Uncovering the Mask of Macedonia

Even before Alexander the Great, Macedonia evoked power from which to steer clear. When the ancient Greeks held their

Olympic Games they forbade the participation of the mountainous neighbor to the north because the hunter-warriors there were too strong, too fast, too good — favored by the geographic and genetic equivalent of steroids. It was believed the Macedonians were descendants of Zeus, after all. When Alexander decided to enter the Olympics, he proved the dread justifiable: he won. Then again, he was the emperor.