The town of Vergina located in Central Macedonia was built on the ruins of the ancient town of Aigai. Till the 5th century BC, it was the Macedonian capital, before it was replaced by Pella.

The archaeological site of Vergina

At present, Vergina has become famous mainly for its finding of a barrow including Macedonian tombs with an unimpaired grave of the king Philip II, who was buried there in full armour, with his sarcophagus decorated by the coat of arms of Macedonian kings - the sun with sixteen triangular rays. His grave also included two gold-plated urns. The mohyla was also hiding the tomb of Philip’s daughter, Cleopatra, and the prince Alexander IV.

Near the mohyla which is currently a site of a museum, ruins of the royal palace with the preserved mosaics, have been preserved, including a theatre where the king Philip II was murdered in 336 BC.