Alexander the Great

What was life like in Pella, where both Alexander and his father were born? The town, and its royal sites, have been archeologically rediscovered during the past fifty years, thereby allowing us to examine the place where the future conqueror spent his youth.

Ancient Pella was connected to the sea (the Thermaic Gulf) by a navigable inlet. Because the harbor silted over long ago, however, the site is landlocked today.

Based on remains, scholars have reconstructed the royal palace. They have also unearthed other important places and artifacts:

• The palace court (although scholars believe the mosaic floors are post-Alexander);



• Bust of Alexander the Great, found at Pella;



• Ancient pipes uncovered in modern excavations;



• A Macedonian gold crown worn by royalty.

Alexander's future conquests made himself, and his people, wealthy. That wealth is reflected in today's archeological finds at the old Macedonian capital. Some of the oldest mosaics in the world have been unearthed at Pella. Among them (from a time following Alexander) are:

• A mythological god (Dionysis) riding a leopard;



• Two warriors (the one on the left is Alexander) fighting a lion;



• A mythological centaur.

The Romans sacked Pella in 168 B.C., and took its treasury to Rome. In the first century B.C., an earthquake destroyed the town. Modern archeologists have uncovered stores, and workshops, with their goods still recognizable. Residents rebuilt the city over its ruins, thereby preserving them.

Long before the earthquake rocked Pella, however, a man-made incident rocked Philip's kingdom. It happened unexpectedly, during a time of celebration.