This study is about people and mountains in Ancient Macedonia, from the establishment of the Macedonian kingdom in the Archaic times, all the way to the Roman era. Mount Vermion has been chosen as a key study, since it is situated near the center of the Macedonian kingdom bordering both Lower and Upper Macedonia. The archaeological research on the mountains of ancient Macedonia is limited so far, while literary evidence for mountains is also scarce. While the same is true for Vermion especially as we move up in altitude, there have also taken place quite a few small scale excavations during the construction of modern Egnatia road and other enterprises.
Undoubtedly, human life has several aspects and expressions, thus our research can lead to several different directions for investigation. This thesis is not going to be an exhaustive inquiry, but it is going to be developed with the intent to provide an overview of mountain life. How did the mountain affect people’s lives, and how did people affect their environment in the long run? To answer that we have to approach the profile of the mountain people, that is related to the history and geography of Vermion and the broader area. It will be attempted to comprehend the economy of the region, the demography, worship practices on the mountain, and trace the ancient routes in order to understand how the settlements and sites relate to one another and also how they relate geopolitically to the broader area. Additionally, there is a more abstract aspect of the environment that has to do with the imaginary: the way that people used to perceive the mountain, which is at least partially expressed through mythology, but is not always analogous to the actual conditions of the environment.
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