Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai (Vergina)

The Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai (Vergina) is located 75 km west of Thessaloniki, Greece, centered around the royal tombs built by the ancient Kingdom of Macedon at Aigai. The underground museum containing the burial cluster of Philip II of Macedon began construction in 1993 and was inaugurated in 1997. Exhibits are presented in four interconnected areas, including the Palace, the royal burial cluster of the Temenid dynasty (burial cluster "C"), the burial cluster of Philip II , and a gateway entrance with a semi-open-air exhibition of the sculptures found in the city sanctuaries and the restored upper floor of the Palace of Philip's facade. The tombs and other archeological sites of Aigai were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996 because of its exceptional architecture and testimony to the transition between city-states and empires in European civilization.

The collections housed in the museum are the grave goods recovered from a series of archaeological excavations beginning in 1861 and continue to the present day.

Archaeology

Archaeologists were interested in the burial mounds around Vergina as early as the 1855 AD, supposing that the site of Aigai was in the vicinity. However, nothing more than empty tombs were found. Excavations began again in 1861 under the French archaeologist Leon Heuzey, sponsored by Napoleon III. Parts of a large building that was considered to be one of the palaces of Antigonus III Doson (263–221 BC), partly destroyed by fire, were discovered near Palatitsa, which preserved the memory of a palace in its modern name. The excavators suggested that this was the site of the ancient city of Valla, a view that prevailed until 1976. However, the excavations had to be abandoned because of the risk of malaria.M. Andronikos,"Anaskafi sti Megali Toumpa tis Verginas" Archaiologica Analekta Athinon 9(1976), 127–129.

The first royal tomb was discovered by Konstantinos Romaios, professor of archaeology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki who uncovered it while working in the remains of the palace between 1937 and 1940. Much of the palace had been scavenged for construction materials by Greek refugees, who had been resettled there from Turkish Anatolia after the Greco-Turkish War. They built a new settlement at the site which they named Vergina after a legendary queen in 1922. But, the excavations were abandoned on the outbreak of war with Italy in 1940. World War II was followed by the Greek Civil War (1946-1949).

In 1949, excavations were finally resumed by Manolis Andronikos. Andronikos completed the palace excavations in 1970 then turned his attention to the Great Tumulus that he was convinced was a burial mound concealing the tombs of the Macedonian kings. There, in 1977, Andronikos uncovered four buried tombs, two of which had never been disturbed. Andronikos identified these as the tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great (Tomb II) and also of Alexander IV of Macedon, son of Alexander the Great and Roxana (Tomb III).

In 1987, a burial cluster including the tomb of Queen Eurydice I was discovered. Between 1991 and 2009, over 1,000 tombs were excavated along with city districts, farm houses, cemeteries, streets, sanctuaries and parts of the city fortification. A royal burial cluster of the Temenids, an ancient Macedonian royal house of Dorian Greek provenance, is also revealed. Then in March 2014, five more royal tombs thought to possibly belong to Alexander I of Macedon and his family or to the family of Cassander were discovered.

Exhibition areas

The Palace, a structure three times the size of the Parthenon at 70,000 square feet, (Realm) is thought to have been constructed by the architect Pythius of Priene, known for his contribution to the construction of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. Nearly 30 large columns that surrounded the palace's main peristyle have been reconstructed, some towering to a height of 25 ft. The frieze on the peristyle's southern section has also been reconstructed. 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. Reinforcement of the fortification walls will be completed by 2022. The building's design follows the mathematical and philosophical prototype based on the golden ratio. This embodies both the golden Pythagorean triangle and Plato’s idea on the construction of the “Soul of the World” as formulated in the Timaeus.

At the southwestern edge of the cemetery of the tumuli, next to the old Town Hall of Vergina and on the road leading to the Palace, works are in progress for the modification and promotion of the royal burial cluster of the Temenid dynasty. This tomb complex consists of three Macedonian tombs, two hypostyle tombs and a series of monumental cist graves dated back to a period extending from the first half of the 6th century BCE to the beginning of the 3rd century BCE.
The four-tomb grouping that became known as the “tomb cluster of Philip II” contains the burials of Philip II, his sixth wife, Queen Meda of Odessos, originally a Thracian princess, Alexander IV, son of Alexander the Great and Roxana, and another distinctive family member thought to be Nicesipolis (sometimes spelled Nikesipolis), Philip's Thessalian wife.

