Vergina

Alexander performed the duties of a faithful son and buried Philip with all royal honors in a grand tomb at Vergina.

Alexander the Great Philip Freeman 2011

He died beneath the trees at Vergina before he could speak a word.

Alexander the Great Philip Freeman 2011

Pella was the administrative capital of the kingdom, but ancient Vergina was the heartland of Macedonia and the burial place of its kings.

Alexander the Great Philip Freeman 2011

The divine Greek origins of the Macedonian royal family are fanciful, but the gradual spread of a local highland tribe from the hills near Mount Olympus to the coastal plains beyond the city of Vergina is quite plausible.

Alexander the Great Philip Freeman 2011

Vergina: Ancient Aegae, this hillside town overlooks the coastal plains of Macedonia.

Alexander the Great Philip Freeman 2011

The road to the royal tombs at Vergina lay to the west, but he turned east skirting the capital at Pella and crossed over the Axios River, riding many miles along the coast to the Chalcidice peninsula.

Alexander the Great Philip Freeman 2011

Excavations in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and of course the dazzling discoveries from the royal Macedonian tombs at Vergina in northern Greece have brought to life the world of Alexander like nothing else.

Alexander the Great Philip Freeman 2011

He therefore decided to invite friends, dignitaries, and ambassadors from all of Greece and beyond to attend the lavish festivities at Vergina.

Alexander the Great Philip Freeman 2011

The games were set to begin at sunrise the next day with opening ceremonies at the hillside theater of Vergina.

Alexander the Great Philip Freeman 2011

An ivory miniature from Vergina identified as Philip bears a scar above the right brow.

Alexander the Great Philip Freeman 2011