A highly important ancient city, certainly to be identified with Aegae, the first ancient capital of the kingdom of Macedonia, spreads over the low hills on the northern slopes of' the Pierian range, between the modern villages of Palatitsia and Vergina. This city was the most important urban centre in the region until the 4th c. BC. Here were to be found the ancestral sanctuaries of the Macedonians, and the palaces and the tombs (with their famous treasures) of the Argead dynasty, which traced its origins to the mythical hero Heracles and gave Greek history its most captivating figure, Alexander the Great.

In ancient pole of royal authority, Aegae retained the prestige of the sacred city of the dynasty even after the administrative capital was transferred to Pella in the 4th c, BC. The site was the headquarters and the scene of the activities of kings such as Alexander I (495-452 BC) and Archelaos (413-399 BC), who made his court a centre of literature and arts, attracting to it the most famous artists and intellectuals of his age; and it was here, in September 336 BC, after the murder of Philip II in the theatre of the city, that Alexander the Great (336-323 BC) was proclaimed king.

The excavations, that began just after the middle of the last century and have continued with only minor interruptions from the 1930s to the present day, have revealed the theatre and a majestic palace with a peristyle courtyard and a monumental propylon, a sanctuary dedicated to the cult of Herakles Patroos, luxurious banqueting rooms with mosaic floors, and every convenience. Both these structures seem to belong to the same building complex and to date from the late 4th c. BC.

 Mention should also be made of the sanctuary of the goddess Eukleia, which has two temples, an altar, and inscribed bases for royal votives dating from the reign of Philip II; the sanctuary of the Mother of the Gods; foundations of public and private buildings dating from the 5th c, BC to the 1 st c. AD; and part of the citadel and Hellenistic fortifications of the city.

The attention of the excavators, however, has so far been concentrated upon the huge cemetery that extends for more than 2 km to the north of the city. The investigation of this ~has borne very rich fruit, indicating that the area was inhabited continuously from 1100 BC to the Roman period, and testifying to the great prosperity and culture of the Macedonian capital. These finds, that lend confirmation to the ancient legends concerning the cemetery of Aegae, include the burials of prominent members ` of the clans, accompanied by rich grave offerings, in tumuli dating from the Iron Age; chamber tombs and cist graves, "rich in gold", dating from the 6th and 5th c, BC, discovered on the fringes of  the city; and a total of ten "Macedonian" tombs, the most outstanding of which is the tomb that probably belonged to Philipp's mother, Queen Eurydike, which has a brilliantly decorated marble throne.

And the unlaundered royal tombs brought to light by the spade .of Manolis Andronikos, one of which was the tomb of Philip II himself, have enriched the cultural heritage of the world with a series of brilliant works of miniature art and unique original examples of ancient Greek painting, the work of known artists.

All these discoveries, combined with the inscriptions, the numbers of which are continually increasing, illuminate the vital role played by Aegae, as a centre of Greek culture in the north of Greece, during the one thousand years of its history.

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