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{{short description|Town in northern Greece, site of ancient Aigai}}
{{About||the Star of Vergina or Macedonian Star|Vergina Sun|the archeological site and original Macedonian capital|Aegae (Macedonia)}}

{{Infobox Greek Dimos
|name = Vergina
|name_local = Βεργίνα
|type = municipal unit
|image_map = DE Verginas.svg 
|map_caption = Location within the regional unit
|coordinates = {{coord|40|29|N|22|19|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_min = 120
|elevation_max = 
|periph = [[Central Macedonia]]
|periphunit         = [[Imathia]]
|municipality   = [[Veroia]]
|population_as_of = 2021
|pop_municunit   = 2034
|pop_community   = 1096
|area_municunit   = 69.0
|established_v = 1922
}}
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| Official_name         = Archaeological Site of Aigai (modern name Vergina)
| Image       = Facade of Philip II tomb Vergina Greece.jpg
| Criteria    = Cultural: i, iii
| ID          = 780
| Year        = 1996
| Area        = 1,420.81 ha
| Buffer_zone = 4,811.73 ha
}}

'''Vergina''' ({{langx|el|Βεργίνα}}, {{Transliteration|el|Vergína}} {{IPA|el|verˈʝina|}}) is a small town in [[Northern Greece]], part of the [[Veria]] municipality in [[Imathia]], [[Central Macedonia]]. Vergina was established in 1922 in the aftermath of the [[Population exchange between Greece and Turkey|population exchanges]] after the [[Treaty of Lausanne]] and was a separate [[Municipalities and communities of Greece|municipality]] until 2011, when it was merged with Veroia under the [[Kallikratis Plan]].

Vergina is best known as the site of ancient '''[[Aegae (Macedonia)|Aigai]]''' ({{Langx|grc|Αἰγαί}}, {{Transliteration|grc|Aigaí}}, [[Latinisation of names|Latinized]]: ''Aegae''), the first capital of [[Macedon]]. In 336 BC [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II]] was assassinated in Aigai's theatre and his son, [[Alexander the Great]], was proclaimed king. While the resting place of Alexander the Great is unknown, researchers uncovered three tombs at Vergina in 1977 – referred to as tombs I, II and III.

Tomb I contained [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II, Alexander the Great's father]], tomb II belonged to [[Philip III of Macedon]], Alexander the Great's half-brother, while tomb III contained [[Alexander IV of Macedon|Alexander IV]], Alexander the Great's son.<ref name="doi.org">Antonis Bartsiokas, Juan Luis Arsuaga, Nicholas Brandmeir: The identification of the Royal Tombs in the Great Tumulus at Vergina, Macedonia, Greece: A comprehensive review. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Volume 52, December 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2023.104279</ref><ref name="tandfonline.com">Antonis Bartsiokas (2024): [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00934690.2024.2409503 The Identification of the Sacred “Chiton” (Sarapis) of Pharaoh Alexander the Great in Tomb II at Vergina, Macedonia, Greece. Journal of Field Archaeology, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2024.2409503]</ref>

Tomb I had been looted; Tombs II and III were intact and contained an array of burial goods. The ancient town was also the site of an extensive royal palace. The archaeological museum of Vergina was built to house all the [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifact]]s found at the site and is one of the most important museums in Greece.<ref name="unesco">{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/780 |title=Archaeological Site of Aigai (modern name Vergina) |website=UNESCO World Heritage Convention |publisher=United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization |access-date=25 November 2022}}</ref>

Aigai has been awarded [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] status as "an exceptional testimony to a significant development in European civilization, at the transition from classical [[city-state]] to the [[empire|imperial]] structure of the [[Hellenistic]] and [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] periods".<ref name = "unesco"/>

==History==
{{Duplication|date=February 2024}}
The area within 7&nbsp;km of the later city was occupied by villages forming an important population centre by 1000BC. This has been shown by archaeology since 1995. Aigai followed a similar development as other ancient Greek cities.<ref>Angeliki Kottaridi, Aegae, the Macedonian metropolis, Treasures from the Royal Capital of Macedon, Ashmolean Museum 2011. p 155</ref>

In the 7th century BC, the [[Temenus|Temenids]]' dominance led to the Macedonians expanding and subduing local populations until the end of the 6th century BC, and establishing the dynasty at Aigai.

