tribal confederation · Balkans and Hungary

Maedi

500 BCE – 80 BCE (approx.)

Thracian tribe of the middle Strymon valley that raided Macedon for centuries and fought Philip II, Alexander and Rome.

Origins

The Maedi lived along the middle Strymon (Struma) in modern south-western Bulgaria from at least the 5th century BCE, as independent Thracian highlanders.

Rule and society

Known mainly from Greek and Roman accounts of war, the Maedi were a tribal people of hill country, often raiding Macedonia. In 340 BCE the young Alexander, regent for Philip II, defeated them and founded Alexandroupolis in their land. Some scholars read Plutarch as saying that Spartacus was a Maedian.

Decline and legacy

After Macedon became a Roman province in 146 BCE, the Maedi raided it repeatedly; Roman commanders including Sulla fought them in the 80s BCE. They were later absorbed into the Roman province of Thrace.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Maedi. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/maedi
MLA
“Maedi.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/maedi. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Maedi.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/maedi.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Maedi’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/maedi (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