Antiquity
Greece: Royal metropolis of the Macedonians restored
The largely restored palace of Philip II of Macedon. photo
© -/Ministry of Culture Athens/dpa
It is the largest building in classical Greece: the palace of Philip II is open to visitors again after a long renovation. The ancient site of Aigai is located near Vergina.
The palace of Philip II, father of the legendary Macedonian king Alexander the Great, has been largely restored after decades of work and will be open to visitors from Friday. The total area of the site at Aigai (also Aegae) is 25,000 square meters, said the Greek Ministry of Culture. The palace has an area of around 1000 square meters, making it the largest building in the classical period Greece, the ministry added.
The ancient site of Aigai is near Vergina. The graves of Macedonian kings are also located there. This is believed to be the grave of Philip II, who lived from 359 to 336 BC. ruled. Aigai was until 410 BC. the capital of Macedonia. According to archaeologists, the palace was built after the final destruction of the kingdom by the Romans in 148 BC. destroyed. What remained was unearthed during excavations that began in 1865 and continued throughout the 20th century.
The work to maintain, fortify, restore and restore the monument, many parts of which lay lying around for centuries, lasted from 2007 to 2023 and was co-financed by the EU. The total budget was more than 20 million euros, the Ministry of Culture in Athens said. Aigai and Vergina are located around 70 kilometers west of the Greek port city of Thessaloniki.