﻿MACEDONIA. 



MACEDONIA. 



country must alao have been inhabited in very early times by many 

 Hellenic tribes. The Greeks always regarded the Macedonians as a 

 people not of Hellenic origin ; and the similarity of the manners and 

 customs, as well as the languages, as far as they are known, of the 

 early Macedonians and lUyrians, appear to establish the identity of 

 these two nations. In the time of Hei-odotus, the name of Macedonis 

 comprehended only the country to the south and west of the Lydias, 

 for he observes that Macedonis was separated from Bottiaeis by the 

 united mouth of the Lydias and Haliacmon. (Herodot, vii 127.) How 

 far inland Herodotus conceived that Macedonia extended does not 

 appear from his narrative. According to many ancient writers, Maae- 

 donia was originally called Emathia (Plin., ' Nat. Hist.,' iv. 17 ; Justin, 

 Tli 1 ; QelL, xiv. 6) ; but we also find traces of the name of Macedonians 

 from the earliest times, under the ancient forms of Maketa; and 

 Makedni. They appear to have dwelt originally in the south-western 

 part of Macedonia near Mount Pindus (Herod., i. 66; viiL 43), whence 

 they emigrated in a north-easterly direction. 



There are various accounts of the origin of the Macedonian 

 monarchy, but all agree in asserting that the royal family was 

 descended from the race of Temenus of Argos. (Herodot., viii. 137- 

 139 ; Thucyd., ii. 99.) Perdiccas is usually regarded as the founder 

 of this empire, the dominions of which were first confined to the 

 country in the neighbourhood of Edessa between the Lydias and the 

 Haliacmon, but a&rwards extended as far as the Axius, and subse- 

 quently along the coast as far as the Strymon. Very little however 

 la known of the history of the country till the reign of Amyntas I., 

 who was king of Macedon at the time of the expulsion of the Pisistra- 

 tidte from Athens, B.C. 560. This monarch submitted to Megabyzus, 

 who had been left in Europe by Darius after the failure of his Scythian 

 expedition ; and Macedonia was considered a province of the Persian 

 empire till the battle of Flatsa delivered it from subjection to the 

 king of Persia. 



Amyntas was succeeded by his son Alexander I., who was obliged 

 to accompany the Persian army into Greece, but was able on several 

 occasions to render important services to the Grecian cause. Alexander 

 was not allowed to contend at the Olympian games until he had 

 proved his Argive descent. (Herodot, v. 22; Justin, vii. 2.) The 

 time of Alexander's death is uncertain, but he lived at least to B.c. 463 

 (Plutarch, ' Cimon,' c. 14.) He was succeeded by Perdiccas II., a fickle 

 and dishonourable prince, who took an active part in the Peloponnesian. 

 war, and altemat^ assisted Athens and Sparta as his interests or 

 policy dictated. His successor Archelaus (a.a 413) was the wisest 

 monarch that bad yet sat upon the throne of Macedon. He effected 

 greater improvements in his kingdom, according to Thucydides, than 

 all the other monarchs together who had preceded him (ii. 1 00). He 

 greatly improved the condition of his army ; he erected forts to repress 

 nia burbarous nei^jhbours ; constructed roads ; and endeavoured to 

 diffuse among his subjects a love of Grecian literature and refinement. 

 He is said to have invited Socrates to settle at his court, and Euripides 

 resided there during the latter part of his life. 



