VERGINA SITE

The site of Vergina is composed of three points of interest that are a few minutes by car from each other: the Macedonian tomb located 50 m on the left, after having crossed the village and taken the direction of the palace on the right; the palace and the theatre of Aegean at the end of this junction; and finally, the royal tombs that we will reach on our way back to the village.

History. Known as the tomb of Philip II of Macedonia, Vergina is one of the most beautiful sites in Greece. In 1968, the British historian Nicholas Hammond proposed, based on topographical surveys, a very strong hypothesis for the time: Vergina could be the former Aegae, the first royal capital and necropolis of the Kingdom of Macedonia. In the ^5th century BC, powers had been transferred to Pella, but it was decided that Aegae would remain the place of reception (weddings, ceremonies) as well as the burial place of the royal family. However, history also tells us that Philip II was murdered in a theatre in Aegae during his daughter's wedding. A theatre having been discovered in Vergina, many were tempted to think that it could be the same theatre. It took ten years for this enigma to be solved. The mound, which had never been excavated in depth, intrigued archaeologist Manolis Andronicos and his Thessaloniki collaborators enough to start digging it more than 10 m in 1977. They found two graves there. Andronicos was convinced that one of them was the tomb of Philip II of Macedonia, and everything seemed to support his hypothesis: monumental architecture, superb decorations featuring lion hunting - a customary theme for the royal family -, valuable ornamental objects, portraits of the King of Macedonia and his son Alexander the Great..

The Palace. It was the first archaeological monument to be found in Vergina, around 1850. Probably built around 350 BC, it was rich in mosaics that are unfortunately not visible. Climbing up onto the esplanade on which the palace was perched, you can appreciate the general shape of the building, which recalls the typical Greek architecture with a central peristyle courtyard 44 m wide and four large Doric porticoes.

The palace welcomed members of the royal family but also friends, companions, visitors, warriors. The pile of ruins through which one enters corresponds to the south of the palace while the entrance was to the east, on the right side of the courtyard (middle of the side) when one stands facing it. The king's apartments were to the west, so beyond the courtyard.

The theatre. Going down the path and turning right before leaving the enclosure, you arrive at the theatre. Discovered in 1982, it was identified as having been built at the same time as the palace, which could make it one of the oldest stone theatres in Greece. It is precisely in this theatre that Philip II of Macedonia was reportedly murdered by Pausanias during the wedding ceremony of his daughter Cleopatra. The king would have arrived, all dressed in white, by removing his bodyguards to show all Greeks that he was protected by the gods. Pausanias chose this moment to throw himself at the king and stab him with his Celtic dagger before trying to escape on one of the horses he had posted at the entrance to the theatre... Justice was still done, since he caught his feet in a vineyard before reaching the horses and was torn to pieces by his pursuers..

The Macedonian tomb. It dates from the middle of the 3rd century BC. As it is difficult to see the interior, one must be satisfied with the ionic facade and the leaves of the marble door.

Royal tombs. It is a hill or large burial mound 13 m high and 100 m in diameter. It houses the royal tombs, which are accessed through the left corridor leading to a large dark room. Further on, on the left and below, we can see Tomb IV. It was discovered in 1980 in its current state, i.e. very poorly preserved. It probably dates back to 300 BC and was richly furnished.

We are now in front of the heroine, a monument in honour of the dead or a hero. There are only foundations left. It was built around 350 BC.

We now arrive at Tomb I where Persephone falls. It is not known who occupied this vast tomb in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, which was found empty of material but rich in superb wall paintings. The photos of these paintings are on display right in front of us. The first painting seen was on the north side of the tomb. It represents the kidnapping of Persephone by Pluto, master of the Underworld. Hermes runs towards the tank on which Pluto fled. At the bottom, behind the tank, a female character tries to oppose the kidnapping. The second painting (east side) represents a female figure, probably Demeter. We see her sitting on a rock, helpless in the face of the loss of her daughter. The third painting (long south side) depicts three female silhouettes.

Returning to tomb IV, one enters the space dedicated to royal tombs and funerary objects. On the left, a staircase leads to the facade of the tomb of Philip II, which can be admired through a transparent window. This tomb consists of two rooms: a large square room that contained the remains of Philip II of Macedonia and a smaller antechamber containing the remains of a woman probably identified as Cleopatra II, the last wife of Philip II. This hypothesis would respect the tradition according to which the woman followed her husband to his grave. In both cases, the bones of the deceased had been wrapped in a gold cloth and placed in a gold box called a larnax. Both rooms were found intact and filled with a very rich material. The facade, which deserves to be carefully observed, consists of a superb 5.60 m long frieze. It represents a hunting scene in a forest. To the left of the trunk of the central tree is a young man on horseback, with a weapon in his hand; it could be Alexander the Great, son of Philip II of Macedonia.

Returning to the main hall, you can access the treasure of the tomb of Philip II. In the 160th window, do not miss the golden garment that wrapped the bones of the deceased in the antechamber. A large ornamental motif made of birds is still visible. Don't miss also the gold gorytos (quivers) from the antechamber. Coated with an alloy of gold and silver, it is remarkable for the precision of the battle scenes engraved on it. In window 158 is exposed the larnax (gold chest) which contained the bones of the presumed Cleopatra II. It is decorated with a twelve-pointed star on top, rosettes on the sides and a beautiful gold tiara. Even more beautiful, Philippe's is a gold chest weighing 10.8 kg, decorated with a 16-pointed star. On the sides, lily branches, rosette and palmette ornaments. It contained the bones calcined and limed by the King of Macedonia. On this extraordinary chest was placed a crown of oak leaves and gold acorns. In the two large windows are displayed the treasures of the funeral chamber. Eight admirable little heads, carved in ivory, could represent the members of the royal family, including Philip II, bearded, and his son Alexander.

Heading towards the other staircase, we arrive in front of the Prince's tomb, discovered in 1978. It contained weapons and precious dishes as well as an ivory and gold burial ground. The deceased was a young man about 14 years old who was to be a member of the royal family, hence the name given to the tomb. His bones were kept in a silver urn covered with a gold crown placed on a stone podium. The inner walls of the tomb were covered with paintings, one of which, representing a chariot race, has been well preserved.