M A C E D O N, 
3o 
fakl to have been derived from Maccdo , a defcendant of 
Deucalion; though others fuppofe it to have been only a 
corruption of Mygdonia, a diltriff of the country. In thofe 
remote ages of antiquity, Macedon, like moll other coun¬ 
tries of Europe, was divided into a great number of petty 
principalities, of which even the names are fcarcely known 
at this time. All authors agree, however, that Caranus was 
the firll who eftablilhed any permanent fovereignty in Ma¬ 
cedon. See the article Greece, vol. viii. p. 920. 
Caranus, dying after a reign of three years, left the 
kingdom to his fon Coenus; who, having confiderabiy 
enlarged his dominions, was fucceeded by Thurymas, 
and he by Perdiccas. This laft prince is by Thucydides 
and Herodotus accounted the founder of the Macedonian 
monarchy ; though his hiftory is fo obfcured by fable, 
that nothing certain can now be known concerning it. 
In procefs of time, however, the good underftanding which 
bad fubfiiied between the Macedonians and their barbar¬ 
ous neighbours began to fufferan interruption ; and in 691 
B. C. the kingdom was the firft time invaded by the Illy¬ 
rians. At firtl they did contiderable damage by their ra¬ 
vages; but the Macedonian monarch, Argseus, having 
decoyed them into an ambufh, cut off great numbers, 
and obliged the remainder to leave the kingdom. In the 
reigns ot his fucceffors, however, they returned, and oc- 
-qafionally proved very troublefome enemies till the reigns 
of 'Philip and Alexander. 
In the mean time the kingdom of Macedon began to 
be affefled by thofe great events wffiich took place in other 
parts of the world. Cyrus, having overthrown the Baby¬ 
lonian empire, and conquered all the weftern part of Afia, 
eftablilhed a mighty monarchy, which threatened all the 
eaftern parts of Europe with fubjugation. The Greeks, 
however, having now emerged from their barbarifm, and 
acquired great knowledge in the art of war, were able to 
refill effectually this very formidable power; but the king¬ 
dom of Macedon, obfcure and unconnected, was obliged 
to yield, and, though not formally made a province of the 
Perfian empire, was neverthelefs accounted in fome fort 
as under the .vaffalage and protection of the Perfians. Al- 
cetas, who afcended the Macedonian throne about the 
time that the Perfian monarchy was founded, had the dex¬ 
terity to preferve his dominions from the encroachments 
of the Greeks on the one hand, and of the Perfians on the 
other; but,in the reign of liis fucceffor Amyntas,a formal 
.demand was made of fubmiffion to the great king Darius, 
by fending him a prefent of earth and water. Seven am- 
baffadors were fent on this errand by Megabizus, one of 
the officers of Darius. They were fumptuoufly entertained 
by Amyntas ; but, having attempted to take fome inde¬ 
cent liberties with the Macedonian women, Alexander the 
king’s fon caufed them all to be murdered. This rafh ac¬ 
tion had almolt proved the ruin of the kingdom; but 
Alexander found means to pacify Bubaris, the general fent 
againlt him by Megabizus, by (bowing him his filter Gy- 
gasa, a very beautiful woman, with whom the Perfian fell 
in love at firll fight, and afterwards married her. From 
this time the Macedonians were accounted the faithful al¬ 
lies of the Perfians; and, through the interell of liis fon- 
in-law, Amyntas obtained the country in the neighbour¬ 
hood of Mount Hcemus and Olympus, at the fame time 
that the city of Alabanda in Phrygia was given to Amyn¬ 
tas the nephew of Alexander. Alexander fucceeded his 
father Amyntas; and the Macedonians diltinguilhed them- 
felves.in the time of the Perfian invafion of Greece, by fur- 
nilhingtheirallies with 200,000 recruits; though lomecities, 
particularly Potidaea, 01 ynthus,and Pallene,adhered to the 
Grecian interell. The two laft were taken and rafed, and 
the inhabitants maffacred by the Perfians; but Potidaea 
efcaped by reafon of the fea breaking into the Perfian camp, 
where it did great damage. Alexander, however, after¬ 
wards thought proper to court the favour of the Greeks, 
by giving them intelligence of the time when Mardonius 
defigned to attack them. The remaining tranfaCtions of 
this reign are entirely unknown, farther than that he en¬ 
larged his dominions to the river Neffus on the eaft and 
the Axius on the weft. 
