The Royal Palace of Pella has been off limits for many years now, in spite of the earlier announcement that it would open to the public in 2011.
Such a monumental construction not only needed to be excavated but also required some kind of restoration to stabilize the structure and to help the future visitor to get a better picture of this complex. It now seems that work to that effect will soon be started.
As explained in my earlier blog, “Pella, the birthplace of Alexander the Great,” the palace covers an area of 6 ha with a maze of rooms, stoas, corridors, and staircases set on different levels. In the first stage, three stoas of the palace’s Propylaea and four columns in the peristyle of the courtyard of Building I will be treated.
The Propylaea, as its name indicates, was the very entrance to the palace. It was framed on either side by a not further identified construction, called Building I on the east and Building II on the west, which were enhanced with a Doric colonnade.
The palace survived until Byzantine times, after which it served as construction material for the settlers in the nearby villages. All that remains today are the foundations of the palace complex, as well as several columns and some mosaics all across the site.
Nonetheless, it will be extremely rewarding to have a closer look inside those walls where Alexander spent his youth and to visualize the entire organization of the premises.
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