69-78

Vergina : the fortified predinct and the Acropolis

• Φάκλαρης, Παναγιώτης Β.

Investigation of the walls and acropolis of Vergina began in 1980. The course of the fortifications of the city has been identified in the east, west and south sides, but the north side of the precinct has not yet come to light.The wall is very badly damaged. It has a width of 2.50-2.80 metres, and was constructed out of stone (for the foundations) and unfired bricks (for the upper parts). Rectangular and semicircular towers stood along the wall at irregular intervals. On the south side of the precinct, a gate has been found giving access to the city to those arriving from the Pieria mountains, while a second gate, slightly further to the west, connected the city to its acropolis.The precinct of the acropolis follows the brow of the hill, forming a rough triangle. The building materials used for the wall and the method of con­ struction are similar to those of the city walls. Apart from the gate, two towers have been explored, one at the WNW extremity of the acropolis and the other at is ESE corner. Two staircases, one in the WNW tower and the other to the west of the acropolis gate, have also been investigated.The acropolis and the city were walled in the reign of Cassander, and more specifically in the late fourth or early third century BC. The walls would seem to have formed part of the building programme which also included the palace and the city theatre. There are no traces of the earlier fortifications one would have expected to find if Vergina really was the site of Aigae, first capital of the Macedonians.After the destruction of the acropolis around the middle of the second century BC, the site was used as a centre for small-scale manufacturing. Workshops making pottery, metal goods and woven items have so far been identified. The acropolis was abandoned during the first century BC.

• History and Archaeology

• Ανασκαφές (Αρχαιολογία)

Βεργίνα, Ακρόπολη, συνέδρια

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