Chapter 22. Macedonia in Thrace

Abstract

In 342 BC the Macedonian king Philip II accepted the surrender of Kersob-leptes, the last of Kotys' heirs, and subjected Thrace beyond the Strymon and along the mountains to Macedonian rule. Most importantly, Macedonian rule introduced the new phenomenon of colonization in the Thracian hinterland. Religious cults originating from the Greek colonial area found a prominent place in the life of Seuthes' capital. The famous Hellenistic inscription of Seuthopolis remains a somewhat puzzling text. Finally, following the end of the Third Macedonian war in 168 BC and the settlement of Macedonian affairs in 167, the Thracian territory occupied by the Macedonian king, east of the river Nestus, was allocated to the first of the four independent Macedonian divisions ( merides ). The freedom of the coastal Greek cities Abdera, Maroneia, and Ainos had been persistently defended by Rome against all pretenders and they were therefore declared free. Keywords: colonization; early Hellenistic inscription; Greek colonial area; Macedonian rule; religious cults; Thrace