Among the objects found in the tomb of Philip II were a golden larnax emblazoned with the sixteen-rayed " Sun of Vergina" on its lid, containing the king's bones, an intricate gold burial wreath, a silver and gold diadem with Heracles knot, silver and bronze vessels from the funeral feast, and carved ivory ornaments from the funeral couch. Gold accented armor and greaves with one custom fitted to Philip's leg deformed by an improperly healed broken tibia, ivory inlaid shields, weapons, ivory reliefs, jewelry, and terracotta votive figurines were also found. Similar objects found in the other tombs, including the jewelry and body adornments from the 9th century BCE "Lady of Aigai" are also presented. Many of these objects were initially displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, but are now on display in this museum.

A virtual museum, “Alexander the Great, from Aigai to the World” and a model of the entire archaeological site is planned for the main entrance hall. Funding for the project came from the EU's NSRF business program on “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation”, which will provide 10 million euros in total for the reconstruction, expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

Gallery

File:Image larnax of philip.jpg, Golden larnax of Philip II of Macedon with Star of Vergina
File:Queen Medea's Gold Wreath from the antechamber of tomb of Philip II of Macedon Aigai Vergina 336 BCE.jpg, Gold funeral wreath of Queen Meda, Philip II's sixth wife
File:Ivory plaque depicting a boar that decorated footrest of Philip II funeral couch Aigai Vergina Greece 336 BCE.jpg, Ivory plaque depicting a boar from the footrest of Philip II's funeral couch
File:Silver and gold diadem with Herakles knot Philip II of Macedon 340-300 BCE NAM Aigai.jpg, Philip II's silver and gold diadem with Heracles knot
File:Silver Oinochoe (wine jug) with Silenus relief from the tomb of Philip II of Macedon at Aigai (Vergina) 350-336 BCE 01.jpg, Silver Oinochoe with Silenus relief
File:Bronze Lychnouchos (lantern) with Pan relief from the tomb of Philip II of Macedon in Aigai 336 BCE 01.jpg, Bronze lantern with Pan relief
File:Bronze Lychnouchos (lantern) with Pan relief from the tomb of Philip II of Macedon in Aigai 336 BCE 02.jpg, Closeup of Pan relief on bronze lantern
File:Gold Gorgon Head from the Cuirass (Breastplate) of Philip II of Macedon tomb at Aigai, Vergina Greece 4th century BCE.jpg, Gold Gorgon Head from Philip II's cuirass (breastplae)
File:Bronze greaves (Leg Guards) from the tomb of Philip II of Macedon 4th century BCE Aigai, Vergina Greece.jpg, Philip II's bronze greaves
File:Gold two-pin fibula with housing and chain tied in a Herakles tomb of Philip II Macedon Aigai Vergina Greece 336 BCE.jpg, Gold two-pin fibula with chain tied in a Heracles knot
File:Ivory with gold miniature of Sabazios from the tomb of Alexander IV at Aigai, 311 BCE.jpg, Ivory gold miniature of Sabazios from the tomb of Alexander IV
File:Macedonian Museums-42-Arx Bas Tafoi Berginas-185.jpg, Remains of Philip II's funeral pyre
File:Royal burial for Aigai.jpg, Gold jewelry and garment ornaments of a Macedonian Queen at Aigai
File:Grave Goods of a 9th century BCE aristocratic woman buried near the royal tombs in the necropolis of Aigai.jpg, 9th century BCE grave goods of the "Lady of Aigai"
File:Silver Calyx from the tomb of Philip II of Macedon at Aigai 336 BCE Vergina Greece.jpg, Silver cup from the tomb of Philip II
File:Silver Kylix engraved with price of 62 drachmas and 3 obols from the tomb of Philip II of Macedon Aigai 350-336 BCE.jpg, Silver kylix from the tomb of Philip II
File:The gold quiver, shin-guards and neck armor of female in unlooted 4th Century BCE tomb of Philip II Vergina, Greece.png, The gold gorytos (combination quiver and bow case), shin-guards and neck armor of Queen Meda of Odessos, Philip II's sixth wife
File:Painting vergina.jpg, Detail of tomb fresco depicting Hades abducting Persephone

References

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Museums in Greece
Archaeological museums in Central Macedonia
Philip II of Macedon
1993 establishments in Greece
Tombs in Greece
Buildings and structures in Imathia