Ancient sources give conflicting accounts of the origins of the [[Argead dynasty]].<ref>[[Justin (historian)|Justin]]: ''[[Justin (historian)#Works|Historiarum Philippicarum]]''</ref><ref>[[Strabo]]. [[Geographica|''Geography'']], Book 7</ref> [[Alexander I of Macedon|Alexander I]] is the first truly historic figure and, based on the line of succession, the beginnings of the Macedonian dynasty have been traditionally dated to 750 BC.<ref>[[N. G. L. Hammond|Hammond, Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprière]]; [[Guy Thompson Griffith|Griffith, Guy Thompson]] (1972). ''A History of Macedonia: Historical Geography and Prehistory I''. Oxford, United Kingdom: Clarendon Press.</ref> [[Herodotus]] says<ref>[[Herodotus]]. ''Histories'', 8.137.8</ref> that the [[Argead dynasty]] was an ancient Greek royal house led by [[Perdiccas I]] who fled from [[Ancient Argos|Argos]] in about 650 BC.<ref name="ring">{{cite book|last=Ring|first=Trudy|title=International Dictionary of Historic Places: Southern Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=74JI2UlcU8AC&q=Vergina+Illyrian&pg=PA753|year=1996|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=1-884964-02-8|page=753}}</ref>

''Aigai'' is the name of several ancient Greek cities (see [[Aegean Sea#Etymology|Etymology of the Aegean Sea]]). Their name is often derived from the name of a legendary founder, [[Aegeus]]. In the case of this city, it is also etymologized as "city of goats" (from αἴξ, ''aíks'', "goat") by [[Diodorus Siculus]], who reports it was named so by Perdiccas I who was advised by the [[Pythia|Pythian priestess]] to build the capital city of his kingdom where goats led him.<ref>Sikeliotis, Diodoros or [[Diodorus Siculus]] 80–20 B.C., Historical, 7.16: "and then/Where thou shalt see white-horned goats, with fleece/Like snow, resting at dawn, make sacrifice/Upon the blessed gods upon that spot/And raise the chief city of a state."</ref>

Archaeologic evidence shows that Aigai developed as an organized collection of villages, spatially representing the aristocratic structure of tribes centred on the power of the king. It remained so throughout its history.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=http://www.aigai.gr/en/multimedia/timeline/aiges/vergina/macedonia|title=Timeline – Museum of Royal Tombs of Aigai -Vergina|website=www.aigai.gr|access-date=16 July 2018|archive-date=17 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217175524/http://www.aigai.gr/en/multimedia/timeline/aiges/vergina/macedonia|url-status=dead}}</ref> Indeed, Aigai never became a large city and most of its inhabitants lived in surrounding villages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latsis-foundation.org/amea/eng/electronic-library/the-museum-cycle/aigai-the-royal-metropolis-of-the-macedonians|title=Aigai: The royal metropolis of the Macedonians – Multimedia|website=Latsis Foundation|access-date=16 July 2018|archive-date=16 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716223918/http://www.latsis-foundation.org/amea/eng/electronic-library/the-museum-cycle/aigai-the-royal-metropolis-of-the-macedonians|url-status=dead}}</ref> The walled ''asty'' (acropolis) was built at the centre of Aigai.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aigai.gr/en/explore/asty/aiges/vergina |title=The ancient city – Museum of Royal Tombs of Aigai-Vergina |website=www.aigai.gr |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911075341/http://www.aigai.gr/en/explore/asty/aiges/vergina |archive-date=2014-09-11}}</ref>

From Aigai the Macedonians spread to the central part of Macedonia and displaced the local population of [[Pierians]].

