Pella
Description
Pella is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It served as the capital of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. Pella was probably founded at the beginning of the 4th century BC by Archelaus I as the new capital of Macedon, supplanting Aigai. The city was the birthplace of Philip II in 382 BC, and of Alexander the Great, his son, in 356 BC. Pella quickly became the largest and richest city in Macedonia and flourished particularly under the rule of Cassander and Antigonus II. In 168 BC the city was sacked by the Romans during the Third Macedonian War and entered a long period of decline, its importance eclipsed by that of the nearby Thessalonica.
The site of Pella has long been known. Excavations there by the Greek Archaeological Service begun in 1957 revealed large, well-built houses with colonnaded courts and rooms with mosaic floors portraying such scenes as a lion hunt and Dionysus riding a panther. These mosaics are made with small natural pebbles of various colours, carefully matched and laid, and are masterpieces of their kind. They date from the late 4th century bce. Excavations revealed the town to be laid out on a rectangular grid plan with streets more than 10 metres wide. Under the streets are terra-cotta pipes for distributing fresh water.