Macedonia or Macedon is an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south.

The rise of Macedon, from a small kingdom at the periphery of Classical Greek affairs, to one which comes to dominate the entire Hellenic world, occurs under the reign of Philip II.

For a brief period, after the conquests of Alexander the Great, it becomes the most powerful state in the world, controlling a territory that includes the former Persian empire, stretching as far as the Indus River; at that time it inaugurates the Hellenistic period of Ancient Greek civilization.