The Tomb of Phillip II in Vergina
Trip Start
Apr 23, 2009
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13
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Trip End
Jun 23, 2009
Vergina, Macedonia Region, Greece
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Vergina and Veria
A quick train trip and even quicker bus trip brought us to Vergina, a small town
about an hour and a half from Thessaloniki. This community's claim to fame is its location next to the chamber tombs of the Macedonian Royal Family, dating from 350-325 BC. In 1977, after decades of work on the site, Professor Manolis Andronikos unearthed a series of chamber tombs accepted as those of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great.
They were buried beneath a mound of dirt, and, although two tombs had been
looted in antiquity, the displays were astonishing! Two tombs were intact, but could only be viewed from outside the great marble doors. The other tombs were little more than blocks of stone. The display cases contained fantastic gold items that had been buried with their occupants—jewelry for the women, and armour for the men. It was very dark under the roof holding up the earth-mound covering the area, but also nice and cool on a +37 degree day! The lighting was
exceptionally dim, making it hard to read the descriptions, but photos weren't allowed anyway.
Here are a couple of links:
CONTEST QUESTION!!!!!!
13. Why was Alexander the Great so 'great'?
