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These historic Greek sites shed fresh light on Alexander the Great’s lost kingdom
03.01.2024 - 21:23 / nationalgeographic.com
You’ve probably heard of Alexander the Great, the king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon in the fourth century B.C. Known for conquering lands as far away as India, and taking steps toward creating the world’s first multicultural empire, he was a legend even before his death at 32. But until recently, there were few historic places travelers could visit to learn about his life.
Now, the ancient city where Alexander was crowned is being brought to light in northern Greece. The Polycentric Museum of Aigai, opened in late 2022, is bringing back the original capital of ancient Macedonia, an hour’s drive west of Thessaloníki. (Greek Macedonia, which joined the country in 1913, includes the separate country of North Macedonia, bordering Greece.)
While the Macedonians had moved their capital to Pella, about 30 miles northeast, by the time Alexander was born, the older city of Aigai (near present-day Vergina) remained the center of political and religious life. It’s where Philip II of Macedon—Alexander’s father—was famously assassinated in 336 B.C. Alexander was hastily crowned in the palace afterward, and Philip was buried nearby.
Aigai was lost for around 2,000 years until 1997, when Philip’s tomb was discovered by archaeologist Manolis Andronikos. Open to the public since 1997, the Royal Tombs are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a subterranean museum in the tumulus (ancient burial mound) containing four royal graves, including Philip’s.
Visitors can walk between the tombs in the darkness and marvel at the door of Philip’s grave—adorned with a 2,360-year-old fresco depicting the king and Alexander hunting. Nearby, burial artifacts are on display, including ivory couches, rich textiles that once wrapped bones, and delicate golden wreaths and ossuaries. There’s even a set of Philip’s gleaming armor.
Alexander’s burial site has never been found—its location is one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world. But the Royal Tombs offer a compelling glimpse of ancient Macedonian aristocracy, a contrast to the new adjacent museum which explores everyday life in the kingdom.
(New clues surface about where Alexander the Great’s tomb might be.)
The sites of Aigai are overseen by Angeliki Kottaridi, director of the Imathia Ephorate of Antiquities. She always wanted to tell the story of the commoners of the city, too. The new Central Museum Building does just that, transforming the remains of Aigai into a vast, “scattered” (or polycentric) site. In contrast to the low-lit Royal Tombs, the new showplace is made of gleaming white stone and flooded with natural light.
“I wanted this to have a different concept,” says Kottaridi, explaining the distinction between the two museums. “White is the light
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