From 513 to 480 BC Aigai was part of the [[Persian Empire]], but [[Amyntas I]] managed to keep its relative independence, avoid [[satrap]]y and extend its possessions.

In the first half of the 5th century BC Aigai became the capital of Macedonia. Life reached unseen levels of luxury and to meet the needs of the court merchants from all over the ancient world brought to Aigai valuable goods including perfume, carved ornaments and jewellery.<ref>Angeliki Kottaridi, ''Aegae, the Macedonian metropolis, Treasures from the Royal Capital of Macedon'', Ashmolean Museum 2011. p.158</ref> The city wall was built in the 5th century, probably by [[Perdiccas II]]. At the end of the 5th century [[Archelaus I of Macedon|Archelaus I]] brought to his court artists, poets, and philosophers from all over the Greek world; for example, it was at Aigai that [[Euripides]] wrote and presented his last tragedies.

At the beginning of the 4th century BC, Archelaus transferred the Macedonian capital northeast to [[Pella]] on the central Macedonian plain.<ref name="Roisman">{{cite book|last1=Roisman |first1=Joseph|title=A Companion to Ancient Macedonia|url=https://archive.org/details/companiontoancie00rois |url-access=limited | page= [https://archive.org/details/companiontoancie00rois/page/n183 156] |date=December 2010 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |isbn=978-1-4051-7936-2 }}</ref>
Nevertheless, Aigai retained its role as the sacred city of the Macedonian kingdom, the site of the traditional cult centres, a royal palace and the [[Royal tombs of Vergina|royal tombs]]. For this reason it was here that [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II]] was attending the wedding of his daughter [[Cleopatra of Macedon|Cleopatra]] to [[Alexander I of Epirus|King Alexander of Epirus]] when he was murdered by one of his bodyguards in the theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/16D*.html#91|title=LacusCurtius • Diodorus Siculus — Book XVI Chapters 66‑95|website=penelope.uchicago.edu|access-date=16 July 2018}}</ref>
His was the most lavish funeral ceremony of historic times held in Greece. Laid on an elaborate gold and ivory deathbed wearing his precious golden oak wreath, the king was surrendered, like a new Hercules, to the funeral pyre.

The [[Wars of the Diadochi|bitter struggles]] between the [[Diadochi|heirs of Alexander]] in the 3rd century adversely affected the city; in 276 BC [[Gauls|Gallic]] mercenaries of [[Pyrrhus of Epirus|Pyrrhus]] plundered many of the tombs.

After the overthrow of the Macedonian kingdom by the Romans [[Battle of Pydna|in 168 BC]], both old and new capitals were destroyed, the walls pulled down and all buildings burned.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In the 1st century AD, a landslide destroyed what had been rebuilt (excavations establish that parts were still inhabited then).<ref>"Vergina 2012: The excavation at the 'Tsakiridis' Section": Styliani Drougou, professor of History and Archaeology Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/vergina-2012-excavation-at-tsakiridis.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721181125/http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/vergina-2012-excavation-at-tsakiridis.html |date=2015-07-21 }}</ref>
In the 2nd to 5th centuries AD the population gradually moved from the foothills of the Pierian range to the plain, and all that remained was a small settlement whose name alone Palatitsia (palace) indicated its former importance.

