With reconstructions, cutaways and pictures of the Vergina tombs and their contents, we can gain some understanding of what life was like during the time of Alexander the Great. For descriptive purposes only, we refer to the tomb believed by some (but not all) to be "Philip’s tomb."

• Tomb under excavation.



• Cutaway of Philip’s tomb.



• Interior door of tomb during excavation. Tombs of Macedonian royalty were richly decorated. (This is a Real Player video link.)



• Facade of Philip’s tomb during excavation with detail of the painted top (called a geison).



• Excavated tomb, with the sky above, has a frieze across the top. Macedonians, like Philip, were great hunters. The painting across the top of the tomb depicts hunting scenes.



• West side of tomb with sarcophagus.



• Small sarcophagus with gold larnax inside.



• The gold larnax containing textiles, gold, ashes and bones.



• Cloth and gold inside the larnax.



• Reconstruction of wooden kline.



• Left and right ends of kline in Bella Mound.



• Sword hilt.



• Large iron sword found in Philip’s tomb.



• Iron cuirass, where it was found and after it was cleaned.



• Chryselephantine shield, before and after reconstruction.



• Silver and bronze banquet vessels as rediscovered on the tomb’s north wall.



• Gorytos and greaves in situ. (A "gorytos" [click here for its correct pronunciation] is a quiver-and-bow case. The scene on the case depicts the capture of a city. A greave is a piece of soldier’s armor worn over the shin and calf between the knee and ankle.)

Even as he mourned his father’s death, Alexander moved quickly to succeed him. History records that he was ruthless in those endeavors.