MACEDONIA, or MACEDON, a celebrated kingdom of antiquity, was bounded on the east by the Ægean Sea, on the south by Thessaly and Epirus, on the west by the Ionian Sea or Adriatic, on the north, at first by the river Strymon and the Scardian Mountains, but afterwards by the river Nessus or Nestus. In a direct line the whole country extended only 150 miles; but it was lengthened out to about three times that extent by the windings of the coast, in which almost every convenient situation was converted into a Grecian sea-port. The country was naturally divided, by the Thermaic and Strymonic Gulfs, into the provinces of Pieria, Chalcis, and Pangeus. The middle region, which took its name from a city of Eubœa, whence it had been originally peopled, was very fertile and pleasant; and the interior, being diversified by lakes, rivers, and arms of the sea, was extremely convenient for inland navigation, whilst the towns of Amphipolis, Potidaia, Acanthus, and many others, afforded marts for
the commerce of the republics of Greece, as well as of Macedonia. Thrace and Macedonia. On one side of this district were the mountains of Pangeus, and on the other the plains of Pieria. The Pangean Mountains, which extended ninety miles towards the east and the river Nessus, though proper neither for corn nor pasture, produced plenty of timber for ship-building; whilst the southern branches of the mountains contained rich veins of gold and silver; but these, though wrought successively by the Thasians and the Athenians, were only brought to perfection by Philip of Macedonia, who extracted from them gold and silver to the value of about £200,000 sterling annually. Pieria extended fifty miles along the Thermaic Gulf, as far as the confines of Thessaly and Mount Pindus. The inland part of the country was beautifully diversified with shady hills and with fountains; and so admirably calculated for solitary walks and retirement, that the ancients looked upon it as the favourite haunts of the Muses, and accordingly bestowed upon them the title of Pierides.
In the most ancient times this country was called Æmæthia, from Æmathius, one of its princes. The name of Macedonia is said to have been derived from Macedo, a descendant of Deucalion; though others suppose it to have been only a corruption of Mygdonia, a district of the country. In those remote ages of antiquity, Macedonia, like most other countries of Europe, was divided into a great number of petty principalities, of which scarcely even the names are now known.
All authors agree, however, that Caranus was the first Kingdom who established any permanent sovereignty in Macedonia, founded by Caranus. He was an Argive, a descendant of Hercules, and, about 800 years before Christ, conducted a small colony of his countrymen into the inland district of Macedonia, at that time distinguished by the name of Æmæthia, as already mentioned. This territory was about 300 miles in circumference. On the south it was separated from the sea by a number of Greek republics, of which the most considerable were those of Olynthus and Amphipolis; and on the north, the east, and the west, it was surrounded by the barbarous kingdoms of Thrace, Pœonia, and Illyricum. According to the traditions of those times, Caranus having consulted the oracle respecting the success of his intended expedition, was commanded to follow the direction of the goats in the establishment of his empire. For some time he proceeded at random, without knowing what to make of the oracle's answer; but happening to enter the small kingdom of Æmæthia, at that time governed by king Midas, he observed a herd of goats running towards Edessa, the capital. Recollecting the answer of the oracle, he then attacked and took the city by surprise, and soon afterwards made himself master of the whole kingdom. In memory of this remarkable event, he called the city Ægæ, and the people Ægiates, from the goats who conducted him, and made use of the figure of a goat for his standard. From this fable also we see why the figure of a goat is so frequently found on the coins of Philip and his successors.
But the little colony of Argives led into Æmæthia by Caranus would soon have been overwhelmed by the barbarous nations who surrounded it, had not this prince and his subjects taken care to ingratiate themselves with their neighbours, rather than to attempt to subdue them by force of arms. They instructed them in the Greek religion and government, and in the knowledge of many useful arts; adopting themselves, in some degree, the language and manners of the barbarians, and imparting to them in return some portion of Grecian civilization. Thus they gradually associated with the fierce and warlike tribes in their neighbourhood; and this prudent conduct, being followed by succeeding generations, may be looked upon as one of the causes of the Macedonian greatness.
Macedonia. Caranus dying after a short reign of three years, left the kingdom to his son Cænus, who having considerably enlarged his dominions, was succeeded by Thurymas, and he again by Perdiccas I. This last prince is by Thucydides and Herodotus accounted the founder of the Macedonian monarchy, though his history is so obscured by fable that nothing certain can now be known concerning it. In process of time, however, the good understanding which had subsisted between the Macedonians and their barbarous neighbours began to suffer interruption, and in 691 B. C. the kingdom was for the first time invaded by the Illyrians. At first they did considerable damage by their ravages; but the Macedonian monarch Argæus having decoyed them into an ambush, cut off great numbers, and obliged the remainder to leave the kingdom. In the reign of his successors, however, they returned, and occasionally proved very troublesome enemies, till the reigns of Philip and Alexander.
Persians and Macedonians. In the mean time, the kingdom of Macedonia began to be affected by those great events which had taken place in other parts of the world. Cyrus having overthrown the Babylonian empire, and conquered all the western part of Asia, established a mighty monarchy, which threatened the eastern parts of Europe with complete subjugation. The Greeks, however, having now emerged from barbarism, and acquired great knowledge in the art of war, were able effectually to resist this very formidable power; but the kingdom of Macedonia, obscure and unconnected, was obliged to yield, and though not formally made a province of the Persian empire, was nevertheless accounted in some sort as under the vassalage and protection of the Persians. Alctæas, who ascended the Macedonian throne about the time that the Persian monarchy was founded, had the dexterity to preserve his dominions from the encroachments of the Greeks on the one hand, and of the Persians on the other; but in the reign of his successor Amyntas, a formal demand was made of submission to the great king Darius, by sending him a present of earth and water. Seven ambassadors were sent upon this errand by Megabizus, one of the officers of Darius. They were sumptuously entertained by Amyntas; but having attempted to take some indecent liberties with the Macedonian women, Alexander, the king's son, caused them all to be put to death. This hasty retribution had almost proved the ruin of the kingdom; but Alexander found means to pacify Bubaris, the general sent against him by Megabizus, by showing him his sister Gygæa, a very beautiful woman, with whom the Persian fell in love at first sight, and afterwards married her.
From this time the Macedonians were accounted the faithful allies of the Persians; and Amyntas, through the interest of his son-in-law, obtained the country in the neighbourhood of Mount Hæmus and Olympus, at the same time that the city of Alabanda in Phrygia was given to Amyntas, the nephew of Alexander. The Macedonians distinguished themselves in the time of the Persian invasion of Greece, by furnishing their allies with 200,000 recruits; though some cities, particularly Potidæa, Olynthus, and Pallene, adhered to the Grecian interest. The last two were taken and razed, and the inhabitants massacred by the Persians; but Potidæa escaped by reason of the sea breaking into the Persian camp, where it did great damage. Alexander, however, afterwards thought proper to court the favour of the Greeks, by giving them intelligence of the time when Mardonius designed to attack them. The remaining transactions of this reign are entirely unknown, further than that the king enlarged his dominions as far as the river Nessus on the east, and the Axius on the west.