The modern settlement of Vergina was established in 1922, between two preexisting villages, "'''Kutlesh'''" (Κούτλες, ''Koútles'') and "'''Barbes'''" (Μπάρμπες, ''Bármpes''), formerly part of the Ottoman Beylik of Palatitsia. In the 19th century, both Kutlesh and Barbes were Greek villages in the Ber Kaza of the Ottoman Empire. Several inhabitants of the two villages took part in the Greek uprising of 1821. [[Alexander Sinve]] (Les Grecs de l'Empire Ottoman. Etude Statistique et Ethnographique) wrote in 1878 that 120 Greeks lived in Barbas. According to the statistics of [[Vasil Kanchov]] ("Macedonia. Ethnography and Statistics"), in 1900, 60 Greek Christians lived in Kutlesh and 50 in Barbes. The town of Vergina was settled in the course of the [[population exchange between Greece and Turkey]] following the [[Treaty of Lausanne]], by Greek families from Asia Minor. The name "Vergina" was a suggestion by the metropolitan of Veroia, chosen from a legendary queen Vergina (Bergina), who was said to have ruled somewhere north of the [[Haliacmon]] and to have had her summer palace near Palatitsia.<ref>Alexander Eliot, ''The Penguin Guide to Greece'' (1991), p. 291.</ref>
Vergina was a separate municipality from 1922 until 2011, when it was incorporated into [[Veroia]].<ref name=Kallikratis>{{Cite web|url=http://www.et.gr/idocs-nph/search/pdfViewerForm.html?args=5C7QrtC22wGYK2xFpSwMnXdtvSoClrL8-SrPzKAEPjjtIl9LGdkF53UIxsx942CdyqxSQYNuqAGCF0IfB9HI6hq6ZkZV96FIukI0UzcPsWCK0LpLhpa7rhiWB4R5ntTnoWw7U8E1Amg.|title=ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text|language=el|publisher=[[Government Gazette (Greece)|Government Gazette]]}}</ref> The population of Vergina municipality as of 2011 was 2,464, of whom 1,242 lived in Vergina proper.

==Archaeology==

Archaeologists were interested in the burial mounds around Vergina as early as the 1850s, supposing that the site of Aigai was in the vicinity. Excavations began in 1861 under the French archaeologist [[Léon Heuzey]], sponsored by [[Napoleon III]]. Parts of a large building that was considered to be one of the palaces of [[Antigonus III Doson]] (263–221 BC), partly destroyed by fire, were discovered near Palatitsa, which preserved the memory of a palace in its modern name. However, the excavations had to be abandoned because of the risk of [[malaria]]. The excavator suggested that this was the site of the ancient city Valla, a view that prevailed until 1976.<ref>M. Andronikos,"Anaskafi sti Megali Toumpa tis Verginas" Archaiologica Analekta Athinon 9(1976), 127–129.</ref>

In 1937, the University of Thessaloniki resumed the excavations. More ruins of the ancient palace were found, but the excavations were abandoned on the outbreak of war with [[Italy]] in 1940. After the war the excavations were resumed, and during the 1950s and 1960s the rest of the royal capital was uncovered, including the theatre.

