as an argument to the motives of Eumenes and does not say anything about the Macedonian speech. That it was a different dialect we know, since it gets to have its very own name! I only support that nothing can be concluded as to the linguistic distance it may have had from Attic or any other Greek dialect from the said text.

My dear George, I believe we'll have to agree to disagree on Eumenes' supposed fear of betrayal by Macedonians. I do not believe that the evidence is strong enough to demonstrate his "Greekness" was a hindrance. Some of the Argyraspides call him the pest from the Chersonesus as they deliver him up for their families and treasure. The most comprehensive material - Diodorus - strongly argues that Antigenes, and so his men, supported the Cardian. Eumenes was the one who made much of his Greek background to disguise his ambition - not the Macedononians.

We might also have to simply disagree on the use of Xenias.

In the end examination of the remains of Macedonians, Paeonians and "southern Greeks" of the fifth/fourth century would reveal no anthropological differences. The language was the same - a different dialect (again that metaphor) and the city state Greeks likely saw the peasntry of fifth century Macedonia - Pardiccas II's "great crowd" - as "non Greek" due to their social status; that is, their not being "free men".

And, indeed, you are Macedon...