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Archaeological Site of Aigai (Vergina), Greece

Macedonia royal tombs, VerginaMacedonia royal tombs, Vergina
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vergina_Tombs_Entrance.jpg
Author: Rufus210
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Aigai is an archaeological site near the modern town of Vergina, in northern Greece. It is the site of the ancient first capital of the Kingdom of Macedonia. Today there are still a number of ruins visible at the site, the most outstanding of which is the Macedonian royal palace of Antigonus III Doson (AD263-221), which is decorated with mosaics and painted stuccoes.

Archaeological discoveries were first made in the hills around Vergina in the 1850's, and in 1861, a French archaeological team lead by Leon Heuzey, began excavation work there, which led to the discovery of the palace. However the project was abandoned due to risk of malaria.

Excavation resumed in 1937 under the University of Thessaloniki, and more of the ancient palace was rediscovered. However the outbreak of war with Italy brought work to a stop again. It only resumed in the 1950's, and eventually the rest of the royal capital was uncovered.

Of great interest to Greek archaeologists at the Aigai site were the tumulus, or concealed tombs, of the Macedonian kings. Numerous such tombs have since been discovered, even as late as the 1990's. Archaeological Site of Aigai (Vergina) was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 20th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Mérida, Mexico, on 2 - 7 December, 1996.

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 40 28 17.004 E 22 19 5.988 in the Prefecture of Imathia, Region of Central Macedonia
Inscription Year: 1996
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: I, III

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Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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