The entrance to the "Great Tumulus" Museum at Vergina

Vergina (in Greek Βεργίνα; also spelled Verghína and Veryína) is a small town in northern Greece, located at coordinates 40°28′52″N, 022°18′49″E in the prefecture of Imathia in the region of Central Macedonia. It is about 13km south-east of the district centre of Veroia and about 80km south-west of Thessaloniki, the capital of Greek Macedonia. The town has a population of about two thousand people and stands on the foothills of Mount Pieria, at an elevation of 120m (360 ft) above sea level. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1658 KB) Summary Higher quality picture that I took. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1658 KB) Summary Higher quality picture that I took. ... Imathia (Greek: Ημαθία) is one of the fifty-one prefectures of Greece. ... Central Macedonia is one of the thirteen peripheries of Greece, being the central part of Greek Macedonia. ... Veria is also a settlement in the prefecture of Laconia, see Veria (Laconia), Greece Veria (Greek: Βέρροια) , also called Veroia or Verroia, Latin: Berroea, has a population of about 35,000. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Macedonias location in Greece Macedonia (IPA , Greek: Μακεδονία, Makedonia) is the largest and the second most populous region of Greece. ...

History

The modern town of Vergina was founded in 1922 near the two small agricultural villages of Koutles and Barbes, and settled by Greeks from Bulgaria after a population exchange agreement between the two countries. The name was suggested by the then Metropolitan of Veria, who named it after a legendary queen of ancient Beroea (the modern Veria) who had supposedly lived in the vicinity. 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... In hierarchical Christian churches, the rank of metropolitan, pertains to the bishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of an old Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital. ... Veria is also a settlement in the prefecture of Laconia, see Veria (Laconia), Greece as well as a commune in the Jura département with the e accented as Véria Veria (also spelled Veroia, Greek: Βέροια - Véria, South Slavic: Бер - Ber, Latin: Beroea) has a population of about 35,000. ... Veria is also a settlement in the prefecture of Laconia, see Veria (Laconia), Greece as well as a commune in the Jura département with the e accented as Véria Veria (also spelled Veroia, Greek: Βέροια - Véria, South Slavic: Бер - Ber, Latin: Beroea) has a population of about 35,000. ...

Archaeological finds

Vergina is situated close to the site of ancient Aigai (or Aegae), once the royal capital of ancient Macedon, ruled by the Argead dynasty from about 650 BC onwards. For the modern history of this area, see Macedonia (region). ... Argead dynasty were the ruling family of Macedonia, a nation in northern Greece from c. ... Centuries: 8th century BC - 7th century BC - 6th century BC Decades: 700s BC 690s BC 680s BC 670s BC 660s BC - 650s BC - 640s BC 630s BC 620s BC 610s BC 600s BC Events and Trends Occupation begins at Maya site of Piedras Negras, Guatemala 657 BC - Cypselus becomes the...

The town became internationally famous in 1977, when the Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos unearthed what he claimed was the burial site of the kings of Macedon, including the tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. Although the identification of Philip II as one of the kings buried there has been disputed, there is no doubt that the site is of great archaeological importance. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Manolis Andronikos (23 October 1919 – 30 March 1992) was a Greek archaeologist. ... Philip II of Macedonia (382 BC–336 BC; in Greek Φιλιππος, transliterated Philippos) was the King of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death. ... Alexander the Great fighting the Persian king Darius (Pompeii mosaic, from a 3rd century BC original Greek painting, now lost). ...

The larnax (gold casket) which Andronikos identified as containing the remains of Philip II has a symbol of a sun or star on its lid, and this Vergina Sun has been adopted as a symbol of Greek Macedonia. It became the subject of international controversy in 1991 when the newly independent Republic of Macedonia used the symbol on its flag. This outraged Greek public opinion, which saw the use of the symbol as an insult to its historical heritage and implying a territorial claim on Greece. In 1995 the Republic of Macedonia agreed to drop the use of the symbol. A larnax (plural larnakes) is a type of closed box often used as a container for human remains in ancient Greece. ... Vergina Sun The Vergina Sun or Star of Vergina is a sixteen-ray star symbol found in archaeological excavations in Vergina in northern Greece. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official languages Macedonian Capital Skopje President Branko Crvenkovski Prime Minister Vlado Bučkovski Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % water Ranked 146th  25,333 km²  1. ... Flag ratio: 1:2 The Flag of the Republic of Macedonia represents a rising yellow sun with eight rays extending to the edges of the red field. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Archaeologists were interested in the hills around Vergina as early as the 1850s, knowing that the site of Aigai was in the vicinity and suspecting that the hills were burial mounds. Excavations began in 1861 under the French archaeologist Leon Heuzey, sponsored by the Emperor Napoleon III. Parts of the Macedonian royal palace of Palatista were discovered. However, the excavations had to be abandoned because of the risk of malaria. // Events and Trends Technology Production of steel revolutionised by invention of the Bessemer process Benjamin Silliman fractionates petroleum by distillation for the first time First transatlantic telegraph cable laid First safety elevator installed by Elisha Otis Science Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species, putting forward the theory of evolution... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (April 20, 1808 - January 9, 1873) was the son of King Louis Bonaparte and Queen Hortense de Beauharnais; both monarchs of the French puppet state, the Kingdom of Holland. ... Red blood cell infected with Malaria (Italian: bad air; formerly called ague or marsh fever in English) is an infectious disease which in humans causes about 350-500 million infections and approximately 30. ...

