For the modern town, see Pella, Greece.

Pella (Greek: Πέλλα) was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedon. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or Macedon or Macedonia ( Greek grc Μακεδονία grc-Latn Makedonía) was the name of a kingdom centered in the northern-most A common folk etymology is traditionally given for the name Pella ascribing it to a form akin to Doric Greek Apella, originally to have meant a ceremonial location where decisions were made. Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word a False etymology. For the modern Doric dialect of Scotland see Doric dialect (Scotland Doric was a dialect of ancient Greek. ^[1] However, the local form of Greek was not Doric, and the word exactly matches standard Greek pélla "stone", undoubtedly referring to a famous landmark from the time of its foundation. ^[2]

Contents 1 History 2 The site 2.1 Urban area 2.2 Palace 2.3 Hippodamean plan 3 Archaeology 4 References 5 Bibliography 6 External links

History

The city was founded by Archelaus (413–399 BC) as the capital of his kingdom, replacing the older palace-city of Aigai (Vergina). Archelaus I ( Greek: Άρχέλαος Α΄ was king of Macedon from 413 to 399 BC following the death of Perdiccas II. Events By place Greece After suffering a defeat in which the Athenian commander Lamachus is killed Demosthenes suggests Events By place Greece February 15 — The Greek Philosopher Socrates is sentenced to death by Athenian Vergina (in Greek Βεργίνα) is a small town in northern Greece, located in the prefecture of Imathia, Central Macedonia After this, it was the seat of the king Philip II and of Alexander, his son. Philip II of Macedon, ( Greek: Φίλιππος Β' ο Μακεδών &mdash φίλος = friend + ίππος = Horse Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' In 168 BC, it was sacked by the Romans, and its treasury transported to Rome. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Later, the city was destroyed by an earthquake and eventually was rebuilt over its ruins. An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth 's crust that creates Seismic waves Earthquakes are recorded with a Seismometer By 180 AD, Lucian could describe it in passing as "now insignificant, with very few inhabitants". Events By place Roman Empire The praetorian prefect Tarutenius Paternus achieved a decisive victory against the Quadi Lucian of Samosata (Λουκιανός ὁ Σαμοσατεύς Lucianus c

Pella is first mentioned by Herodotus of Halicarnassus (VII, 123) in relation to Xerxes' campaign and by Thucydides (II, 99,4 and 100,4) in relation to Macedonian expansion and the war against Sitalces, the king of the Thracians. Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash Halicarnassus (Άλικαρνᾱσσός &mdash Halikarnassós or Ἁλικαρνασσός &mdash Alikarnassós Halikarnas modern Thucydides ( C 460 BC &ndash C 395 BC) ( Greek Θουκυδίδης Thoukydídēs) was a Greek Sitalces (reigned 431 - 424 BC was one of the great kings of the Thracian Odrysian state Thrace (Тракия Trakiya or "Trakija" or Trakia, Θράκη Thráki, Trakya is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe According to Xenophon, in the beginning of the 4th century BC, it was the largest Macedonian city. Xenophon (Ancient Greek, Modern Greek "Ξενοφών" "Ξενοφώντας" ca The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. It was probably built as the capital of the kingdom by Archelaus, although there appears to be some possibility that it may have been Amyntas. Amyntas III ( Greek Αμύντας Γ΄) (Unknown - 370 BC son of Arrhidaeus and father of Philip II, was king of Macedon in 393 BC and It attracted Greek artists such the painter Zeuxis, the poet Timotheus of Miletus and the tragic author Euripides who finishes his days there writing and producing Archelaus. Zeuxis (Ζεύξις (of Heraclea) and Parrhasius (Παρράσιος (of Ephesus and later Athens) were Painters who Timotheus of Miletus (c 446-357 BC was a Greek musician and dithyrambic Poet. Miletus (mī lē' təs ( Ancient Greek: Μίλητος literally Transliterated Milētos, Latin Miletus) was an Ancient Euripides ( Ancient Greek:) (ca 480 BC–406 BC was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Athens (the other two being Aeschylus

Archelaus invited the painter Zeuxis, the greatest painter of the time, to decorate it. Zeuxis (Ζεύξις (of Heraclea) and Parrhasius (Παρράσιος (of Ephesus and later Athens) were Painters who He was later the host of the Athenian playwright Euripides in his retirement. Euripides ( Ancient Greek:) (ca 480 BC–406 BC was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Athens (the other two being Aeschylus Euripides Bacchae premiered here, about 408 BC. Events By Place Persian Empire King Darius II of Persia decides to continue the war against Athens and give support Pella was the birthplace of Philip II and of Alexander, his son. The hilltop palace of Philip, where Aristotle tutored young Alexander, is being excavated. A palace is a grand residence especially the home of a Head of state or some other high-ranking Public figure. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.

