Philip's palace at Aiges to be restored

An action which followed the architectural study leads to the restoration of the east and the north wing of the main building. An important role in this decision played the great archaeological importance of the monument and its vast size.

"The visitor will have the full visual aesthetics of the building without the 3rd dimension'', said the general secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Lina Mendoni.

Built during the reign of Philip II (359-336 BC), the palace of Aiges is not only the biggest, but along the Parthenon the most important building of Classical Greece.

To the east, in the facade of the palace, were two impressive arcades, the first fully developed two storey arcades of Greek architecture, which included desks for at least 120 seated. There was the monumental entrance of propylon, which was crossed by the 3,500 -plus elite Macedonians in order to head to the peristyle, the heart of the building, which functioned as a market. Wherever is possible a full restoration will be attempted, based on the ancient, and new material, which is necessary for the preservation of the original palace.

''The exquisite mosaics are particularly impressive, occupying an area of 2,000 square meters. That is two full strema. One of them is in a very good condition and is made of tiny white, black, gray, yellow and red pebbles. This mosaic carpet consist of a striking flower blooms in the center, surrounded by complex helical shoots and flowers enrolled in a circle. Indeed, multiple meanders and spirals closely resemble those found on the gold and ivory shield of Philip II, which was exhibited at the Museum of the Royal Tombs'' says Archaeologist Angeliki Kottaridou.

Philip II in an attempt to provide to the public, a religious and a political center of Aiges, he founded the palace of Aigos, in an area of approximately 12.5 acres. This was the highest terrace of the city. Nowadays, we are on the third stage of the restoration and enhancement of the palace. An act integrated into the National Strategic Reference Framework.

Built during the reign of Philip II (359-336 BC) the place of Aiges is not only the biggest but along the Parthenon the most important building of Classical Greece

The Palace of Aiges, was rediscovered in 1855 by French archaeologist Léon Heuzey, thanks to the information given to him by the observant priest of the area. So Léon Heuzey, six years later, started the first excavation researches in the area, which lasted forty days.

The years passed, the Macedonian Struggle, the Balkan wars, World War II, the Asia Minor Catastrophe and the Uprooting of 1922 occurred, until 1938, when the University of Thessaloniki decided, on the suggestion of the Professor of Archeology Constantinos Romaios, to take over the excavation researches at Vergina. It stopped again in 1940 because of the Italian attack against Greece.

Since 1972, the Professor Manolis Andronikos was head of the excavation research, until his death. Today the task is carried on by the Archaeologist Angela Kottaridou and her team.