Despite their small size – the imperial tombs of Vergina have become one of the richest and the most interesting museums of Greece
The sacred capital of ancient Macedonia, the city of Eges, where the main Macedonian celebrations in honor of the Olympic gods took place and the imperial tombs of the Argeadov dynasty were located, was on the place of the modern town of Vergina up to the 1st century AD. The modern town was founded by immigrants from Asia and some nearby villages in 1923.
In 1977 the professor of Aristotelean University, Salonik Emmanuil Andronikos, carrying out archaeological excavations here, found tombs of the Macedonian Kings. In one of the richest of those tombs, Philip the Second, Alexander the Great's father had been buried.
This Macedonian king had created the soil for victorious campaigns of his great son who later reached the bottom of the Himalayas with the Macedonian army. Philip had expanded borders of Macedonia, rather insignificant agrarian kingdom at his times, to the sizes of modern Greece, having united independent Ancient Greek Policies under his power and influence.
Although the king Archelaus transferred the capital of Macedonia to Pella in the 5th century BC, Eges remained the sacred capital and the place of burial of the Macedonian Kings. When the first tsar from the dynasty of Argeadov wasn't buried in imperial tombs of Eges, this dynasty stopped its existence!. And it was Alexander of Macedon, whose tomb still – one of the artifacts which are most searched by archaeologists of the whole world.
After Macedonia was captured by Romans in 168 BC, the city had existed for about two more centuries and disappeared up to the beginning of the 20th century.
Today in Vergina there are actually two museums. The first, under the open sky, so-called Anaktoro - presumably imperial chambers where mosaic scenery and fragments of structures has partially remained. The second, the most important and interesting to visitors - that tomb in which Philip the Second burial was revealed. Today in this area an archaeological museum of tombs of Vergina exposes the richest findings made during excavation. They impress even the most uninterested visitor.
Entrance card to both museums of Vergina, the Museum of Imperial tombs, and the Imperial Chambers "Anaktoro" costs 8 euros.
Vergina is in 8 kilometers from the city of Veriya. You can reach Veriya from Athens:
By plane: airport Macedonia , Thessaloniki;
By train: from the railway station "Stathmos Larissis" to the station "Pay", Veriya;
By bus: from KTEL to Kifisias bus station in Veriya;
By car: on the route E75 before turn on Veriya on the route E90 (at exit from E90 on Veriya follow the indexes to Vergina).
From Thessaloniki
By train: the through train to Veriya from the railway station Thessaloniki;
By bus: from "KTEL Macedonia" to Veriya;
By car: on the route E75 till turn to Veriya on the route E90 (at exit from E90 on Veriya follow the indexes to Vergina).
