Paeonia (kingdom)

In antiquity, Paeonia /piːˈoʊniə/ (Greek: Παιονία) was the land and kingdom of the Paeonians (Ancient Greek Παίονες).

The exact original boundaries of Paeonia, like the early history of its inhabitants, are obscure, but it is believed that Paeonia roughly corresponds to the present-day Republic of Macedonia, as well as a narrow strip of Greek Macedonia, and a small part of south-western Bulgaria. In the time of Classical Greece, Paeonia might have later included the whole Vardar (formerly Axios) river valley and the surrounding areas.

Paeonia was located immediately north of ancient Macedonia (which corresponded roughly to the modern Greek region of Macedonia), and to the south-east of Dardania (which was similar to modern-day Kosovo); in the east were the Thracian mountains, and in the west, the Illyrians. It was separated from Dardania by the mountains through which the Vardar river passes from the field of Scupi (modern Skopje) to the valley of Bylazora (modern Veles).