The Greek archaeologist [[Manolis Andronikos]] became convinced that a hill called the ''[[Royal tombs of Vergina|Great Tumulus]]'' (Μεγάλη Τούμπα) concealed the tombs of the Macedonian kings. In 1977, Andronikos undertook a six-week dig at the Great Tumulus and found four buried tombs, two of which had never been disturbed. Andronikos identified that these were the burial sites of the kings of Macedon, including the tomb of [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II]], father of [[Alexander the Great]] (Tomb II) and also of [[Alexander IV of Macedon]], son of Alexander the Great and [[Roxana]] (Tomb III). This view was challenged by some archaeologists,<ref>{{cite book |last=Borza |first=Eugene N. |author-link=Eugene N. Borza |date=1999 |title=Before Alexander: Constructing Early Macedonia |url=https://archive.org/details/before-alexander-constructing-early-macedonia/page/68/mode/1up |series=Publications of the Association of Ancient Historians, 6 |location=[[Claremont, California|Claremont, CA]] |publisher=Regina Books |isbn=0941690970 |pages=68–74 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Bartsiokas |first=Antonis |date=21 April 2000 |title=The Eye Injury of King Philip II and the Skeletal Evidence from the Royal Tomb II at Vergina |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=288 |issue=5465 |pages=511–514 |bibcode=2000Sci...288..511B |doi=10.1126/science.288.5465.511 |pmid=10775109 |jstor=3075009}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Borza |first1=Eugene N. |author-link1=Eugene N. Borza |last2=Palagia |first2=Olga |author-link2=Olga Palagia |date=2007 |title=The Chronology of the Macedonian Royal Tombs at Vergina |journal=Jahrbuch des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts |volume=122 |pages=81–125 |issn=0070-4415}}</ref> and in 2010 research based on detailed study of the skeletons, vindicated Andronikos and supports the evidence of facial asymmetry caused by a possible trauma of the cranium of the male, evidence that is consistent with the history of Philip II.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bris.ac.uk/news/2010/7207.html|title=2010: Vergina Tomb II - News - University of Bristol|first=University of|last=Bristol|website=www.bris.ac.uk|access-date=16 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Musgrave |first1=J. |last2=Prag |first2=A. J. N. W. |last3=Neave |first3=R. |last4=Fox |first4=R. L. |last5=White |first5=H. |name-list-style=amp |date=2010 |title=The Occupants of Tomb II at Vergina. Why Arrhidaios and Eurydice must be excluded |url=https://www.medsci.org/v07p00s1.htm |journal=International Journal of Medical Sciences |volume=7 |issue=6 |pages=s1–s15}}</ref> From 1987 the burial cluster of the queens was discovered including the tomb of Queen [[Eurydice I of Macedon|Eurydice]]. In March 2014, five more royal tombs were discovered in Vergina, possibly belonging to [[Alexander I of Macedon]] and his family or to the family of [[Cassander]] of Macedon. Some artifacts excavated at Vergina may be treated as influenced by Asian practices or even imported from [[Achaemenid Persia]] in late 6th and early 5th centuries BC,<ref>{{harvnb|Roisman|Worthington|2011|p=345}}.</ref> which is during the time [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedon]] was under the Persian sway.

In 2023, nearly 50 years later, a study led by professor of anthropology at the [[Democritus University of Thrace]] Antonios Bartsiokas 'conclusively' revealed that the skeleton long identified as belonging to [[Alexander IV of Macedon]] is in fact his grandfather [[Philip II of Macedon]], and vice versa: Tomb I contained [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II, Alexander the Great's father]], tomb II belonged to [[Philip III of Macedon]], Alexander the Great's half-brother, while tomb III contained [[Alexander IV of Macedon|Alexander IV]], Alexander the Great's son.<ref name="doi.org"/> Tomb I also contained the remains of a woman and a baby, who Bartsiokas identified as Philip II's young wife [[Cleopatra Eurydice]] and their newborn child. Cleopatra Eurydice was assassinated along with her newborn child.<ref name="tandfonline.com"/>

===Royal burial cluster of Philip II===
{{Main|Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai (Vergina)}}

[[File:Makieta grobowca Filipa.jpg|thumb|Model of Philip II's tomb]]

The museum of the tumulus of Philip II, which was inaugurated in 1993, was built over the tombs leaving them ''in situ'' and showing the tumulus as it was before the excavations. Inside the museum there are four tombs and one small temple, the ''[[heroon]]'' built as the temple for the burial cluster of Philip II. The two most important tombs (II and III) were not sacked and contained the main treasures of the museum. Tomb II, likely that of [[Philip III of Macedon|Philip III]], Alexander's half-brother was discovered in 1977 and was separated in two rooms.

The main room included a marble chest, and in it was the ''[[Golden Larnax]]'' made of 24-carat gold and weighing {{convert|11|kg}}, embossed with the [[Vergina Sun]] symbol. Inside the golden larnax the bones of the dead were found and a golden wreath of 313 oak leaves and 68 acorns, weighing {{convert|717|g}}. In the room were also found the [[Chryselephantine sculpture|golden and ivory]] panoply of the dead, the richly carved burial bed on which he was laid and later burned and exquisite silver utensils for the funeral feast. Other magnificent items include several gold-adorned suits of armour, weapons, and bronze funeral utensils.

