This paper was written as the desideration for the MΑ in Classical Archaeology and Ancient History of Macedonia at the International Hellenic University. The aim of the proposed thesis is to examine the Foundation Myths of three cities of the territory of Macedonia and the main focus of this paper will be the cities of Aegae, the first capital of the Macedonian Kingdom, Aineia, an affluent city in the Thermaic gulf and Eion, a small trade station. The city of Aegae was chosen to be a part of this paper, as it was the first capital of the Macedonian Kingdom and collects characteristics that also reflect the Foundation Myth of the Royal Dynasty and eventually the whole kingdom. The city of Aineia was studied, because it is a colony historically developed, its Foundation Myth is connected with the Trojan circle and it has been associated with the foundation of Thessaloniki and its archaic temple. Last, but not least, the trade station of Eion in the Thracian coast is a special case regarding its Foundation Myth, since it must not have been created by its citizens, but by an individual who lived far away and connected it with one of the most important cities of the Macedonian kingdom, Amphipolis. At the beginning, I will talk about the history of Macedonia, the tribes that inhabited the area before the creation of the Macedonian Kingdom, the Macedonian kings and the meaning of the term Myth. Through the next pages, in the beginning of each chapter I will firstly present the history and geography of each city. In the main part of each chapter, I will discuss about the mythological origins and the heroes or deities associated with them. Next, I will refer to the archaeological findings that are reflecting the Foundation Myths of the city and more precisely I will discuss the tomps and the burial customs, the coinage each city minted and the architectural remains. In order to present these aspects, all available sources will be taken into consideration. The primary sources that will be used for the examination of this subject include Homer, the great epic poet, Herodotus, the father of history himself, Thucydides, who took part in the military events concerning Eion as a general, Plato, the philosopher, Polyaenus, Apolodorus, Pausanias, the famous explorer, Marsyas the younger from Philippi, Arrian, Diodorus from Halicarnassus, Plutarch, Titus Livius and Hyginus.
(EN)
Διεθνές Πανεπιστήμιο της Ελλάδος
