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THE TREASURES OF VERGINA
The small When travellers approach this area they will notice several small mounds called tumulus, each no more than five metres high. Archaeologists have determined that these mounds were all part of a large cemetery of the 4th century BC and that each one of them contained various tombs. Finds in tombs are very important for scientists because careful study helps us understand and create a clear picture of the culture and civilization of the buried people. Careful analysis of tombs and artifacts help scientists understand the people's burial traditions, how they dressed, the weapons they used, the arts of jewellery, painting and sculpture as well as their influences from other cultures. What has been discovered in the area are the so-called Royal Tombs. The Royal Tombs of Vergina were discovered during excavations at the Great Tumulus in 1977-78. Emmanuel Andronikos, professor of Classical Archaeology at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, was in charge of these excavations. The objects that were found in the Great Tumulus of Vergina belong to two groups. The first group of objects consists of 47 broken grave stones which were found in the filling of the huge mound which covered the royal tombs. These steles, which date back to the 2nd half of the 4th century BC, were monuments that decorated the graves of ordinary Macedonian citizens, both men and women. Almost all of them bear inscriptions which record the name of the deceased. 75 names were recognized, all of which are Greek.
The second group of
objects belongs to two undisturbed tombs found within the Great Tumulus. The
largest one is believed to be the tomb of King Philip II of King Philip's Tomb is a large structure, 5.30 metres tall, with two rooms. It is the longest and highest of all known Macedonian tombs. The precious bones of the deceased King were found wrapped in gold and purple fabric. They were kept in a large gold chest (larnax), a unique piece of art with an impressive relief star on its lid, the 12-pointed Macedonian Star. The larnax was kept inside a large marble sarcophagus. The tomb also contained the King's weapons, his iron cuirass decorated in gold relief, his helmet and sword, as well as his gold quiver (gorytos) and three pairs of bronze greaves. Inside the tomb there was also a magnificently decorated shield made of gold and ivory. One of the most precious items of the tomb is the gold wreath found on top of the burnt bones of the dead King. It is the heaviest and most impressive gold wreath to have survived from antiquity. The gold wreath is composed of 313 leaves and 68 acorns. Who could imagine that all these precious items had been buried and preserved for 23 centuries! There is a second burial chamber in the other room of this tomb which contained the bones of a woman. Her bones were also kept in a gold larnax inside a marble sarcophagus. The extraordinary thing regarding the antechamber of the Royal Tomb is that although it contained the bones of a woman, there were a lot of weapons inside. Besides that, there was also a magnificent golden myrtle wreath and an elegant woman's diadem, the most beautiful piece of jewellery of the ancient Greek world. Most of these rare objects are veritable works of art and are perfect examples of Greek craftsmanship from the 4th century BC. The two gold larnaxes and the large golden oak wreath are the most precious examples of Greek art ever found. The second undisturbed tomb, the so-called 'Prince's Tomb' contained an intricately designed silver urn with the ashes of a young man no older than 16. The unique nature of the tomb's items and their exceptionally high quality lead scientists to believe that it was the tomb of a member of the royal family. The finds in the Great Tumulus of Vergina, represent the most unique and precious items of the Ancient Greek world. These rare objects are genuine works of art and are exceptional examples of Greek art from the 4th century BC. We must not underestimate, though, the value of the broken grave stones which were found above the royal tombs. These humble fragments provide valuable historical information and evidence about the origin of the ancient Macedonians. The names of the dead on these stones are all Greek. These names are decisive proof of evidence already known from other historical sources that ancient Macedonians were a Greek tribe, like all others who lived in the Greek world.
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