Aigai through time

To the south of River Haliacmon, in the “land of Macedon”, as described by Herodotus, on the foothills of Pieria, the ancient “Macedonian mount”, lays Aigai, the first city of Macedon, the land with many goats (“Aigai” in ancient Greek means “goats”).

Aigai was a city formed by distinct villages, an “open” urban agglomeration having a central core and multiple settlements of various sizes developing around it. This multiplicity explains the plural suffix of its name (the diphthong “ai”), like in the names of other ancient cities, e.g. “Athinai”, “Thibai” or “Ferai”, and reflects the ancient model of a society founded on the aristocratic structure of clans having as its point of reference and cohesion pole, the royal authority.

In the mid-7th century BC, Perdiccas I, a Dorian from Argos, a descendant, according to tradition, of the family of Hercules, became king of Macedonians. Aigai became the cradle of the Temenids, the dynasty that will rule Macedonia for 3.5 centuries and will give to humanity Philip II and his son Alexander the Great, who set off from Aigai and changed the history of Greece and the World.

The royal capital of Macedon

The name “Makednoi” or “Macedonians” is derived from the root mak-, as in the Greek adjective μακρύς (long), and originally meant the “tall ones” or “highlanders” in Greek. According to Herodotus, the Macedonians were the same tribe as the Dorians, who originally resided in the Pindus mountain range.

In the beginning of the last pre-Christian millennium, the Macedonians, whose main economic activity was animal husbandry, are found in the northern side of mount Olympos and around the ancient Macedonian mount (the mountains of Pieria).

Here, to the south of river Haliacmon, in Herodotus’ “land of Macedon”, on the foothills of the “Macedonian mount”, lays Aigai, the land with many goats, the first city of Macedon. Built at the beginning of the route that crossed the mountains and from the Macedonian basin led to the south, Aigai was an important centre playing a pivotal role in the region from as early as the 10th-8th century BC.

Isolated and safe in their self-sufficiency, which originated from their abundant livestock, their forested mountains and fertile valleys, the lack of ports and islands and thus their distance from any urge to turn to trade, to open up to the world and found colonies, the Macedonians, in the same way as the rest of the Greek tribes settled in the northernmost and north-westernmost regions, did not follow the economic, social and political developments that took place in the south and led to democracy; on the contrary, up until the 4th pre-Christian century, they preserved the traditional regime of monarchy. According to Herodotus, in the mid-7th century BC, when in southern Greece the old hierarchy fell into pieces, Perdiccas, a Dorian from Argos in Peloponnese, became king of Macedon and established the Temenid dynasty, which, according to legend, were true descendants of Hercules and, therefore, were no different from the kings in Iliad, who were similarly blood descendants of Zeus himself.

In the frontier tribe of the Macedonians, all institutions, customs and traditions typical of the Homeric society managed to survive while, at the same time, democracy was being established in the cities of the south. The ingenious king Philip II will, however, adopt several ideas and institutions from democracy, which he will integrate with old traditions to create the new political model of the “enlightened leadership”, the ideological foundation of the Hellenistic World states.

Overview of the scientific research

1861: Excavation works at the eastern side of the Palace by Leon Heuzey and the architect Ηenry Daumet. A Macedonian tomb is unearthed close to the village of Palatitsia. Certain finds are transferred to the Museum of Louvre.

