For the modern municipality, see Orestida
Orestis (Ancient Greek: Ὀρεστίς from the term orestias meaning "mountainous") was a region of Upper Macedonia, corresponding roughly to the modern Kastoria Prefecture, West Macedonia, Greece. Its inhabitants were the Greek tribe Orestae.[1] As most of Upper Macedonia, it became part of Macedon only after early 4th century BC; before that it had close relations with Epirus. A silver finger ring of 6th century BC bearing the frequent Orestian name "Antiochus" has been found in Dodona sanctuary.[2] During the Peloponnesian War, a thousand Orestians led by King Antiochus accompanied the Parauaeans of Epirus. Hecataeus and Strabo identified these mountain kingdoms as being of Epirotic stock. Natives of the region were: Pausanias of Orestis, the lover and murderer of Philip II, and three of Alexander's prominent diadochi, Perdiccas (son of Orontes), Seleucus I Nicator (son of Antiochus) and Craterus, son of a noble from Orestis named Alexander.
The region became again independent in 196 BC when the Romans, after defeating Philip V, declared the people free because they had adhered to the Roman cause in the recent war against Macedon. According to Appian, Argos Orestikon (in modern Orestida), rather than Peloponesian Argos, was the homeland of the Argead dynasty.[3]
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