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Paeonians (Ancient Greek:Παίονες,romanized: Paíones) were an ancientIndo-European people that dwelt inPaeonia. Paeonia was an old country whose location was to the north ofAncient Macedonia, to the south ofDardania, to the west ofThrace and to the east ofIllyria. Most of their land was in theAxios (or Vardar) river basin, roughly in what is todayNorth Macedonia.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
The Paeonians lived from the middle to the lower Vardar river basin in antiquity. The first Paeonian settlement to be mentioned in antiquity isAmydon by Homer in the Iliad. To the north and west the Paeonians bordered Illyrian peoples but these borders were unstable. In particular, the border with theDardani seems to have shifted several times betweenGradsko (Stobi) andBylazora. The capture ofBylazora in 217 BC byPhilip V partly stabilized the northern Dardanian-Paeonian frontier. To their east, the Paeonians bordered Thracian peoples along theBregalnica river, which seems to have formed the natural border between theMaedi and the Paeonians. Along theLakavica river, a left-bank tributary of the Bregalnica, it is most likely Paeonian settlements were distributed. Their territory extended to the southeast up to the upperStrumica river basin (roughly the area of modernStrumica municipality) and borderedSintice. An important Paeonian settlement in this region wasDoberus which is mentioned in 429 BC in the Odrysian campaign against Macedon bySitalces.[7] To their west and southwest along theCrna Reka river, the Paeonians who themselves probably occupied the lower Crna Reka border a number of Illyrian and upper Macedonian orPelagonian peoples, while to the south the Brygian town of Skydra or Kydra was situated.[8] To the south, Paeonians bordered Macedonians. Before 1000 BC, Paeonians must have settled in the lower Vardar basin as far south asMygdonia where Strabo places them in an area known asAmphaxitis. The expansion of the Macedonian state during the 4th century BC resulted in the foundation of several new cities in southern Paeonia includingIdomenae andAntigonia.[9]
Modern linguists are uncertain as to the classification ofPaeonian, due to the extreme scarcity of surviving materials in the language, with numerous hypotheses having been suggested about their language and their origins:Illyrian,[10][11]Brygian/Phrygian,[12]Thracian,[13] or of mixed origins.[14] According toRadoslav Katičić, the prevailing opinion is that they were of "Illyrian" origin, in the sense that they belonged to same linguistic grouping as the people of the north-western Balkans, while some scholars have proposed a Greek origin and that their language was anancient Greek dialect.[10] The possibility that they took part in the Greek migration, remained behind on the route and consequently spoke a Greek dialect or a lostIndo-European language closely related to Greek cannot be ruled out.[10] According to the national legend,[15] they wereTeucrian colonists fromTroy.Homer speaks of Paeonians from theAxios fighting on the side of theTrojans,[16] but theIliad does not mention whether the Paeonians were kin to the Trojans.Homer calls the Paeonian leaderPyraechmes (parentage unknown); later on in theIliad (Book 21), Homer mentions a second leader,Asteropaeus, son ofPelagon.
Pausanias described thatPaeon, theeponymous ancestor of the Paionians, was a brother ofEpeius andAetolus, the eponymous ancestors of the Epeians ofElis and theAetolians respectively.[17] According to Irwin L. Merker, this genealogy shows that theAncient Greeks considered the Paionians to be of Hellenic stock. Anson writes that "this notice from Pausanias may suggest that at least by the second century AD the Paeonians were seen as part of the Greek community".[18] Their place-name has several cognates in Greece such asΠαιονίδαι (Paeonidai), ademe of the tribe Leontis inAttica. A place in theArgolid also has the same name.[19]
Paeonian is considered aPaleo-Balkan language but this is only a geographical grouping, not a genealogical one.Athenaeus seems to have connected the Paeonian language to the barely-attestedMysian language. Mysian was possibly a member of theAnatolian branch in theIndo-European language family or a member of thePhrygian language (languages of theBryges,Phrygians, Western and EasternMushki).[20][21][22]
The Paeonians included several independent tribes, all later united under the rule of a single king to form theKingdom of Paeonia.
They worshipped the Sun in the form of a small round disk fixed on the top of a pole.They adopted the cult ofDionysus, known amongst them asDyalus orDryalus, andHerodotus mentions that theThracian and Paeonian women offered sacrifice to QueenArtemis (probablyBendis).
Little is known of their manners and customs.
They drank barley beer and various decoctions made from plants and herbs.
The women were famous for their industry. In this connection Herodotus[23] tells the story thatDarius, having seen atSardis a beautiful Paeonian woman carrying a pitcher on her head, leading a horse to drink, and spinningflax, all at the same time, inquired who she was. Having been informed that she was a Paeonian, he sent instructions toMegabazus, commander in Thrace, to deport two tribes of the nation without delay to Asia. An inscription, discovered in 1877 atOlympia on the base of a statue, states that it was set up by the community of the Paeonians in honor of their king and founderDropion. Another king, whose name appears asLyppeius on a fragment of an inscription found atAthens relating to a treaty of alliance, is no doubt identical with theLycceius or Lycpeius of Paeonian coins.[24]
The country of Paeonians had some important resources – it was rich in gold.
