Buried with bed and all

During expansion works of the lignite mine in Mavropigi, Upper Macedonia, some 65 km southwest of Vergina, the grave of a woman has been discovered. It was remarkable because it could be proved that she had been buried with bed and all. 

Beds are generally made of wood, which disintegrates over the centuries. This is also the case for the present example, except for the bronze bed legs – the only ones that survived the test of time. The burial custom to place the dead on a bed was pretty common in the area of Pella and Pieria but none had been found till now. Eventually scholars were able to reconstruct a miniature model which they consider to be very realistic. They agree that this bed was the most luxurious and expensive anyone could afford in the first or perhaps second century BC. The plan is to make a truthful reconstruction that will find a place of choice at the Archaeological Museum of Aiani. 

[Picture credit: ANA-MPA]

The valuable and abundant grave goods indicate that the region of Mavropigi enjoyed a high degree of prosperity and it is not impossible that this burial is linked to a royal family as is the case in neighboring Aiani. 

Based on the golden laurel leaves that surrounded the head of this woman, it has been suggested that she might belong to such royalty although they may also indicate that she held some important religious position since the laurel refers to Apollo. She also had a golden mouthpiece and on her hand bits of gold threads have been found, which may have been part of her dress or a veil that covered her body. The grave yielded a bone needle and a stone bead, and the woman was crowned with four clay myrrh pots, a clay amphora and a glass myrrh pot. The bones of this woman will be examined at the laboratory of Aiani for anthropological study. 

The region of Upper Macedonia seldom makes headlines. However, it should be noted that Ptolemy, the later Pharaoh of Egypt was born here, more precisely at Eordea. From similar origin were Aristonous, one of Alexander’s Bodyguards and Peithon, another Bodyguard who after the king’s death became satrap of Media.

Intact female tomb found in Macedonia

Finding a tomb is one interesting thing, but finding one that is still intact after more than two thousand years is something very special.

[Picture from The Archaeology News Network]

The discovery was made at Mavropigi, near Kozani, located at hardly one hour drive west from Vergina. The tomb that has been dated to the end of the 1^st century BC was discovered 1.5 meters below a recently demolished house. Imagine those people who have lived for centuries in a home standing above a grave!

The entire entombment indicates that we are dealing with the remains of a wealthy woman or one that occupied an important place in society at the time. The body was richly decorated and rested on an elaborate bronze funeral bed that was retrieved in excellent condition.

The remains have now been transferred to the Archaeological Museum of Aiani for closer examination. They aim to ascertain the woman’s age and possibly the cause of her death.

It will be great to see some reference to this tomb in the future exhibits of this splendid museum.

Time to visit ancient Aiani in Upper Macedonia.

Few people have ever heard of Aiani, a lovely village close to modern Kozani, once surrounded by Kastoria, Florina, Pella, Imathia, Pieria, and Larissa in Upper Macedonia. Aiani was the capital of the kingdom of Elimeia.

The ruling king in Macedonia was Perdiccas III, who had been forced to give his younger brother Philip (the father of Alexander the Great) as a hostage to Thebes. At some time during his reign (368-359 BC), Philip returned to Macedonia, and Perdiccas gave him part of his kingdom, probably not to rule in his place but merely to rule on his behalf. According to speculations, he was entrusted with the territory of Amphaxitis, a strategic stretch of land between the Axios River and the Thermaic Gulf.

In 364 BC, Philip married his first wife, Phila, the daughter of King Derdas II of Elimeia, most probably a diplomatic alliance arranged by Perdiccas as was his right as king.

But Macedonia was faced with several threats to the kingdom’s security, and in 359 BC, the Illyrians, led by King Bardylis, envious of the fertile lands in Lower Macedonia, invaded Macedonia, killing Perdiccas and with him 4,000 brave Macedonian soldiers.  

Macedonia was on the brink of collapse and facing the problem of the king’s succession to the throne since his son, Amyntas, was still a youngster. The Athenians saw an opportunity to interfere, pushing forward a certain Argaeus and the Thracians, with a certain Pausanias already marching towards the capital city of Pella. Macedonia was in dire need of a strong leader, and given all these threats, the Macedonian Assembly proclaimed Philip as king, granting him full power, which he could not have received if functioning as regent for Amyntas. Philip, they knew, had acquired serious experience in the years he ruled part of the kingdom under the wing of his brother.

In 359 BC, Philip II was elected king, and the people of Macedonia swore their oath of allegiance. It is obvious that Upper Macedonia was at the core of Philip’s expansion, and this included Elimeia. One year into his kingship, Philip managed to unite Upper and Lower Macedonia, and he achieved it probably peacefully, consolidated no doubt by his success in crushing the Illyrians.

Presently, Aiani is in the news as the restoration of the entire city nears completion, and the site is now open to the public. The excavations have revealed a well-organized town that goes back to prehistoric times and flourished during the classical and Hellenistic eras.

