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The territory of
today historical - geographical Macedonia in the long far away past was settled by
various tribes and nations. Between the oldest tribes and nations that
lived on the Macedonian territory were: Brigians (Phrygians), Illyrians,
Thracians, Edonians (Migdonians, Bysalts, Sythinians) Painonians and
Pelagonians. All of them assimilated each other. By the end of the 9th
century BC, all the territory of Macedonia without the area of Skopje and
Kumanovo was settled by ancient Macedonian tribes. They lived on the south,
to the
Pindus mountain, and the valleys of the rivers Vardar (Axios), Bistrica
(Halijakmon), Crna (Erigon), Struma (Strimon) and the coast of the Aegean
sea. North of Macedonia there was located Painonia, south Thessaly region,
west Epirus and east Thrace. Macedonia was known as Upper and Lower
Macedonia. The name MACEDONIA comes from the two ancient Macedonian words macos = big, large and don = land, which both together have meaning, big
(large) land. The ancient Macedonians were the largest population of
this region. In the part of Upper Macedonia there were the areas Orestida
(river Bistrica and the Kostur Lake), Pelagonija, Elimea (the middle part
of the river Bistrica), Timphaja and Paravaja. In the part of Lower Macedonia were the areas Pyeria (the region of Thermaikos Gulf), Beothia
(the central part of the rivers Bistrica and Moglenica), Eordaia, Alpomia,
Migdonia, Krestonia and Bysaltia (north of Chalkidiki).
"The first ancient Macedonian capital - Ayga)"
Macedonia
had an excellent climate, valleys by the big rivers and lakes and sea
access. There were also mine treasures (gold, silver and iron). The ancient Macedonians were a nation with their own language, culture,
different by other by their appearance, clothes, weapons with symbols,
different from the other ancient nations of the Balkans. The warrior who still
didn't killed any one had to wear rope in the middle of his body. The ancient
Macedonians had extremely beautiful decorated temples. The newest
archeological researches made, proved that the ancient Macedonians were a
nation with large knowledge in the architecture.
"The Macedonian Sun"
  The
16 pointed sun is a symbol of the Macedonians. The
earliest files and documents are full of legends. The same is the
case with the documents of their origin. First, the ancient Macedonian
were not Greeks and were not even related to them. But the history as a science
knows that at the end of the 9th century BC, almost all
territory of Macedonia was settled by ancient Macedonian tribes. In
the period of the 8th century BC, there was a fall of the
pre-historic society. And after that period Macedonia was settled by
more and more Macedonian tribes, with their tribe leaders. The tribe
leaders among themselves had independence. But in period of war those tribes
were making contracts and alliances between themselves. Sometimes they
fights between themselves for territory. In the period of the 8th
century BC, they still had primitive way of preparing the land. But the
Macedonian aristocrats, have started to use slaves. All tribe problems
were solved in the peoples assembly. The members of this assembly were all men that
were able to use weapon. The ancient Macedonians were
an arrogant nation. Every spring they were starting war with the neighboring countries. Main targets
were Illyria and the coastal
Greek (Hellenistic) colonies (by this fact no one can say that the ancient
Macedonians were a Greek people). And as the time was passing through, the tribes
especially in Lower Macedonia improved the sense of being one nation. Result
of this was the forming of the Ancient Macedonian State in the year
of 729 BC, by Perdica 1st. The tribe called Argeady took the authority of
Down Macedonia and created the first state of the ancient Macedonians. By
Herodotus (ancient Greek historical), from Argon Orestida, escaped the
three brother Guan, Aerop and Perdica. All of them went to Upper Macedonia in
the town of Lebaya. The state of the Argeady took authority over larger
region of Macedonia. The first ancient Macedonian king was Perdica 1st
(729-678 BC). For capital of this ancient state he choose the town
of Ayga (Kutleš). But this town was located highly in the mountains and had no merchant connection. But the king
Arhelaius 1st (413-399 BC) solved this problem. He moved the capital from
Ayga (Kutleš, Vergina), to new city with excellent geographical location,
Pella, in the middle of the huge filed in the Salonica region. Pella was one of the biggest cities in its period. This king built kings
fortress, which was designed by Greek architects and soon the city Pella,
attracted a lot of Greek cultural workers.