1922: To the west of the ancient city a new settlement is established by Greek refugees, Vergina. The ancient remains of the Palace of Aigai are used as construction material for the new village.
1937-1940: Konstantinos Romaios, professor of archaeology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, re-launches the excavation works at the Palace and brings to light a Macedonian tomb.
1949-1960: Manolis Andronikos, in his capacity as a curator of antiquities, investigates the Cemetery of the Tumuli. In collaboration with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Ephorate of Antiquities, M. Andronikos, G. Bakalakis and Ch. Makaronas continue the excavation of the Palace.
1961-1962: Rescue excavation by the Director of Ephorate of Antiquities, F. Petsas, along the provincial road that crosses the ancient necropolis.
1961-1970 The excavation of the Palace is completed. The English historian N.G.L. Hammond suggests that the ancient city between Vergina and Palatitsia is the ancient Aigai.
1976: Manolis Andronikos starts excavating the Great Tumulus.
1977-1991: Systematic excavation at Vergina under the supervision of Manolis Andronikos and under the auspices of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Archaeological Society. Conservation of the monuments and finds by the Ministry of Culture:
• 1977 A historic archaeological discovery by Manolis Andronikos at the Great Tumulus of Aigai. The tomb of Philip II and its treasures once again has come to light. The mass media presents “the discovery of the century” and attracts universal public opinion. A new era begins for the study of the ancient Greek art and history.
• 1978 Revelation of the unlooted tomb of Alexander IV. The treasures are exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki by the Ephor of Antiquities Aikaterini Romiopoulou. The conservation of the wall frescoes is undertaken by Fotis Zachariou team.
• 1980-1986 Revelation of the theater, the sanctuaries of Eukleia and Cybele, and three (3) Macedonian tombs. Excavation works at the Acropolis and certain architectural structures in the ancient city. First attempts to stabilize the organic materials unearthed. Conservation of the gold and ivory shield by a team of conservators under the supervision of G. Petkousis.
• 1987-1990 Revelation of the tomb of queen Eurydice, excavation works at the burial cluster of the queens and at the northwestern section of the city.
1992 Manolis Andronikos dies.
1992-2013 The systematic excavations performed by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki continue under the supervision of the archaeologists S. Drougou and Ch. Paliadeli at the sanctuaries of Eukleia and Cybele, at the acropolis and at the eastern wall, and they are completed in the area of the burial cluster Bella.
1991-to date: The activities performed by the Ministry for Culture and the 17th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities in the area of Aigai
1991-2009 The 17th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities performs intensive surveys and excavations throughout the area of Aigai. More than one thousand tombs are excavated, new city districts, farm houses, cemeteries, streets, sanctuaries and parts of the city fortification are unearthed. The history and form of the city as a whole become clearer. (Person in charge A. Kottaridi)
• 1993-1996 Revelation of the royal burial cluster of the Temenids
• 2003-2004 Revelation of the northwestern gate and the earliest city wall
• 2004-2009 Revelation of the Archaic necropolis of Aigai
1991-1993 Construction of the protective shell over the royal burial cluster of Philip II (Directorate for the Reconstruction of Ancient Monuments – Iordanis Dimakopoulos)
1994-1998 Setting up of the 17th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities conservation lab at Vergina. Systematic documentation and conservation of the monuments and finds from the burial cluster of Philip II (2nd CSF, Scientific responsible: A. Kottaridi)
1996 Inclusion of Aigai on the UNESCO World Heritage List
1997 Reconstruction of the gold and ivory beds found in the tomb of Philip II (A. Kottaridi, Ch. Bokoros, M. Tiliopoulou)
1997 1st Phase of the exhibition of the treasures in the protective shell of the royal tombs. The golden larnakes (ash –chests) and wreaths return from Thessaloniki to Aigai. (Organization of the exhibition: A. Kottaridi)
1998 The rest of the royal tombs treasures return from Thessaloniki to Aigai
2003 2nd Phase and completion of the treasures’ exhibition (3rd CSF project, Scientific responsible: A. Kottaridi)
2007-2009 Commencement of the conservation of the Palace of Aigai (3rd CSF project, Scientific responsible: A. Kottaridi)
2009 Master Plan for the protection, unification and promotion of the archaeological site of Aigai (A. Kottaridi)
2010-2014 2nd Phase of the conservation of the Palace of Aigai (NSRF project, Scientific responsible: A. Kottaridi, Supervision: O. Felekidou, M. Gogou)
2011-2014 Protection and promotion of the royal burial cluster of the Temenids and of the cemetery of the tumuli (NSRF project, Scientific responsible: A. Kottaridi, Supervision: I. Graikos, A. Sotiropoulou)
2012-2013 Revelation of six new royal tombs in the burial cluster of the Temenids
2013 Commencement of the construction of the central building of the Polycentric Museum of Aigai

Today, the archaeological work in Aigai continues under the direction of Dr. Angeliki Kottaridi, Director of the 17th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, and focuses on the restoration of the Palace of Philip II, the creation of a model ecological-archaeological park at the Royal Necropolis of Aigai, the design and organization of exhibitions in the new museum building, but also on the creation of the Virtual Museum “Alexander the Great, from Aigai to the World”.

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