Welcome to the Royal Palace of Pella

After repeated attempts and postponements (see: More restorations at the Royal Palace in Pella), the remains of the Royal Palace of Pella are finally made accessible to the public.

[Picture from Archaeology News Netwerk]

Several reconstructions have circulated since its first excavations in 1957, even though archaeologists initially ignored that they had found the Palace! 

As I mentioned previously (see: The Royal Palace of Pella will open to the public in 2021), the Palace covers an area of 28 ha spreading over different levels. Unlike the Royal Palace in Aegae, the residence in Pella was also a seat of government requiring space for the vast administration of Macedonia and Alexander’s Empire. 

It took several years until the Palace in Pella was entirely mapped. Authorities are now focusing on the digital tour they plan to show in a visitor center to be built for that purpose by 2023. 

In antiquity, the visitor reached the Palace after crossing the city to the north. They accessed the construction through a monumental Propylon flanked by a Stoa with Doric colonnades. The front was 160 meters long, and the columns were 15 meters high - most certainly meant to impress. 

The most explicit mapping of the Palace I have found so far is on this site of The Kingdom of Macedon – The Palace of Pella. 

On the first terrace behind the Propylon entrance, the buildings on either side have been attributed to Macedonia's political and social life. They were built between 350 and 330 BC during the reign of Philip, Alexander’s father. Following Alexander's death and roughly between the years 320 till 250 BC, the Palace underwent drastic expansions. 

The Royal quarters, poorly preserved, were located on a higher terrace further north after some unidentified rooms and close to the fortification wall. To the left or west of these quarters, archaeologists have unearthed a pool and a gymnasium with a large central courtyard surrounded by Stoas. They identified the adjacent building as the Residence for the Royal Pages and other officers who lived in the Palace. The two buildings to the south have been attributed to living quarters, baths, stables, workshops, kitchens, and storage space. 

I’m still wondering where Philip’s wives, besides Olympias, stayed or the many ambassadors and envoys who came to see the King. There also must have been a room reserved for official receptions or banquets and a library. Hopefully, further excavations will follow to shed light on the missing pieces. 

Alexander had amassed great wealth, which, in part, was used effectively to display the Macedonian power and grandeur. Sadly, we will never know what treasures were kept inside the Royal Palace of Pella as the Romans thoroughly looted the premises in 168 BC. They took the prized possessions to Rome, where they ended up in the quarters and villas of high-ranked officials (see: Massive plundering of art in the early years of the Roman Empire).