The ancient palace of Philip II of Macedonia, where Alexander the Great was declared king, was unveiled on Friday after 16 years of restoration works.
Located in Aiges, the first capital of the Macedonian Kingdom, the 4th-century BC palace covers an area of 15,000 square metres in the north of Greece. It is near the village of Vergina, home to the museum of Macedonian tombs, including Philip II’s grave.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who attended the unveiling ceremony, expressed joy at presenting a “monument of global significance” to the public.
The site will open its doors to visitors on Sunday.
The palace, Mitsotakis stated, is of both cultural and national importance as it reaffirms the timeless unity of Macedonia and Greece through the centuries.
Archaeologist Agueliki Kottaridi, cited in the newspaper Kathimerini on Friday, explained that the site includes a royal palace, consisting mainly of a peristyle, a series of Doric columns surrounding the palace’s courtyard, and the agora, where Macedonians gathered to make decisions.
In this courtyard, which could accommodate 8,000 people, Alexander the Great was proclaimed King of Macedonia in 336 BC, following his father Philip II’s assassination.
Alexander inherited a strong kingdom that enabled him to unite Macedonia and the Greek city-states, and invade the Persian Empire.
Destroyed by the Romans in 148 BC, the palace’s unearthing began in 1865 and continued “sporadically” throughout the 20th century, archaeologists said.
According to Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, its restoration, begun in 2007, was supported by a €20 million budget, including European funding.
