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VERGINA AND
VERIA
News on April 2, 2002
ONE MILLION VISITORS IN VERGINA IN FIVE YEARS
About one million people visited the archaeological site of Vergina
since 1997 and their
number is expected to be increased after the construction of the Museum
of Vergina.
The announcement was made by Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos on the
occasion
of the 10th anniversary of the death of archaeologist Manolis
Andronikos, who discovered
the tomb of King Philippos B' father of Alexander the Great.
The new museum will allow the treasures of every monument in the
archaeological site of
Vergina to be exhibited separately.
THE ANCIENT CAPITAL OF MACEDONIA
Vergina, identified as Aegae - the first capital of the Macedonians -
with its numerous archaeological finds of exquisite art, the royal
tombs,
the grave steles, the majestic palace, the theater, the houses and the
city walls, gives a complete picture of the high standard of
civilization typical of a Macedonian city.
Only in Vergina does the art of the 4th century B. C. unfold in all its
splendid manifestations: architecture, sculpture, painting, metalwork
and jewelry. This is due to the fact that , as the ancient capital of
Macedonia, Vergina possessed numerous workshops where able and
experienced craftsmen created works of art that vied in quality with
those of Attica. The majority of these finds are now on display in the
Thessaloniki museum.
The sensations experienced by the visitor to Vergina are unique.
Here history is no longer a dull science,
but it comes to life right in
front of one's eyes.
The un plundered tomb of Philip II King of the Macedonians, dating from 335
B. C.,
gave us the golden larnax with the star symbol of the Macedonian kings,
known from Macedonian shields and coins, decorating its cover: sixteen rays
of different length around a central rosette. Inside the larnax were found
the bones of the dead king covered with a golden wreath of oak leaves. The
other finds in the chamber, such as the iron breastplate, the ceremonial
shield, the iron Macedonian helmet, the royal diadem, the graves and the
weapons fully bring back to life the portrait of Philip II, the great
general who succeeded in distinguishing Macedonia as the greatest power in
Europe and who was assassinated at the age of 47 in the theater nearby. In
this same theater his son, Alexander the Great, was proclaimed king and
launched his campaign to the East. which was to change the course of
history.
Besides the finds mentioned above, the royal tombs at Vergina also
preserve the most important examples of large-scale classical painting, as
well as many carved and painted steles of ordinary citizens, whose mere
names prove the Greek identity of the Macedonians.
VERIA
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