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Vergina © Adam Carr/Dodo
Vergina
Vergina, known in ancient times as Aigai, is the most important
of a cluster of three archaeological sites in the area connected
with Philip, father of Alexander the Great. Vergina is where Philip
built a massive palace and a theatre, and where he was assassinated
in 336 BC. The palace has been excavated, as has the theatre, and
the site also features hundreds of burial mounds, some dating from
the Iron Age, across the plain. The tomb of Philip was found here
undisturbed in 1977, full of treasures that are now on display in
Thessaloniki's Archaeological Museum. Nearby is Pella, the remains
of the former capital of Macedonia from the 5th century, where
Alexander the Great was born; and Dion, an important religious
sanctuary frequented by Philip and Alexander.
Address: 38 miles (61km) west of Thessaloniki