Year after year, Macedonia continues to surprise us both in terms of culture and politics. Various archaeological finds constantly confirm the prediction of Manolis Andronikos, the excavator of Vergina, that the land of the Macedonians still has many secrets to reveal to us.

Archaeological excavations, historical studies, and other research highlight its character as a central part of the culture and politics of Hellenism – even before the moment when Alexander attributed to it a Panhellenic and universal character – up to the present day. Greek Macedonia is therefore continuously present, and the recent developments in the Balkans regarding the Macedonian issue affirm the role that History and Culture – as well as their questioning by some – play in this presence.

The presence of Macedonian Hellenism and its global influence is recognized by India, Pakistan, and many other countries around the world, and, by inspiring thought, literature, and art, it resists the conflicts that are increasingly dividing the world into opposing camps.

Five researchers approach Macedonia from different perspectives, converging on the idea that it remains a central theme for the politics of memory. Yagos Andreaidis reflects on its political and cultural History over time and explores its significance for the future of Greece and Hellenism. Angelos Syrigos presents the terms of the Prespa Agreement with emphasis on ethnicity and language and discusses the potential prospects depending on future developments.

Kostas Mitrakas sheds light on the difficult conditions under which people on both sides of the borders experience their relationship with memory and their neighbors. Pepi Rigopoulou, starting from the astonishment and "shock" of the findings in Amphipolis, insists on the Abduction of Persephone to discuss art and myth in ancient Macedonia, as well as their recent cultural and political management in Greece and North Macedonia.

Finally, Dimitris Papacharalambous aesthetically and politically interprets the different ways in which filmmakers, from Angelopoulos to Manchevski, Oliver Stone, and others, have interpreted what he calls "the gaze of Alexander."