Aegae. Detailed history

Aegae was the capital of the later kingdom of Macedon during the Classical Age. Macedon lay in the central part of the Balkans, where natural routes converged in the fertile plain, which was formed by Haleacmon, Axius (or Vardar), and Lydias rivers. This plain was surrounded by hills and mountains and continually remained the center for the country.

The Bronze Age society had contact with the Mycenaean cultures but was not controlled by them. The twelfth century saw the region overrun by a series of invasions, culminating in the Dorian invasion. These latter invaders intermingled with the indigenous elites to produce the new Macedonian royalty. The original capital was located at an indeterminate site called Lebaea.

During the Archaic Age, in about 640, King Perdiccas I began to expand east from the Haleacmon to control the plain. This conquest allowed him to move the capital to Aegae, near Vergina, in order to better control the entire region. Located in the Pieria region, south of the Haleacmon, this region became the new administrative center of Macedon. Near the city, numerous tombs, including unusual rectangular barrel-vaults, have been discovered, which attest to the site’s importance throughout Macedonian history.

The tomb of King Philip II of Macedon

Although many of the tombs had been robbed of goods in antiquity and modern times, some of the walls still contain finely decorated painted friezes of high quality. One of the tombs not disturbed in the great mound appears to have been the final resting place of a king, and in a nearby chamber is a woman, probably his queen. The king’s tomb, the Great (or King’s) Tomb, contained a gold casket with the cremated remains intact.

The wall contained a set of finely detailed paintings providing some of the best remaining evidence of paintings, more finely detailed than those on pottery, the other major medium. These tombs contained further examples in a small chamber tomb under the Great Mound, showing the abduction of Persephone by Hades. In the Great Tomb, there is a hunt scene with intense landscapes detailing the presented hunters. Another tomb shows a chariot-racing theme, while still another shows a lion hunt.

All of these tombs in the Great Mound probably belong to the Macedonian royal household and remained so even when the capital was moved to Pella in about 400. These tombs also contained weapons, horse trappings, and an altar on top of the mound that is reminiscent of the burial customs described in the Homeric hymns.

The capital of Aegae lay between the modern town of Vergina and Palatitsa. There was a small hill or acropolis, a defended point, and probably the capital’s original stronghold. The acropolis was large, with at least six building units. The town was arranged or laid out in the Hippodamian or grid system. The town’s theater where Philip II was assassinated has also been located. Lying between the acropolis and the cemetery was a palace on a plateau dating from the third century, but probably built on a previous palace.

This later palace had peristyle courts, circular halls, and double-storied colonnades. The town’s agora, as in other city- states, was the center of life in the capital. Here, evidence of the commercial life of the town was located, including the discovery of potters’ workshops with molds and figures. A newly circular sanctuary to Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, also has been found.

It appears that although the capital was then moved to Pella, Aegae continued to be used as a royal residence, and probably as the ceremonial center of the monarchy. The burial sites attest to its continuation as a royal cemetery. This may show that although Pella was the capital, Aegae was the royal retreat, residence, and cemetery.