Mygdonia (; el, Μυγδονία / Μygdonia) was an ancient territory, part of Ancient Thrace, later conquered by Macedon, which comprised the plains around Therma ( Thessalonica) together with the valleys of Klisali and Besikia, including the area of the Axios river mouth and extending as far east as Lake

Bolbe In Greek mythology, Bolbe (; Ancient Greek: Βόλβη) was a beautiful lake goddess or nymph, who dwelled in a Macedonian lake of the same name (modern Lake Volvi). Like other lake gods and goddesses, Bolbe's offspring were Limnades, nymphs wh ...

. To the north it was joined by Crestonia. The

Echeidorus Gallikos ( el, Γαλλικός) is a river in Central Macedonia, Greece. It was known as Echedoros (Εχέδωρος) in antiquity and Gomaropnichtis (Γομαροπνίχτης) in Middle Ages. The current name probably comes from the ancient R ...

, which flowed into the Thermaic Gulf near the marshes of the Axios, had its sources in Crestonia. The pass of Aulon or Arethusa was probably the boundary of Mygdonia towards

Bisaltia Bisaltia ( el, Βισαλτία) or Bisaltica was an ancient country which was bordered by Sintice on the north, Crestonia on the west, Mygdonia on the south and was separated by Odomantis on the north-east and Edonis on the south-east by river ...

. The maritime part of Mygdonia formed a district called

Amphaxitis Amphaxitis ( grc, Ἀμφαξῖτις) refers to the western maritime part of the Mygdonia district of ancient Macedonia, on Axius river The Vardar (; mk, , , ) or Axios () is the longest river in North Macedonia and the second longest rive ...

, a distinction which first occurs in

Polybius Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail. Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...

, who divides all the great plain at the head of the Thermaic gulf into Amphaxitis and Bottiaea, and which is found three centuries later in Ptolemy. The latter introduces Amphaxitis twice under the subdivisions of Macedonia (in one instance placing the mouths of the Echidorus and Axios in Amphaxitis, and mentioning Thessalonica as the only town in the district, which agrees with Polybius and with

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

). In another place Ptolemy includes Stageira and Arethusa in Amphaxitis, which, if correct, would indicate that a portion of Amphaxitis, very distant from the Axios, was separated from the remainder by a part of Mygdonia; but since this is improbable, the word is perhaps an error of the text. The main cities of Mygdonia were Therma ( Thessalonica),

Sindus Sindos ( el, Σίνδος; la, Sindus; is a suburb of Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the seat of the municipality of Delta, Thessaloniki, Delta. Sindos is home to the main campus of the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki an ...

, Chalastra, Altus, Strepsa, Cissus,

Mellisurgis Mellisurgis was a town of Mygdonia, in ancient Macedonia, situated on the road from Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with o ...

(today, Mellisourgós), and

Heracleustes Heracleustibus was a populated place, a station in the Jerusalem Itinerary, 11 Mille passus, M. P. from Apollonia (Mygdonia), Apollonia in Mygdonia. has conjectured that it is equivalent to Ἡρακλέους στίβος. The name comes down to u ...

. According to the

Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its messag ...

, the town of Apollonia was visited by the apostles Paul and Silas. Besides these, the following obscure towns occur in Ptolemy: Chaetae,

Moryllus Moryllus or Moryllos ( grc, Μόρυλλος) was a town of ancient Macedonia, placed by Ptolemy in the otherwise obscure district of Paraxia, then assumed to be in the district of Anthemus, but now it is placed, thanks to an inscription, in the in ...

, Antigoneia (which actually refers to

Antigonia Psaphara Antigonia Psaphara or Antigoneia Psaphara ( grc, Ἀντιγόνεια Ψαφαρά), or simply Antigonia, Antigonea, or Antigoneia (Ἀντιγόνεια) was a Hellenistic city in Macedon in the district Crusis (Krousis) in Chalcidice, placed by ...

in the

Chalcidice Chalkidiki (; el, Χαλκιδική , also spelled Halkidiki, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos region c ...

Calindaea Calindoia or Kalindoia ( Greek: ) was an ancient Bottiaean city in Mygdonia (modern Thessaloniki regional unit, Kalamoto village). The name also comes down to us in the form Calindaea. The town also bore the names Alindoia and Tripoiai. Kalindo ...

Boerus Baerus or Bairos ( grc, Βαῖρος) was a town of ancient Macedonia Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state ...

Physca Physca or Physka ( grc, Φύσκα), Physcae or Physkai (Φύσκαι), Physcas or Physkas (Φύσκας), or Physcus or Physkos (Φύσκος), was a town of ancient Macedonia. It was placed by Ptolemy in the district of Mygdonia, and by others in ...

, Trepilus,

Carabia Carabia or Karabia ( grc, Καῤαβία), also known as Carrabia or Karrabia (Καῤῤαβία), was a town of ancient Macedonia, placed by Ptolemy in the district of Mygdonia Mygdonia (; el, Μυγδονία / Μygdonia) was an ancient te ...

, Xylopolis, Assorus, Lete, Phileres, Dicaea,

Aeneia Aenea (; grc, Αἴνεια, ''Aineia'') was an ancient Greek city in northwesternmost Chalcidice, said to have been founded by Aeneas, and was situated, according to Livy, opposite Pydna, and 15 miles from Thessalonica. It appears to have st ...

and Arethusa . The area has been inhabited since the Mesolithic era (9000-7000 BC). Early inhabitants probably were the

Pelasgians The name Pelasgians ( grc, Πελασγοί, ''Pelasgoí'', singular: Πελασγός, ''Pelasgós'') was used by classical Greek writers to refer either to the predecessors of the Greeks, or to all the inhabitants of Greece before the emergenc ...

, followed by the Mygdones, who gave their name to the region. The Mygdones may have been a Brigian or Thracian tribe.The Assyrian and Babylonian empires and other states of the Near East, from the eighth to the sixth centuries B.C., John Boardman, Cambridge University Press, 1991
, p.601. Paeonians and also Thracians (in particular, the Edonians) ruled and inhabited the region for a time, until it was annexed to Macedon. Today, most of Mygdonia is comprehended within the Thessaloniki regional unitbr>
in Greece.

References

{{reflist * Smith, William (editor);
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Vol 2
'; (1854), Pag. 384 Ancient Greek geography Geography of ancient Macedonia Geography of ancient Thrace Thracian tribes Historical regions in Greece

See also

References