"Pella (also known as Postol)"
 Some of them
were known
all over the ancient world, like Evripidus, who even died in Pella and Zeuxis.
The first ancient Macedonian king who started making his own coins, was Alexander 1st Philhellene (498-454 BC). It is not a secret
that the Greeks had literary language before the Macedonians did and that
many wealthy Macedonian were speaking the Greek even from the period of
Alexander 1st, but the Macedonian language was not forgotten.
Ptolomeius 1st, invited in Alexandria, the great linguist Amerin,
to collect and describe specific ancient Macedonian words, but today are kept only 104
words of it and a list of names. They didn't have literary, so they didn't
left any written sources. Quinnt Curatsius Ruff says:
"During
the battle, a Macedonian soldier found the wounded Darius, who was
shouting for help on Greek, but poor him nobody understood what was he speaking.
But the soldier not understanding him was forced to look for a translator."
Ferdinand de
Saussure reminds and mentions:
"If
two people, that do not understand themselves what they speak, it would be
spoken that they speak different languages."
 Maxx
Fosmer, one of the best researchers of the Balkan languages, confirmed
that the ancient Macedonian is different than the ancient Greek. Also a lot of Greek philosophers and teachers
came in Pella, such as Aristotle, teacher of Alexander the Great. Demostenes
(384/385-322), the well-known orator of Athens, in his political speeches
- "Philippics" defined the Macedonians as a separate nation and
called them "Barbarians who spoke language incomprehensible for the
Hellenes".
The king
Philip
2nd of
Macedonia (359-336 BC) found a new town, known as
Heraklea
Lynkestis, near Bitola and improved Philippi, near
Kavala, because of it's gold mines. Prove of the ancient Macedonian culture is the gold coffin with
the 16 pointed Macedonian sun, discovered at the archeological site Vergina, near Solun
(Salonica) in 1977. There are kept more important things from the
culture of the ancient Macedonians. Thanks to the archeological researches
have been discovered plenty ancient towns, like: Ayga, Pella, Dion,
Heraklea and others. One of the most important monuments are the
necropolis
Trebeništa, near Ohrid and Sindos (known also as Tekelievo), near
Solun (Salonica), the royal Tombs
at Ayga (Vergina-Kutleš).
"Alexander The Great (336-323 BC)" His
son,
Alexander
The Great (336-323 BC), enlarged the Macedonian state and
improved into an empire, on 3 continents Europe, Asia and Africa. Egypt,
Persia, India, Greece - were the names that he ate for breakfast. He
ruined Thebes, the great power in ancient Greece, killed the persian king
Daruis, defeated Porus the Indian, at Punjab, where Indian state was
created centuries ago. But after his death in 323 BC the empire vanished.
The kingdom was ruled by Lyzzimachus, Seleuk Nikator, Philip 3rd
Arrydeius and many others. Later in the 2nd century (167 BC), the Macedonian state failed
under Roman rule. As a last and unsuccessful ruler was Perseius son of
Philip 5th, was taken to Rome and murdered.
   
"Coins of the Macedonian sovereigns are quite common finds at
sites
throughout
the Republic of Macedonia: two gold starters
(Phillip 2nd & Phillip
3rd Arrydeius) and the 3rd silver
tetradrachm (Lyzzimachus)"
The ancient
Macedonians were a religious people. They believed in artificial sources
of power, had tradition and believed in gods. Main god has been the god of
the sky, Dios. The king Arhelaius 1st built, the famous temple in the town
of Dion, and here in this town he organized Olympic games. Goddess of
protection has been Giga and there has been a cult to the Greek god of
enjoying, wine and the production, Dionysus.
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