Back Еге Bulgarian Eges (Macedònia) Catalan Aigai French איגאי (מקדוניה) HE Aigai, Makedonia ID Aegae Latin Ајга Macedonian Aigai Maltese Archeologische site van Aigai Dutch Эги (Македония) Russian
Αἰγαί | |
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:MACEDON,_Aegae._Circa_510-480_BC_(front).png) | |
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Greece_relief_location_map.jpg)  Shown within Greece | |
| Alternative name | Αἰγέαι (Aegeae) |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°28′16″N 22°19′05″E / 40.471°N 22.318°E |
| 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 |
| Ownership | Greek state[a] |
| Management | |
| Public access | Open to public |
| Website | www |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Ancient Greek architecture |
| Designation | World Heritage Site |
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]
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 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]
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- ^ a b Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
- ^ Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 50, and directory notes accompanying. ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.
- ^ a b "Archaeological Site of Aigai (modern name Vergina)". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ Chatzopoulos, p. 236.
- ^ ἑστία, Diod. Excerpt. p. 563
- ^ Pausanias (1918). "6.3". Description of Greece. Vol. 1. Translated by W. H. S. Jones; H. A. Ormerod. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann – via Perseus Digital Library.
- ^ Diodorus Siculus. Bibliotheca historica (Historical Library). Vol. 16.91, 92.
- ^ "Αιγές (Βεργίνα) | Museum of Royal Tombs of Aigai -Vergina". www.aigai.gr. Archived from the original on 2018-12-29. Retrieved 2020-01-10.