Editing Macedonia (ancient kingdom) (section)

===Economics and social class===
{{main|Economy of ancient Greece}}
{{further|Slavery in ancient Greece|Prostitution in ancient Greece|Pederasty in ancient Greece}}

Young Macedonian men were typically expected to engage in [[hunting]] and martial combat as a by-product of their [[transhumance]] lifestyle of herding [[livestock]] such as goats and sheep, while [[horse breeding]] and raising [[cattle]] were other common pursuits.<ref>{{harvnb|Hatzopoulos|2011a|pp=47–48}}; {{harvnb|Errington|1990|p=7}}.</ref> Some Macedonians engaged in farming, often with [[irrigation]], [[land reclamation]], and [[horticulture]] activities supported by the Macedonian state.<ref group="note">{{harvnb|Hatzopoulos|2011a|pp=47–48}}; for a specific example of [[land reclamation]] near [[Amphipolis]] during the reign of [[Alexander the Great]], see {{harvnb|Hammond|Walbank|2001|p=31}}.</ref> The Macedonian economy and state finances were mainly supported by [[logging]] and by [[mining]] valuable [[mineral]]s such as copper, iron, gold, and silver.<ref>{{harvnb|Hatzopoulos|2011a|p=48}}; {{harvnb|Errington|1990|pp=7–8, 222–223}}.</ref> The conversion of these raw materials into finished products and the sale of those products encouraged the growth of urban centers and a gradual shift away from the traditional rustic Macedonian lifestyle during the course of the 5th{{nbsp}}century{{nbsp}}BC.<ref name="hatzopoulos 2011a 48">{{harvnb|Hatzopoulos|2011a|p=48}}.</ref>

The Macedonian king was an [[autocracy|autocratic]] figure at the head of both government and society, with arguably unlimited authority to handle affairs of state and public policy, but he was also the leader of a very personal regime with close relationships or connections to his ''[[hetairoi]]'', the core of the Macedonian [[aristocracy]].<ref>{{harvnb|Anson|2010|pp=9–10}}.</ref> These aristocrats were second only to the king in terms of power and privilege, filling the ranks of his administration and serving as commanding officers in the military.<ref name="anson 2010 10"/> It was in the more bureaucratic regimes of the [[Hellenistic kingdoms]] that succeeded Alexander the Great's empire where greater [[social mobility]] for members of society seeking to join the aristocracy could be found, especially in Ptolemaic Egypt.<ref>{{harvnb|Anson|2010|pp=10–11}}.</ref> Although governed by a king and martial aristocracy, Macedonia seems to have lacked the widespread [[History of slavery|use of slaves]] seen in contemporaneous Greek states.<ref>{{harvnb|Hammond|Walbank|2001|pp=12–13}}.</ref>