Bottiaea (Greek: Βοττιαία Bottiaia) was a geographical region of Lower Macedonia and an administrative district of the Macedonian Kingdom. It was previously inhabited by the Bottiaeans, a people of uncertain origin, later expelled by the Macedonians into Bottike (Chalcidice). In Roman times it was replaced by Emathia as a geographical term.
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👉 Bottiaea in the context of Bottiaeans
The Bottiaeans or Bottiaei (Ancient Greek: Βοττιαῖοι) were an ancient people of uncertain origin, living in Central Macedonia. Sometime, during the Archaic period, they were expelled by Macedonians from Bottiaea to Bottike. During the Classical era, they played an active role in the military history of ancient Chalcidice, but after the Macedonian conquest under Philip II nothing remained except the names of these two regions and the adjective Bottiaean, which was limited to sole geographical meaning. Unlike other tribes of Macedonia ruled by kings or living in villages, Bottiaeans developed some polis form of self-government. No Bottiaean individual is known to historians and the limited historical or archaeological sources shed no further light.
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Bottiaea in the context of Lower Macedonia
Lower Macedonia (Greek: Κάτω Μακεδονία, Kato Makedonia) or Lower Macedon or Macedonia proper or Emathia is a geographical term used in Antiquity referring to the coastal plain watered by the rivers Haliacmon, Axius and Loudias, stretching along the coast of the Thermaic Gulf, which was the core and defined the center of the Argead kingdom of Macedon. Its districts were: Emathia, Pieria, Bottiaea, Almopia, Amphaxitis. Aigai (near modern Vergina), the original capital of Macedon, and Pella, the birthplace of Alexander the Great and the new capital of the kingdom since the 4th century BC, were in Lower Macedonia, in modern Central Macedonia, in Greece.
Bottiaea in the context of Emathia (Macedonia)
Emathia (Greek: Ἠμαθία, romanized: ēmathía) is an ancient toponym for an area of Macedonia on the Thermaic Gulf between the Pierian range and the Axius (Vardar). Some ancient geographers give it as the name of a town in the region, or as a name in alternation with Macedon. In later poetic use, the name may vaguely refer to regions as disparate as Thessaly and Thrace. Etymologically, the homeric name suggests the meaning "sandy." It was used by several classical authors as a synonym for Bottiaea or even all of Macedon. The Imathia regional unit of Greece is named after the historic region's name.
Bottiaea in the context of Mygdonia
Mygdonia (/mɪɡˈdoʊniə/; Greek: Μυγδονία, romanized: Mygdonia) 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. To the north it was joined by Crestonia. The Echeidorus, 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. The maritime part of Mygdonia formed a district called Amphaxitis, a distinction which first occurs in Polybius, 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). 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.
Bottiaea in the context of Bottike
Bottike or Bottice (Greek: Βοττική) was a western region of ancient Chalcidice, inhabited by Bottiaeans, who, were expelled from their homeland Bottiaea by Macedonians sometime in the Archaic period . Their chief polis was Spartolos. Bottiaeans were members and allies of the Delian League. In 432 they revolted from Athens, along with the Chalkidian League, but in 422 they entered in an alliance with the Athenians. It seems from the inscriptions that they had formed a confederacy (koinon) and struck silver and bronze coins. There were between six and twelve Bottiaean cities but not all of them inside Bottike. According to Herodotus (8.127) Olynthus, close to Bottike, was originally a Bottiaean community.
Bottike is mentioned by Thucydides and Xenophon in the battles taken place in Chalcidice between late 5th and early 4th century BC. Bottikois, which means for Bottic ones) is only mentioned in epigraphy. After the conquest by Philip II, unlike Bottiaea, the name of Bottike disappeared.
Bottiaea in the context of Aloros
Alorus or Aloros (Ancient Greek: Ἄλωρος) was a town of ancient Macedonia in the district Bottiaea, placed by Stephanus of Byzantium in the innermost recess of the Thermaic Gulf. According to the Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax it was situated between the Haliacmon and Lydias. The town is chiefly known on account of its being the birthplace of Ptolemy, who usurped the Macedonian throne after the murder of Alexander II of Macedon, son of Amyntas, and who is usually called Ptolemaeus Alorites. It was also the birthplace of Pantauchus, the general of Alexander the Great.
It is located near the modern Kypseli.