In antiquity, Pella was a port connected to the Thermaic Gulf by a navigable inlet, but the harbor has silted, leaving the site landlocked. The Thermaic Gulf (Θερμαϊκός Κόλπος is a gulf of the Aegean Sea located immediately south of Thessaloniki, east of Pieria and Imathia The reign of Antigonus likely represented the height of the city, as this is the period which has left us the most archaeological remains. Antigonus II Gonatas (lit "knock-knees" ( Greek Αντίγονος B΄ Γονατᾶς ca

Pella is further mentioned by Polybius and Livy as the capital of Philip V and of Perseus during the Macedonian Wars. Polybius (ca 203 &ndash 120 BC, Greek) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his book called The Histories Titus Livius (traditionally 59 BC &ndash AD 17 known as Livy in English, was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome Philip V ( Greek Φίλιππος Ε΄) (238 BC - 179 BC was King of Macedon from 221 BC to 179 BC Perseus ( Greek Περσεύς) (ca 212 BC - 166 BC) was the last king ( Basileus) of the Antigonid dynasty In the writings of Livy, we find the only description of how the city looked in 167 BC to Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus, the Roman who defeated Perseus at the battle of Pydna:

…[Paulus] observed that it was not without good reason that it had been chosen as the royal residence. Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus (229 BC-160 BC was a Roman general and politician The Battle of Pydna in 168 BC between Rome and the Macedonian Antigonid dynasty represents the ascendancy of Rome in the Hellenic / Pydna is also a rocket station of the American Army in Germany, see Pydna (rocket station Pydna (in Greek: It is situated on the south-west slope of a hill and surrounded by a marsh too deep to be crossed on foot either in summer or winter. The citadel the "Phacus," which is close to the city, stands in the marsh itself, projecting like an island, and is built on a huge substructure which is strong enough to carry a wall and prevent any damage from the infiltration from the water of the lagoon. At a distance it appears to be continuous with the city wall, but it is really separated by a channel which flows between the two walls and is connected with the city by a bridge. Thus it cuts off all means of access from an external foe, and if the king shut anyone up there, there could be no possibility of escape except by the bridge, which could be very easily guarded. . ^[3]

The famous poet Aratus died in Pella ca 240 BC. This article is about the didactic poet There was also an Aratus of Sicyon and an Aratus son of Asclepius For the crab Genus, see Events By place Carthage Two of Carthage 's Mercenary commanders — Spendius and Mathos — convince the Pella was sacked by the Romans in 168 BC, when its treasury was transported to Rome.

In the Roman province of Macedonia, Pella was the capital of the third district, and was possibly the seat of the Roman governor. The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon Crossed by the Via Egnatia (Strabo VII, 323), Pella remained a significant point on the route between Dyrrachium and Thessalonika. The Via Egnatia ( Greek:) was a road constructed by the Romans in the 2nd century BC. Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη), Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia Cicero stayed there in 58 BC, but by then the provincial seat had already transferred to Thessalonika. Marcus Tullius Cicero ( Classical Latin ˈkikeroː usually ˈsɪsərəʊ in English January 3, 106 BC &ndash December 7, 43 BC was a Roman Year 58 BC was a year of the pre-Julian calendar. Events By place Rome Consuls Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus It was then destroyed by earthquake in the first century BC; shops and workshops dating from the catastrophe have been found with remains of their merchandise. The 1st century BC started the first day of 100 BC and ended the last day of 1 BC. The city was eventually rebuilt over its ruins, which preserved them, but, ca AD 180, Lucian of Samosata could describe it in passing as "now insignificant, with very few inhabitants" ^[4]

The city went into decline for reasons unknown (possibly an earthquake) by the end of the 1st century BC. Lucian of Samosata (Λουκιανός ὁ Σαμοσατεύς Lucianus c Samosata (Շամշատ Shamshat was an ancient city on the right (west bank of the Euphrates whose ruins existed at the modern city of Samsat, Adıyaman Province It was the object of a colonial deduction sometime between 45 and 30 BC; in any case currency was marked Colonia Iulia Augusta Pella. Year 45 BC was the year the Julian calendar went into effect According to this calendar it was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar Year 30 BC was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Augustus settled peasants there whose land he had usurped to give to his veterans (Dio Cassius LI, 4). Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was Lucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus ( Greek:) (c 155 or 163/164 to after 229 known in English as Cassius Dio, Dio Cassius, or Dio was But unlike other Macedonian colonies such as Philippi, Dion, and Cassandreia it never came under the jurisdiction of ius Italicum or Roman law. Philippi (in Greek / Philippoi) was a city in eastern Macedonia, in northern Ancient Greece, founded by Philip II in 356 Dion (Greek Modern Δίο Dio, Ancient/Katharevousa -on is a municipality and village in the Prefecture of Pieria, Macedonia, Greece, best Cassandra (Greek Κασσάνδρα Kassandra, modern transliteration Kassandra) was one of the most important cities in Ancient Macedonia founded by Ius Italicum (Latin Italian or Italic law was an honour conferred on particular cities of the Roman Empire by the emperors. Four pairs of colonial magistrates (IIvirs quinquennales) are known for this period.

