Archaeological Site of Aigai (modern name Vergina)

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Archaeological Site of Aigai (Vergina): The First Capital of Ancient Macedonia

The Archaeological Site of Aigai, now known as Vergina, is a significant archaeological location situated in northern Greece. This site holds immense historical importance as it was once the first capital of the Kingdom of Macedonia, a region that spanned much of northwestern Greece and parts of southeastern Europe during classical antiquity.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The city of Aigai, the ancient first capital of the Kingdom of Macedonia, was discovered in the 19th century near Vergina, in northern Greece. The most important remains are the monumental palace, lavishly decorated with mosaics and painted stuccoes, and the burial ground with more than 300 tumuli, some of which date from the 11th century B.C. One of the royal tombs in the Great Tumulus is identified as that of Philip II, who conquered all the Greek cities, paving the way for his son Alexander and the expansion of the Hellenistic world.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (i): Both the cemetery and the city contain original and unique historical, artistic and aesthetic achievements of the late classical art of extraordinarily high quality and historical importance, such as the architectural form of the royal palace and the magnificent wall paintings of the so-called Macedonian tombs, as well as objects such as the ivory portrait and miniature art, metal, gold and silver work. Many of these achievements were created by great artists of ancient Greece, such as Leochares and Nikomachos.

Criterion (iii): Τhe site represents an exceptional testimony to a significant development in European civilization, at the transition from the classical city state to the imperial structure of the Hellenistic and Roman periods. This is vividly demonstrated in particular by the remarkable series of royal tombs and their rich contents.

Encyclopedia Record: Aegae (Macedonia)

Aegae or Aigai was the original capital of Macedon, the ancient kingdom of the Makedones in Emathia in northern Greece. The site is located on the foothills of the Pierian Mountains, between the modern towns of Vergina and Palatitsia, and overlooks the Central Macedonian Plain. The city was abandoned in the 3rd century and was rediscovered in the 19th.

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