[Picture from The Greek Reporter]

Aiani was built on top of a high, imposing hill, meaning that all constructions were made upon successive stepped terraces. Archaeologists have exposed large portico structures belonging to public buildings, a water cistern, and several private houses spread over several levels because of the slope of the terrain. At the foot of the hill, extensive cemeteries and graves have been located, ranging from the late Bronze Age to the end of the 1st century BC. Besides the usual chamber tombs and cist graves, a heroon has also been found, confirming the presence of the highest social class. The wealth of the grave goods proves that Aiani maintained successful commercial and cultural relations with the rest of Greece. Contrary to what one thinks, Upper Macedonia certainly was not an isolated area.

The landscape, it must be said, is very different from what we find near Pella, Vergina, and Thessaloniki. This is a true high plateau swept by the wind, poor in agricultural land, and only fit for herding sheep and goats.

Until now, Aiani could only offer its precious Archaeological Museum to visit, which is a true treasure trove with, for instance, the oldest pieces of matt-painted pottery in black and white in the world. Some of the museum’s artifacts date back to the Mycenaean era, but most are from Greece’s archaic and Hellenistic times. This museum also holds some of the oldest samples of writing on archaic pottery, which confirms that the inhabitants wrote and spoke Greek well before the 5^th century BC.

It will be interesting to see this site now that it has opened to the public!

A plea for Macedonia

Just watch this short film that appeared under the label “A country without Pella is not Macedonia” – it should be enough to convince anyone …

 

More of the kind can be found on this same site “History of Macedonia”, a proud Macedonian true to his roots.

Birth of a Legend - In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great

This is a new tour organized by Peter Sommer Travels, meant to replace their previous (longer) trip From Boy to King. From what I understand, many people found it difficult to take a three-week vacation to complete the original thorough pilgrimage in the homeland of Alexander the Great. As a result, the plans have been revised and redrawn and PST has come up with a brand-new tour of eleven days for 2013, Birth of a Legend.

It is obvious that all the key locations where major events in the life of Alexander took place had to be preserved. The starting point is the Greek province of Macedonia with Alexander’s birthplace Pella and the site of Aegae with the tomb of his father, King Philip II, at today’s Vergina, followed by Mieza where Aristotle taught the young prince and a look at the spectacular site of Aiani. Several museums here in Northern Greece are as a matter of fact included beside the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki.

Another important stop is made near Mount Olympus, the residence of the Greek gods, at the nearby site of Dion, Macedonia’s religious sanctuary which Alexander visited in great pump before he crossed over to Asia.

Further south, PST will stop at the battlefield of Chaironeia where the 18-year-old Alexander annihilated the Theban Band and where his father gained the hegemony over all of Greece. From there the route runs further to the oracle site of Delphi and onwards to Olympia where King Philip ordered the construction of his famous Philippeon to house the family statues, including that of Alexander.

Homer is never far away when it comes to Alexander and tribute is paid to this great writer at the site of Mycenae, once at the heart of the myths of Troy so much admired by Alexander. Corinth is another key location since it is here that both King Philip II and, after his death, Alexander the Great were recognized as leaders of all the Greek cities and states.

The tour ends in Athens, as a matter of course I would say, with a visit to the Acropolis and its newly built museum, as well as to the National Archaeological Museum.

As usual, there are plenty of relaxing moments with wine tasting and a free day to be filled with interesting sites and more sightseeing. All in all, a wonderful opportunity to grasp the essence of young Alexander and to realize how this environment has helped to shape the greatest conqueror the world has ever known.

Alexander exhibition at the Louvre, Paris

« Au Royaume d’Alexandre le Grand. La Macédoine Antique. » Quite a mouthful for an exhibition, but definitely one that was worth seeing. Such a pity it ran for so short a period of time (from 13 October 2011 to 16 January 2012), and I wasn’t able to visit the Louvre till near the very end. Consequently, there was no point in sharing my impressions anytime soon.

I found the title of this exhibition rather confusing: was it about Alexander the Great, or was it about Macedonia? Well, in the end, it was about both, of course, but the accent was set around old Macedonia, and it was a well-deserved recommendation. Today, like in antiquity, it seems that Macedonia is some kind of stepchild, not entirely part of Greece or worthy to be part of it. The excavations of the past thirty years or so prove much to the contrary.

The very first excavations date back to 1861, when two French archaeologists (of course, we are referring to France and the French here!), Léon Heuzey and Henri Daumet made their first discoveries under the close watch of the Ottoman rulers. They uncovered the remains of the Royal Palace of Aegae, not knowing that this was Aegae, the old Macedonian capital, in what is called today Vergina. After that, we have to wait till after the First World War, when Konstantinos Rhomaios started new diggings in the area in 1920. He is the one who put Pella on the map, the second capital of Macedonia, about 25 kilometers further inland than expected because of the silting up of the Axios River. He also discovered several tombs in the Vergina area. By far the largest and most sensational discovery happened in 1977 when Manolis Andronicos localized the unspoiled Tomb of King Philip II, Alexander’s father. Huge quantities of precious gifts were found in his burial chamber as well as in the nearby tombs underneath this same tumulus. In the wake of this discovery, other promising diggings were generally started elsewhere.

