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 of Darius Hystaspes, they had made their way as far east as Perinthus in Thrace on the Propontis. At one time all Mygdonia, together with Crestonice, was subject to them. When Xerxes crossed Chalcidicē on his way to Therma (Thessalonica) he is said to have marched “through Paeonian territory.” They occupied the entire valley of the Axius (Vardar) as far inland as Stobi, the valleys to the east of it as far as the Strymon (Struma), and the country round Astibus and the river of the same name, with the water of which they anointed their kings. Emathia, the district between the Haliacmon (Bistritza) and Axius, was once called Paeonia; and Pieria and Pelagonia were inhabited by Paeonians. In consequence of the growth of Macedonian power, and under pressure from their Thracian neighbours, their territory was considerably diminished, and in historical times was limited to the N. of Macedonia from Illyria to the Strymon. The chief town and seat of the kings was Bylazora (Veles, Kuprolu on the Axius); in the Roman period, Stobi (Pusto-Gradsko). The Paeonians included several independent tribes, all later united under the rule of a single king. Little is known of their manners and customs. They adopted the cult of Dionysus, known amongst them as Dyalus or Dryalus, and Herodotus (iv. 33) mentions that the Thracian and Paeonian women offered sacrifice to Queen Artemis (probably Bendis). They worshipped the sun in the form of a small round disk fixed on the top of a pole. A passage in Athenaeus (ix. p. 398) seems to indicate the affinity of their language with Mysian. They drank barley beer and various decoctions made from plants and herbs. The country was rich in gold and a bituminous kind of wood (or stone, which burst into a blaze when in contact with water) called  (or  ). The women were famous for their industry. In this connexion Herodotus (v. 12) tells the story that Darius, having seen at Sardis a beautiful Paeonian woman carrying a pitcher on her head, leading a horse to drink, and spinning flax, all at the same time, inquired who she was. Having been informed that she was a Paeonian, he sent instructions to Megabyzus, commander in Thrace, to deport two tribes of the nation without delay to Asia. At the time of the Persian invasion, the Paeonians on the lower Strymon had lost, while those in the north maintained, their independence. They frequently made inroads into Macedonian territory, until they were finally subdued by Philip, who permitted them to retain their government by kings. The daughter of Audoleon, one of these kings, was the wife of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, and Alexander the Great wished to bestow the hand of his sister Cynane upon Langarus, who had shown himself loyal to Philip. An inscription, discovered in 1877 at Olympia on the base of a statue, states that it was set up by the community of the Paeonians in honour of their king and founder Dropion. Another king, whose name appears as Lyppeius on a fragment of an inscription found at Athens relating to a treaty of alliance is no doubt identical with the Lycceius or Lycpeius of Paeonian coins (see B. V. Head, Historia numorum, 1887, p. 207). In 280 the Gallic invaders under Brennus ravaged the land of the Paeonians, who, being further hard pressed by the Dardani, had no alternative but to join the Macedonians, whose downfall they shared. After the Roman conquest, Paeonia east and west of the Axius formed the second and third districts respectively of Macedonia (Livy xlv. 29). Under Diocletian Paeonia and Pelagonia formed a province called Macedonia secunda or salutaris, belonging to the prefecture of Illyricum.

See W. Tomaschek, “Die alten Thraker” in Sitzungsberichte der ''k. Akad. der Wissenschaften''. xxviii. (Vienna, 1893); H. F. O. Abel, Makedonien vor Konig Philipp (Leipzig, 1847); C. O. Müller, Uber die Wohnsitze, die Abstammung und die ältere Geschichte des makedonischen Volkes (Berlin, 1825); T. Desdevises-u-Dezert, Géographie ancienne de la Macédoine (Paris, 1863); see also.