[[File:Larnaks.jpg|thumb|left|The gold larnax found inside the intact stone sarcophagus]]
[[File:Vergina 2.jpg|thumb|left|The golden [[larnax]] and the golden grave crown of Philip]]

In the antechamber was another chest with another golden ''larnax'' containing the bones of a woman wrapped in a golden-purple cloth with a golden diadem decorated with flowers and enamel, indicating a queen (which was thought to be that of Philip II's Thracian wife, [[Meda of Odessos|Meda]])<ref name="aigai.gr">{{cite web|url=http://www.aigai.gr/en|title=Αιγές (Βεργίνα) – Museum of Royal Tombs of Aigai -Vergina|website=aigai.gr|access-date=16 July 2018}}</ref> who by tradition sacrificed herself at the funeral. Also included was another burial bed partially destroyed by the fire and on it a golden wreath representing leaves and flowers of [[Myrtus|myrtle]]. Above the [[Doric order]] entrance of the tomb is a magnificent wall painting measuring {{convert|5.6|m}} representing a hunting scene, believed to be the work of the celebrated [[Philoxenos of Eretria]], and thought to show Philip and Alexander.

In 2025, after studies suggested that the burial in Tomb II was Phillip III instead of Phillip II as was previously believed, researchers concluded that some of the grave goods may in fact have belonged to [[Alexander the Great]], as Phillip III inherited many of Alexander's possessions.<ref name="ArtNewspaper">{{cite news |last1=Shaw |first1=Garry |title=Sacred tunic belonging to Alexander the Great may have been identified |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2024/12/13/sacred-tunic-belonging-to-alexander-the-great-may-have-been-identified |access-date=25 January 2025 |work=The Art Newspaper - International art news and events |date=13 December 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Macedonian Museums-42-Arx Bas Tafoi Berginas-185.jpg|thumb|Remains from the funerary pyre of Philip II]]

Next to him in Tomb I, remains now thought to be that of  [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II]] or potentially [[Nicesipolis]],<ref name="ArtNewspaper"/> was buried just a few years before in a cist grave, found unfortunately plundered. The only wall painting in the tomb pictures the Abduction of [[Persephone]] by the God of the Underworld, the silent Demeter and the three unprejudiced Fates with Hermes, the Guide of Souls, leading the way, and a scared nymph witnessing the horrifying event. This is a unique example of ancient painting, believed to be the work of the famous painter [[Nicomachus of Thebes]], as well as one of the few surviving depictions of the ancient mystic views of afterlife.

[[File:Macedonian Museums-42-Arx Bas Tafoi Berginas-186.jpg|thumb|The couch of Philip II ornamented with ivory]]
[[File:Macedonian Museums-42-Arx Bas Tafoi Berginas-187.jpg|thumb|The collapsed Heroon]]

In 1978 Tomb III was discovered, also near the tomb of Philip, which is thought to belong to [[Alexander IV of Macedon]], son of [[Alexander the Great]], murdered 25 years after Philip's assassination. It is slightly smaller than Tomb II and was also not sacked. It was also arranged in two parts, but only the main room contained a cremated body. On a stone pedestal was found a fine silver [[hydria]], which contained the cremated bones, and on it a golden oak wreath. There were also exquisite silver utensils and weaponry indicating royal status. A narrow frieze with a chariot race by a great painter decorated the walls of the tomb. The remains of a wooden mortuary couch adorned with gold and ivory is notable for an exquisite representation of Dionysos with a flute-player and a satyr.

Tomb IV, discovered in 1980, had an impressive entrance with four Doric columns though is heavily damaged and may have contained valuable treasures. It was built in the 4th century BC and may have belonged to [[Antigonus II Gonatas]].