Strangely enough, new finds show that the art in archaic Macedonia was closely akin to what we have seen in Mycenae, here only one hundred years later. Clear traces of this influence can be found mainly in the area of Pieria, in the westerly region. But meanwhile, it is obvious that the so-called Hellenistic art first and foremost originated here in Aegae and in Pella at the court of the Kings and in the houses of the Macedonian elite. As early as the 5th century, the Macedonian Kings attracted notable artists like Zeuxis of Heraclea, who decorated the Palace of King Archelaus, or Euripides, who wrote his Iphigenia in Aulis, Archelaus, and The Bacchantes here. Later on, we find more famous artists at the Court of Pella, like Lysippos, the official sculptor of Alexander, and Apelles, his official court painter; but also top painters like Aristides of Thebe or Philoxenus of Eretria. Even if the names had come to us, we still had no idea about the quality of their work till the now famous frescos in the Tomb of Persephone were discovered in Vergina; they give a totally unexpected image of their craft, in this case, the skills of Nicomachus of Thebe – a most lively and unique testimony. Wall paintings from the houses in Pella, on the other hand, turn out to be of such high quality and colour that they are considered as the precursors of the Pompeian style, which we meet in Pompeii – yet five centuries later!

The Louvre has done a thorough job with this exhibition, and they have not limited themselves to collecting a random number of objects from the Greek Museums. It all starts right at the entrance with a splendid copy of the pebble mosaic showing a lion hunt with Alexander on the left and Craterus to the right. A great welcome from the homeland, Macedonia!

I recently traveled through Macedonia myself, visiting many of the museums, and seeing all these objects over here was like meeting old friends again. Purely from memory, the following is what I remember having seen again in Paris (the Louvre didn’t allow any pictures!)

• From the Museum in Aiani (Pieria), clay figures and vases;
• From Vergina, silver jars, a bronze lamp, gold crowns with delicate leaves and flowers, or tied with Heracles’ knot;
• From Amphipolis, a multicolored vase, a dashing terracotta dancer, and a true-to-life painted head of a terracotta woman;
• From Polygoros, one of the arrows engraved with “Philippou”, i.e., with the compliments of Philip (used during the siege of Olynthus);
• From Veroia, the intriguing bust of Olganos of Kopanos, which reminded me of Alexander;
• From Pella, molds for terracotta statues and finished clay statuettes, pots, jars found around the Agora, earthenware roof decorations, and pieces of burial furniture in wood, bone, and ivory;
• From Dion, a striking relief of Demeter;
• From Thessaloniki where evidently most of the objects came from, with gold masks in the style of Agamemnon; bronze helmets with or without a gold trimming; an earthenware pyxis painted with a garland of flowers on a black background; gold jewelry like bracelets, necklaces, earrings, fibulae, etc; gold, silver and bronze coins; a lovely bronze medallion of Athena in high relief; the painted inside walls of a tomb; etc.
• From the Louvre, a small bronze Alexander with a spear (not very resembling); a drum and capitals of columns from Aegae (brought back by Heuzey and Daumet but apparently never exhibited), which are now placed in the frame of a life-size drawing of the colonnades surrounding the central square of the Palace of Aegae. It’s as if you are truly walking inside. In the very center, I find the head of Young Alexander from the Museum of Pella.

Also, a showcase filled with Greek vases, bowls, drinking vessels, pots, and jars, all beautifully decorated, of course. And all around this on the walls, I recognize pictures of the frescos from different tombs in and around Vergina, Pella, and Lefkadia.

The Louvre has unveiled more hidden treasures from its catacombs, i.e., remains from the Palace of the Roman Emperor Galerius (305-311 AD), who promoted Thessaloniki to the capital of his tetrarchy. These are tall square marble pillars, approximately two meters high, with on the front and back a relief of a recognizable figure, like a Menead, Victory, Dionysos, Aura, Ariane, one of the Dioscuri, Leda with the Swan, and Ganymedes. The building to which the pillars belonged is called “Incantada” and once stood at the northern entrance to the Agora of Thessaloniki. This is all new to me and very revealing.

At this stage, I wonder why Alexander the Great is supposed to be the central personage of this exhibition, since, besides the head from Pella and the scanty bronze statue with the lost lance, I haven’t seen him. He turns out to be the surprise, probably meant to be the very climax … not very successful, if you ask me! When I’m about ready to leave, I discover a rather narrow window in a black box where Alexander is waiting for me. Gee, why cramp him behind this one window? They could have put him in a full-size showcase entirely made of glass, no? Anyway, this is where I find the true treasures of the entire exhibition (in my eyes, that is, of course), Alexander in person! For a start, there is the most striking Azara Hermes from the Louvre – after all, this is a copy of an original made by nobody less than Lysippos! Also, Alexander as Pan from the Museum in Pella, the Guimet Alexander from the Louvre, a torso that is being attributed to him, and an inscription from Thessaloniki, of which I remember nothing. And finally, at the very corner of this same dark showcase, a long, narrow glass étagère with the gold medallions of his Royal parents, King Philip II of Macedonia and Queen Olympias – precious pieces pushed aside in an almost forgotten corner. True sacrilege, I would say!