The decline of the city was rapid, in spite of colonization: Dio Chrysostom (Or. 33.27) and Lucian both attest to the ruin of the ancient capital of Philip II and Alexander; though their accounts may be exaggerated. Dio Chrysostom (Δίων Χρυσόστομος) Dion of Prusa or Dio Cocceianus (ca Lucian of Samosata (Λουκιανός ὁ Σαμοσατεύς Lucianus c In fact, the Roman city was somewhat to the west of and distinct from the original capital; which explains some contradictions between coinage, epigraphs, and testimonial accounts. Epigraphy (ἐπιγραφολογία from Greek ἐπιγραφή — "inscription" is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs engraved In the Byzantine period, the Roman site was occupied by a fortified village.

The site

Urban area

The city is built on the island of Phacos, a promontory which dominates the wetlands which encircle Pella to the south, and a lake which opened to the sea in the Hellenistic period. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant A promontory is a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water (when it may be called a Peninsula or headland) This article focuses on the historical aspects of the Hellenistic age for the cultural aspects see Hellenistic civilisation.

Palace

The city wall mentioned by Livy is only partly known. It consists of a rampart of crude bricks (about 50 cm square) raised on a stone foundation; some of which has been located North of the palace, and some in the South next to the lake. Inside the ramparts, three hills occupy the North, and the palace is situated on a place of honour on the central hill. Partly searched, it occupied a considerable area of perhaps 60,000 square metres). To help compare Orders of magnitude of different Areas Areas between 1 Hectare (10000 m²) and 10 hectares (0 The plan is still not well known, but has been related to that of the city plan (see diagram).

The Pella palace consisted of several — possibly seven — large architectural groupings juxtaposed in two rows, each including a series of rooms arranged around a central square courtyard, generally with porticos. Archaeologists have thus far identified a palaestra and baths. For the sports arena in Philadelphia (Pennsylvania see Palestra. Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness Often the term public is misleading to some people as they will have restrictions based upon who can use the facility The south facade of the palace, towards the city, consisted of one large (at least 153 metres long) portico, constructed on a two metres high foundation. The relationship between the four principal complexes is defined by an interruption in the portico occuupied by a triple propylaeum, 15 m high, which gave the palace an imposing monumental air when seen from the city below. A Propylaea, Propylea or Propylaia (in Greek &mdash Προπυλαια is any monumental Gateway based on the original Propylaea that serves

Dating of the palace has posed some problems: the large buildings could date the reign of Philip II, but other buildings appear to be earlier. The baths date from the reign of Cassander. Cassander ( Greek: Κάσσανδρος, Kassandros; ca 350 - 297 BC King of Macedon (305 - 297 BC was a son of Antipater

The size of the complex indicates that, unlike the palace at Vergina, this was not only a royal residence or a grandiose monument but also a place of government which was required to accommodate a portion of the administrative apparatus of the kingdom.

Hippodamean plan

The city proper was located south of and below the palace. Designed on a grid plan as envisaged by Hippodamus, it consists of two series of parallel streets which intersect at right angles and form a grid of eight rows of rectangular blocks. The grid plan or gridiron plan is a type of City plan in which Streets run at right angles to each other forming a grid. Hippodamus of Miletus ( or Hippodamos Greek Ἱππόδαμος (498 BC &mdash 408 BC was an ancient Greek Architect Urban Planner Physician Mathematician Meteorologist These blocks are of a consistent width — each approximately 45 m — and a length which varies from 111 m to 152 m, 125 metres being the most common. The streets are from 9 to 10 metres wide, except for the middle East–West arterial, which is up to 15 metres wide. This street is the primary access to the central public agora, which occupied a space of ten blocks. The Agora was an open "place of assembly" in ancient Greek city-states Two North-South streets area also a bit wider than the rest, and serve to connect the city to the port further South. The streets had sewers and were equipped to convey water to individual residences.