On the assasainatioD of Archelaus, B.c. 399, the greatest confusion 

 prevailed ; and It was not till the accession of Amyntas II. (b.o. 393), 

 that anything like order was restored to the country. But even during 

 the greater part of his reign Macedonia was distracted by intestine 

 commotions and foreign enemies; and on his death, B.c. 369, the 

 same state of confusion prevailed that had followed the death of 

 Archelaus. Amyntas was succeeded by his eldest son, Alexander IL, 

 who was aaaassioated at the end of the first year of his reign by 

 Ptolemy Alorites, who held the supreme power for three years as 

 regent during the minority of Perdiccas ; but, in consequence of 

 abusing his trust, he was cut off by Perdiccas, B.C. 364. Perdiccas, 

 after a reign of five years, fell in battle against the Illyrians, B.c. 359, 

 and was succeeded by hla younger brother, the celebrated Philip, who 

 foccaeded to a kingdom assailed by numerous enemies and weakened 

 by intestine commotions, and left it to his son, Alexander the Great, 

 the most powerful monarchy in Europe. The career of Alexander, 

 which put an end to the Persian empire, and established the short- 

 lived uitcedonian empire, cannot be traced in a sketch like this. It 

 may be sufficient to state here, that in the commotions consequent 

 npon Alexander's death the royal family was finally destroyed, and 

 Caasander obtained at first the power and eventually the title of king 

 of Macedon. Caasander was succeeded by his son Philip, b.c. 296, 

 who reigned only two years ; and on his death, in B.c. 294, his two 

 Tetmger brothers, Antipater and Alexander, having quarrelled respect- 

 ing the succession, the throne was seized by Demetrius, the son of 

 Antigonus, who reigned for seven years. He was driven from hu 

 kingdom, ac. 287, by Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, who was however 

 deposed in his turn, after a short reign of seven months, by Lysimachus, 

 king of Thrace. 



On the death of Lysimachus, who fell in battle, ao. 281, the country 

 remained in almost a state of anarchy for many years. The invasion 

 of the Gauls from B.C. 280 to B.C. 278, and the contests between the 

 numerous pretenders to the throne, brought the country to the brink 

 of ruin. Eventually Antigonus (sumamed Gonnatas), the son of 

 Demetrius, was proclaimed king; but he was dethroned by Pyrrhus, 

 who again obtained the kingdom on hU return from Italy. After the 

 death of Pyrrhus, Antigonus regained possession of the throne, which 

 !>• retained till bis death, B.C. 239. The two following monarchs. 



Demetrius II. (b.o. 239-229) and Antigonus II. (B.C. 229-220), were 

 principally occupied in the Grecian wars which followed the formation 

 of the AchjEan league. 



Philip v., who succeeded Amyntas, alarmed at the increasing power 

 of the Romans, entered into an alliance with Hannibal ; but was 

 never able to afford him any effectual assistance, in consequence of 

 continual wars with the .^toliaus and Illyrians. On the conclusion 

 of the war with Carthage, Philip found that he was unable to cope 

 with the Roman power ; and after continuing the contest for a few 

 years, was obliged to sue for peace on such terms as the victors chose 

 to grant. Philip was succeeded by Perseus, B.c. 178, who carried on 

 war against the Romans, and was finally conquered, B.C. 168. Mace- 

 donia was not immediately converted into a Roman province, but was 

 divided into four districts, which were considered independent, and 

 governed by their own laws, and of which the capitals were respectively 

 — Amphipolis, Theasalonica, Pella, and Pelagonia. Macedonia was 

 reduced to the form of a Roman province, B.c. 142. 



It is very difficult to determine the boundaries of the Roman pro- 

 vince of Macedonia. According to the ' Epitomizer ' of Strabo (vii.), 

 it was bounded by the Adriatic on the west ; on the north by the 

 mountains of Scardus, Orbelus, Rhodope, and Hsemus ; on the south 

 by the Via Egnatia ; and on the east it extended as far as Cypsela and 

 the mouth of the Hebrus. But this st.ttement with respect to the 

 southern boundary of Macedonia cannot be correct, since we know 

 that the province of Macedonia was bounded on the south by that of 

 Achsa ; and although it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to 

 fix the precise boundaries of these provinces, yet it does not appear 

 that Achsea extended farther north than the south of Thessaly. 



Macedonia was inhabited from the earliest times by numerous tribes, 

 whose names continued to be given till a late period to various dis- 

 tricts of the country. The most important of these divisions were — 

 Mygdonia, Bottiseis or Bottisea, Pieria, Elimea, Stymphalia, Orestis, 

 Lyncus, Eordia or Eordxa, Emathia, Paionia, and Chalcidice. 



