Aegae (Macedonia)

For the modern town, see Vergina. For other cities with the same name, see Aigai.

Aegae or Aigai (Ancient Greek: Αἰγαί) was the original capital of Macedon, an ancient kingdom in Emathia in northern Greece. The site is located on the foothills of the Pierian Mountains, between the modern towns of Vergina and Palatitsia,^[1][2] and overlooks the Central Macedonian Plain. The city was abandoned in the 3rd century and was rediscovered in the 19th.^[1][3]

Aegae

Αἰγαί
Silver coin from Aegae depicting a goat, reign of Amyntas I or Alexander I, c. 510–480 BC
Shown within Greece
Alternative name	Αἰγέαι (Aegeae)
Coordinates	40.471°N 22.318°E / 40.471; 22.318
Type	Capital city, later religious centre and ceremonial burial ground
Part of	Kingdom of Macedonia
History
Founded	~750 BC
Abandoned	~300 AD
Periods	Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman
Site notes
Archaeologists	Léon Heuzey, Manolis Andronikos, Angeliki Kottaridi [el]
Ownership	Greek state[a]
Management	General Directorate of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage Ephorate of Antiquities of Imathia
Public access	Open to public
Website	www.aigai.gr
Architecture
Architectural styles	Ancient Greek architecture
Designation	World Heritage Site

Three major archaeological missions have been carried out at Aegae. The first was led by Léon Heuzey of the French School at Athens in the 1860s; Manolis Andronikos led excavations over a century later and made many important discoveries, including the tomb of Philip II and the Golden Larnax bearing the Vergina Sun; and Angeliki Kottaridi [el] led restoration efforts in the 2000s. Today it is the site of an archaeological site and two museums. Prior to the discoveries at Vergina, Edessa was thought to be the site of Aegae.

The early Macedonian conceptualisation of the state was that of a typical ancient Greek city-state (Polis), with Aegae as an urban centre (ἄστυ) ruling over the surrounding countryside (χώρα), no different than Athens ruling over Attica or Sparta over Lacedaemon; whether this was historically accurate or a post-rationalisation to legitimise the Argead dynasty is not clear.^[4] The urban fabric of the city represents a pivotal moment of transition between the classical Greek city-state and the imperial centres of the Hellenistic period.

The seat of government was later transferred to Pella, which was located on a coastal waterway of the Thermaic Gulf. The current plain of central Macedonia did not yet exist, its area being divided between Lake Ludias and marshland. The plain was created by draining and infilling in modern times. The old capital remained the "national hearth"^[5] of the Macedonian kingdom and the burial place for their kings. These were the Temenid dynasty, which descended from the Perdiccas.

The body of Alexander the Great was to have reposed at Aegae,^[6] where his father Philip II of Macedon fell by the hand of Pausanias of Orestis^[7] but it was taken to Memphis through the intrigues of Ptolemy I Soter.

The recently excavated palace is considered to be not only the biggest but, together with the Parthenon, one of the most significant buildings of classical Greece.^[8]

In 1996, the archaeological site of Aigai was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List because of its monumental significance in Western civilization and exceptional architecture.^[3]

Name

The name Aegae is etymologically related to the word for 'goat' (Ancient Greek: αἴξ, romanized: aíx), and is translated as 'goat town'.^[9] Diodorus Siculus claimed the city was so named after Perdiccas I received an instruction by the Pythia at the Oracle of Delphi to establish his city at a place where "white-horned goats rest at dawn".^[10] This version, supported by Thucydides, was the 'official' founding myth in the 5th century BC.^[9] In the Epitome of the Philippic History, Justin gives a different account whereby Edessa was the older name of Aegae before it was captured by Caranus of Macedon.^[11] As a result, Edessa was historically thought to have been site of Aegae.^[12]

Aegae also appears in the historical record as Aegeae/Aigeai (Αἰγέαι) and Aegaea/Aigaia (Αἰγαῖα).^[13]

The name is in the plural, a typical feature of ancient Greek toponyms such as Athens (Ἀθῆναι, Athenai) and Thebes (Θῆβαι, Thebai). In modern Greek the name is Aiges (Αιγές, Greek pronunciation: [eˈʝes]), showing a typical first declension transition from ancient plural ending -ai to the modern -es.

Tomb of Philip II and Palace of Aigai

Further information: Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai (Vergina)

In 1977, Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos started excavating the Great Tumulus at Aegae^[14] and found that two of the four tombs in the tumulus were undisturbed since antiquity. Moreover, these two, and particularly Tomb II, contained fabulous treasures and objects of great quality and sophistication.^[15]

Although there was much debate for some years,^[16][17] Tomb II has been shown to be that of Philip II as indicated by many features,^[18] including the greaves, one of which was shaped consistently to fit a leg with a misaligned tibia (Philip II was recorded as having broken his tibia). Also, the remains of the skull show damage to the right eye caused by the penetration of an object (historically recorded to be an arrow).^[19]

The most recent research gives further evidence that Tomb II contains the remains of Philip II.^[20]

• 
  Great Tumulus of Aegae
• 
  The tomb of Philip II of Macedon at the Museum of the Royal Tombs in Vergina
• 
  The golden larnax and the golden grave crown of Philip

Palace of Aegae

The palace before restoration works in the 2020s.

The most important building discovered is the monumental palace. 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,^[21] even though he also had a palace in the capital, Pella. It has been suggested that the building was designed by the architect 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 ft.^[22] The frieze on the peristyle's southern section has also been reconstructed.^[23] Over 5,000 square feet of mosaics depicting a range of scenes, including the ravishing of Europa and motifs from nature have been carefully conserved.

The Palace of Aegae is the largest building of classical Greece and is the location where Alexander the Great was proclaimed king in 336 BC.^[24]

The site of the palace lost significance for Macedonian Royalty after it (and the rest of the city) was burned down in 168 BCE after the Battle of Pydna, despite the city remaining for another three centuries.^[25] A landslide in the first century AD preserved what was left of the ruins, leaving about 3–4 m of soil on top of the monument.^[25]

The Palace of Aegae reopened to the public in January 2024 after an extensive 16 year restoration.^[24]

See also

• List of ancient Greek cities

Notes

1. According to Greek Law 3028/2002:

   • All archaeological discoveries in Greece dated pre-1453, both movable and immovable, are property of the State outright.