During thePersian invasion of Greece they conquered Paeonians as far as Lake Prasias, including thePaeoplae andSiropaiones. Part of them were deported fromPaeonia to Asia.[25]
Before the reign ofDarius Hystaspes, they had made their way as far east asPerinthus inThrace on thePropontis. At one time allMygdonia, together withCrestonia, was subject to them. WhenXerxes crossedChalcidice on his way toTherma (later renamedThessalonica), he is said to have marched through Paeonian territory. They occupied the entire valley of the Axios (Vardar) as far inland asStobi, the valleys to the east of it as far as theStrymon and the country roundAstibus and the river of the same name, with the water of which they anointed their kings.Emathia, roughly the district between theHaliacmon and Axios, was once called Paeonia; andPieria andPelagonia were inhabited by Paeonians.
As a consequence ofMacedonian power growth, and under pressure from theirThracian neighbors, their territory was considerably diminished, and in historical times was limited to the lands north ofMacedonia and fromIllyria to theStrymon.Philip II of Macedon took advantage of the death of their kingAgis and campaigned against them. Paeonia was made a Macedonian vassal in 356 BC, during the course of Philip's Balkan campaigns.[26] Although they retained their territory and the right to mint coins, the Paeonians were expected to provide both tribute and manpower for Macedonian military campaigns.[27] This reduced the Paeonian Kingdom then ruled byLyppeius to a semi-autonomous, subordinate status. A Paeonian cavalry contingent, led byAriston, possibly brother of KingPatraus and father of the later kingAudoleon,[28] was attached toAlexander the Great's army. Alexander the Great wished to bestow the hand of his sisterCynane uponLangarus, king of the Agrianians, who had shown himself loyal to Philip II.
Down to 227 BC, at least seven Paeonian kings reigned, and during that period, Paeonia remained a distinct entity, either subject to Macedonia or independent. In 279 BC, when theGauls defeatedPtolemy Ceraunus and got as far asDelphi, it is certain that Paeonia was overrun and held for a time by their chieftainBrennus, but in the wake of theCeltic invasion,Leon reestablished the Paeonian kingdom.[29]Antigonus Gonatas then annexed Paeonia into his kingdom.[30] Irwin Merker suggests that whenDemetrios II and theAetolian League were at war, "Dropion was involved as an ally of Aitolia."[31] Additionally, he states that "when Demetrios orAntigonos Doson created the Macedonian Koinon he was imitated by his northern neighbor Dropion who hoped in this way both to modernize the constitution of his Kingdom and to increase the support of his subjects."[31] In 227 BC, Antigonus Doson conquered the southern part of Paeonia and founded the city ofAntigoneia (near modernNegotino), and ten years afterPhilip V of Macedon conquered the rest by capturing Bylazora; after this,Perseis andAstraion were founded.[32]
In 217 BC, the Macedonian kingPhilip V of Macedon (220–179 BC), the son of Demetrius II, succeeded in uniting and incorporating intohis empire the separate regions ofDassaretia andPaeonia. A mere 70 years later (in 168 BC),Roman legions conquered Macedon in turn, and a new and much larger Roman province bearing this name was formed.Paeonia around theAxios formed the second and third districts respectively of the newly constitutedRoman province of Macedonia.[33] Centuries later underDiocletian, Paeonia andPelagonia formed a province calledMacedonia Secunda orMacedonia Salutaris, belonging to thePraetorian prefecture of Illyricum.
The Paeonian tribes (five or eight) were:
Paeonia is roughly equivalent to the country currently known as the Republic of North Macedonia (the former FYROM).
Paeonia, roughly where the F.Y.R.O.M. is today.
Ovid was lax in his geography, not least over Paeonia (in fact roughly coextensive with the present Slav republic of Macedonia.).
This notice from Pausanias may suggest that at least by the second century AD the Paeonians were seen as part of the Greek community. Merker, 'Ancient Kingdom of Paeonia', pp. 36–93, accepts the Paeonians as Hellenes.
But in 279 the Galatians or Gauls (the Celtic tribes) appeared in Macedonia, defeated the Macedonians and got as far as Delphi and Thermopylai. It is certain that Paionia was overrun and held for a time by Brennus the Celtic chieftain....This, I think, quite clearly shows that Leon was king of Paionia in the wake of the Celtic invasions, and that he was the person responsible for the reestablishment of Paionian state.
It was only during the reign of Demetrios II (239–229) that Aitolia and Macedonia were at war, the so-called War of Demetrios. I think that in this war Dropion was involved as an ally of Aitolia. ... When Demetrios or Antigonos Doson created the Macedonian Koinon he was imitated by his northern neighbor Dropion who hoped in this way both to modernize the constitution of his Kingdom and to increase the support of his subjects.