In 1937 the University of Thessaloniki resumed the excavations. More ruins of the ancient palace were found, but the excavations were abandoned on the outbreak of war with Italy in 1939. After the war the excavations were resumed and during the 1950s and 1960s the rest of the royal capital was uncovered. Manolis Andronikos became convinced that a hill called the "Great Tumulus" (in Greek, Μεγάλη Τούμπα) concealed the tombs of the Macedonian Kings. 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... // Events and trends This map shows two essential global spheres during the Cold War in 1959. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Burial of Oleg of Novgorod in a tumulus in 912. ...

The entrance to one of the tombs

In 1977 Andronikos undertook a six-week dig at the Tumulus and found four buried chambers which he identified as hitherto undisturbed tombs. Three more were found in 1980. Excavations continued through the 1980s and 1990s. Andronikos maintained that one of the tombs was of Philip II, and another was of Alexander IV of Macedon, son of Alexander the Great. This has now become the firm view of Greek archaeologists and the Greek government, but some other archaeologists dispute this identification. I took this myself File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, the last decade of the 20th Century. ... Alexander IV Aegus (in Greek Aλεξανδρος Aιγος; 323–309 BC was the posthumous son of Alexander the Great by his wife Roxana, a princess of Bactria. ...

A large quantity of works of art, many in gold, were recovered from the tombs. These included the larnax with the Sun of Vergina on the lid, which Andronikos maintains contained the cremated remains of Philip II. These treasures were temporarily housed in the Thessaloniki Archeological Museum. Recently they were returned to Vergina and installed in a museum which has been built inside the Great Tumulus.

After the death of Alexander the Great, his empire was divided between a number of successors. Aigai remained the capital of the Macedonian kings. Under Antigonus II Gonatas in the 3rd century BC, the palace of Palatista was constructed at Aigai but was later partly destroyed by fire. More tombs were constructed during this period. Coin of Antigonus II Gonatas Antigonus II Gonatas (c. ... // Events The first two Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome over dominance in western Mediterranean Rome conquers Spain Gaulish migration to Macedonia, Thrace and Galatia 281 BCE Antiochus I Soter, on the assassination of his father Seleucus becomes emperor of the Seleucid empire. ...

In 168 BC, the Roman Republic invaded, overthrew the Antigonid Dynasty and destroyed Aigai. It was later rebuilt but declined after the 1st century AD. The city was eventually abandoned. Centuries: 3rd century BC - 2nd century BC - 1st century BC Decades: 210s BC 200s BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC - 160s BC - 150s BC140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC Years: 173 BC 172 BC 171 BC 170 BC 169 BC - 168 BC - 167 BC 166 BC 165... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... The Antigonid dynasty was a dynasty of Macedonian kings descended from Alexander the Greats general Antigonus I Monophthalmus (the One-eyed). Antigonus himself ruled mostly over Asia Minor and northern Syria. ... (1st century BC - 1st century - 2nd century - other centuries) The 1st century was that century which lasted from 1 to 100. ...

In 1996, the archaeological importance of Vergina led UNESCO to add it to its list of World Heritage Sites. 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1945. ... World Heritage Site #86: Memphis and its Necropolis, including the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt). ...

External links

• http://whc.unesco.org/sites/780.htm
• http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21117a/e211qa04.html
• http://www.kzu.ch/fach/as/aktuell/2000/04_vergina/verg_09.htm
• http://www.kzu.ch/fach/as/aktuell/2000/04_vergina/verg_04.htm
• http://users.forthnet.gr/the/vangel/grepap.pdf