Aegae

Aegae (Aigai) was the first capital of Macedon, located at the foot of the Pierian Mountains near modern Vergina. Abandoned in the 3rd century BC and rediscovered in the 19th century, it became famous after Manolis Andronikos unearthed the Great Tumulus in 1977, identifying Tomb II as that of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. Finds included the golden larnax with the Vergina Sun.

The city remained the ceremonial “national hearth” of the Macedonian kings even after the political capital moved to Pella. It was also the traditional royal burial site and the place where Alexander was declared king in 336 BC.

Aegae’s monumental palace, built under Philip II, is the largest building of classical Greece. Decorated with mosaics, marble stucco, and colonnades overlooking the theatre and plain, it reflects a transition from the Greek polis to Hellenistic royal centres.

In 1996, Aegae was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its cultural and architectural significance. The restored palace reopened to the public in 2024.

Address
Vergina, Imathia, Greece

Established
c. 750 BCE