The great tumulus was constructed at the beginning of the third century BC (by Antigonos Gonatas) perhaps over smaller individual tumuli to protect the royal tombs from further pillaging after marauding Galati had looted and destroyed the cemetery. The hill material contained many earlier funeral stele.

===Palace of Aigai===
The most important building discovered is the monumental palace of [[Aegae (Macedonia)|Aigai]]. Located on a plateau directly below the acropolis, this building of two or perhaps three stories is centred on a large open courtyard flanked by Doric colonnades. On the north side was a large gallery with a view of the stage of the neighbouring theatre and the whole Macedonian plain. The palace was sumptuously decorated, with mosaic floors, painted plastered walls, and fine relief tiles. The masonry and architectural members were covered with high-quality marble stucco. Excavations have dated its construction to the reign of Philip II,<ref name="aigai.gr"/> even though he also had a palace in the capital, [[Pella]]. It has been suggested that the building was designed by the architect [[Pythius of Priene|Pytheos of Priene]], known for his work on the [[Mausoleum at Halicarnassus]] and for his views on urban planning and architectural proportions). The theatre, also from the second half of the 4th century BC, was closely associated with the palace.

Nearly 30 large columns that surrounded the palace's main [[peristyle]] have been reconstructed, some towering to a height of 25&nbsp;ft.<ref name="realm">{{cite web |last1=Mandal |first1=Dattatreya |title=Philip II's massive palace at Aigai to be opened for the public in May |url=https://www.realmofhistory.com/2018/02/28/philip-ii-palace-aigai-pella/ |website=Realm of History |date=28 February 2018 |access-date=17 December 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The frieze on the peristyle's southern section has also been reconstructed.<ref name="observer">{{cite web |title=Philip II's palace at Aigai to open to the public in May |url=https://thegreekobserver.com/blog/amp/2018/02/21/philip-iis-palace-aigai-open-public-may/ |website=The Greek Observer |access-date=17 December 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> Over 5,000 square feet of [[mosaic]]s depicting a range of scenes, including the ravishing of [[Europa (consort of Zeus)|Europa]] and motifs from nature have been carefully conserved.

The Palace of Aigai is the largest building of classical Greece and is the location where [[Alexander the Great]] was proclaimed king in 336 BC.<ref name="Kantouris">{{Cite web |last=Kantouris |first=Derek Gatopoulos and Costas |date=2024-01-06 |title=Greece unveils palace where Alexander the Great became king |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/greece-unveils-palace-where-alexander-the-great-became-king-20240106-p5evjl.html |access-date=2024-01-31 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref>

The Palace of Aigai reopened to the public in January 2024 after an extensive 16 year restoration.<ref name="Kantouris"/>

===Other tombs===
[[File:Hades and Persephone, Vergina.jpg|thumb|Scene from the throne of Queen Eurydice]]
[[File:Vergina2.jpg|thumb|"Rhomaios's Tomb" (discovered by K. A. Romaios)]]

The cemetery of the [[tumuli]]<ref>The Cemetery of the Tumuli, https://www.aigai.gr/en/archaeological-site-of-aigai/necropolis {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010120823/https://www.aigai.gr/en/archaeological-site-of-aigai/necropolis |date=2022-10-10 }}</ref> extends for over {{cvt|3|km}} and contains over 500 grave-mounds of significant wealth, some dating as early as the 11th century BC.

To the north-west of the ancient city is the important group of tombs from the 6th and 5th centuries BC belonging to members of the Macedonian dynasty and their courts.

The Cluster of the Queens includes cist and pit tombs dating to the Greco-Persian Wars era, two of which probably belong to the mother and spouse of Alexander I: the all golden "Lady of Aigai" and her female relative, in whose funeral at least twenty-six small [[terracotta]] statues. One from around 340 BC with an imposing marble throne is identified as that of [[Eurydice I of Macedon|Eurydice]], mother of Philip II.

