A people of uncertain ethnic origins who called themselves Macedonians
are known from about 700 BC, when they pushed eastward from their ancient
home-land on the Haliacmon (Aliákmon) river under the leadership
of King Perdiccas I. According to the popular tradition, three Heracleides
from the nobel tribe of Argos, moved northward, and they settled behind
the waterfalls at Edessa, not far from the coast. Macedons were divided
into several tribes(clans) and ruled over by a tribal monarchy.
There the youngest of the three brothers, Perdiccas has founded the kingdom,
which was nominated later Macedon. Macedonia later reunited the other neighboring
lands: Emazia, Migdonia, Bottiea, Pieria and Anfassiti. The main
division in Macedon was between the lowland Macedonians, living in the
plains of Pieria, Bottiaia, and the Ampaxitis, and the highland Macedonians,
who were themselves divided into a number of geographic areas: Tympaia,
Elimiotis, Orestis, Eordaia, Lynkos and Pelagonia.
The cultural and commercial links of prehistoric Macedonia were mainly
with Greece and Anatolia.
Eschilos and Herdotus about Macedons:
Macedons made a part of the pelasgic population, and in the ancient
times they were diffused in the whole Hellenic territory. From the cultural
aspect, the religion and costumes of Macedons demonstrate the same hellenic
origins, but from the linguistic point, the ancient Macedonian language
is not similar to the oldest hellenic dialects.
By the 5th century BC the Macedonians had adopted in some scale the
Greek language and had a unified kingdom.
Macedonia in the 363 BC.
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Bibliography: Diodorus Siculls, Strabon, Eschilos
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