This type of plan dates to the first half of the fourth century BC, and is very close to the ideal in design, though it distinguishes itself by large block size; Olynthus in Chalcidice for example had blocks of 86. The 4th century BC started the first day of 400 BC and ended the last day of 301 BC. For the Butterfly Genus, see Olynthus (butterfly. Olynthus ( Greek: Όλυνθος olunthos, a fig Chalkidiki, also Halkidiki or Chalcidice, less often Khalkidiki and rarely Chalkidice (Χαλκιδική xalkʲiðiˈkʲi is one of the 3×35 metres. On the other hand, later Hellenistic urban foundations have blocks comparable to those of Pella: 112×58 m in Laodicea ad Mare, or 120×46 m in Aleppo. Latakia or Latakiyah (اللاذقية Al-Ladhiqiyah, Λαοδικεία transliterated as Laodicea, Laodikeia or Laodiceia, For other meanings see Aleppo (disambiguation. Halab redirects here for other meanings see Halab (disambiguation.

The agora holds pride of place in the centre of the city, occupying an imposing 200 by 181 metres; 262×238 metres if one counts the potrticos which surround it on all sides.

Archaeology

Based on the descriptions provided by Titus Livius, the site was explored by 19th-century voyagers including Holand, Pouqueville, Beaujour, Cousinéry, Delacoulonche, Hahn, Glotz and Struck. Titus Livius (traditionally 59 BC &ndash AD 17 known as Livy in English, was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The first excavation was begun by G. Oikonomos in 1914–15. Year 1914 ( MCMXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The modern systematic exploration of the site began in 1953 and full excavation was being done in 1957. The first series of campaigns were completed in 1963, more excavations following in 1980. These digs continue in the section identified as the agora.

In February of 2006, a farmer accidentally uncovered the largest tomb ever found in Greece. The names of the noble ancient Macedonian family are still on inscriptions and painted sculptures and walls have survived. Macedon or Macedonia ( Greek grc Μακεδονία grc-Latn Makedonía) was the name of a kingdom centered in the northern-most The tomb dates to the 2nd or 3rd century BC, following the rule of Alexander the Great. The 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC ^[5]

Archaeological digs in progress since 1957 have uncovered a small part of the city, which was made rich by Alexander and his heirs. The large agora or market was surrounded by the shaded colonnades of stoae, and streets of enclosed houses with frescoed walls round inner courtyards. Stoa (plural stoae or stoæ) in Ancient Greek architecture; covered walkways or Porticos commonly for public usage The first trompe-l'oeil wall murals imitating perspective views ever seen were on walls at Pella. Trompe-l'œil, which can also be spelled without the hyphen in English ( French: "trick the eye" tʁɔ̃p lœj is an Art technique involving extremely There are temples to Aphrodite, Demeter and Cybele, and Pella's pebble-mosaic floors, dating after the lifetime of Alexander, are famous: some reproduce Greek paintings; one shows a lion-griffin attacking a stag, a familiar motif also of Scythian art, another depicts Dionysus riding a leopard. Greek temples ( Ancient Greek:, grc-Latn ho naós "dwelling" semantically distinct from Latin la templum " Temple Demeter (dɨˈmiːtɚ Greek:, possibly "distribution-mother" from the noun of the Indo-European mother-earth * dheghom * mater Originally a Hittite and Phrygian Goddess, Cybele (Κυβέλη was a deification of the Earth Mother and was worshipped in The Scythians or Scyths (Σκύθες Σκύθοι were an Iranian speaking people of horse-riding Nomadic pastoralists who dominated the Pontic In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman

References

Bibliography

• Ch. J. Makaronas, Pella: Capital of Ancient Macedonia, pp59–65, in Scientific American, Special Issue, "Ancient Cities", c 1994. Scientific American is a Popular science magazine, published (first weekly and later monthly since August 28, 1845, making it
• Ph. Petsas, Pella. Alexander the Great's Capital, Thessaloniki, 1977.
• D. Papakonstandinou-Diamandourou, Πέλλα, ιστορική επισκόπησις και μαρτυρίαι (Pella, istoriki episkopisis kai martyriai), Thessaloniki, 1971. Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη), Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia (Greek)
• (French) R. Ginouvès, et al. , La Macédoine, CNRS Éditions, Paris, 1993, pp90–98.
• (French) F. Papazoglou, Les villes de Macédoine romaine, BCH Suppl. 16, 1988, pp135–139.

External links

• Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites (via Perseus)
• Macedonian Heritage
• Greek Ministry of Culture

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