Eordaea
Encyclopedia
This article is based on the article Eordea Province on the English Wikipedia, accessed on 13 September 2011.
Eordeae was an ancient kingdom and later administrative unit of Ancient Macedonia. It was part of the ancient geographical region of Upper Macedonia
.
The capital of Eordaea was the city of Eordaea , which was mentioned by many historians and geographers of the antiquity.
known as the Aeolians
and Arcadians
began to inhabit this area. Remnants of the exploited copper mines from 2700 up until 1200 BCE indicate strongly that the Greeks
inhabited Eordaea for thousands of years. Iron mines have also been exploited in the Eordean region.
Ptolemy I Soter
is the most known notable person of Ancient Eordaea. He was born in the year 337 BCE and he is most known as a distinguished General of Alexander the Great. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, Ptolemy is known in antiquity as the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty
of Alexandria
in Egypt
, which thrived until the death of Cleopatra the last reigning Pharaoh
of Egypt.
, and Stone Age
tools have all been found within the province of Eordaea. These finds add to knowledge on the variety of animal species and human artifacts in this particular region of western Macedonia.
Many ancient cities of Eordaea are mentioned and many archaeological sites have been examined on the past decades, certainly around the Vegoritida
lake, but it is difficult to distinguish the name of this cities.
The most significant cities, according to Ancient Greeks, Roman
and Byzantine Greeks
writers, was the city of Eordaea, as mentioned, Arnissa
, Vegora and Kelli
.
Eordeae was an ancient kingdom and later administrative unit of Ancient Macedonia. It was part of the ancient geographical region of Upper Macedonia
Upper Macedonia
Upper Macedonia is a geographical and tribal term to describe the regions that became part of the kingdom of Macedon in the early 4th century BC. From that date, its inhabitants were politically equal to Lower Macedonians...
.
The capital of Eordaea was the city of Eordaea , which was mentioned by many historians and geographers of the antiquity.
History
The history of Eordaea can be found stretching long before 2000 BCE when the first GreeksGreeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
known as the Aeolians
Aeolians
The Aeolians were one of the four major ancient Greek tribes comprising Ancient Greeks. Their name derives from Aeolus, the mythical ancestor of the Aeolic branch and son of Hellen, the mythical patriarch of the Greek nation...
and Arcadians
Arcadians
Arcadians can refer to:* Residents of Arcadia, Greece* The Arcadians , a choir in Oxford, England* The Arcadians , a 1909 long-running musical theatre comedy...
began to inhabit this area. Remnants of the exploited copper mines from 2700 up until 1200 BCE indicate strongly that the Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
inhabited Eordaea for thousands of years. Iron mines have also been exploited in the Eordean region.
Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter I , also known as Ptolemy Lagides, c. 367 BC – c. 283 BC, was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great, who became ruler of Egypt and founder of both the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Ptolemaic Dynasty...
is the most known notable person of Ancient Eordaea. He was born in the year 337 BCE and he is most known as a distinguished General of Alexander the Great. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, Ptolemy is known in antiquity as the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty
Ptolemaic dynasty
The Ptolemaic dynasty, was a Macedonian Greek royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC...
of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, which thrived until the death of Cleopatra the last reigning Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
of Egypt.
Recent discoveries
Within a 50-year period, paleontologists and archaeologists have made many discoveries due to the industrial development of the Eordean countryside. In particular, the skeletal fossils of a prehistoric mammoth, a prehistoric elephantElephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, and Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
tools have all been found within the province of Eordaea. These finds add to knowledge on the variety of animal species and human artifacts in this particular region of western Macedonia.
Many ancient cities of Eordaea are mentioned and many archaeological sites have been examined on the past decades, certainly around the Vegoritida
Vegoritida
Vegoritida is a former municipality in the Pella regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Edessa, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 4,180 . The seat of the municipality was in Arnissa....
lake, but it is difficult to distinguish the name of this cities.
The most significant cities, according to Ancient Greeks, Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and Byzantine Greeks
Byzantine Greeks
Byzantine Greeks or Byzantines is a conventional term used by modern historians to refer to the medieval Greek or Hellenised citizens of the Byzantine Empire, centered mainly in Constantinople, the southern Balkans, the Greek islands, Asia Minor , Cyprus and the large urban centres of the Near East...
writers, was the city of Eordaea, as mentioned, Arnissa
Arnissa
Arnissa is a town in the Pella Prefecture of Macedonia, Greece. It is located near the Lake Vegoritida and Mount Kaimakchalan and is the seat of the Vegoritida Municipality. It has a population of 1,550 .-History:...
, Vegora and Kelli
Kelli
-Places:*Kelli, Drama, a former village in the Drama Prefecture, Greece*Kelli, Florina, a village in the Florina Prefecture, Greece-Names:*The name Kelly*Kelli Kassidi, voice actress*Kelli Williams...
.
See also
- Eordea Province, a former province of Kozani Prefecture.
- Eordaia, a municipality in Kozani Peripheral Unit on Western Macedonia.