Upper Macedonia is a geographical and tribal term to describe the regions that became part of the kingdom of Macedon

Macedon

Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....

 in the early 4th century BC. From that date, its inhabitants were politically equal to Lower Macedonians. Upper Macedonia was divided in the regions of Elimeia

Elimiotis

Elimiotis or Elimeia or Elimaea was a region of Upper Macedonia that was located along the Haliacmon, north of Perrhaebia/Thessaly, west of Pieria, east of Parauaea, and south of Orestis. In earlier times, it was independent, but later was incorporated into the Argead kingdom of Macedon...

, Eoedaea, Orestis

Orestis (region)

For the modern municipality, see OrestidaOrestis was a region of Upper Macedonia, corresponding roughly to the modern Kastoria Prefecture, West Macedonia, Greece. Its inhabitants were the Greek tribe Orestae...

, Lynkestis

Lynkestis

Lynkestis or Lynchestia was a region of Upper Macedonia on the southern borders of Illyria which was ruled by kings, lords and independent or semi-independent chieftains till the later Argead rulers of Macedon neutralized their independence with dynastic alliances and the practice of bringing up...

, Pelagonia

Pelagonia

This is about the geographical plain between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia. For the political unit in Macedonia, go to Pelagonia Statistical Region....

 and Deuriopus

Deuriopus

Deuriopus was a subdivision of Paionia, in what is today the Republic of Macedonia. Its exact limits are unclear, but it is known that it contained lands around the river Crna...

.

Hecataeus and Strabo

Strabo

Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...

 identified these mountain Macedonia kingdoms as of Epirote

Epirus

The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...

 stock. Two of the most important Hellenistic dynasties originated from Upper Macedonia: Lagids from Eordaea

Eordaea

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...

 and Seleucids

Seleucid dynasty

The Seleucid dynasty or the Seleucidae was a Greek Macedonian royal family, founded by Seleucus I Nicator , which ruled the Seleucid Kingdom centered in the Near East and regions of the Asian part of the earlier Achaemenid Persian Empire during the Hellenistic period.-History:Seleucus was an...

 from Orestis

Orestis (region)

For the modern municipality, see OrestidaOrestis was a region of Upper Macedonia, corresponding roughly to the modern Kastoria Prefecture, West Macedonia, Greece. Its inhabitants were the Greek tribe Orestae...

.

Some names of Upper Macedonians look not apparently Greek

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 (Arrhabaios, Arrhidaios, Derdas

Derdas

Derdas was archon of Elimiotis during the time of Philip II of Macedon. His daughter, Phila, married Philip. He had two sons, Derdas and Machatas. Machatas was father of Machatas, Harpalus and Philip, who became the satrap of India. In 380 BC, Derdas and King Amyntas of Macedon supported the...

, Sabattaras), and some scholars such as Eugene N. Borza

Eugene N. Borza

Eugene N. Borza was a professor emeritus of ancient history at Pennsylvania State University. He has written many works on the ancient kingdom of Macedonia.-Published works:...

 argue that the inhabitants of Upper Macedonia retained many of the supposedly non-Hellenic original Macedonian names later lost among Lower Macedonia

Lower Macedonia

Lower Macedonia or Macedonia proper or Emathia is a geographical term to the coastal plain, watered by the rivers Haliacmon, Axius on the west and bounded by Strymon on the east. Its districts are: Pieria, Bottiaea, Amphaxitis, Crestonia, Mygdonia, Anthemous, Crousis and Bisaltia...

ns. Others argue these names may be Hellenic although many do not yet have clear Hellenic etymologies, while others argue that the names were borrowed from Thracians

Thracians

The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...

 and/or Illyrians

Illyrians

The Illyrians were a group of tribes who inhabited part of the western Balkans in antiquity and the south-eastern coasts of the Italian peninsula...

.