The so-called "Ionic Tomb" or "Rhomaios's Tomb", named after its excavator, Konstantinos Rhomaios, is an elegant Macedonian tomb with an Ionic facade consisting of four engaged columns crowned by a painted floral frieze, now no longer visible because of weathering. It contained a marble throne with armrests supported by sphinxes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Drougou |first1=Stella |last2=Saatsoglou-Paliadelē |first2=Chrysoula |title=Vergina: The Land and Its History |publication-place=Athens |date=2006 |pages=186–190|isbn=960-89121-1-3 |oclc=79447186}}</ref>

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Hades abducting Persephone.jpg|"Hades abducting Persephone" fresco
File:Royal tomb Aigai.jpg|Remains from the King's tomb 
File:Royal burial for Aigai.jpg|Remains from Queen's tomb 
File:MakVergina01.jpg|Great Tumulus of Aigai
File:Vergina -- Tomb of Alexander IV.jpg|Tomb III, probably belonged to [[Alexander IV of Macedon]]
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Vergina Sun]]
*[[Thessaloniki]]
*[[Ancient Macedonians]]
*[[Macedonia (Greece)]]
*[[Tomb of Alexander the Great]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==References==
*Drougou S., [[Chrysoula Saatsoglou-Paliadeli|Saatsoglou Ch.]], ''Vergina: Reading around the archaeological site'', Ministry of Culture, 2005.
*{{cite book|last1=Roisman|first1=Joseph|last2=Worthington|first2=Ian|title=A Companion to Ancient Macedonia|publisher=John Wiley and Sons|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4443-5163-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QsJ183uUDkMC&q=Achaemenid+Persians+ruled+balkans&pg=PA345}}

== Further reading ==
*Barr-Sharrar, Beryl (2013-10-01) [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297561179_Some_Comprehensive_New_Publications_on_Ancient_Macedonia Some Comprehensive New Publications on Ancient Macedonia], ''American Journal of Archaeology'', 117, pp.&nbsp;599&ndash;608. {{doi|10.3764/aja.117.4.0599}}
*Drougou, Stella; Saatsoglou-Paliadelē, Chrysoula. [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/80765321 Vergina: wandering through the archaeological site] (2004), Athens: Archaeological Receipts Fund, Direction of Publications {{oclc|80765321}}.
*Drougou, S. [https://www.academia.edu/11772300/Stella_Drougou_Macedonian_Metallurgy_an_Expression_of_Royalty_in_L._Fox_edit._Heracles_to_Alexander_the_Great_Ashmolean_Museum_Oxford_2011_181ff Macedonian Metallurgy: an Expression of Royalty], L. Fox (ed.), ''Heracles to Alexander the Great'', Oxford: [[Ashmolean Museum]], 2011.
*Romero, Ramona V. (2003) ''[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/55236401 Vergina: tomb II and the Great Tumulus; a reevaluation of identities]''.
*Films for the Humanities & Sciences. ''[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1100218182 The glory of Macedonia]'', 2000, DVD, {{oclc|1100218182}}.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Vergina}}
*[http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh351.jsp?obj_id=2362 Information at the official site of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.]
:*[http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/1/eh151.jsp?obj_id=3297 Information about the museum.]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110927042919/http://www.kzu.ch/fach/as/aktuell/2000/04_vergina/verg_09.htm Small heads of Alexander the Great and his mother Olympias made of ivory, Vergina] - by [[Kantonsschule Zürcher Unterland]] (KZU) {{in lang|de}}(Archived)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110927042740/http://www.kzu.ch/fach/as/aktuell/2000/04_vergina/verg_04.htm Golden larnax, Vergina] - KZU {{in lang|de}}(Archived)
*[https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/780/ Archaeological Site of Aigai (modern name Vergina)] - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

{{Greek Macedonia}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Greece}}
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[[Category:1922 establishments in Greece]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1922]]
[[Category:Populated places in Imathia]]
[[Category:Veria]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Central Macedonia]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Greece]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the Argead dynasty]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the Antigonid dynasty]]