PAEONIUS, of Mende in Thrace, a Greek sculptor of the latter part of the 5th century. The statement of Pausanias that he executed one of the pediments of the temple of Zeus at Olympia is rejected by critics. But we possess an important work of Paeonius in the Victory found in the German excavations at Olympia, and set up, according to the most probable view, in memory of the battle of Sphacteria (see, fig. 36). It bears the inscription " Dedicated to Olympian Zeus by the Messenians and Naupactians as a tithe of the spoil of their enemies. Paeonius of Mende made the statue, and was a successful competitor in the construction of the gable-figures for the temple." The gable figures last mentioned were doubtless gilt victories of bronze which stood on the gable, not in it. Pausanias seems to have misunderstood the phrase as implying that Paeonius made one of the pedimental groups.

PAEONY (botanically Paeonia; Nat. ord. q.v.) a genus of plants remarkable for their large and gorgeous flowers. There are two distinct sets, one the strong-growing herbaceous kind, with fleshy roots and annual stems, derived mainly from Paeonia albiflora and P. officinalis; the other called the tree paeony, stiff-growing plants with half-woody permanent stems, which have sprung from the Chinese P. Moutan.

The herbaceous paeonies usually grow from 2 to 3 ft. in height, and have large much-divided leaves, and ample flowers of varied and attractive colours, and of a globular form in the double varieties which are those most prized in gardens. They usually blossom in May and June, and as ornaments for large beds in pleasure grounds, and for the front parts of shrubberies, few flowers equal them in gorgeous effect. A good moist loamy soil suits them best, and a moderate supply of manure is beneficial. They are impatient of frequent trans plantings or repeated divisions for purposes of propagation, but when necessary they may be multiplied by this means, early in autumn, care being taken that a sound bud is attached to each portion of the tuberous roots.

The older varieties of P. albiflora include candida, festa, fragrans, Humei, Reevesii, rubescens, vestalis, Whitleyi, &c.; those of P. officinalis embrace albicans, anemoniflora, Baxteri, blanda, rosea, Sabini, &c. The garden varieties of modern times are, however, still more beautiful, the flowers being in many instances delicately tinted with more than one colour, such as buff" with bronzy centre, carmine with yellowish centre, rose with orange centre, white tinted with rose, &c.

The Siberian P. tenuifolia, with finely cut leaves and crimson flowers, is a graceful border plant, and its double-flowered variety is perhaps the most elegant of its race.

The Moutans or tree paeonies are remarkable for their sub shrubby habit, forming vigorous plants sometimes attaining a height of 6 to 8 ft., and producing in May magnificent flowers which vary in colour from white to lilac, purple magenta, violet and rose. These are produced on the young shoots, which naturally bud forth early in the spring, and are in consequence liable in bleak localities, unless protected, to be cut off by spring frosts. They require to be thoroughly ripened in summer, and therefore a hot season and a dryish situation are desirable for their well-being; and they require perfect rest during winter. Small plants with a single stem, if well matured so as to ensure their blossoming, make very attractive plants when forced. They are increased by grafting in late summer or autumn on the roots of the herbaceous paeonies.

The yellow-flowered tree paeony (P. lutea) was introduced from China in 1887, but is still very rare. There are hundreds of names given to the colour variations of both the herbaceous and tree paeonies, but as these have only a fleeting interest it is better to consult current catalogues for the latest types.

PAËR, FERDINANDO (1771–1830), Italian musical composer, was born at Parma on the 1st of June 1771. He studied the theory of music under the violinist Ghiretti, a pupil of the Conservatoire della Pieta de’ Turchini at Naples. His first opera, La Locanda de’ vagebondi. was published when he was only sixteen; others rapidly followed, and his name was soon famous throughout Italy. In 1707 he went to Vienna, where his wife, the singer Riccardi, had obtained an engagement at the opera; here he produced a series of operas, including his La Camilla ossia il Sotteraneo (1790) and his Achille (1801). In 1803 he was appointed composer to the court theatre at Dresden, where his wife was also engaged as a singer, and in 1804 the life appointment of Hofkapellmeister was bestowed upon him by the elector. At Dresden he produced, inter alia, Il Sargino (1803),