Alexander was fucceeded by his fon Perdiccas II. who, 
according to Dr. Gillies, inherited his father’s abilities, 
though not his integrity; but, from his duplicity above 
mentioned both to Greek and Perfians, it does not appear 
that he had much to boalt of as to the latter quality. 
In the PeJoponnefian war he efpoufed the caufe of the 
Spartans againlt the Athenians, from whom he was in 
danger by reafon of their numerous fettlements on the 
Macedonian coaft, and .their great power by fea. For 
fome time, however, he atnufed the Athenians with a (how 
of friendlhip ; but at laft, under pretence of enabling Olyn- 
thus and fome other cities to recover their liberties, he af¬ 
filed in deftroying the influence of the Athenians in thofe 
places, in hopes of eltablilhing that of the Macedonians 
in its Head. But this defign failed of fuccefs; the Olvn- 
thian confederacy was broken, and the members of it be¬ 
came fubjeft to Sparta, until at laft, by the misfortunes of 
that republic, they became fufficiently powerful not only 
to refill the encroachments of the Macedonians, but to 
make confiderable conquefts in their country. 
Perdiccas II. was fucceeded about 413 B. C. by Arche- 
laus I. He enlarged his dominions by the conqueft of 
Pydna, and other places in Pieria, though his ambition 
feems rather to have been to improve his dominions than 
greatly to extend them. He facilitated the communica¬ 
tion between the principal towns of Macedon, by cutting 
ftraight roads through moll part of the country : he built 
walls and fortrefles in fuch places as afforded a favoura¬ 
ble fituation; encouraged agriculture and the arts, parti¬ 
cularly thofe fubfervient to war; formed magazines of 
arms ; raifed and difciplined a confiderable body of ca¬ 
valry ; and, in a word, fays Dr. Gillies, added more to the 
folid grandeur of Macedon than had been done by all his 
predeceffors put together. Nor was he regardlefs of the 
arts of peace. His palace was adorned with the works of 
Grecian painters. Euripides was long entertained at his 
court; Socrates was earneftiy folicited to live there, after 
the example of this philofophic poet, formed by his pre¬ 
cepts and cherilhed by his friendlhip: men of merit and 
genius in the various walks of literature and fcience were 
invited to refide in Macedon, and treated with dillinguilhed 
regard by a monarch duly attentive to promote his own 
glory and the liappinefs of his fubjefts. 
This great monarch died after a reign of fix years, a 
fpace hy far too Ihort to accomplilh the magnificent pro¬ 
jects he had formed. After his death the kingdom fell 
under the power of ufurpers or weak and wicked mo- 
narchs. A number of competitors conftantiy appeared 
for the throne ; and thefe by turns called in to their aflili- 
ance the Thracians, Illyrians, Theffalians, the Olynthian 
confederacy, Athens, Sparta, and Thebes. Bardyllis, an 
aClive and daring chief, who, from being head of a gang 
of robbers, had become fovereign of the Illyrians, entered 
Macedon at the head of a numerous army, depofed Amyn¬ 
tas II. the father of Philip, and fet up in his place one 
Argaeus, who confented to become tributary to the Illy¬ 
rians. Another candidate for the throne, named Paula- 
nias, was lupported by the Thracians; but, by the affift- 
ance of the Theffalians and Olynthians, Amyntas was en¬ 
abled to refume the government. After his reftoration, 
however, the Olynthians refufed to deliver up ieveral 
places of importance belonging to Macedon which Amyn¬ 
tas had either intruded to their care, or which they had 
taken from his antagonift. Amyntas complained to 
Sparta; and that republic, w,hich had already formed 
fchemes of very extenfive am'bition, fo readily complied 
with the requelt, that it was generally fuppofed to have 
proceeded from Spartan emiflaries fent into Macedonia. 
They pretended ind-ed to heiitate a little, and to take 
time to deliberate on the army which ought to be raifed 
for the purpofe ; but Cleigenes, the principal ambaflador, 
reprefented the urgency of the cafe in fuch a manner, that 
the troops which happened at that time to be ready were 
ordered 