Mygdonia, on the Thermaic Bay, was separated from the district 

 of Bottiseis, or Bottiaia, by the Axius (Herodot., vii. 123) ; but its 

 boundaries on the east are doubtful. Thucydides makes it extend as 

 far as the Strymon (ii. 99) ; but this is at variance with the statement 

 of Herodotus, who speaks of the land to the west of the Strymon 

 under the name of Bisaltia. (Herodot., vii. 115.) Mygdonia was 

 originally occupied by the Edones, a 'Thracian people, who were 

 expelled thence by the Temeuids. (Thucyd., ii. 99.) The principal 

 town in this district was Theme, afterwards called Thasalonica by 

 Caasander in honour of his wife, who was daughter of Philip. (Strabo, 

 vii., ' Excerpta,' sec. 10, vol ii. p. 131.) It was a large and prosperous 

 town, and exists at the present day under the name of Saloniki. The 

 apostle Paul addressed two epistles to the Christian converts in this 

 town. The lake Bolbe, called at the present day Betchik, was cither 

 in or near Mygdonia (Thucyd., L 58) ; it is said by Dr. Clarke to be 

 about 12 miles in length, and 6 or 8 miles in breadth. To the west 

 of Bolbe was another and smaller lake, which is now called St. Basili. 



The BotticeU, or BoUiaa, of Herodotus, was bounded on the east 

 by the Axius, on the west by the united mouth of the Haliacmon and 

 Lydias (vii. 127), and on the north by Emathia. The principal town 

 of Buttimis was Pella, situated on the lake through which the Lydias 

 flows, which afterwards became the residence of the kings of Macedon. 

 Pella was a small place till the time of Philip, by whom it was greatly 

 enlarged and beautified. (Strabo, vii. sec. 9, vol. ii. pp. 130,131.) The 

 rains of Pella may still be seen at Alakillsseh. Near the mouth of the 

 Lydiaa was the town of Ichna;, celebrated for an ancient temple. 

 (Herodotus, vii. 123 ; Pliny, ' Nat. Hist.,' iv. 17 ; Mela, iL 3 ; Hesych., 

 under 'Ixyaitiv.) Thirty miles to the south-west of Pella, at the 

 foot of Mount Bermius (Pliny, ' Nat. Hist.,' iv. 1 7), was the ancient 

 city of Berrhcea, or Beraa, which is mentioned in the Acts of the 

 Apostles (xviL 10). 



Proceeding along the coast, we come to Pieria. The ancient dis- 

 trict of MacedonU originally intervened between Bottieea and Pieria. 

 According to Strabo (vii. sec. 8, vol. ii. p. 130), and Livy (xliv. 9), 

 Pieria was bounded on the south by Dium ; but in more ancient times 

 the name was probably applied to all the country between MacedonU 

 and the Peneus. Ptolemy calls the country between the mouth of 

 the Lydias and that of the Peneus by the name of Pieria. Pieria was 

 celebreted in Grecian mythology as the first seat of the muses. Pydna, 

 the chief place in this district, also called Cydna (Steph. Byz.), and 

 Citron, according to Strabo (vii. sec. 8, vol. ii. p. 130), known at the 

 present day under the name of Kidros, la said to have been a Greek 

 city, and was for some time in possession of the Athenians ; but was 

 afterwards taken by Philip, and given to Olynthus. The battle between 

 Perseus and .£milius, which decided the fate of the Macedonian 

 monarchy, was fought near Pydna. South of Pydna was the town of 

 Dium, at the foot of Mount Olympus, of which Livy has given a short 

 description (xliv. 6, 7). It afterwards became a Roman colony. (Pliny, 

 ' Nat. Hist.,' iv. 17.) Forty stadia to the north of Pydna was Methone 

 (Strabo, vii. sea 8, vol. ii. p. 130), at the siege of which Philip, the 

 father of Alexander the Great, lost an eye. 



In the interior, to the west of Pieria, in the valley of the Haliac- 

 mon, was the district of Elimea, the inhabitants of which were called 

 Elimiotaj. In the time of Thucydides, Elimea was subject to the 

 Macedonian monarchs, but was governed by its own princes (ii 99). 



